Founded by Pipo Baldit, National Motos remains a motorcycle dealer first and foremost but is recognised as one of the top Superstock squads under the guidance of Stéphane Haddadj and brother Eric Collin, the team’s Technical Director, who took on the running of the outfit following their father’s passing in 2012.
Introducing…
Name: Stéphane Haddadj
Age: 52
Nationality: French
What makes him a hero?
Every EWC team will have experienced moments of despair and disappointment over the years, but to come within 20 minutes of winning the FIM Endurance World Cup only for engine failure to lead to retirement takes some beating.
Despite that devastation, Haddadj rallied his troops for the 2024 season – and riders Guillaume Raymond, Sébastien Suchet and Valentin Suchet – and set about claiming the title that it was so close to winning the previous year.
Victory in the Dunlop-equipped Superstock category in April’s 24 Heures Motos was the perfect start.
The team then celebrated securing title sponsorship from insurance company FMA by finishing second in the 8 Hours of Spa Motos to build its title advantage.
Having dug deep into its reserves to contest the 45th Coca-Cola Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance Race, National Motos Honda FMA claimed vital points with fifth place.
Despite a trouble-hit Bol d’Or finale, it took the coveted FIM Endurance World Cup title by four points.
As well as success on the track, National Motos provides vital training and opportunities for student technicians as well as raising funds for ARSLA, a charitable association that supports patients, families and carers affected by Charcot’s disease, while also funding important research.
It recently donated €1933 to ARSLA, the equivalent of €1 for the 1933 racing laps it completed across the four-event 2024 EWC season.
Where’s he now?
Currently keeping a close eye on National Motos’ superb collection of Honda motorcycles, which have been painstakingly restored to chart the rich history of this highly respected and popular team and are on display on the Moto Revue Classic stand at Retromobile in Paris until today (Sunday), Haddadj will soon be switching his focus to the upcoming EWC season. And it will be a new-look line-up as the squad prepares to defend its FIM Endurance World Cup without Sébastien Suchet, after the Swiss rider retired at the end of the 2024 campaign.
Stéphane Haddadj said: “There’s a lot of emotion behind all of this. We managed to build a team together, grounded in mutual trust, discipline, and a lot of challenges. The team, which was once vice-world champion in the 1980s, always knew that the title was within reach, but the question was: how do we get it? Luck hadn’t been on our side in recent years, but everyone rolled up their sleeves to make it happen. I’m so proud to have upheld the spirit of this sport – perseverance, resilience, and pushing to the finish, even when we objectively had nothing left to gain. There were moments of doubt for everyone, but we came together and fought for it with honour.”
Original Source [ FIM EWC ]
