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/128635
'25cc World Motocross Champion Grant Langston c ialty, a nd re ally hard -p a ck e d tracks I do n't e njoy so mu ch . I didn 't rea lly know if I'd be the re every weekend , which is what it tak es to be World Ch a m pion . I surp rised m ys elf a nd everyone in that out of 32 m ot os , I s cored po ints 31 tim e s - that's basically top-10 re sults , every time . Eve n with c rashing a nd sta rts a nd that com ing fro m dead- la st - I finished at lea st in the top 10. I ha d one m ot o in th e fina l round when I c ras he d fo ur tim e s in th e mu d an d didn 't finish. I think tha t [co nsistency] is th e re a son I won [the title]. Last year, I wo n two motos and had a co uple of podiums , but I was so inc o nsistent, where I'd be one weekend out front a nd the next weekend ou t of the points . S o I have improved a lot. Eve ryo ne sa ys , "Wow , in two years , yo u're he re . What's the difference?" And I sa y, "To be perfectl y honest, nothing!" I didn 't c ha n ge anyth ing. With training, you ke ep imp roving it the whole ti m e , tryin g to find what wo rks for yo u more, but as far as riding - everyone says , "Wow, is the bike tha t mu ch better ? " and I say , "No , th e b ike was just as good last yea r, bu t I'm just riding that mu ch bette r a nd mor e in c ontrol. " Ha ve yo u ridden for Cha m p KTM for a ll t hree of t he yea rs yo u 've c on t ested the GP s? No , in '9 8 I rode [a Kawa saki] for Har ry Everts - the four-time World Champion and father of Stefan Everts. He took me on fro m South Africa a s a com plete unknow n ; no one had eve n he a rd of m e , and he said I had som ething specia l, and that he wo uld like to wor k with me . I went to KTM because they had factory support - full factor y bikes , and a g ood tea m , a nd th e b ike was very good . I worked really go od with Ha rry, but I moved to KTM and did tw o o ne-yea r deals , a nd now I si gn ed a tw o -year d eal to go to the Sta te s. > The least-known of the three current GP champs, this Sout h A African is hoping to make his mark next year in the U.S. •.. Q A '" surprised mvself and everyone in that out of 32 motos, , scored points 3. times." Ye a h , I'm going to ask you a little more about t ha t in a min ute . How did Eve rts find out about you? ln '97 , we ca me up with a nothe r So ut h African friend , a nd he wa s s po nsored Do min ic , fro m Diamond Exh au st. He saw m e rid ing a Euro pean Ch ampionship o ne tim e , a nd he knows Har ry Everts pretty well a nd is a sponsor of the te am . He s a id he would spe a k to Harr y for us , and they o rga nized a test date. I went ' riding , and Harry s a id, "You' re 15 , and I love natural ta le nt. " He s a id I had to le a rn a lot , but he s a id I had that raw talent he wa s loo king for. He had a promotion team fo r young riders, and th ey had three yo ung ride rs ; I was 15, one was 17 a nd one was 18 . It was a young team , a nd he was obv ious ly trying to promote young riders . What 's t he ra ci ng scene like in South Africa ? Q A B y CH RIS J ON NUM nde r th e now "o ld" for mat , t he 125cc World Cham pionsh ip Motoc ross Series has at t imes been nudg ed out of th e limelig ht by the 250 and 500c c classes, so it's no t s urprising th a t its quiet cham pion - who s e e m ing ly came out of nowh e re this season to take the t itle - is not exactly a hou s e hold na me . Th at te ndency m a y chan ge with next year's tri ple hea der form at, but it will all be too late for Grant Langston , who will be seeking his fame in th e U.S . in 2001. With that news ca me increased States ide interest in the young m an , but no t much m ore k now ledge . T o a dd re ss th a t, and co mplete our three-pa rt series of int erviews with the 2000 Motocross World Cha mpions , we recently sat down wit h La ng sto n in h is motorhome a t the MX des Nations, where he won the 125cc class and beat a ll bu t five of the wor ld's best 500cc ride rs in the op en ing moto. Now , we know a bit m ore about the gu y. For example , he just turn ed 1,8 in June. His team 's title U 22 OCTOBER 18.2000' c ue I e n e Considering th at he 's a World Champion, not many Americans know much about Champ KTM's Grant Langston. He hopes that his move to the States next year will change all that. spo nso r is a dog-food company. He speaks ve ry quickly . He rides even more quick ly . He doesn ' t mi nd if his com petitors are wearing a few of his t ire trac ks at moto's end. He is very confident, but also q uite logi ca l and rea listic. He .. .well , why don't we let him fill you in on the re st ? Who t he he ck are yo u? Q [La UghS] Ba sically, I th ink I took everyone by surpr ise, be cause no one really expected me to win the World title this y ear - n ot e ve n mys elf. I expected of m yself top five, but I was gunning for top t hr ee . I k ne w that I wou ld ha ve t he speed to win many ra ces - in fa ct , I set m y target to win 12 m otos this year, and I won 12 ; it was quite strange. Bu t I didn 't kn ow if I had th e cons iste ncy to ride in a ll co nditions th e who le year, because mud is not m y spe - A vw s Q Ve ry s mall. From wh a t I he ar a bout America a nd all tha t , it' s just actually a joke. S o u th Afric a 's fai rly big - obvious ly not nearly as b ig a s America , but it' s a fai rly big country - a nd in J un ior motoc ross , which is like Pe e Wees , there's m a yb e 250 riders . And the n from 80cc o n up , we 've got 200 riders with lice nses in the whole country . At a Nationa l, they do n't even get a full gate. In t he 125s, they get a rou nd 25 , 30 riders . In the 80cc , they get a round 35, a nd then in the 250jOpen class (th e re is no 500 class) , there's a lso like 20 riders . And that' s what we have . HOW a re riders like you an d Greg Atbe rt yn able t o c ome up in t ha t e nviro nment? A Q