Molson Kawasaki’s own Sir Alex but blonde and better looking - Part two
June 03, 2008
Welcome back to part two of our indepth look into managing a factory motocross team, Molson Kawasaki has the only female manager in the sport, twenty something Lisa Church.
What are your main tasks on a race weekend?
“At the races I am actually not so busy but it depends on how many guests we have. Normally when I
arrive I go and organise passes, then I check the hospitality area with Mark Hardisty (Hottub) and we
rearrange it if necessary. I also speak with Fred to make sure everything is okay there.
“During the weekend, I will speak with any sponsors who are there and sometimes I have meetings
organised either with staff or sponsors. When the riders are out riding on Saturday I go around the track
with my dad and radio back to the team if we can see anything such as lines they’ve not noticed or
something they are doing good or bad.
“Then on Sunday for the MX2 races I have to be in pitlane because if the riders are doing well the team
managers have to be available to do TV interviews which is something I hate because they are live but I
think I am getting better and I suppose I should be happy because it means the riders are doing well!
“Then for the MX1 races because Tom’s support crew is a lot smaller I normally go out on the track and
talk to his mechanic to give him Tom’s position and gaps between the riders via the radio because the
mechanics normally cant see very much.
“I also collect results, speak with the riders after each training session and race to make sure they are
happy, go to any press conferences and do the odd interview or speak to any press. I will also organise
any interviews to be done with riders, or photos that need taking. I am also on the team manager’s
committee where three team managers were selected and we have meetings with Youthstream to discuss
any issues that arise at the races.
Why did you deem it necessary to move the team from Marshfield to Belgium?
“It was a pretty easy decision to make really and it’s mainly due to the cost/convenience issue. If you are
in England - especially where we were based - you need to add an extra traveling day on either side of
each race and you have the extra cost of the ferries every week. Being in Belgium means we are pretty
close to quite a few of the GP circuits and to be honest we are not that far from Calais so it just makes life
easier. The size that the team is now so big we wouldn’t actually fit into the workshop in Marshfield
anymore either!”
The British GP is coming up this weekend, what extra stress does that put you under?
“It is a bit stressful mainly just because we have a lot of extra guests so we need to make sure we have
enough room. I also have to organise all the extra passes which I have to say has been easy this year
and we just have to carry a lot of extra stuff. It would probably be okay if I was more organised but I tend
to leave everything to the last minute and then it can be a nightmare!”
Can we expect to see anything special from the Molson team at the British GP?
“Yes, we will have a huge hospitality presence something similar to what we had in Valkenswaard but
even bigger and we will have caterers in for our guests. For the fans we will run autograph sessions on
Saturday afternoon after the racing and qualifying and on Sunday morning too, you will need to look out
for the signs at the truck to see exactly when. I think both British riders have some special riding kit but I
haven’t seen it yet as they like to keep everything a surprise!
“Tom is also selling t-shirts for a charity - the Make A Wish Foundation - and they are available at the Dirt
Bike Rider stand at the event and all proceeds will be going to charity. I believe Stephen is also organising
something special for his fans too.”
Lisa and her collection of team shirts over the years
Third and final part tomorrow.
Images by Ray Archer
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