Sylvain Guintoli is highly-motivated for the challenges ahead as he develops and races the all-new Bennetts Suzuki in next year’s MCE British Superbike series, coming back from an horrific injury - the extent of which was never made public - to be a title contentder in 2017.

French-born Guintoli, highly personable and ever frank, straight-forward, is looking positively to his return to the domestic series, in which he believes has unfinished business. And, it comes just three years on from when the Frenchman was crowned the World Superbike Champion.

In that time, since signing off from Aprila with the World title, he has ridden both Honda and then Yamaha in the World series, in the latter taking a battering in a spectacular highside at Imola which wrecked his campaign.

Guintoli remembers that horrific crash, and the pain. “The bad moment was when I landed – I had a lot of injuries, it was a very violent crash. I was knocked out. I was in the dark but I could hear people talking around me. I couldn’t move.  I thought that I was dying and that was not nice.  I was in a lot of pain, sustaining nine fractures. It was a big, heavy crash.”

He missed five rounds sparking rumours during the long summer break,  that he was considering quitting racing, a suggestion that he firmly denies.  “I didn’t talk about the crash and the injuries at the time, I didn’t want to look weak, all I wanted to do was to recover. I was in a bad state, only my family and the management at Yamaha knew all about it. I heard the rumours, but I never actually thought about retiring. My motivation was to recover, get strong and come back strong in what was a really difficult year.

“I am proud of what I achieved, working so hard to come back strong and by the end of the year to be on the podium at Qatar was a really big achievement, meant a lot, as the competition was good and strong.”

He ended that term on the World stage with third and fourth places under the floodlights of the Losail circuit, having taken two top six finishes in the penultimate Spanish round at Jerez.

“I had to consider my options then for 2017 with an open mind – there were openings in World Superbikes, but, I don’t want to talk about them, rather looking to BSB which was my favourite option, a big challenge to me, more interesting than WSBK would have been. I have no regrets about my decision.

“Year by year you look at the options and to be working with Suzuki in British Superbikes was a big attraction, very exciting.” It will be a fourth make of bike to race in as many years and Guintoli gave some insight into his thought process and the career moves.

“Sometimes it has been my call, sometimes it hasn’t.  Sometimes it is nice to settle, especially when it works fine as it did with Aprilia. Sometimes it does not gel and in that case you look to your options. For me that is good, as I gain more experience and now I want to settle on a winning bike with Suzuki.

“I don’t look back really, except to say I had two great years with Aprilia, winning the title, but then for 2015 there were big rule changes and there was no bike for me.  I thought the new rules would suit Honda but they didn’t. I didn’t have problems with the people, it was never a personal thing.  Then I had the chance to ride the R1 – I got injured and things didn’t work as well as they might. I performed well but not enough to continue.”

Now, Guintoli is ready for next chapter in a career that has included Grand Prix action, and a brief spell in British Superbikes in a 2009 season, which started well with a victory riding a Suzuki in the opening round, but soon was wrecked by injury.

He will be riding for Stuart Hicken’s Mallory Park based Hawk Racing team – in the colours of Bennetts Suzuki – and for Guintoli it could not be more local.  “The team is very local for me, a couple of miles from my home.  I’ve met Stuart a good few times, been to Mallory and had fun there with bikes and driving a car there. The team has a lot of experience and I have a good feeling about how they approach the job.

“For me to race and develop the new Suzuki  is very exciting – I haven’t ridden it yet, that will be in the New Year, but first I want to ride the standard road bike to understand that and its character.  Suzuki are putting everything into in – it is their new Superbike, we will have full factory support. It. is very exciting to be working on it, a very big challenge.

“I know most of the tracks of BSB, the only two I have not ridden are Thruxton and Knockhill but we will go to them before the races.  ’ve been in the UK for ten years so of raced most of them or ridden them on trackdays.

“There is loads of work ahead but I have a very good feeling about it all – It is good to have a change of scenery, set yourself a new task. The more that you have new challenges, the more you enjoy.  This will be great, be fantastic.

“We start racing at Donington Park in early April – there is a lot to do before that but we hope to create a surprise. I am really driven and motivated and very excited to hopefully now we can put it all together really quickly.”

Guintoli by his own admission has been “to hell and back” as he fought through the dark days of serious injury, but now, with Hicken’s family run, but factory backed Suzuki team, he is ready to challenge for the British crown.