Cycle News

VOL. 51 ISSUE 10 MARCH 11, 2014 P75 really hoping we can get for the rest of the season. He's been around the paddock and he's obviously had a lot of success. I wish I could have him at Daytona, but I'm looking forward to going testing with him and having him for the rest of the year. "At this late in the game, I'll be honest, it's going to be pretty in- teresting. I can't wait to see how it comes together. Brad was talk- ing about some guys he thinks we can get and I have a few guys I would like to bring onboard. It's such short notice, we're kind of making do with what we've got. Lee was my teammate in 2005 at the KWS team and we get along great. We've instructed along- side each other at some of Kevin Schwantz's schools. He's an all- around great guy and somebody that I trust. And with something like this, that is so last minute, you've got to have somebody that you trust there. Without the test- ing and without getting comfort- able on a new motorcycle, having somebody that you trust there and that you can talk to, and him being a former rider is going to help me out a lot." Young's credentials make him one of the biggest names in the paddock regardless of class and expectations will be high as he storms back onto the undercard. While some might expect a rider of his caliber to instantly fill the void left by '12 champ Cameron Beaubier in the SportBike class, the one-time 600 Supersport race winner is not underestimat- ing the challenge before him. "As far as expectations go - for the team, they're serious about this and they want to go rac- ing," Young said. "They showed me that they're serious about it by getting the best equipment that's available in the DSB class - equipment that's owned the class for the last decade. "As for me, obviously, I'd like to be up front on anything that I'm riding. But realistically, it's proba- bly going to take me a few rounds to get back into the swing of things. As you saw, when Tommy [Hayden] went back to a factory 600 after riding a Superbike for a few years, it took him quite a few rounds to get back into it. I don't think it's going to be an easy task at all. "I think it's going to be ex- tremely hard to do. It's not go- ing to be as difficult as it would be on a Superbike, I don't think, just because it requires a little bit different of a riding style and a Superbike is more of a demand- ing bike. But the team is based out of Louisiana, so they're just down the road from NOLA. As far as testing goes, I've stressed to them my concerns. We need to be on this thing every three weeks. We need to be testing. Everyone needs to be gelling and we need to be on the motorcycle as much as possible, especially because it's a new team. And a new team like this coming into Daytona and doing the 200 and how demanding that race is with pit stops, it's going to be tough." The late announcement that Young had linked up with GN Gonzales Racing was not the first time his name had popped up during the offseason. Earlier, there had been some specula- tion that he might front an official EBR effort in 2014. While the ride never material- ized, he's keeping his options open as he looks ahead. "I've ridden the bike a couple times for Erik [Buell]," Young said. "I think I'm going to contin ue to test it if they'll have me to ride the thing. The GN Gonzales dealership is also an EBR dealer as well, so there's definitely a connection there. That was one of the things we had put in the contract - if an opportunity comes about to test with Erik, we will. That's definitely not off the table at all and we'll just see where it goes from there. "Would I love to race Super- bikes again? Absolutely. Do I think I'm done there? No, not at all. But I am kind of starting over again and working my way back up. But to stick around in rac- ing, I need to keep my face out there. It's going to be difficult; the 600 class is more competi- tive than ever with six or seven Graves bikes out there. I know I won't have it easy. I think I could struggle for the first couple of rounds - maybe even all year with such a short race season. But at this point, I couldn't have hoped for a better situation and I want to make the most of it." CN

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