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/213117
INTERVIEW P60 US MOTOTRIAL CHAMPION PATRICK SMAGE as I would like. Our practice area at home is completely flat, and most of our local spots are mellow also, so I never spent much time practicing them. I still need to improve on them." His advice to young riders is simple - keep it fun. "Well, you have to have fun with it so you don't get burned out," says Smage. "But, you have to be serious enough to progress and push yourself. Finding that happy medium is a tough task, but I think it's essential. You don't want to push so hard you get burnt out, but you need to have those sessions that really push your level. Then if you get close to the top level, decide if you want to go all in and make it a job or keep having fun with it. Riding with other people your age and skill level is the best way to do this, as you can push each other and have a good time. That is why I think the riding camps every summer in Tennessee are so valuable. America is a big country, and most of the riders are very spread out, so you have to take advantage of the chances you have to ride different places and with different people." Smage went to Europe in 2007 and 2008, and he won a few events in the Junior division, but it was not the experience he had hoped for. "I don't want to call it a bad experience, because I learned a lot and it is something I will never forget," says Smage. "Sure I can look back and wish things would have gone different, but I think everything happens for a reason, and for what ever reason Europe just isn't for me. I always tried to go over with a good attitude and ready to enjoy it, but it just took the fun out of riding for me. Decent results kept me coming back, but it just got to the point where I was dragging people over there and spending too much time and money to not be enjoying a bit of it. The 2008 trip was really where things went wrong. I knew in the back of my mind it was over after that, but I wasn't ready to accept it right then. I had a good bike, support, and a great minder with David Chavez helping out. Had I not run into my back problem at that time that basically made every second I rode miserable, I think things could have been different. I really can't thank my mom and dad, Craig Gernhardt, Ryan Young, Brad Baumert, David Chavez and everyone that donated, enough. They spent so much time and money to help me succeed, I just want to apologize for the way things happened and that I couldn't make things work. It sure wasn't from lack of trying on anyone's end." Although Europe was not for him, Smage does think that the only way an American rider will ever compete on the same level as the Europeans is to move to Europe and compete on a weekly basis.