Cycle News

VOL. 52 ISSUE 26 JUNE 30, 2015 P121 America series." But Serne credited his biggest growth as racer to competing in the pro class in Supermoto. "I think over the last year Supermoto definitely has helped a lot with my confidence and riding and racing close to other people," he said. "Running the pro class in Supermoto has defi- nitely taught me that they're not on little bikes anymore. They're not afraid to move you out of the way. I'm definitely used to close racing now, which is a good thing." A valuable lesson to learn in general when it comes to racing, but especially important when preparing for a spec-class like the RC Cup—a class that's all about close racing. "Yeah, exactly," Serne agreed. "The KTM Cup is ex- actly what they [MotoAmerica] wanted—it's close racing and that's what it's going to be all year. All the bikes are equal, it's just whoever can ride it the fastest and ride it the hardest without crashing is going to be able to win." That competition is very much crucial for the development of a racer—the next step towards the next level. "I think this whole class is great," the young Californian said. "It really brings in a lot of fast, young riders that are going to be future champions and the next racers in the U.S. that could make it all the way to the GPs. So being able to ride with all of them and actually have such close racing—it's definitely a great opportunity and a really incredible experience." FAMILY EFFORT Racing is a family effort. In fact, it's hard to find a successful racer that hasn't had family support through the years. The same holds true for the Serne clan, who have backed Josh Serne and his racing ambitions. Josh's father Richard also did some racing at the amateur level when Josh was growing up. At what point was it obvious that the kid was going to be a racer? "It's hard to say," Rich- ard said. "At 14 months he's doing the throttle and steering our XR100 through the pits, so we just enjoyed being at the track. It's a family-oriented sport and it's really brought our family together. It keeps us together. It's enjoyable to watch him step up through the progressions and keep moving forward." It's a family effort in a lot of sports, but especially in motor sports and espe- cially in road racing. "It's definitely a com- mitment," he said. "Just an example, there's times when we were on the road literally all three weeks. Sharon [his wife] was just like, 'can we stay home a weekend?' She's endured a lot but she also loves it. "We also have a 19-year-old daughter, and she's in college and does a lot of dancing. Some of the neglect has been towards our daughter, not on purpose; it's just that this sport is so demanding to stay on top. With Josh's illness we made a vow way back when, that we were going to give him the best opportunities in life. As long as he puts in the ef- fort we'll put in the effort." That's just racing, though; the illness alone is not easy for a parent. "That's the tough part," he said "The daily family stuff is definitely trying on all of us, just like any family. Everybody's got a hump to crawl every day. We do what we can. It's his decision. We'll support him and keep moving for- ward, but his health comes first." Keeping active in itself is important, that and the motivation that competi- tion brings makes racing more of a positive than a negative. "It's something to strive for," he said. "To be at the top like the Beaubiers and Josh Hayes that we know well. It takes a lot to do that. I think the exercise that he gets through the sport… his doctors, ev- erybody always mentions that they don't want him stopping. They want him to keep going because it helps." Like most racer dads, Josh's dad Richard Serne (left) is the pit crew when they go racing.

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