Molson Kawasaki’s own Sir Alex but blonde and better looking - Third and final part
June 04, 2008
Welcome back to our third and final in depth look into managing a factory motocross team, Molson Kawasaki has the only female manager in the sport, twenty something Lisa Church.
How important is it to have a home GP to the team?
“It is important for us we have a lot of sponsors based in the UK and it’s really the only time they get to
see all the riders in the team compete and get to meet them as well. For the riders it’s important and they
really look forward to racing at home and for motocross in general it’s important. We have a lot of British
riders doing well at the moment especially in the MX2 class and it’s great for the fans to be able to see
them doing well and I always think the British GP is one of the best. The atmosphere is always really good
and the fans really get behind the riders however they are doing.”
What's it like sharing the team truck with up to 15 men?
“It’s okay and luckily I don’t have to sleep in the race truck or anything so it’s not too bad! They are
actually all pretty tidy and clean for a group of young guys and everyone gets along and respects one
another and I think this is part of what makes a good team. The mechanics and staff behind the scenes
don’t really get enough credit but they all work hard and we wouldn’t be there if it wasn’t for them.”
Do you enjoy working so closely with your family?
“If I am honest I don’t work as closely with them as everyone probably thinks. As I have progressed in the
job I make more and more of the decisions. A lot of the time I only speak to my dad at the race and
occasionally I speak to him in the week but if there is a major decision to be made or something I am not
sure about I will definitely speak with him.
“With Tom I try to treat him the same as I treat the other riders which I think is important. He gets no
special treatment and in fact is the only rider in the team who doesn’t receive factory support - it was the
same last year and he understands that. We do have the odd brother/sister argument but for the most
part its okay.”
If you could have signed any rider for the Molson team from the history of the sport who would you have
picked and why?
“That’s a really tough question, I don’t know, probably Ricky Carmichael. I have been privileged enough to
meet him and not only is he an amazing rider but he is a really nice guy as well – I think people could
learn a lot from him.”
What do you value most about being associated with Kawasaki?
“We have always been with Kawasaki and even when Tom raced as a schoolboy he was always on a
Kawasaki, I guess it’s just what we have been bought up with and I can’t really imagine being associated
with anything else. I think what we value most is that being with Kawasaki is like a family atmosphere in
the way in which Kawasaki trusts their teams and staff and in turn we are able to trust them because we
always know where we stand with them. On top of that the bikes and product support has always been
very good and I also think Kawasaki is one of the cooler brands with the Green and Black colours.
Finally, what does the future hold for Molson Kawasaki?
“We would love to win a British Championship this year and see the guys on the podium at some GPs.
Long-term we plan to keep building up the team and hopefully work towards winning a world title!”
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