Self-belief the secret ingredient
Confidence and hard work bring rewards
Self-belief . . . it’s a hard thing to develop and nurture, but it could be the secret recipe to success on the race track. Self-belief is exactly what Taranaki brothers Darryll, Shayne and Damien King gave to Kiwi motocross hopefuls in the 1990s. And it’s what Josh Coppins, Ben Townley, Daryl Hurley, Chris Birch and Paul Whibley gave to fellow New Zealanders a decade later.
By performing among the world’s elite to eventually become world elite individuals, these riders have succeeded in illuminating a pathway for their comrades back home. The exploits of these trailblazers are perhaps what individuals such as current Kiwi internationals Courtney Duncan, Josiah Natzke and Dylan Walsh are now using for their motivation.
The King brothers showed it was possible to leave rural Taranaki and become world championship contenders.
That also is what Kurri Kurri’s Chad Reed and the James Bond motorcycle stuntman on Skyfall, New South Welshman Robbie Maddison, have perhaps done for our transtasman mates.
We know that the Kings had to endure hardships on their way to motocross GP glory. They lived out of the back of a van and survived on rice and noodles.
One of Shane’s factory bikes was stolen and Darryll broke his back.
Josh Coppins had a few careerthreatening injuries in Europe and had to fend off an unjust “drugs cheat” when some cough medicine he has taken showed up ‘positive’ on a test.
As well, a team-mate was pushing for sterner action to be taken against him. Coppins was this rider’s biggest threat.
To cap things off, the team reneged on his salary.
Townley had tough days in Germany when he raced for an under-funded fledgling 125cc GP team and struggled to qualify for GPs. He’s also had major medical traumas.
But he became world champion in 2004, three years after arriving in Europe. It was also three years after Shayne King arrived in Europe that he became 1996 500cc world champion.
Hard work and sacrifice will get you a long way.