David Vuillemin (born 18 October 1977) is a French former professional

motocross Motocross is a form of off-road motorcycle racing held on enclosed off-road circuits. The sport evolved from motorcycle trials competitions held in the United Kingdom. History Motocross first evolved in Britain from motorcycle trials competi ...

and

supercross The AMA Supercross Championship (commercially known as Monster Energy AMA Supercross) is an American motorcycle racing series. Founded by the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) in 1974, the AMA Supercross Championship races are held from ...

racer. He competed in the

Motocross World Championship FIM Motocross World Championship is the premier championship of motocross racing, organized by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM), divided into two distinct classes: MXGP and MX2. Race duration is 30 minutes plus two laps per ...

s from 1995 to 1999 and won the 1999 supercross world championship. He competed in the

AMA Motocross Championship The AMA Motocross Championship (commercially known as Lucas Oil Pro Motocross) is an American motorcycle racing series. The motocross race series was founded and sanctioned by the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) in 1972. The series is th ...

s from 2000 and 2008 before returning to the Motocross World Championships for one final season in 2009. Although Vuillemin never won a major championship, he was twice the runner-up in the AMA Supercross championships and, was one of the few competitors who could beat both Jeremy McGrath and Ricky Carmichael in their prime.

Motocross racing career

World championship career

Born in

Berre-l'Étang Berre-l'Étang (; oc, Bèrra) is a commune in the Bouches-du-Rhône department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southern France. Population See also * Étang de Berre * Communes of the Bouches-du-Rhône department The followi ...

Bouches-du-Rhône Bouches-du-Rhône ( , , ; oc, Bocas de Ròse ; "Mouths of the Rhône") is a department in Southern France. It borders Vaucluse to the north, Gard to the west and Var to the east. The Mediterranean Sea lies to the south. Its prefecture and large ...

, Vuillemin began riding motorcycles as a child because his father was a motorcycle road racer but, he preferred to play

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

. He began motocross racing in 1985 and made his world championship debut riding a Kawasaki in the 1995 125cc motocross world championship, finishing the season ranked 31st. Vuillemin made his first AMA motocross race appearance when he competed in three rounds of the 1996 AMA 125cc Western Supercross championship. In the 1996 125cc motocross world championship, his results improved with a 16th place finish. Vuillemin returned to compete in the 1997 AMA 125cc Western Supercross championship competing as a

privateer A privateer is a private person or ship that engages in maritime warfare under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign or deleg ...

with assistance from the FMF racing team. He posted first and second place finishes in six races and, was ranked fourth in the championship final overall standings. Riding for the Yamaha of France racing team in the 1997 125cc world championships, he ended the year ranked 6th in the final overall standings. Vuillemin began the 1998 season in the AMA 125cc Western Supercross championship where, he scored three consecutive victories and finished second to John Dowd in the championship final overall standings. 1998 marked the best year of his 125cc career as, he won three consecutive Grand Prix races as well as a fourth victory later on to end the season ranked second in the 125cc motocross world championship behind the defending champion Alessio Chiodi. Vuillemin moved up to the 250cc class in 1999 appearing in five rounds of the AMA Supercross championship including his best result at the San Diego Supercross where he led the main event for 14 laps ahead of

Jeremy McGrath Jeremy McGrath (born November 19, 1971) is one of the most popular American Motocross/Supercross champions in the history of the sport, racking up seven Supercross championships. He was most active in the 1990s earning the title the "King of S ...

and Ezra Lusk on a mostly unmodified Yamaha YZ 250 and, finished the race in fourth place. His impressive performance earned him an offer to race in the United States in 2000. He won his first major championship in 1999 when he claimed the short, three-round World Supercross Series championship ahead of second place finisher Sébastien Tortelli. In the 1999 250cc world championship, he won two Grand Prix races to end the season ranked third in the championship.

AMA career

Vuillemin joined the Yamaha USA factory racing team to compete in the 2000 AMA Motocross Championships. He began the 250cc Supercross season with a fifth place in the opening round, followed by a second place before scoring his first victory at the third round in San Diego when, McGrath experienced mechanical troubles.Coming On Strong
''American Motorcyclist'', April 2000, Vol. 54, No. 4, At the fourth round in Phoenix, Vuillemin came from behind to pass several top competitors including the previously dominant McGrath to score an impressive victory. It marked the first time that a competitor had been able to catch and pass McGrath from behind. He won two more supercross events to finish the season ranked second behind defending champion McGrath. In the 2000 250cc outdoor motocross national championship, Vuillemin won the Hangtown motocross national over an impressive field of competitors including Ricky Carmichael,

Kevin Windham Kevin Windham (born February 28, 1978), is an American former professional motocross racer. At 17 he received a full factory ride from Team Yamaha. He has raced for many factory teams and holds several titles, back to back AMA 125 West Supercr ...

