VOL. 54 ISSUE 50 DECEMBER 19, 2017 P133
for four months during the
bulk of the race season before
going back to Spain again. In
2017, Elias wanted to have a
home base in the U.S. where
he could relax in between
races. He got a small place on
the beach in Southern Califor-
nia not too far from the team,
and he was able to bring his
sister with him.
"It has been nice because I
wanted that for me and for my
mind, after everything it was
important to be very calm," he
said. "Being next to the beach,
some people don't care, but
for me it doesn't matter if I
have to live in a big house or
not, next to the beach is what
I wanted. And we found some-
thing little to be there, and find
this calm."
As a racer from Spain, part of
the American dream is not only
living on the beach but having a
race van for all your moto toys.
"I have a motocross bike, a
flat track bike and I'm training,
I'm learning," he says. "I'm so
grateful for all these things,
because coming from that mo-
ment, and now to have this job,
enjoying life like this, having
results and then to come home
and I can surf, train with calm.
I'm able to have the rider life—
prepare every day and be con-
centrated. I was missing this."
Of course, you can't really ap-
preciate living the dream without
living the nightmare. It's also
helped alleviate the pressure of
fighting for a championship.
"Now, it's like wow, I'm super
happy, super grateful," he says.
"And when people ask me if I
feel pressure for the champi-
onship or for the results, f---,
I don't feel pressure because
pressure is when you are in
a difficult situation. If you are
fighting for a championship and
you have to fight for the last
round—this a welcome situa-
tion. Not to be worried, not to
be sad. It's just do it. Let's do it,
and with power." CN
