EXCLUSIVE: Sylvain Barrier (SSTK 1000) Q&A

After a hectic start to the year, which saw him lose his BMW Italia World Superbike ride , Sylvain Barrier is back in the European Superstock 1000 series with Yamaha for the rest of 2015. Having had no time to test before the first round at Aragon, the Frenchman was playing catch-up all weekend.

His prospects of a strong first showing aboard the new R1 weren't helped by a heavy spill on Saturday morning which required a subsequent hospital visit. Yet the 26-year old still managed a gritty eleventh place finish on Sunday while riding with several cracked ribs.

Barrier spoke to Crash.net on Saturday evening at Aragon about his split with BMW, the potential for a Superbike return in 2016, and his new role as Michelin test rider.

Crash.net:
After losing your ride with BMW you've ended up back in the series you've won twice. Was it your first choice to return to the European Superstock 1000 class?

Sylvain Barrier:
I was looking honestly everywhere. BSB, IDM, everywhere. But I wanted to stay in the paddock of Superbike. I call every team in the paddock but everything was taken. There was quite some people who wanted to have me. The thing is I don't want to wait for a rider to crash, get injured and take his ride. For me it's not really correct. I prefer to go back to where I was. I'm doing some development for Michelin for the MotoGP. I'm in the Italian series with the same team. They give me the chance to maybe come into Superbike next year. But they say I need to fight. If everything come easy it's not my way to do things.

Yamaha gave me the chance to come back. Now it's in my side to give everything to show them and show me what I'm able to do. Also if one day I have children I can tell them what we need to do. I don't want to sit on the sofa when I'm 50 years old and say, 'Oh, if I did this I could be world champion.' No, [I have to] give everything and after show my children how to do it and how to be a better person.

Crash.net:
Are you still upset with BMW's decision?

Sylvain Barrier:
Honestly I think I can be a better person. When you stay for five years with the same team you don't feel lazy. You think, 'Ok, I'm here and everything is good.' But when this happens it gives you the feeling in the heart to battle. For sure this what they did was not the correct way to do things but it will help me to become a better person.

Crash.net:
Did you foresee the split with BMW?

Sylvain Barrier:
From the beginning of the year I was always saying the two first races will be quite difficult because Phillip Island I don't really like the circuit. After Thailand I didn't know the circuit. The first race was a complete disaster. In the second race I begin to enjoy on the bike. I was enjoying the qualifying. In the race I didn't have the good feeling to really push. The bike was quite good and I need to over-push. I wasn't feeling the confidence to do it. I thought, 'take this race easy, then in Aragon battle.' The bike is good and I wanted to battle. The team said, 'See you in Aragon.'

But when we come back from Thailand they didn't call me to tell me that. They called my manager and they say this to him. I am going out with my manager's daughter. He called his daughter and asked, 'Is Sylvain not professional?' But everything was fine. We understand the [ex-BMW WSBK] manager Andrea Dosoli go away and a new one comes. Also they say from the car accident last year, when I was not in contract with BMW at this moment, that it was bad for the image of BMW. We come back and finish some races second and third. Ok, I maybe was not battling with [David] Salom but I was in front of him in many race. I don't know exactly what happened. Maybe [Ayrton] Badovini is Italian, it is BMW Italia. I don't blame anyone. Just the way they did it is not really professional. They do it all [behind] the back and this is not really nice after five years.

Crash.net:
You stood by BMW when they didn't provide you with a Superbike after your first Superstock 1000 title. Does that make their decision more difficult to accept?

Sylvain Barrier:
The deal was you win the championship you go to Superbike [in 2012]. I win the championship and they take Davies and Melandri [for the 2013 season]. What is the plan? 'You go back to Superstock.' And after you will get a Superbike in a professional team. I was like perfect. I will do again. After two race or three race BMW take the decision to stop everything. I thought, 'For fuck sake!' I sign again for this for 'Evo'. We do 'Evo' and it was not what I expect. If this happen in your life it's for a reason. You need to take the best and try to grow up. It's what I do now. If I come back from now I will be much stronger and it will be much better for me.

Crash.net:
What are your first impressions of the new Yamaha R1?

Sylvain Barrier:
It's completely a new bike and we didn't make any tests before we come here. On Monday I was under contract with BMW. We make all this at the last minute. We need to learn to the bike. Yesterday was a good day but we make the lap time with the new tyres. We didn't do anything else. We just put the new tyres and then try to understand the handling of the bike. The lap time was coming easy. This means the potential of the bike is really high. The bike is standard. It's Stock from the shop. We have the suspension. The session is really good. This morning I go with the tyres from the day before. I do three laps and come back in but the last thing I use for the second practice yesterday. We changed the spring on the bike. When I changed direction in the middle of the corner then the front is straight away go away because the track is a little bit cold. We only have four tyres all weekend. So it's difficult to imagine all that.

Also I was a little bit too aggressive. It's the game. But from the first time we get on the bike after two days we have one second free on people that are doing this for three months. It's not really bad. It means the bike is quite easy to ride straight away. We just need to understand more the bike.

Now she's [the bike] the boss. I'm like 'ok'. We need to find a couple of things and it will be fine. But we need a little bit more time. The family of Yamaha is really great. Everybody we eat in the same hospitality. Everyone talk to everyone. It's intense competition but it's quite natural. This is quite nice.

Crash.net:
The chance to race Yamaha's R1 in the World Superbike series next year is a nice incentive...

Sylvain Barrier:
Superbike was something else. I'm rider official for Michelin to develop the MotoGP tyres. I work with them for many years and they really like the way I speak about the tyres. I'm quite easy to live with and to do all the things. I think I will make a really good job. I don't know where it will bring us but for sure it will be fun.

Crash.net:
The depth of quality in this class has significantly increased this year. Do you feel it will be harder to regain your title?

Sylvain Barrier:
I'm quite happy. Just one thing I think is, 'Why don't they fire me before?' I can make one or two test before this race and be much more stronger. Now I am quite limited but I need to take the race like a practice. This morning I was a little ambition more than talent, like Stoner said. I leaned over, get back the front, I said, 'Come back!' but it didn't listen. It was not good.

Crash.net:
You suffered a fairly big fall on Saturday morning and were taken to hospital. What happened?

Sylvain Barrier:
For the crash I just lose the front and the bike come on me. We have the security here [on the handlebar] and my glove stay in. It brings me then the bike go up. It does a spin, it come on me and I was made to go to the hospital for checks. I have two ribs cracked. The shoulder is painful and the muscle [in the arm]. Honestly on the bike it's quite hard. But I can ride and this is a good thing.