The Emotional and Physical Roller-Coaster

Success comes to those who refuse to give up, to those with goals so big that obstacles and set-backs only serve as motivation. From the top step of the podium to the operating table, Wilvo Yamaha Official MXGP’s Shaun Simpson’s season thus far sums up the never ending emotional and physical rollercoaster of being a top motorcycle rider. The gritty Scot put on a mud-riding masterclass at the MXGP of Indonesia, round two of the FIM Motocross World Championship, for his first grand prix win since the MXGP of The Netherlands, 2015. A string of mediocre results – by his standards – followed by a massive turn around in Latvia – at round seven - where he knocked on the door of a podium finish in race one, before being stopped mid-stride when he broke his hand in race two.

Motocross riders are a fearless bunch and almost as soon as he awoke from the operating table – where he had the third metacarpal of his right hand surgically repaired - he was eager to get back on the bike, “like most motocross riders, it only takes a few days off of the bike before I started stressing out and thinking I’ve got to get back on the bike.” He said.

Almost immediately after receiving the thumbs up from the doctor, the twenty-eight-year-old was back in the saddle, “I couldn’t wait to get back on the bike, and as soon as I did, I felt really comfortable. It sounds a bit strange, but I would say we left Latvia with quite a good feeling, mainly because we went into Latvia after doing a lot testing on the bike and it was working so good. I guess that gave me the mental boost I needed for when I got back on the bike, that I knew straight away that the bike was good and where it needs to be. I wasn’t right up to speed and hitting all of my marks right away, but for the most part, I felt really good and closer to 100% than I expected.”

Injuries aside, the MXGP series is cutthroat this year with the talent pool being deeper than ever. But just how hard is it? “Honestly, I think it just comes down to the start.” He elaborated, “For example, other than in Indonesia where I won, Latvia was one of my easiest races this year purely because I got a decent start and one or two guys got caught up with each other on the first lap and I was able to capitalize on that. I settled into a nice rhythm and pulled a nice gap with Herlings, and if I remember correctly, Desalle and Bobryshev. It seems like if you come out of the first turn somewhere between fifth and fifteenth that it’s a bit of a war. Even guys like Van Horebeek, for Example, he’s one of the most consistent guys in the championship and is usually inside the top five, but got a rough start in Latvia and got taken down and ended up finishing in like fourteenth or something like that. So I would say it just comes down to the start and how solid and clean your first few laps are, if you can get that out of the way, you can just get comfortable and go with the flow.”

“It’s crazy, and hard to see from the sideline. It’s not that the guys leading the championship are a lot quicker than everyone else, they are just putting themselves in a good place off of the start and are at the front. Their lap times are a bit quicker, but that is because they are up front and getting laps in. Some have clear track, and it’s definitely less scrappy up front.”

The riders are doing some super-human stuff during the Timed Practice session, how crazy is it out there? “Yeah, you can see even in the Timed Practice session that there isn’t a lot separating these guys, and I feel more than ever that everyone – not just a few guys – but every single rider is capable of going balls out for one lap. I used to feel like – on a good day – I was one of the best guys at putting down a single lap time, but these day,” he took a deep breath, “in Latvia for example, I felt the best I have felt for a long time. I put in a couple of good laps that I was happy with and it was still only ninth fastest! Okay, only 0.7 off of first, but it was still only ninth… That was surreal really. To think I don’t think I can find a place where I can go much quicker. I have never ever felt that before. So for me, I was just happy with that position.”

“I am watching guys just hanging it out, riding within an inch of their life just to get a good time in the practice session. It’s never been like that before. I guess it does give you a mental boost going into the race, but is it that important? I don’t believe so, especially now with the metal gate and stuff like that. It’s strange one, my view has shifted over the years.”

People tend to hail the ‘factory’ teams, is it really that much of a disadvantage to be a privateer out there? “This year I couldn’t say I am at any disadvantage at all because the team is so professional. We are doing everything we can in every aspect to achieve what we need to, and actually on a factory team in some areas you can’t do what we are doing. I have always argued that ‘factory’ isn’t everything it’s cracked up to be other than access to resources and information but I can honestly say that I am not disadvantaged being with Wilvo and the guys there.”

“In saying that, I have felt I was at a disadvantage in the past, at times.” He opened up, “at the end of the day, the biggest issue in the past was only during the week, like working on my own bike and having to develop the bike on my own, but when it comes down to racing in the weekend and out on the track, there is not a lot in it. We are starting at the same gate and going for the same result. Having said that, having a good support network behind you like I have from my team and from Yamaha, the bike, the team, the infrastructure, the hospitality, everything.”

“Family is a word that gets thrown around a lot in motocross with no meaning behind it, I don’t even want to say it because it sounds so cliché, but I feel like I am a part of a family and I can honestly say I have not really felt that in the past, but with Yamaha it really feels that way. Everyone says the word ‘family’ like we are all supposed to be happy, it’s not just that but also the competition within the network is close but healthy. We have MX2 riders and MXGP riders under the same tent at times and we all ride together and push each other to be better, and I think that is what makes Yamaha feel a bit different to other teams.”

As one of the more experienced riders in the team, how hard is it to stay motivated? “What motivates me is being able to stay in the game for the whole season. We are at the halfway mark now and people start dropping out with injuries, unfortunately. I, myself, being one of them this year, it’s crazy to think that I have been out for 5 nearly 6 weeks and there is still half of the season left. There are other guys falling by the wayside now, the field is getting thinner and that’s when you can start picking up points. You just need to keep pushing and grinding away while the others start losing motivation. I normally start getting stronger late in the season, like last year I finally got a race win and Assen, so it’s just things like that that keep me motivated to maintain my intensity and keep pushing on.”

Only days after this interview Shaun made his return to racing at the Fiat Professional FULLBACK MXGP of Lombardia, round eleven of the FIM Motocross World Championship. His ‘come-back’ lasted 18-Laps, and those laps were in the practice sessions. The YZ450F mounted rider was the victim of a first turn pile up at the start of the Qualifying Race on Saturday June 24^th, which resulted in a broken arm. He immediately returned back to his base in Belgium and was on the operating table once again come Sunday morning. “Down but not out,” He text the team while his mechanic Valentin Touchet drove him to the hospital. “One team. One goal. I’ll be back stronger!” 

Copyright: Photo: Yamaha Racing