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Sylvain Guintoli has been part of Yamaha’s return to the World Superbike stage this season, in the colours of the PATA Yamaha Official WorldSBK Team. After a good start to the season, the Frenchman suffered a bad injury to his left ankle at the fifth Round of the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Imola and has since been in recovery.

“I’m doing a lot better,” says the Yamaha rider. “The injuries are now 100% healed and I’m ready to get back on track. The next Race is in September and now I’m impatient to get back on the grid.”

From the opening Round of the 2016, Guintoli has shown flashes of the potential of the Yamaha YZF R, including finishing fifth, and has had a great record in qualifying. Despite a lot of promise however, the road for the PATA Yamaha squad has not been free of bumps.

 “In the first part of the season, our results have been pretty constant,” says the Frenchman, who was second in the Tissot-Superpole standings up to the crash in Imola. “I’ve showed that the bike is always fast in qualifying but we’ve found some limitations when looking at race distance. After my crash at the end of April, it seems like those problems have continued. I’ll be able to report back on that after my return to racing.

“The first flash of brilliance this year for the Yamaha was in Race 2 in Phillip Island. I finished fifth and only 2.5 seconds off the win. After that, neither me, Alex nor any replacement rider has been able to get a better result,” explains the Frenchman when asked about the Yamaha’s progress. “Since my first tests last November, I’ve always said that the bike has a very good chassis as a base. We’re just missing some speed and there’s a lot of work to be done on the electronics, which is an area in which the Ducati and Kawasaki are further ahead.”

Due to the injuries sustained in the crash in Superpole 2 at Imola, the French veteran has had to sit out not only the races at the Italian venue but also the following four Rounds of the calendar. After this long period of recuperation, the 2014 Champion is now preparing is comeback for the Pirelli German Round at Lausitzring in September. “I’ve managed to do a few laps at Silverstone on an R1M to get some feeling back. My reflexes are still there. Unfortunately, at the moment, the machine doesn’t yet allow us to fight for the victory.”

Outside WorldSBK, the YZF R1 has just taken a second consecutive victory in the Suzuka 8H endurance race at the end of July. “Championships are different,” says Guintoli when challenged on the bike’s success elsewhere. “The level and regulations within WorldSBK aren’t the same. Also, it’s important to realise that the Yamaha team that just won in Suzuka is directly supported by Japan. But it’s not a secret that the base of the YZF R1 is very good and that’s already been shown on a national and an international level.”

Whereas Kawasaki, Ducati and Honda have announced their line-ups for 2017, the PATA Yamaha squad have yet to detail their riders for the coming season. Guintoli has his goalposts in sight for 2017 however: “My objective for next season is to find a team and a machine that will let me win,” explains the Frenchman. “I won the title in 2014 and my level hasn’t dropped – I feel strong.

“The Championship has been dominated by Brits in the last two years and I want to see French colours back on the podium and win, that’s the goal. I hope I can interrupt the domination of the British riders and the Kawasaki – that’s why I need a team and a bike that can perform.”

Whilst the 2017 negotiations continue, there are still four Rounds to go for Sylvain Guintoli and PATA Yamaha to get that first podium, or even first win on the YZF R1. The pairing will be back at Lausitzring in September for the first time since Imola, ready to race once again.