BLOG
MEeT LILI: THE HEART OF BUD RACING KAWASAKI! Lili Dasse Team Coordinator
I’M LILI, AND IT’S NICE TO MEET YOU THROUGH THE PAGES OF MXGP MAG. SOME OF YOU MAY ALREADY KNOW ME AND FOR THOSE WHO DON’T, I AM A YOUNG WOMAN WHO HAS BEEN PASSIONATE ABOUT MOTOCROSS SINCE I WAS A LITTLE GIRL, AND I’VE BEEN COMING TO THE PADDOCKS FOR ALMOST AS LONG AS I CAN REMEMBER.
My father created his Bud Racing company in 1995 from scratch and passed on his passion to me. Although I’m not a motocross rider, I knew I’d have to work in motorcycling, and I hoped it would be with Bud. At the moment I have several roles; during the week I work on the commercial side, particularly with foreigners, and at the weekends, I work as team coordinator at Bud Racing deciding who goes where and who does what. Besides, I’m also taking care of the communication of the team. I wear many hats, and I love my job. As far as the team is concerned, I’m present at all the races, the French motocross & Supercross championship, WSX and of course EMX250. Apart from my work itself, what I love is working for a family team. Whether it’s the riders, the mechanics or the staff, we’re one big family. We see each other all the time outside the races and share special moments. So, when the results come in, the atmosphere is even better. Our two race mechanics have now been with us for six and four years, for example, so I think the understanding between us is really special and it’s our strength. I’m enjoying every moment of it as we’ve got
46
great riders, we’re a bunch of friends who go to summer camp every weekend, and on top of that we’ve got incredible results. The 2024 season will of course remain a landmark for me, especially with the amazing and incredible EMX250 European Championship won by our rider Mathis Valin!
As for me, I know where to draw the line between the professional and the personal. We may be friends, but we know how to be very serious when we need to be. The riders usually call me their adoptive “mom” or their big sister. This doesn’t mean that I do everything for them; the team and I try to teach them the basics, that everything doesn’t fall from the sky, that you also have to be able to manage on your own. We try to help them with their career choices when they’re young, but above all to open their minds to the rest of the world, to the different disciplines and that even if it’s just a rider on the bike, it’s ultimately a team effort. So you may see me as coordinator, organizer, team manager, race director, maybe I’ll be working with some of you someday or maybe I’ll take you on video for my vlogs… but if there’s one thing that is guaranteed, it is that you’ll be seeing me for many years to come in the MXGP paddock, and always with a big smile on my face.