Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

lthough African-born riders have often played a prominent role in the road racing World Championships, they have not made much of an impression in the world of motocross. Last year, however, Johannesburg's Greg Albertyn (who competes under a license from Luxembourg) became the first rider from the African continent to win a World Championship MX round when he scored the top honors at the 1992 season-opening Spanish 125cc GP. From that point on, there was no stopping Albertyn, and by August he had clinched the World Championship. We had the opportunity to sit down with Albertyn at season's end. You are the first person from Africa to win a World Championship title in motocross. How much publicity have you received bac.k in South Africa? Not as much as if I were a European in a European country. The South African press is pretty slack on motocross, because it just isn't a top sport there like rugby or cric.ket. It just doesn't get broadcasted that much. I'm not saying they ignored me; I've been on TV and radio a couple times, but if I'd been a tennis player who Was there ever a stage during that first season when you felt that you just wanted to pac.k your bags and go back home to South Africa? Through almost the whole of that summer, I kept asking myself if it was worth it - what was I doing here? In the end it has been worth it, but there were times that year when it didn't seem so. Since joining your current team (Albertyn rides Hondas for the Jan De Groot-managed Dutch JHK squad), it has taken you just two years to become champion. Did you know from the beginning that you had a deal that could become successful? I was really happy with the setup as soon as I joined the team. It was obvious that everything was well organized, so it was up to me to develop my talents. At the beginning of the 1992 season, did you expect that you would be able to win the championship? Yes, I believed that I could do it right from the start. I just had a feeling that it was all going to happen for me this year. You won the first GP of the year in Spain, but after that you never seemed to be able to put together three trouble-free motos in one day. Yes, I was involved in a crash in at least won a GP tournament, I'd have been on more. Although you were only able to finish in 10th place in the 12Scc class in 1991, many people predicted that you would be in contention to win the title last year. Why do you think that is? Yes, you're right. There were quite a few people who believed I would win, but there are many more for whom it was a surprise that I've won the title. I think the people who felt I could win were probably those who watched the previous season's GPs right to the end, and they saw that I was getting quic.ker, What makes you different from the other young riders who have come to Europe from South Africa, but haven't been able to apply their talents to winning a championship? I think it's a combination of several factors. Talent is not enough on its own; You need dedication and you have to train hard no matter how good you are. I'm not trying to say that the others don't have that. There's also a matter of getting the right deal at the right time. So many things can make the difference between making some good results and winning the World title. In your first full year in Europe you had the wrong deal? (In 1990, Albertyn rode a Kawasaki for a small Belgian team. Yes, for sure! Did that make you even more determined once you landed the right deal? . Definitely, but I suppose I have to say that I learned a lot that first year, even if it wasn't all positive. one moto of five-successive GPs. I don't think I was getting-out of the gate quick enough, and then I was right there in the pack at the first turn when something happened. I also lost points with flat tires and a broken spark plug. I would say that the championship looked out of reach at that stage of the season. The points situation was starting to look difficult because Pedro (Tragter) had a 45-point lead halfway through the'series. Despite his advantage in the points race, Tragter seemed to fold in Czechoslovakia. Why do you think that was? I guess Pedro just couldn't handle the pressure. I was going to the line totally relaxed and calm, and I showed him that, chatting away before the start. He just couldn't handle it. He started okay in each moto, but he lost about 10 places in each of the first two races. Then his bike broke in the last one, and I made 47 points on him. Then the pressure was on you? Yes, but it didn't seem to effect me. Everyone said that I looked so calm" and that was how I felt. I have always trusted the Lord that I was going to be World Champion, and I think that was why I stayed calm. I told myself that if it was His will that I should be World Champion, then it would be. I carne to the line relaxed with no pressure. You have a fish insignia on your helmet, symbolizing your Christian fai tho How long have you been a believer? I've been a Christian now for nine years. It's something I came on myself, By Alex Hodgkinson A not something that was ins tilled into me as a child. I'm not really involved in any church activities and I don't really go to church very often. After all, I'm racing most Sundays anyway, but there is more to being a Christian than going to church every Sunday. However, I do go most holy days when I'm not racing. What were the highlights of your championship season? The first race in Spain was a high, because that was my first GP win. Winning all three heats in Czecho was another high, and for me the Dutch GP at Mill was the best race of my career. I proved that day to the Dutch crowd and the Dutch riders that I can beat them on any track. That was great. Japan, where I actually clinched the title, was a real anticlimax. I only needed one point even if Dave (Strijbos) could have won all three heats, so it was all over, basically. When I finished the first moto and it was all over, it was just as though everything was switched off. I just couldn't ride properly that offer was slightly better financially, but I know that I'm in a team where we can all work together well. When you know that your team can prepare a bike which suits you, it makes you confident. , day. I was just so elated, and I rode the last two heats like a total monkey. Everyone must have been thinking, 'Hey, is that really the new World Champion?' Though you're undoubtedly one of the fastest riders from South Africa, you chose not to represent your country in the MX des Nations in September, Why was that? There were several reasons. Firstly, I had been racing the whole season, and if I hadn't had a holiday in september, then I wouldn't have gotten one at all. Secondly, they wanted me to pay my own expenses - bike, hotel, air tic.ket, everything - and I said 'no way: Thirdly, I was dealing with a totally unprofessional team - a real bunch of Micky Mouses. There was no real organization. I don't think the federation was even really involved. It was pathetic. I mean, look what happened in Australia; they missed one moto because they didn't know that they had to be in the pre-parc 10 minutes before the race. I was not prepared to become involved in that, and after seeing what happened, I'm glad I made that decision. What are your plans for 1993. Do you expect to campaign the 250cc circuit? Definitely; And I will stay with the same tearn. Did you receive any other offers? Yes, Sylvain Geboers made me an offer. I think the main reason that I will stay with Jan De Groot is from a loyalty point of view. The contracts were reasonably similar, though the Suzuki What help did you have from Honda this year? Zero. Squat. Nothing. HRC gives us nothing; We have to buy everything. We bought the HRC kit and it was all junk. We didn't use one bit o{ it. A lot of people bought a whole lot of HRC kits this year and it was all rubbish. This year Showa is being very good to us and they will give us suspension, but if we want anything from HRC we would have to buy it. How do think you'll fare in the 250cc World Championship? It's obviously going to be very difficult with so many good guys in there, but I believe that if I can come in and go the whole season injury-free and consistent, then I can win the title. I'm not going to come in with a big attitude, but don't forget that for the past five years the leading riders from the 125 GPs have gone straight to the top in the 2505, so I don't have any doubt in my own mind that I can be competitive. You are going to have to consistently make good starts. Those rides through the pac.k that you did in the 125cc class just don't happen in the 25Os. I'm not sure about that. Obviously a run-of-the-mill rider can't move forward, and of those 15 riders who are capable of making a good result, there are probably only three or four who can come right through. That didn't happen last year, though. Nobody could make it from last to the top six. We'll have to see. Perhaps I can change the books! m 13

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