Cycle News

Cycle News 2019 Issue 50 December 17

Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles

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2019 AMERICAN FLAT TRACK TWINS CHAMPION BRIAR BAUMAN P120 Interview It was undoubtedly a dra- matic finish to the championship battle, and for Bauman, it was a statement as to who they are as a team. "For it to end up the way it did, to win it after all of that, it was kind of like an exclamation point—we weren't going to quit," he said. "As long as we have the opportunity, we weren't going to be denied. I've always said in my career, just give me an opportu- nity. Give me a shot, and I'll try and make everything I can of it. That's what happened that night. So yeah, emotions were flowing at the end of it all." The enormity of it all took a little while to sink in, but now that it has, he wants to get back out there racing. "I kid you not—it probably took it a good three or four weeks," he said. "It didn't feel real. You dream of it your whole life. It was a long season, so it's one thing to have a successful night, but to be able to do it every weekend and be relevant every weekend, is really hard. We have some great racers, and they make it really difficult on you. It's sunk in. Now all I want to do is get back to the track with my friends and my family. I miss the competi- tion, going to the racetrack with everyone and doing our normal deal." Once you've won your first championship, you want to win more. Looking ahead, Bauman in- tends to build on his success this season and improve as a racer. "Next year's goals are to beat myself," he said. "Last year, everyone was like, 'you got to beat Jared.' That was my mentality, too. He is one of the greatest of all time in our sport. But I think that for me to prove that I'm a racer rather than a rider, I need to focus on bettering myself more than trying to be better than anyone else. There was a lot of room to improve last year. I kind of had a send-it mentality, and that got in the way of being a good motorcycle racer. So that's the goal for next year. To improve in areas that I strug- gled with and hopefully get a Mile win. To try to be a bet- ter racer and a better person every weekend." CN The Factory Indian Motorcycle Flat Track Team celebrates the championship: (L-R) Dave Zanotti, Clayton Gatewood, Michelle Disalvo, Paul Langley, Bronson Bauman, Dean Young, Gary Gray, Briar Bauman and Brad Baker.

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