Molson Kawasaki's Tom Church is Ready To Make His Mark on The MX1 Class
Molson Kawasaki MX1 rider Tom Church gave MediaZone Moto a ring on his cell phone on Tuesday from his spot at the rail at Bath Race Course where he was watching the horses and getting ready for Race 3. Church, 25, is coming off a seventh-place finish in rainy Spain last weekend.
Interview: Part 1
Interview: Part 2
MZ: Where are you joining us from? Have you been out on the bike today, how's the weather in your neighborhood?
TC: The weather is really good today. Nah, I didn't ride today. I just had an easy day because we've had a tough few weeks. I'm just at Bath Race Course to watch the horse racing. The weather outside is good and the sun is shining, so it's a lot different than (last) weekend.
MZ: Sounds like a well-deserved time away from the track.
TC: Yeah (laughs).
MZ: Could you tell us how the MX1 class is treating you. Aside from the horsepower and the bike itself, what are some of the things you've noticed are different from MX2?
TC: Quite a lot, actually. I was quite surprised. The bike, straight away, it's quite hard to get used to and I kind of felt comfortable on it in practice. But then racing it was quite a lot different as well -- just trying to pass people, trying to put the bike in different places and sort of man-handling it around. I've kind of struggled with that in the beginning and also crashing a little bit because it bites back quite hard. Where with the 250 you seem to get away with things -- the 450 you don't. You're going faster and it's a lot of bike to handle. I'm getting used to that now and a few technical things that we're sorting out on the bike. I'm learning every week and that was my goal for the first six months -- every race (to) learn and try and get better. At the moment I'm second in the British (Championships) and 13th in the World (Championships) so the season has kind of started out pretty good for me. Apart from a few crashes in the preseason races it's coming together nicely.
MZ: Notable last weekend, your seventh-place finish in Spain in brutal conditions. Can you analyze that performance for us?
TC: I don't know, I've ridden in mud a lot, obviously, because I'm English. I just knew before the race that it suited me, the conditions. I felt good on Saturday, when it was dry. So I was looking forward to the race. I used my head a little bit and I actually waited on the start and let everybody else go. And when I came down the start straight I did a sharp right on the first corner when everyone was sort of covered in mud and couldn't see where they were going. I shot down the outside; I think I came out about 10th by the third corner. And then I just ran and stayed out of trouble. I didn't crash once. I made sure I didn't stall the bike or do anything stupid. Guys were just crashing everywhere. At one point I was up to fourth. Then I lost a couple of places. I really struggled because I took my goggles off on the first lap. I couldn't see anything and my eyes were really sore so that was the only thing I maybe regret -- not stopping for goggles after about 10 minutes. (Kevin) Strijbos did that and he came back and passed me. But otherwise it was a good race, very solid, I stayed out of trouble. It turned out that ended up seventh so it was a good race.
MZ: It was a great run for the entire team, particularly on the MX2 front, with Stephen Sword taking third overall and Gautier Paulin claiming a podium. That must have been encouraging for everyone.
TC: Yeah, it was. (Race 1) Valkenswaard didn't go great. None of us scored in the first actual race. We got some points from the second race but no one was that happy. There was a lot of pressure going into the second (race) to get some results. Everybody performed, really as a team. Everyone sort of dug deep -- mechanics trying to hook up the bike as best they could. It was a big team effort to get some results. I don't think anyone is completely settled with that we've got. They all expect a lot more as well, so hopefully we keep improving every weekend. That's the goal.
MZ: The British Championships, can you talk about your outlook? Standing second right now, that has to feel good.
