‘Stand out, but not by being a d***’
MCN man’s words of wisdom for the up-and-coming race stars
II often get asked for advice by young up-and-coming motorcycle racers and a lot of the time I wonder what to say to them. The thing is you just have to get on with it don’t you? You have to look at people who have been successful and learn from what do they do. They just crack on, work hard and it pays off in the end.
I used to go to all the bike shows and introduce myself to people from the racing world, listen to everyone and try and work out how whoever it was had got where they are in the sport.
‘NOBODY GIVES YOU SUCCESS FOR FREE, YOU MUST EARN IT’
Nobody gives you success for free, you’ve got to go out and earn it, but it’s also important to make sure you are doing it for the right reasons. You have to enjoy it.
If it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be. Racing is a hard game, especially these days. Sometimes it’s not good enough simply to have a talent for going like a rocket on two wheels – you need to work hard for the sponsorship and all that social medial stuff.
In other words, you need a bit of personality, that definitely helps. You need to stand out from the crowd, but not by being a complete dickhead or from doing something bad either on or off the track.
It’s funny when you’re a kid, nobody listens to you when you’re young, even when you’re right. If you’re a decent person, you’ll find a sponsor, you’ll find a way and you’ll find a direction but when you see these kids coming into the job thinking they know it all and there’s nothing more frustrating. If you’re nice and decent nobody will mind helping you.
Of course, you need ability, but after that it’s about being hardworking and honest.