INTERVIEW
2016 SUPERCROSS CHAMPION RYAN DUNGEY: PART 1
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self with just pressuring yourself
to want to do good. When I came
into the pros, I put pressure on
myself right away to win races.
I didn't want to just 'do good' or
'work my way up.' I wanted to win
races, and I wanted to win cham-
pionships. Early in my career, you
saw the pressure I put on myself.
Everybody did. I folded under my
own weight. That just takes a toll
and weighs on you. Racing's defi-
nitely fun, and it's fun to ride a dirt
bike without a doubt, but it's a job.
It really is hard work. We put in a
lot of effort, a lot of time, along
with the team and everybody
who's involved. It's a process."
He's careful not to give the
impression that he's not thankful,
though. Because motocross rac-
ing is a hobby to everybody who
buys the products from com-
panies that pay him millions of
dollars per year, when fans hear
a racer speaking frankly about
the realities of burnout, they
often have little empathy. "Stop
whining! You make millions of
dollars!" Thing is, money doesn't
really prevent burnout if you have
no free time to use it.
And it's compounded by the
fact that this is a very competi-
tive endeavor, and anyone who
makes it to his level is a very
competitive person. They're usu-
ally the type of person who wants
to throw a chessboard across the
room if you beat them at it.
"It's a great position to be in,
though, to be able to ride a dirt
bike for a living," Dungey said.
"Sure, it's awesome. Especially
"YOU CAN'T SIT
ON CLOUD NINE
FOREVER, BUT
YOU'VE GOT TO
ENJOY IT SUNDAY AT
LEAST, BECAUSE BY
MONDAY MORNING
IT'S USUALLY BACK
TO WORK."
