Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

How do you feel about your career to this point? Well, that's a tough one. I think my racing career has had different stages. When I started racing I went from the point where I didn't think I could beat these guys (National riders) to winning a National' Championship. Then I thought that I had accomplished everything, then there was a lag in there, then going through a bad period with Husky. They had no confidence in me and I had no confidence in them. When I started riding for Suzuki in the beginning - it was all new and exciting, but I got hurt a lot. During that time I figured out what I really wanted to do, I realized that winning . the National Championship wasn't the ultimate goal, Winning the Championwas so satisfying that I lost my drive. Then I found new things to go for. The beginning of 1979 was my period where I didn't get hurt and the bikes were getting better. I was becoming more experienced even though I was having some problems. At the end of '79 I got to the point where I was physically strong and mentally competent, and I started winning some races. Winning made me accelerate even faster. I didn't feel I would be able to do as much in 1980 as I did in '79, but I did more. I feel the same way about 1981. Everytime I ride the bike, I feel more confident and 1 do more things than before, The last time I went to Carlsbad I went five seconds faster than the track record. What are your goals and expectations about 1981? Not jult your racing ,-Is. but for your new track and life mgeneral. As far as the racing, I'd like to keep on winning more races and try to win all ~ championships (25Occ Nationals, Supercross and Trans·USA), That was my basic goal this year. I could possibly have done that this year (in 1980) if Suzuki had had a good stadium bike. As far as my new motocross track goes, I want to try some different things, learn more about people and other things besides motocross, since I know all about that. I would like to broaden my knowledge about working because I have never worked at very much other than racing. I'm learning by building this track! I'm learning about the people in San Antonio. I've beard about people and I know who they are, but I've never really talked to them. Now I'm starting to talk to these people and learn what's going on in the motorcycle industry in San Antonio. Now that you are in-tved in the lIIotOIeycle induatr}'. what trenda do you lee? By the amount of money that Suzuki is putting into films, I would say that motorcycling will continue to grow. At the last movie we made, Challenge ofa Champion, there were three people from Sporn IUwtrated there. We've nrver had those type of magazine people before. I think motocross will get bigger, especially the stadiums. The companies are a little leery of the economy. They are not sure what steps to take. At the beginning of the year, Suzuki was wondering what the economy would do. They decided they would go all out and either accept the consequences or be in a good position. Everything they do seems to be helping motorcycling grow. When you are finished with IDOtOCt'WI racing. will you try any other kinds of competition? ISDT maybe? The only thing I want to do in motor· cycling when I quit motocross racing is to ride enduros for fun. What I would like to do is try caT racing. 1 have just as much drive to race cars as I do to motocross. (Dr. Bradshaw) There are some people that watch out for your health that wouldn't like to see you do that. Car racing is pretty dangerous. (Kent) How would those same people feel if I was roadracing motorcycles? (Dr. Bradshaw) That would be even worse. (Kent) The chances of getting seriously injured (while roadracing) are very good. When we went to Japan, a roadracer was killed the week before. Just a little crash at 140. Kenny Roberts makes some good money, but to me it's not worth it! I would like to try it for fun. Mter riding The Superbikers, I know I would be safe, but I wouldn't want to race because you have to take that extra chance once in a while. Dr. Bradshaw. you were concerned with Kent', health a moment ago. How healthy is he? Compared to the average person, Kent is susceptible to the same colds and sore throats we all get. If you talk about physical conditioning and capabilities and fRedom from glitches and aches and pains, he's remarkably fit. But we were out chopping trees the other day using axe's, we both got tired. It has a lot to do with what you're used to doing. I've known Kent for a long time and he's in much better shape now than a few years ago. (Kent) Oh, yeahl I went from doing nothing to doing everything (meaning in the way he trains). Running has been the biggest help to me. That's why I don't get hurt anymore. You can go out to the track and race your brains out and win the race barely. The next day you can't move. You can pay your payments the day after the race or you can train during the week and pay your payments then. If you pay your pain first, then you can go out and ~ace and not have to worry so much because you know you are strong. So you win the race and come home the next Monday and go riding, because you're not worn out. A couple of years ago I'd race and I'd feel so sore I couldn't do anything, Now I can go out to dinner after a race instead of dying in a bed. That's the biggest thing I notice about training. I'm much stronger now than I was when I was 18, but then people didn't train. The I8·year·olds now are being forced to train and they have natural endurance. They don't have mental discipline. I think that riders who are not mentally strong tire faster. Mark Barnett has a tremendous drive that makes him mentally strong. When another factory wants you to ride for them. how do they approach you? It's kind of a standing thing that none of the factories approach the riders, except Honda. For instance. if I talked to Kawasaki's team manager and said I might be interested in changing next year. He would say okay and talk to his people. Or I would say, "When can I ride one of those bikes?" Yamaha, Suzuki and Kawasaki, to a certain extent, look