Cycle News

VOL. 54 ISSUE 28 JULY 18, 2017 P73 around talking, shaking hands and speaking to the fans and answering questions. It's not like they don't have time because they're building a race bike. We just choose to build ours on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, not Friday, Saturday." While the AmPro Yamaha environment is a bit more relaxed and fun this season, one few un- compromising requirements remain: hard work and respect. "That's all I ask for," said Hawkins. "That's what I'm getting from these two guys. I'm very pleased with that effort. When the riders show that kind of effort, you get 110% from the mechanics and ev- erybody in the program. Everybody in the program respects everybody and is willing to put a helping hand out, not trying to tear anybody down, or he did that or she did that. We don't have any of that." With the confidence that he is back on the right path, Hawkins' program is a challenging one, with not a lot of room for latitude. "If you're not sold with the program and it's not in your heart, it doesn't make any sense. What I have seen time and time that works, especially with the younger guys, you bring a program to the table and say okay, these are the tools that will make you better. You give me the effort and I will show you the results. "I think this newer generation of riders need more direction in a program. Our side of it is, if you're willing to be a winner, we're going to show you how to do it, but if we're committing to you, to bring you the best possible tools for you to win a championship, you got to commit to us. Because as much as we're having fun and how it looks, we're as serious as anybody about winning a championship." Right now Hawkins is confident in his program, and confident that he is getting the effort and the respect from his team. As for what the future holds The Hawkins Perspective On the rider-mechanic relationship… "Do the mechanics and riders always agree? Abso- lutely not. And there's nothing wrong with that. And the key is if you disagree, you still have the dialogue to communicate. If you disagree and one goes to one corner and one lives in South Carolina and one lives in Washington, you don't talk for two weeks and then you show up to race, what kind of results are you going to have there? I'm good with the mechanics questioning riders, riders questioning the mechanic, but we sit down and talk about it." On Yamaha's off-road effort… "I've been with Yamaha for going on 18 years now, and we're at a point where I'm so proud of them. They've caused me to pull my hair out when I was a racer, and I would have loved to have all the tools that we have today when I was racing. We had great options then and we won races and championships, but to me [the options today] shows you Yamaha's commitment. When you look at the Japanese side of it, they're the only company that's still invested in the off-road to the depth they have. "Do they move as fast as the European companies? Absolutely not. They're a lot more tactical. I've been with them, I've tested with them, been in meetings. They really strategically try to move in directions. I would like to see them move faster, but they are moving. "Right now from Yamaha, we have a platform now that is much broader than it's ever been since I've been involved with them. Now, where the European companies have so many models, we have basically a model that will match anything that they have. And I do believe that you will continue to see Yamaha slowly march in that direction." On Destry Abbott's DA8 team joining the Yamaha family… "Me and Destry are friends that go back, way back. From the days we raced and Six Days. I consider Des- try a true, good friend. Actually when all this was going for him, making this move to Yamaha, we talked quite a bit. I reached out and told him anything that we can do here, if that's the direction that's going in Yamaha, we would help. Even offered if he wants to send some of his guys back east that we would take care of him. "Destry's super smart on what's going on and has way more experience on the west than I do. But I think they're doing a great job. The leadership with Destry, they couldn't have found anyone better in my opinion. It wouldn't surprise me, in the next few years, if not now, [that DA8 Racing will] be one of the premier teams for Yamaha on the west coast." You give me the effort and I will show you the results."

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