The flying dutchman Marc de Reuver once again showed he is making progess in his career with a move to the team many say is the best in the GP paddock. When de Reuver signed with the Rinaldi Yamaha team is was a move that saw him return to the blue bikes.
"I rode for Yamaha for a long time at the start of my career and the Yamaha guys are dutch, so I am really happy. I wanted to ride MX1 this year and I wasn't able to, they (KTM) wouldn't let me. I was fully focused for this season and I was disappointed with not being able to ride in the MX1 class. If you look what they got in MX1 with Pichon and Tortelli then it was a pity, I think I could have done better."
Of course with a good association with KTM it wasn't the easiest decision of his career, although he knew it was time to move on and hopefully the change in teams will give him a better chance to add to his two GP victories.
"It was difficult to leave KTM, they always supported me in the bad times and the good times, but Rinaldi was the only team would could offer me a two year deal and I wanted a little bit of security. Of course if I had stayed with KTM in the MX2 class I would have stayed with the team from Kees, but if you look the MX1 the team from Rinaldi is the most professional. That was why I made the decision."
A lack of form at the moment has nothing to do with the dutchman changing teams, it's just a purple patch he hopes to be over soon. Having won a GP in Bulgaria things went down hill in Italy, England, South Africa and Czech Republic. The young KTM rider does not know why, but it has nothing to do with his negotiations for next year.
"Everyone thinks my results dropped off because I was negotiating with Rinaldi, but that wasn't the case. In Italy I was not talking with anyone, also in England. I started talking with Rinaldi and within a week I had a deal with them. The Friday before Sweden both Yamaha and KTM wanted an answer, it was very tough. The guys from MX2 are like a family for me, they are so nice for me, and we had so much fun, but I have to think of my future. It's not going to be so easy with Yamaha as it was with KTM. With KTM you asked for whatever you wanted and many times got it, with Yamaha it will be different, but I think that will make me more mature."
Working with Josh Coppins is something de Reuver is looking forward to, both live in Belgium and both are very good riders. As far as being the number one or number two rider in the team de Reuver feels like the two riders will enter the season on equal bikes.
"I don't look at Rinalid having a number one and number two rider. Josh impressed me a lot with how he has come back. For me the track was easy in England, with that Joshs results were maybe not that difficult in England, but in Sweden, that track was really rough and he did so well. I hope that there is no number one rider in Rinaldi. On an MX1 bike I don't think I am worse than Josh, in the sand he has nothing for me."