Sebastian Tortelli and

Greg Albertyn Greg Albertyn is a South African former professional motocross racer. He competed in the Motocross World Championships from 1988 to 1994 and in the AMA Motocross Championships from 1995 to 2000. Albertyn is notable for being the first South Afri ...

. He followed with another victory at the next race at

High Point Raceway High Point Raceway is a motocross track which is located near Mount Morris, Pennsylvania. The High Point Pro Motocross National, hosted each June, has been a tradition in the region since the track's addition to the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Champi ...

but, then Carmichael dominated the remainder of the season with Vuillemin ranked fourth in the final overall standings. His 2001 season was hampered by injuries but, he was able to repeat as winner of the High Point Raceway national race. In September 2001, Vuillemin joined Yves Demaria and Luigi Séguy as members of the French team competing in the

Motocross des Nations The Motocross des Nations (in French) is an annual team motocross Motocross is a form of off-road motorcycle racing held on enclosed off-road circuits. The sport evolved from motorcycle trials competitions held in the United Kingdom. History ...

event held at the hilltop

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motocross circuit. He scored a third and fourth place results to help the French team win their first Motocross des Nations event since its inception in 1947. Vuillemin had another strong performance in the 2002 250cc Supercross championship, winning the opening round and then winning two more rounds including an impressive victory when he caught and passed

Travis Pastrana Travis Alan Pastrana (born October 8, 1983) is an American professional motorsports competitor and stunt performer who has won championships and X Games gold medals in several disciplines, including supercross, motocross, freestyle motocross, an ...

and Carmichael late in the race. He earned another 10 additional podium finishes and led Carmichael for half the season until the Daytona round when, he was injured in a practice crash that would prevent him from racing and allowed Carmichael took take over the championship points lead. He finished the supercross season ranked second behind Carmichael. His performance earned him the "Comeback Rider of the Year Award" at the season ending AMA Awards banquet. Vuillemin raced a limited season in the AMA 250cc outdoor motocross championship after re-injuring his shoulder and forcing him to have surgery. He did however earn an overall second-place finish at

Sacramento ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...

. In 2003, Vuillemin raced a limited AMA 250cc Supercross season. He earned five podium finishes before breaking his back in the Daytona round putting him out for the remainder of the series. He contested the AMA 250cc outdoor motocross championship, earning five overall top five finishes. Vuillemin contested the AMA 250cc Supercross series in 2004, earning seven podium finishes. He also raced in the AMA 250cc outdoor motocross championship, earning two overall podium finishes. He posted similar results in 2005, fourth place in AMA Supercross series and fourth in AMA outdoor motocross with the Yamaha Factory Racing Team. For the 2006 season, he rode for the

Honda is a Japanese public multinational conglomerate manufacturer of automobiles, motorcycles, and power equipment, headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, reaching a product ...

team but left the team due to differences of opinion with his team manager and, began competing as a privateer, riding a Yamaha YZ 450F. His improved results placed him 7th overall and 1st privateer. His best finish came at the Millville round with a 2nd place overall behind Ricky Carmichael and ahead of James "Bubba" Stewart. Vuillemin switched to the MDK

team managed by former national champion

Steve Lamson Steve Lamson (born March 24, 1971) is an American former professional motocross racer and racing team manager. He competed in the AMA Motocross Championships from 1988 to 2007. He is a two-time AMA motocross national champion. Motorcycle racing c ...

in 2007. His first race with the team came at the US Open in Las Vegas where, he led Carmichael and Stewart for half the race before falling to third where he would finish. Vuillemin finished sixth in the American Supercross Championship earning him the Top Privateer Award. He was seriously injured at the Millville round of the 450cc outdoor motocross championship and finished the season ranked tenth in the final overall standings. Vuillemin was never able to regain his successful form after his Millville accident. In the 2008 season, Vuillemin earned his way back to a Factory team racing for the

