Steven Clarke
April 02, 2007
Becoming World Champion is no mean feet; to become Great Britain’s only World Champion in 2005 is saying something. 15-year-old Stephen Clarke has already achieved that goal that so many racers strive to do in their whole lifetime, to be world champion.
MOTO: Hi Stephen, give us a run down of your motocross career so far?
STEPHEN: I didn’t used to be very good at all, it went on and I was still only around the top five at club level if I was lucky sometimes, but when I started to train in the States I got faster and faster. I went to Loretta Lynn’s in 2004 on an 80, which is the biggest youth amateur race over there and got a 12th and a 16th, which wasn’t too bad. I came back and did the BYMX championship on a small wheel and got fourth, then last year I did it on a big wheel and pretty much won every race I entered.
What is it like to win a World Championship?
Pretty amazing. On the way over to the meeting I was thinking to myself that top five would be a really good result for me, maybe top three. I got a good start and worked my way to the front by the end of the first lap. I won that race and was quite happy. In the second race I didn’t get a great start and got pinched off in the first corner. I made my way up to third place behind the guy that had finished second in the first moto. The leader had finished sixth in the first race and was gone so I knew all I had to do was finish in front of the second place guy and it was mine.
You have raced the big meetings in the US, is that where you would like to end up racing full time?
Yeah, maybe a few years down the line I want to hopefully turn pro over there.
Have you got any intentions of doing GPs?
Yes hopefully, I’m planning on doing Loretta’s this year then if it’s possible go and squeeze in a GP at the end of this year, if I’m fast enough. If I did it the other way round and rode a GP first I would have to ride the Pros at Loretta. I would like to do the Maxxis and the GP’s next year a bit like Tommy Searle did this year.
How do you compare yourself to Tommy when he was your age?
Tommy was a year ahead of me when he moved up to the 125 when he was fourteen. I did the big wheels last year which didn’t do me too bad, but hopefully I can another year then go and do some GPs.
How did you get into motocross?
Dad used to race, well ride anyway. It was fun for him; I suppose he was a good club level rider. It was actually my uncle that got me started in motocross, my dad said I could always have a bike when I asked for one and it was my uncle that kept persuading me to have one. Finally I got one on my seventh birthday and practice for half a year then started racing.
What are your goals for this year?
I want to do really well in all the championships I enter, I’m mainly doing the KWS and the BYMX championships, I’m going to do most of the under 21 championship, then after Loretta’s in June I will hopefully do some of the Maxxis British Championships.
How are you getting on with the new team?
You know the KRM team are incredible, the set up is awesome, the bikes are fast, I can’t ask for much more really.
What are your ideal riding conditions?
I like it when it’s hard pack but a little bit wet, when it’s grippy, tacky and deep ruts with loads of jumps and whoops.
Do you like supercross?
I do, sometimes it’s a bit tight, the Millennium Stadium is good, to be fair they are all good it’s just some are a little bit better than the others.
How do you chill out at a meeting?
I like to go out and watch other races, get lines and have some fun basically. I go and chat to people, I don’t lock myself away in the camper where you could be thinking about the last race, when you could have done better or the next race putting pressure on yourself.
What do you do for training?
I try to go and ride two to three times a week. I got to the gym Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and try to ride in-between at somewhere like Mildenhall. I have a track that is half built at the moment so when that is finished it will be a bit easier because it can take like three hours to get to somewhere like Mildenhall. I mainly do cardio at the gym, I don’t do too many weights at this early stage, I think it’s best to leave it until I’m a little bit older before I do that.
What kind of music do you listen to?
I used to be into heavy rap like Eminem and 50 Cent but now I am into alternative rock since going over to America quite a bit.
Favourite food?
I like lasagne a lot, it’s good food and pretty good for the weekends.
Are you superstitious?
Not really, well a little bit maybe, I like my levers to be in the right place, if they’re not then everything goes to pot. I’ll chip my helmet before I put a new one on, I’ve known a few mates that have had bad experiences with new lids so that’s good enough for me.
What is the best thing about racing?
The winning is good but it’s just being able to go the tracks and ride them as they are, they seem to be more prepared these days and it’s good to have the bikes that we do. Years ago it didn’t seem that people could get hold of good suspension, they couldn’t do any jumps and that kind of stuff, I just think we are lucky to be in the era that we are, we have doubles, triples, whoops and all that stuff and its good to know what exactly you are hitting them with!
Which riders do you aspire to?
Stefan Everts, he’s just got the best style in the world but he lacks that bit of intensity like Carmichael, if you combined the pair of them you would have the best racer in the world.
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