The devastating double injury to shoulder and hip came after a 2008 season which had culminated in his stunning individual victory at the Motocross of Nations, the world’s most prestigious off-road event, a display which was a final confirmation that he had arrived at the top of the MX1 class after four GP victories during his first two years in the most important series in the world.

Sébastien was just six years old when he raced his first ever motocross in his hometown region of Provence an area with a rich tradition. Always racing Kawasaki already as a child, Sébastien won the French “Minivert” series in 1995 and claimed his first national title in 2001 when he won the French 125cc junior title.

Moving to the adult ranks he battled valiantly against the established stars, advancing through the ranks to crown his first full world championship campaign in 2004 with second place at the German GP in Gaildorf and the French MX2 title.

Another podium on the sandy track of Zolder/Belgium in the opening round of the 2005 World Championship confirmed his promise but a broken arm a fortnight later in Spain meant he missed most of the season and, despite a second national title and a late-season podium at the infamous Namur track in southern Belgium, he inevitably spent the year in the shadow of younger brother Christophe who clinched the MX2 world title for Kawasaki.

A conscious decision to move to the MX1 world series in 2007 aboard the KX450F soon brought dividends with a podium already at round four and a devastating double win two months later in the GP of Italy at Faenza. 2008 brought more victories and the promise of a stellar 2009 season until those horrific injuries after the close of the main season.

Having already proved in 2006 that he could rebound from injury, Sébastien was back at the gate for the start of the 2009 GP season, but the time scale was simply too short and he struggled for a couple of races before aggravating his shoulder injury at the early season Dutch GP and immediately accepted the consequences and sat out the rest of the year on medical advice to allow his injuries to heal properly.

His first rides back on a bike during the winter have confirmed that Sébastien and the Kawasaki Racing Team made the right decision and they both confidently expect a return to the glory trail in 2010.

Sébastien Pourcel: “It is a great boost for my confidence that Kawasaki have continued to put their trust in me after a difficult season last year with injuries, and that makes me even more determined to repay their faith. I have been back on a bike since October, and I can see the progress I have made month-by-month since then; I spent most of the time this winter training together with my brother Christophe in Florida, and I soon expect to again be winning GPs on my KX450F-SR, just like I did in 2007 and 2008.”

Career Resume