TC: The first round was good but I didn't feel like I rode great. (I was) a little bit uncertain and I think I was quite surprised by how hard the guys raced. Watching it, it doesn't look they race so tough in the 450s but they do. It's just a lot harder with the bike you've got to race, as well. It's a lot of bike to handle, like I said. The first round I was quite surprised. The second round, I ended up not very good in the first race. I crashed on the first lap and couldn't start the bike. So the last round -- which was at Torrington -- I actually had a good day. I don't feel like I rode that great but I got out of the gate in both races and managed to get on the podium, which was the first goal of mine. A few guys had a bad day and that's left me joint-second in the championships. So that was a bit of a surprise really. I didn't expect to be that high up at this point. But my goal was a podium and I did that that day. Hopefully the next round at Ling I'm going to be ready. I'm going to go to Belgium and train for that round. I'm looking forward to Ling, it's really been good to me in the past. Yeah, I like that track and hopefully I'll be ready for that one.
MZ: Looking ahead to this weekend, you were 13th last year in the MX2 class at Portugal. What do you like and dislike about the track? Can you give us a preview?
TC: Portugal, actually I really like. It's not a high-speed track, like some of the tracks are really fast and wide-open -- I'm not a big fan of those, I like the technical tracks. And Portugal is always a technical one. I'm sorry, it might get a bit loud here, they're just coming in for the (horse race) finish (laughs). But yeah, Portugal's a great track. It's got a lot of jumps, it's quite technical. It normally gets quite rutted and rough and yeah, I really like the track there. But like any race you need a good start and the start's a little bit unfair there. So I'm going to focus on getting a good time in on Saturday and getting a good place for the start. And then, just trying to get two good starts and getting two good races to come together.
MZ: Are you taking aim at a podium, what are your expectations for the weekend?
TC: Nah, for Portugal, for me, if I could break into the top-10 again, that's my goal for the moment. Just to keep getting inside the top-10, I think is a possible goal. There are a lot of really great riders in the MX1 right now. I think to get on the podium would just be a little bit above my station, where I'm at right now. I'm going to work toward that eventually -- you never know what's going to happen. I think if I just go out and get as good a start as I can and race the race as good as I can, you never know what's going to happen. My goal is basically to be inside the top-10 for the moment. If I keep doing that it will put me in the top-10 for the championship. That will put me where I want to be after the first half of the season. My aim is just to finish races, to get points on the board and like I said, to learn and improve every week if I can. So let's see what happens.
MZ: Aside from consistency, health is a key factor. It's been an issue for you in the past. How is your health? Nothing outside of the usual bumps and bruises?
TC: Everything is really good right now. You've got to enjoy these times because I've had the times when everything isn't good -- yeah, it's been really tough. But everybody has to do their time with injuries and go through tough, tough times. You learn a lot about yourself and I think it actually makes you appreciate racing a lot more. If you take the positives out of it and just come away from those injuries and don't let them affect you too much -- to be honest, all of us are pushing so hard at the World Championship that you never know what's going to happen. I just take each race as it comes and enjoy the weekends because you never know what's coming around the corner. But on a positive note, I completed my first season, last season...and that was the first season I had without having an injury something that was at least three months off the bike. That was great for me, that was a good achievement but it's not really something you can control too much. I never feel like I'm a crazy rider or a loose rider but I've just had some unfortunate things happen and that was that. It's something you can't control. You just try and stay clear of injuries all the time. You know, at the moment I'm good and really enjoying my racing.
MZ: Tell us more about the KX450F. You mentioned that it's quite a handful. From a spectator standpoint it's certainly a great-looking bike.
TC: Yeah, the bike is fantastic and to be completely and ultimately honest, I say it and people don't believe me, but my bike is standard -- out of the crate. I put a pipe on it and I tried a couple of little things but I just couldn't ride with them. I just really wanted to get used to the bike that I had. And I think I am down, maybe, on power and the other guys worked a little bit more on gaining a bit more power. But there's enough there for me to get good starts every week. And there's enough there for me to be able to ride two races pretty hard. I've worked really hard on the suspension, I've got Showa suspension on my bike; factory Showa suspension works absolutely fantastic. And the engine, the power plant, for me it's a fantastic bike. Like I said, I've had the advantage of not having to do much testing, which suited me. I spent time on my riding and getting used to what I've got. (If) you change every week, you kind of have you have to adapt your style and learn about the new bike. I've kept mine really basic which meant we could really focus on my riding. I'm not complaining about the power on the bike, it's plenty enough.
