Ducati factory rider Jeremy Seewer isn’t just a good guy trying to get by in the MXGP championship, he is one of the elite riders, who is capable of winning multiple GP’s and fight for podiums and top three finishes in the season ending championship points.

A multi-time World MXGP and MX2 runner-up and very much a rider who can help Ducati really find their feet in the MXGP paddock. The excitment for the move by Ducati to join the World championship is only grown since the news that a rider of the standard of Seewer will compete for them.

Having raced for three different factory teams in his career, you just know he takes a lot of knowledge to the Ducati brand and with support from Antonio Cairoli and the whole Ducati factory, you get the feeling he might be able to pull of something special in 2025.

Winning a title isn’t on his mind just yet, but a Grand Prix win, on the Ducati would not only be huge for the sport in Europe, but it would also be huge for the sport Worldwide. We spoke to Jeremy Seewer last night and this is what he told us.

MXLarge: I don't want to really talk about the year because I'm more interested in the Ducati thing and also a few other things. We all know you as an easy-going guy and one of the top guys who can win a GP, but I'm not sure if we really know, when you were young, whether you had heroes and all that sort of thing, and also how you actually got into motocross?

Seewer: Yeah, I got into motocross because my father was actually racing the Swiss champ in the past, and I think some GP's back in the days when it was still a different World with the qualification and all that. He never was a professional or a top guy internationally, but yeah, he was a good rider in Switzerland and that's how I got into it.

MXLarge: Did you have any heroes when you first started getting into it?

Seewer: Yes. When I started to follow, I started on Suzuki and Ricky Carmichael as my hero because at that time he was on a Suzuki and winning and yeah, that was the guy I was like looking up to. Then after that actually, it was Ryan Villopoto. I was looking up to him, and it's funny, because now, I see they're all small guys, you know and I am small, which I didn't know at that time. But it's pretty fun.

MXLarge: Yeah, it's weird because, obviously a lot of the European guys, their heroes are actually the American guys. You're clearly not somebody that, I don't know if you want to go to America or not. Obviously, it's far too late for Supercross and maybe even too late for motocross. But it was that ever a goal?

Seewer: Uh, yeah, it was. I mean, somehow growing up, I think the guys in the US were just more reachable on TV and in magazines. I think that's why I looked up to those guys. For some reason you know and yeah, it was a plan and the goal and to go there as a kid. But then honestly, I went there for three weeks when I was younger. And I mean, there's a lot of positive going to America and super cool, but then I realized, to live there, it's like a different World and I'm not sure if I'm made for that, you know. Like it's. Yeah, it's America, but you know, like food, people, everything is completely different and being from Switzerland, that's a tough decision to leave that you know.

MXLarge: Tell me something, because obviously riders, I'm sure ride the bikes before they sign with a new team, because you know you don't want to sign with a team, where the bikes no good. Do the riders usually ride the bikes before they sign. Have you tried to?

Seewer: Yes, I mean obviously it's always tricky and sometimes you're not allowed from contract sometimes. Yeah, you need to find a place where it's like nobody's there, you know. So, we try to but, yeah, even I had contracts where I was allowed to do when we passed a certain amount of time, and you run out of contract. You know, it all depends on the situation, but we try to. But nevertheless, even riding the bike for a day, like it's still like a lottery, because I mean, I tried the Kawasaki before I signed, and I felt that it wasn't right in some aspects, but I expected it to be fixed quite easy. I was like, okay, this bike is not made for me and once I have my suspension and my stuff, it will be fine. It turned out to be a nightmare you know. So even trying the bike before you sign, that won't help, you don't find anything in one day.

MXLarge: You have ridden Suzuki, you've ridden Kawasaki, you've ridden Yamaha. They used to say that the Japanese bikes were all the same. But it seems like that's not the case anymore. Are they a lot different?

Seewer: Yeah, they're different. And you ride those bikes also over at different period of times. You know, like Suzuki, now it's eight years ago. I hope they made some progress, since then. But yeah, they are different. Every bike has a little bit its own character, you know? But, like you say, they are Japanese bikes on the base system, they copy each other and it's not a miracle between those brands.

MXlarge: You have had the last few years, trouble with the Yamaha, and you were quite outspoken about that and then you had trouble with the Kawasaki, and you were quite outspoken about that, now obviously the Ducati, a completely new motocross bike. Have you ridden it and how does that feel? And if you haven't ridden it, did you? Do you feel a little bit. I mean, obviously. Nobody really knows how it's going to be. I mean they have had GP's but not with a rider like you on it.

