On Track Off Road No. 194

FEATURE
we could have put it into the bike?’ I’ve seen
plenty of money wasted and I’ve learned
from that. We’ll run a tight ship and with my
Dad on board and his experience and the
way I’ve been brought-up then we’ll do it
frugally but we want the team to look right,
feel right and for people to walk through our
little hospitality area to feel at home and
like they can have a coffee. We don’t want
it to be too corporate or over-branded but
also not ‘transit-van racing’. It’s a case of me
going racing for myself and everyone who
comes along to help me out will feel like
they are a major part of this project.
As soon as you announce you’re
setting up a team then there is
interest from other riders…
…whether it’s on the presumption that there
is a load of secret budget or a trick be-
ing missed or the fact that it’s just another
potential saddle. KTM were asking straight-
away if there was the chance to put a young
guy under the awning. In the beginning I
entertained that idea and thought it might
even be fun to help and even coach a young-
er rider to maybe reach the top of his class.
But then I took a step back and thought ‘I
could make this work for myself but then to
put my balls on the line for someone else
and have that extra responsibility – whether
it’s for logistics, parts, travel, support…’
and came to the conclusion that it was a
level where I was not ready to start. With
the small group of people I have around me
I thought the best move was to put 100%
effort into myself and that means my own
family, programme and technical set-up. I
didn’t want to compromise at this point.
It is difficult to know exactly how
much extra help we need…
…the workload. The racing is the easy part.
That’s the time to put on the show. Every-
thing has to be set for that though, with the
spare engine, chassis, suspension and if
there is a problem there is always a back-
up and the van is prepped. Nothing should
come as a surprise and there is always a
Plan B. The hard part is the bit that nobody
sees: it is the practicing during the week,
grinding out the motos when it’s wet and
cleaning everything up and travelling all the
miles. I don’t feel that we have a problem in
the actual race paddocks, it’s more person-
nel during the week, speaking with sponsors,
re-stocking the van, orders are made for