Christophe Guyot

Christophe Guyot (b. July 13, 1962, Marseille) is a French national Superbike champion, a winner of the Le Mans 24 hours race, and a World Endurance champion. Currently, he is team manager of GMT94, which competes in the Motorcycle World Endurance Championship. He is also a MOTOGP consultant for Eurosport television.

Eric de Seynes and Christophe Guyot (Suzuka, 2017)

Biography

Christophe decided to swap a career in school teaching for motorcycle sport in 1989 when he began competing in the 350 Promosport class on a Yamaha RDLC. He set up the Guyot Motorcycle Team (GMT) in 1991, and later became President of the GMT94 association, affiliated to the FFM (Fédération française de motocyclisme – French Motorcycling Federation).

GMT94, initially a wholly private team, expanded when Yamaha France became a partner in 2003 (see Motardscope: Christophe Guyot).In addition to competition, GMT94 has a second purpose: using racing as a tool for developing many projects for bikers and young people (see Fête des solidarités : Journée solidaire et festive). Christophe Guyot has been supported by the Mutuelle des Motards since 1993.

Christophe Guyot represented riders from 1994 to 2004. He served two terms as a member of the FFM Management Committee (2004-2008 and 2012-2016), and he continues to be a member of the observatory of L'Expansion, which he joined in 2002.

Christophe Guyot and his team have always worn number 94, symbol of the French administrative department Val-de-Marne (south-east of Paris) with which they carry out many actions. Since 2012, he has been a MOTOGP consultant for Eurosport television.

GMT94 is now an official endurance team for Yamaha. The team has three Endurance World Championship (EWC) titles, they won the Le Mans 24-hour race three times, the Bol d’Or twice, and they have been French Superbike champion four times.

The rider years

Christophe Guyot's life changed radically in 1989 when, at the age of 26, he quit school-teaching to concentrate on his passion: the bike. In his first season, he won two Promosport 350 races, riding a Yamaha RD350LC, and achieved a podium position three times. It was a great performance for a first season in speed! The following year, he rode in the Promosport 750 category, scoring three victories. In the 1991 season, Christophe established his own team, GMT94 (Guyot Motorcycle Team, 94 being the number of the Val de Marne administrative department, to which he feels a special attachment). In the first season, he rode in the World Superbike Championship; over the three seasons 1991, 1992, 1993 he competed in 16 World Cup races. After three years travelling the world, Christophe returned to France. It proved to be a good decision: he won the France Superbike Championship in 1998. Today, he remains the only "private" rider to have won this prestigious competition. And the first rider under his management, Sébastien Scarnato, finished runner-up in the France Supersport 600 cm3. Team GMT94 widened their horizons in 1999 with entry to the World Endurance Championship. Nicolas Dussauge joined Sébastien Scarnato in the team. Success came in the very first races with a podium position in Portugal, pole position in Germany, and second place in the world final. The first victory soon followed, in the Oschersleben 24 hours (2000), in Germany. Honours continued the following year with another second place in the World Endurance Championship, and two more victories, including the famous Le Mans 24 hours. In 2002, Christophe won the Brno 8 hours in the Czech Republic. The 2004 season was exceptional for Christophe: he became the World Endurance Champion, presenting Yamaha with its first world title in the category. For the 2005 season, Christophe announced that he was stepping back from riding to spend more time developing new projects within GMT94. He remained a replacement rider for many years, however, and in 2011 he and David Checa won the 5 hours endurance race at France’s Carole circuit. Christophe then led his team to two new world endurance titles in 2014 and 2017.

Team-Manager

Christophe Guyot held this position before his retirement from racing; yet after such a triumphant 2004 season in the paddock, Yamaha provided GMT94 with "official" support, entrusting Christophe with numerous responsibilities. The team travelled extensively, scoring many victories, such as Master of Endurance and Le Mans 24 hours, both in 2005. Christophe Guyot and GMT94 then switched from the World Endurance Championship to World Supersport and World Superbike with David Checa and Sébastien Gimbert. GMT94 returned to World Endurance in 2010, achieving the world title in 2014, and runner-up positions in 2015 and 2016, with Yamaha R-series bikes. The year 2017 was golden: another victory in the Le Mans 24 hours, victories in the Bol d'Or, the Oschersleben 8 hours, and the Slovakia Ring 8 hours – and another World Endurance Championship crown!

Consultant

Christophe Guyot has pursued many activities since he retired from racing. In addition to his role as team manager, he is a consultant for Eurosport television in the MotoGP World, Superbike and British Superbike championships. He also contributes to the analysis of races in the Sunday Meca show hosted by Christophe Malbranque, and Warm-up, a presentation programme of Grand Prix races, also with Christophe Malbranque. And he is involved with the Mutuelle des Motards for many youth projects, plus playing an important role with Yamaha, the manufacturer with which he has had such a long and fruitful association.

Private life

Christophe Guyot was a school-teacher from 1984, the year he qualified, until 1990 when he turned full-time to motorcycle sport. He is married to Brigitte; they have two children, Marie (1993) and Rémi (1996).

Principals triumphs

Notes et références