Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/127194
f " Is it the actual traveling which you don't enjoy, or is it the fact that you are away from home and your two sons? Yes, you 've got it. It 's having to say goodbye to Lewis and Ryan o n Frida y, knowing that I won 't see th em again until Monday. The older Lewis gets - he 's five, the n the more he understands, but it doesn 't make it any easier to leave him behind. Ryan is on ly one and a half and doesn 't understa nd it yet. How do the boys feel ab out motocross? Lewis gets very excited when I win a nd it makes him happy. H e is very aware of th e rivalry both in the World a nd British Championships with Kurt, and Kurt 's name is quite a joke in the house for Lewis . He understands the idea of competi tion now, and he is aware that it is very important for Daddy to win. H e understands th e idea of being Worl d Champion and "realizes j ust how important it is for us as a fam ily to ~ rifE W/I-O WATER WEST~ brought to you by wm, Do you th ink he will want to race motorcycles? No, I don 't th ink he will. At the c moment I thin k Ryan is the more li kely of the pair to race motorcycles at some time or another. H e is very E keen . He gets exci ted abo ut stree t bik es, helmets, anythi ng in fact that he can acknowledge as associ ated wit h bikes . Bu t Lewis has a q uadbi ke and he enjoys ridi ng it in th e garden and I am happy to let him do so. Bu t as far as racing goes I won't let either of th em race until th ey are 14 or 15, and even th en it will be their choice. But until then, I won 't let them. "What sort of interests do the y have? Lewis is just a normal five-year-old kid. He loves playing wi th Ghost7 buste rs and anyt hi ng else th at is around. H e doesn 't have too much interest in sport at the m oment, he is more interested in p layi n g with his friends. H e is just a normal five year-old boy which makes me very hap py. Have you felt you are under any pressure by the signing of Jeff Leisk to the Honda team? No. I kn ew Je ff was a good rid er before he signed for HRC, and I still kn ow it. O f cours e I am aware th at if Eric or myself has a bad seaso n and Jeff does well , th en there is th e possi bi lity th at he co uld take one of o ur contracts, but that's life. Li fe is very com petit ive, and Honda is a very forcefu l company. From their poin t of view , signing a good third rider is the best way of reminding us that we can 't rest o n o ur laurels. but the sa me goes for anyone else who appeared on the scene who was not o n the HRC team. O ne da y someo ne is going to come along who will replace Eric and myself. I understand that both yo u and Geboers had a choice of motors during the winter and yo u chose a revvy motor that has proved something of a handicap at th e sta rt. Starting has never been one of my strong points. My bike is design ed to help me to be fastest around the rest of th e track, but the big problem s ' I had in H oll a nd at the start were eli mi nated by th euse of a five-speed gea rbox from th e French GP on. I am not worried about not being first from th e sta rt. My racing philosophy has al ways been to ge t around th e fir st turn sa fel y, stayin g o u t o f trouble, and th en begin to race. I'd love to be abl e to start in the to p five every week , bu t it is m ore important no t to be lying o n th e ground in the first turn. If I ge t around the corner, the n I know I can win. If I am lying on the ground wi th ha lf a dozen bi kes o n top of m e, it is very di££icu lt to do that. • Pocono Int'l Raceway Long Pond, Pennsylvania June 23, 24, 25 WERA HOTLINE (803)681-9372