Five Minutes with ... Marco Dube
FEBRUARY 12, 2008

Marco Dubé  and his new Equipe Les Chutes KX450.

By Allison Kennedy
Photos by Isabel Rouillard


Until recently, National Number 4 didn’t have a deal for 2008. But after this weekend’s Quebec City motorcycle show, the news was out that Marco Dubé had signed a deal with Equipe Les Chutes to contest the Canadian Nationals on a KX450. Dubé started his racing career on a KX80 back in 1991, now 17 years later, he says he’s pumped to be back on Team Green. We caught up with Dubé as he was stickering up his new ride for the filming of a TV commercial.

RXC: We heard the news that you signed with Equipe Les Chutes. Tell us about that.
Marco Dubé : It’s a deal through Kawasaki and Equipe Les Chutes. That’s the dealership I will represent. That’s the dealership that has been helping the Benoit brothers the last few seasons. He’s always been involved in motocross and they are really into going racing and I’ve been talking to him for about two years to try and get myself on a Kawi … and finally, I am.

Where is the dealership?
It’s in Shawinigan. [Laughs]

What’s so funny? I know where that is. That’s where Jean Chretien is from right?
Yes, you are right! [Laughs] It’s about 20 minutes north of Trois Rivieres, on the way to LaTuque.

It must be fairly exciting for a shop like Les Chutes to be backing national number 4?
I was at the moto show this weekend and all the dealers are pretty excited. The KTM dealerships are pretty sad but that’s the way it works. Personally, I am really excited. Like I said I’ve been working on it for a couple of years. I was dreaming of having a Kawi. I’ve seen the Cernic’s team win races and, for two years now, Kawi has had a really good 450. I started my racing career on a Kawi, and I’d like to finish it there. I’m not saying this is only a one-year deal, but I would like to spend a couple of years on a Kawi and try to reach my goal. It’s been the same goal as always, I want a #1 plate and I am working towards that and in a couple of weeks I’ll be down south testing until the local stuff starts here. I don’t think I will do the arenacross in Riviere Du Loup, because it’s really early this season, and I am sure it’s still going to be snowy because it’s crazy here right now. We have six or seven feet of snow in front of our house. It’s amazing. But I want to go down south and spend two or three months riding the green bikes.

You began your career on a KX80 back in 1991. How does it feel to be returning to Kawasaki?
Yes, I started on a KX80, and I spent almost 10 years on a Kawasaki. Right after that I switched to Suzuki, and you pretty well know the rest. [Laughs] It’s always been my favourite colour and just seeing the bike perform on the National tracks, I was dreaming about being back on one.

You’ve mentioned that it will be nice to finish your career on the same bike. Is that something you’ve been thinking about? How are you feeling about racing this season?
Well, I got my surgery after the Nationals. I had to pull out of the Montreal SX. I rested for about three weeks after Walton, because at Walton I hit my knee again badly. I took about two weeks off after those last three nationals. They were pretty rough on me; my knee and my ribs. I tried to get back on my bike on my supercross track and I couldn’t do it. I was hurt for three days after that and decided to get the surgery done. I think it was the right call because now I will be back on the bike earlier now. That’s why I’m planning to go down south after the Montreal moto show. I had the surgery a week before Montreal. It was my ACL for the second time. I had a plastic one put in back in 1998, it almost lasted ten years. I washed out a few weeks before Ste-Julie and hurt it and it bothered me a bit all summer. But at Moncton, I crashed again and from then on it was fairly painful. I didn’t want to miss Montreal, and all the exposure I get, but I couldn’t go out there and finish 10th. That’s not what I wanted to do.

Dubé began his career on a Kawasaki in 1991, he hopes to end it on one too.

 

So what have you been doing all winter then?
Seriously, since my surgery I have been back in physiotherapy and riding my stationary bike. I’ve been working on some outside sponsors, but so far, they haven’t panned out. I am just going to do my own thing again with my own sponsors, the ones who have been with me for the last five or ten years. I still have one opportunity with a big outside sponsor that may work out, but I can’t say the name just yet. It’s going to be a one-man show again but as you know, everyone is cutting back in the industry and the economy is not going too well. Since January I have been hitting the gym really hard and now it’s just time to head south and get some seat time.

To Florida?
Yep, to Florida. My mechanic will come down a few times and the suspension guy, and I will just try to stay as long as possible and just come back for Ste-Julie… ready.

Thanks, Marco. You sound great.
Thanks, I am really excited. I was not sure the past couple of years, I was in pretty good shape, but I was still missing a few seconds a lap or so, but hopefully the bike is going to make the difference.

Any sponsors you’d like to thank?
Yes, I’d like to thank Equipe les Chutes, Amsoil, Atpac, FXR, Elka, Géroquip, Magic Screed, Pirelli, OCR Necessities, Geavan, Xtreme, Renthal, Scott USA, PG Graphics, Alpinestars, Akropovic, EK Chain, Devol, SDG USA, Orthoflex, Engine Ice and Leatt Brace.