Seewer: Yeah, exactly. I mean, starting in the beginning Yamaha, I liked the bike, but they didn't really want to sign me for what I was worth, and then I'm a man of principles and I just said okay, I'll leave, you know. I'm not regretting that decision for one second because that's just how I am. You know, like if somebody doesn’t respect my value then yeah, then I shouldn't be there. And then the Kawasaki story was unfortunate. You know, like just the way how the politics works for the bike, it just wasn’t made for me at all, and even staying there three more years, I except they wouldn't change something massively. I couldn't reach my potential, you know. So that's why I ended. Where I'm at now, honestly, I've ridden the bike this week, started testing Tuesday and Wednesday and super positive so far. You know like, sure we can't lie about that, that it's a completely new bike. Like they can't catch up 20 years of development in two days, but I like the people involved and they are the good ones. The politics around is the good one. And they are good in copying stuff, obviously. I mean, nowadays it's easy to see how they do this. I just enjoy it again because what I was missing this year, I just started to kind of hate it because I didn't enjoy riding or racing anymore. You know when the bike doesn't do what you think it does and then the results are not there, and you want to get the results, but you can't. Then I start to be frustrated, you know, like, I'm not here to race for P8 or something. So most importantly, with the people involved, the mechanics and engineers around the team based in Italy, I start to enjoy it again and that's what you need to be successful and even those first few days, I enjoyed it a lot, and I think the bike already is on a good level for sure, we need to put some work in, that's normal, but I think, it shouldn't take too long.

MXLarge: As you said, it's very early and you're not going to learn exactly what the bike can do and not do in those two days. But is there anything specific that felt really good and something else that maybe you thought? Well, that's going to need a lot of work.

Seewer: It corners incredible. Honestly like it's so funny, like this year, I struggled so hard with cornering like the Kawasaki wouldn’t turn, it would not turn as I wanted, and this bike now it's like it goes around the corner by itself. Like incredible, so good, you know, so that's insane. And then half of the other parts are just suspension and frame. I mean I need to learn something completely else, from KB to Showa and I've never been on Showa, so yeah, that's the point and its not really negative, it's just like it takes time, you know, like setting up a completely new bike is already a big thing and then making it with new suspension, new people, yeah, that's tough.

MXlarge: Have you had much to do with Antonio? I'm assuming he's going to be the team manager.

Seewer: No, he isn’t the team manager, team manager, which will be Maddi. I think he is just testing a bit and like just there for advice like its kind of a whatever you know, it's because Ducati doesn't have experience in racing. So Tony is the guy to ask. Tony's the guy with the sporting knowledge. I think he will be involved pretty soon and especially at the races; I think he will be like a key factor.

MXlarge: Do you have any goals? I know you don't want to really be running around in fourth or fifth or something like that. You'd rather be winning Grand Prix's, but do you have any sort of goal for 2025?

Seewer: I think the goal is, I don't know. It's so hard to say after two days on the bike. We need a few more months or weeks, but like the goal would be to win a race next year, to win a race would be insane for a brand just coming into GP. Especially the level where MXGP is at now, you know like, these guys are fast, and you know they know what they're doing and they're level in the first few guys is super fast.

MXLarge: How long is it your deal with Ducati?

Seewer: Two years plus option so.

MXlarge: The option for you or option for them?

Seewer: It's a two-sided option, that we don't run in any kind of trouble.

MXLarge: So last question, would your goal in the second year be to fight for the title? Because obviously you want to win a world title, you've shown in the past, you have days when you can beat anybody. Is that still a goal?

Seewer: Honestly, somewhere yes, because I mean we are being world champion that's the top of the top. That's what you want to reach. But right now, I am more trying to turn it around. I work as hard as I can this winter to get as far as I can without putting any pressure. Which is nice to have and then I will completely do my absolute best at being to be able to win the World Championship. But I'm not putting myself on the pressure, and say I want to win the world championship, no, I'm just trying to be the best of myself, trying to be as fit as possible trying to help to get myself and get the bike as good as possible and then, see how competitive we are. That's the strategy because if I start thinking now about winning a world title, then I am 10 Steps too far ahead, and I'm going to struggle.

Pascal Haudiquert image