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/128344
A lbertyn Honored in South Africa Former three-t ime World M otocross Champion Greg Albertyn picked up a Lifetime Achievement award from the South African Department of Sport in recognition of his titles - including his AMA National Championshi p in 1999 - and his • promotion of South African motocross • internationally. Albertyn ret ired because of persistent injury prob lems four years ago and chose his first-ever home GP to mark his farewe llper- • form ance. He won the second of his 250cc World Championships in 1994 while riding for the factory Suzuki team under the guidance of Sylvain Geboers. The following miniinterview was produced by Suzuki. Greg, how did this ride come a bo ut? I was very happy to be able to race this Grand Prix. There has been one other GP in South Africa, and that was 20 years ago. I have only raced twice here since I turned pro fessional and the fans have not been able to watch me ride or anything like that . I thoug ht that this race would be a great opportunity and I was planning on attending anyway, so I thought I might as well participate! Sylvain [Geboers] was very kind to offer .. ., , , . ..'.- , ' P, • . me a bike and has put on a first-class sho w - the bike is awesome and I am very happy. Wha t do you thi nk of t he RM-Z 4 50? It is a very easy bike to ride . I have probably spent about half an hour on a 450 in my entire life! Friday was my first time and I was surprised at how quickly I could adapt . It is I have been burning the candle at both ends for the last five weeks! I pretty much "I have been burning the candle at both ends for the last five weeks!" - Greg Albertyn super fast, but the power is so smooth and deliverable ; it does not feel like you are going that quickly. I know that Suzuki had some teething problems at the beginning, but they have come a long way. I am impressed and I think Ricky Carmichae l is going to be very happy next year. How did you prepare for this wee kend? work full-t ime in real estate. and I am now trying to be a professional motocross rider at the same time , so it is very tough. I have been training for five weeks, but I haven't raced professionally for four years. It is perhaps a bit unfai r t o ask a t th is flya wa y ev e nt, but ha s t he GP paddock a nd series change d mu ch in you r eyes? 1 think the World Championships have Motorcyclists - Organ Donors? Accord ing to the AMA, Chicago Sun-Times columnist Neil Steinberg has written a column that basicallysays that motorcycle riders answer are pretty sure bets to become organ donors ' Motorcycles.''' simply because they ride moto rcycles. In a column with the headline "Hop on a moto rcycle, fill ou t your donor card " that appeare d in the Septem ber 22 issue of the Chicago Sun-Times, Steinbe rg wr ote: "Why are there many mo re heart transplants perform ed in the summer than in the w inter? It's one of my favorite brain teasers, good to toss out at part ies. It almost alway s stumps peo- o bvious in re trospect: Steinberg goes on to say in his column that he has daydreamed abou t getting a motorcycle but abandons the thought w hen he thinks about hitting "the twig, or pothole, or whatever" that would "send me flipping into the guardrail, the flash of which would be my last sight on Earth." Stein berg adde d: "Besides, the re are already too many dumpy, middle-aged guys 8 oaOBER 6,2004 • CYCLE N EW S ferent now and it is not so simple, and that is unfortunate because I think a lot of young talent is being cut out . Was t his t he last appearance fo r you, or is t he re a chance t ha t you might re tu rn in the fut ure? 1would most probably say that this is the finale. Every year you spend out of pro fes- racing on motorcycles, drea m ing they 're som et hing they're not." pie. I like to give them a momen t to think hard , squirm , then give up, before Ispring the so changed, and it is not hard to see. Th ere are a lot of positives. It definitely seems more professional and has less of a ilocal club. aspect to it, more global. I have heard about a lot of negatives as well. I won't go into those right now, but I think the most important thing with our sport is to give the young up-and-coming riders an opportunity. I remember when I first arrived at the World Championships: If you were fast you could enter. show up, qualifyand then be a part of the Grand Prix. I know things are very dif- O utr aged, AMA public information director Tom Lindsay wrote a quick e-mail to Steinberg to set him stra ight, according to the AMA "Speaking on behalf of this nation's seven million motorcyclists, w e found you r charac-organ-donors te rization of mo torcycl ists-as insulting and ill-informe d. Per haps your inte nt was dark humor or tongue-in-cheek com mentary - but com ments like you rs are irresponsible and promote a malicious and unjustified bias against motorcyclists. M oto rcyclists are docto rs and lawyers , office staff and fac- 40th Anniversary sional competition, the harder it gets . I'm 31 now, and the numbers keep climbing fast! This was pure ly a fun deal for me . I have nothing to prove and it was just a chance to be back with myoid team racing in South Africa, and I enjoyed it. Wh a t are yo ur plans now away from mo toc ro ss? I don't think people realize how tough it is for a professional athlete to retire and then figure out what he wants to do with his life, because his whole ident ity is caught up in the sport and being that part icular rider. When you call it a day you find yourself asking, "Who am 11" I have been fortunate to find something that I am passionate about with the real estate business, building houses , office blocks and things like that , so this is the next stage of my life and I'm very happy about it. tory workers, and proba bly your colleagues at the Sun-TImes. We're amo ng the most safety-conscious mo to rists on America's high- ways," lindsay wrote. ':t\nd while you're making light of the recent increase in fatalities, responsible motorcyclists - and responsible journalists - are joining us in an effort to red uce the m. Please set the record straight with your rea de rs. We look forward to rea ding your retrac tion. " Steinberg's response to Li ndsay was concise: "Thank you for your comment. The re will be no retraction. It