In the early 1990s Jean-Michel Bayle was the greatest motocross and supercross rider of them all, but he decided to give up the dirt and take to the Tarmac.
Ignoring the lesser championships, he made his official road-racing debut in a world championship 250cc race at his home race of Magny-Cours in 1992.
Bayle became Honda’s first 125cc World Motocross champion in 1988, then dominated the 250cc class as a rookie the next year. The expected switch to the 500cc class never happened as Jean-Michel moved to the USA and supercross. He learned his craft for a year and won the 250cc Supercross title as well as the 250 and 500cc outdoor championships in 1991.
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Another challenge beckoned. He was 23 and wanted to try road-racing. Bayle bought himself a Honda CBR600 and trained hard, even surprising Eddie Lawson when he saw the Frenchman lapping Willow Springs.
His 1992 debut was an ‘in at the deep end’ moment. He was riding a Rothmans-backed Honda RS250 and Bayle would qualify 38th and last – five seconds slower than poleman Frankie Chili. He would be lapped in the race, being nicknamed ‘Jean-Michel Snail’ by unkindly journalists.
He would ride full-time in the 250cc class for 1993, Bayle would race his stock Aprilia to a best of eighth in 1993. Getting factory equipment, he’d take two fifth place finishes in 1994 and take his first pole in 1995. He made a move to Kenny Roberts’ 500cc team for 1996…
JMB took sixth in his first-ever 500cc race in Malaysia, just 0.7s off the dominant Mick Doohan. In his 11th grand prix, the Frenchman took his first 500 pole position. Results would come (fourth in Imola, fifth at Eastern Creek), but in 1997 Kenny built his own three-cylinder 500cc racer and results were harder to come by.
By 1998 he was on a Yamaha V4 YZR500 in Wayne Rainey’s team, but injury would spoil the season; he’d still take pole at Imola before returning to Roberts’ team for 1999. This time, injury led Jean-Michel Bayle to announce his retirement from Grand Prix racing after just six races of the season.
He would make a surprise comeback in 2002 (14th in France), but the podium had eluded him in his career. A happy ending was winning both the Bol d’Or and 24 Hours of Le Mans races in 2002.
The original article appeared in Classic Motorcycle Mechanics. To subscribe to the magazine rammed with hints, tips and nostalgia please click HERE