MZ: Aside with some time with KTM, your relationship with Kawasaki goes back to your boyhood days. It there something in particular or is it just coincidence that you've been associated with the manufacturer for so many years.
TC: I don't really know what it is. I started off on a Kawasaki 60, back when that was the only 60 you could have. I started off there and then I got support from Kawasaki. And I've stayed with them for a long, long time. (With KTM) it was more of me getting away from the family team, standing on my own two feet and learning a bit more about how things work. That was a really good time for me in that sense; I had a great bike then as well. Then the (Kawasaki) 250F came out and I don't know, I just know everybody at Kawasaki; I know Steve Guttridge (Kawasaki’s European Race Planning Manager ) really well, he's the main guy now at Kawasaki. When I was in the schoolboys, he was in charge of the schoolboy team. And he has kind of come up through the ranks at the same time as I have. That's a personal friendship. We've always had a good relationship with Kawasaki, they've always been good to me. And it's 17 years now that I've ridden on a Kawasaki. This will be my 17th year. Yeah, it's a long time, it is a long, long time.
MZ: Considering you're still a young man, 17 years is a darn good stint.
TC: It's all been good, they've been very good to me and that's much appreciated. Like I said, I've had a lot of injuries but they've always supported me. I've always tried to prove that I deserve my ride. And I think, basically, I have. You just try to do the best job you can.
MZ: The team is really growing and coming together. How is it with four riders, what is the dynamic like on the team? Is there strength in numbers?
TC: Yeah, I have to say -- you know a lot of people just say these things -- but I speak the truth. On our team right now it's just a great atmosphere, a really good atmosphere. Steve (Sword) I get on with really well. When we were younger he used to live at our house -- for a long time, actually. So him coming back to the team was great. And I think he felt comfortable with the team and I felt that it's good having him there. Gautier (Paulin) is a great guy as well. He's come in and fit straight in with the team. If we get results like we did on the weekend it always helps as well. The guys have worked so hard on the 250s. ... It's just a great atmosphere on the team. It can be tough, we went for a few years on the team when we weren't getting the results and the bikes, you know, we didn't have it so great. You work hard and you get the results and these times at the moment, like I said before, it's great times at the moment in the team.
MZ: The full factory sponsorship, that has to be tremendous.
TC: Yeah, even though I was racing the 450 this year, Gareth (Swanepoel) got injured and Stephen (Sword) was injured at the end of last year so me and Gautier went to Japan and tested the 250. Obviously that's something you always want to do when you're younger. You hear about these guys going off testing in Japan and testing with the factory guys and it's a fantastic opportunity. It's great support and we get a lot of help from Kawasaki now. We've got (Chief Mechanic) Fred (Lavergne) who's in-house and he is working on the engines. The 250s are so fast. I just hope he doesn't do too much to my 450 to make it any faster. I don't know if I'll be able to hold onto it, to be honest (laughs).
MZ: What's it like having Molson as a sponsor? If your sponsor is, let's say an energy drink, you figure they give you a refrigerator full of it. With Molson, did they give you a dump truck or an excavator, something to drive around the home?
TC: (laughs). They do help us out a lot. It ties in pretty nicely. What they do it all ties in. And yes, they did give us a digger for our track last year. They're great. They've been involved with me since 2003. They were actually a personal sponsor when I was at KTM but then they stepped up the program and became a full sponsor for the team in 2004, I think it was. It's great having these outside sponsors. ... They have a lot of people at the races. They bring a huge number of people to the British GP and to British Championships, their clients who love motocross. It all works really well; they're a great sponsor to have. To be honest I thought you were going to ask if they gave me any beer (laughs). I wasn't sure if you knew, because Molson is a beer in Canada as far as I'm aware. People get that confused.
MZ: We knew they're in the business of moving dirt around -- as are you.
TC: You could say that, yeah, that's cool.
MZ: Anything else you'd like to add?
TC: I just like to thank all my sponsors and anybody who's a fan of mine who stuck behind me.
Photos courtesy of Kawasaki.