for riders that fit their image, the kind of rider that they want to represent their company. They also look at their own riders and say, "How are these riders going to react to these new riders?" For Bob Hannah to join Suzuki now would be the worst thing in the world. Who will be your mechanic this year? I have a different mechanic this year. I have Steve Paulos who was Marty Smith's mechanic last year. He's been working for Suzuki for a year. I like him; I've always liked him. He's a very good mechanic. How did you and Jill meet? (jill) I was working at Husky in Nash· ville, (TN) and Kent came in the office one day with his mechanic. I met him, and eight months later we got married. (Kent) Well, it wasn't quite like that. You didn't exactly like me at first. (jill) Well I didn't have to say that in the interview! I didn't really like him at first. I was going with someone at the time and Kent was really different. We would go out and do things and I would be nice to him because we both worked for the same company. Consequently, I didn't have to put up a front and be someone I wasn't, because we were just friends. He lilted tha t. Friends make better lovers anyway. What kind of an influence has Jill been on your racing? Everyone thought that marriage would make me ride worse. It happens to a lot of riders - they get married, they get lazy. They get responsibility and they don't want to take as many chances. Marriage helps me because Jill takes care of all the little problems I have, lilte I don't have to answer the phone or make reservations or talk to -people I don't want to. Plus having Jill around all the rime is assuring. (Jill) Kent's upbringing wasn't very consistent and he likes consistency in his life. Do you want to race in Europe? I don't have any desire to go over there. I know I could win the World Championship. (jill) Harry Evens completely flipped out inJapan. He cornered me and said "How come Kent doesn't go to Europe?" I said, "Well, you know it's in the U.S, right now." He said, "He could win any Championship - 125, 250, or 500. Any class, he could win easy'" (Dr. Bradshaw) I don't think that should be extrapolated to mean that American riders are better than Euro· pean riders. I think it means Kent is the damn best. He's much more technically capable than mOlt U.S. riders. (Kent) The 250 and especially the 500cc eIasses are the most competitive in Europe. If Myencough, Glover and Barnett went to Europe they would finish, one, two and three in the world and a long way ahead of fourth. Harry Evens won the World Championship. He missed a couple of rounds and was penalized 15 points at one of the races. He can't move his hand; it has pins in it from where he broke it. He can barely move it to hold onto the motorcycle. His knee is so bad that he can hardly walk or sit down. He can barely ride and he's the World Championl The 250cc class is more competitive. Georges Jobe won the World Championship way before all the races were over. In Japan, I was two seconds a lap faster than him everywhere we rode. Jobe is going to be good. He calculates things before he does them. The 500cc class still has the best riders. Andre Malherbe is a good rider, the most powerful rider over there. There are a lot of reasons why I don't want to go over there (Europe). The biggest reasons are I hate Europe and I like Texas. The main reason I want to branch into other businesses is so I can stay in one place. I don't want to have to travel. I lilte our customs. I don't like their food; I don't like changing customs from one country to the next. The people are rude. So in other words. the prestige is not worth the trouble. That's the problem. A lot of people think the World Championship is more prestigious than the National Championship. To be World Cham· pion, you'd have to feel inside of you that that is the most important thing you want to do. That is not the most important thing I want to do, so why do it? It's not something that will make me feel any better. It's like getting $50,000 for one thing or $40,000 for another thing you like better. What's more important as long as you are getting what you want? (Dr. Bradshaw) I don't think you'd make any more money being World Champion. (Kent) You would lose money the ftnt year, but I think you would make really good money the next year. You would have to go back the next year and win again. (jill) Racing in the U.S. is starting to get almost as big as Grand Prix racing, as far as the importance that the factories put on it. (Kent) The factories are putting more emphasis on U.S. racing. I went to Japan two yean ago, we were treated like we were second rate. This year we were treated ftrst rate and the European riders were second rate. (jill) This year Suzuki catered to Kent. He got th~ best engineers when they were testing. (Kent) If I {old the engineers to change something, they stayed all night so it would be ready for me to test the next day. When it is time to eat in Japan everything stops, but they didn't go to eat. I told them to send out for some food and We wouId keep testing because I don't eat when I test. Aft you happy with Suauki and the way they treat you? (jiU) The people at Suzuki have a lot of respect for Kent. (Kent) They bend over backwards to help me. It's because they want to, not because of what I've done. The people at Suzuki respect me for who I am, not what I've done. (jill) Kent's boss has all the trophies we've given him in his office. Some· one borrowed one for the last movie Kent made; he (his boss) got really mad. Tosh is really proud of Kent. I think Suzuki would support Kent even if he didn't win any races next year. Kent Howerton has the qualities ofa champion. He has tremendous eneTgy but more importantly, he has the ability to focus his energy in one di· rection for long periods. For instance, Kent assaulted his new track aU day long with a.xe, tractor and dO%eT with some riding thrown in, then lamented the early darlcness. Kent Un't a s~c tator; he knows wheTe he's going. EJ,;. pect to see him in the wmneT's circle often in 1981! • 15

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