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/128166
Stars of the future?: Tony Meiring (56) battles with Rover Lee Hayden (95) at Pikes Peak, Coloraclo. Meiring finished second In the 600cc Supersport race there, his best AMA finish to date. for me. But we have been getting it dialed in really well lately. The bikes handle so well through the corners. They're definitely the best running 600s, for sure. Kawasaki has had you and Tommy Hayden running in the 750cc Superstock class all season long in addition to the 600cc Supersport class. What has that been all about? For me, it has been all about track time. That's what I've used it for. I don't know what Tommy's deal is, but I'm doing it to get a little more track time. I get to go race distance on a set of tires, see which ones work, which ones don't. It really lets you figure out a lot of things. You seemed to step it up starting at Road America, but then you had back-to-back crashes that have kind of knocked you off the pace in the points chase. My confidence was really good there because I had good straightaway speed and the bike handled so well. It was able to flow, and I was able to learn from them [class leaders] because I was able to ride with them. I hadn't been up to their pace before, so I wasn't able to learn what they were doing up there. Aaron [Yates] is a good example. He rides the bike really well, and he doesn't let it ride him at all. He's on top of it. I learned from him, and I learned a little bit from everybody. That made my game a little bit better. I also like to watch what Tommy is doing because he is on the same bike as me. But I don't want to ride like somebody. I have my own riding style, and I have to find out what works for me. At Brainerd, what really helped there was that I was able to run low 42s without the draft, so I knew that if I could get a good start, then I could run away from them. It worked. My bike was handling like it was on tracks. Then in turn eight I hit that seam sealer and it just tucked the front. That's racing. If we went back there tomorrow, I wouldn't make that mistake again. The beginning would end up the same, but I'd finish. My bike wouldn't go any slower. That's the pace it wanted to run. At Laguna, it was just a combination of a couple of different things. After the race, I watched the tape with Eric [Bostrom] after the race to try and figure out what happened. It looked like I put it into turn six a bit lower than I normally do, and I hit the dip and the front end bottomed out. Then it came up and made it hard to turn, so I had to use more bar pressure, and it tucked the front. It was my fault, for sure. It had nothing to do with the bike. It's just part of racing. This is my rookie year, and I'm learning. I just have to keep running races, get up front and learn some more. Describe your riding style. I'd like to say it's aggressive - at least that's what I want it to be. That part I take from Aaron. When I used to sit home, watching races, I liked watching Aaron because he is so aggressive. I want to be able to muscle the bike around - even at my small size. So even with all that has gone on in such a short time period, do you feel like you are ahead of where you wanted to be at this point? Behind where you wanted to be? I'm really happy with the way that things are going. I'm definitely ahead. My goal was to finish up in the top five in points, but I didn't know exactly how the year was going to pan out. Racing is a tough sport, and a lot of things can happen. What else do you like to do besides racing? I like to go up to my cousin's houseboat and go wakeboarding. I wouldn't consider myself a great wakeboarder, but I definitely like to do it. I also like to jet ski. I also like to work out. That's something that a lot of people hear and say, 'Oh yeah, sure you do.' But I really look forward to getting up in the morning and going to the gym. I'm usually there by 8 a.m. every day. Then on weekends I'll go dirt tracking or motocrossing. I also like to ride mountain bikes. So, how far do you think that you can take yourself in the sport. Do you ever see yourself making it to Europe? Do you want to race GPs someday? I want to be the best, but I know that it takes a lot of time, and I'm willing to wait. A lot of guys from Europe are coming here now, and to win in the States takes a lot of hard work. It's really good to win here in the States. It would be interesting to go to Europe someday, but in the meantime I just want to race motorcycles. Race motorcycles and have some fun. That's the main thing. I:N cue I e n e "" s • AUGUST 7.2002 47