Suzuki is a Japan, Japanese multinational corporation headquartered in Minami-ku, Hamamatsu, Japan. Suzuki manufactures automobiles, motorcycles, All-terrain vehicle, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), outboard motor, outboard marine engines, wheelchairs ...

factory racing team managed by former world champion

Roger De Coster Roger De Coster (born 28 August 1944) is a Belgian former professional motocross racer and current Motorsport Director of KTM and Husqvarna North America. He competed in the Motocross World Championships from 1966 to 1980, most prominently as a m ...

in the Supercross and 450cc outdoor motocross nationals however, his season was marred by injuries and he made the decision to retire after finishing 8th in the 2008 450cc Supercross championship.

Return to Grand Prix competition

Vuillemin then reversed course and decided to return to Europe to compete with a Kawasaki in the MX1 Motocross World Championships for one final season in

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

. He suffered from sub-par equipment in comparison to his factory-sponsored opposition and finished the season ranked 13th in the world. He then made the decision to retire permanently from professional motocross competition.

Career overview

Vuillemin is a seven-time Supercross winner and three-time outdoor motocross winner. He has more than 40 podium finishes to his credit, and he was the top Supercross privateer in 2007 and the top outdoor motocross privateer in 2006. Vuillemin is a four-time winner of the King of Bercy supercross race held near Paris, France which, is considered the most prestigious supercross race outside the United States. In the almost 30-year history of the event, no one was won more than Vuillemin.

Life after racing

After the 2009 season, Vuillemin spent time training and helping several riders and teams before accepting a job with the Motoconcepts Racing as Team Manager.

Results

2009 French National MX1 Champion 2008 2007 AMA Supercross Top Privateer 6th in AMA SX Series 2006 1st Place - Barcelona Supercross 1st Place - Fuente Alamo Supercross 6th Place - AMA Supercross 10th Place - AMA Motocross 2nd Place - Spring Creek MX Park 3 Top-Five finishes in the AMA Supercross and Outdoor Nationals 12 top-ten finishes 2005 Team Yamaha USA 4th Championship US SX 250 4th AMA MX Championship 2004 Team Yamaha USA 4th Championship US SX 250 4th Championship US MX 250 2003 Team Yamaha USA 7th Championship US SX 250 6th Championship US MX 250 2nd place a US Open Las Vegas King Of Paris Bercy Supercross 2002 Team Yamaha USA 2nd Place AMA SX 250 2001 Team Yamaha USA 8th Championship US SX 250 5th Championship US MX 250 King Of Supercross de Paris Bercy (250) Winner of the SX Stade de France in Paris, France Winner Motocross des Nations (with Seguy and Demaria) 2000 Team Yamaha USA Winner SX US 250 : 4 victories 4th MX US 250 : 2 victories at Sacramento (CA) and Mt. Morris (PA) 5th World SX Championship 250 King of Bercy 2000 Winner of the Stade de France in Paris, France 1999 Yamaha Motor France 3rd World MX Championship 250cc World SX Champion 250cc King of Bercy 1999 Winner du Stade de France 1998 Yamaha Motor France French National Champion SX 250 French Motocross Elite Champion 125 Vice-Champion USA 125cc West SX US 125cc Vice-Champion World MX Championship 125cc Vice-Champion World SX Championship 250cc Winner Stade de France 1997 Champion d'Europe SX 125 Champion France SX 125 4th 125cc USA SX West Coast Vice-Champion France Elite 125cc 6th World Championship 125cc Prince of Bercy 1997 1996 Champion d'Europe SX 125 Champion de France SX 125 6th France Elite Championship 16th World Championship 125cc Prince of Bercy 1996 1995 * Vice-Champion Europe SX 125 * Vice-Champion France SX 125 * 6th France Elite Championship 125 * 31st World Championship 125 1994 * 4th France Junior Championship * 11th France Elite Championship 125 * 5th France SX Championship 125 1993 7th France 125 Juniors Championship 8th France SX championship 125 1992 12th France 125 Junior Championship 1991 Vice-Champion Minivert " 80 cadet " 3rd France 80 Cadet Championship 1990 Champion Minivert " 80 minime " 3rd France 80 Cadet Championship 1989 Champion Minivert " 80 Educatif " Champion de Provence 80cc 1988 Champion de Provence 60cc

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vuillemin, David 1977 births Living people Sportspeople from Bouches-du-Rhône French motocross riders