Paul Pavletich (CEO) Newsletter No 3

Dirt bikes, don’t you just love them? I shouldn’t blame the bike it was my fault. I just bought a brand new CR250R motocross bike. What a fantastic beast. Anyway I was off at my local track Harrisville thinking I was Shayne King. I normally do about 12 minutes sessions because that’s were my current fitness level is at. That’s about five laps of the full MX track. Anyway I got in to a dice with some guys I think it might have been Ricky Carmichael and Chad Reed, that’s how fast I was going, hey that’s my story and I’m sticking to it. As it turned out I ended up doing around eight laps which was way too many for my fitness level. I came up to the number 10 jump and hit it flat out in third gear. That’s OK when you are fresh and feeling like you have good bike control, but when you have the enthusiasm of a 20 year old trapped in the body of a 47 year old office wally, it can and did, all go wrong.

I landed with the front wheel way to high and it spat me off the back. I landed on my tailbone and managed to bend it and slightly compress a couple of discs. My little finger was dislocated and broken as well. So right now I’m in recovery mode and feeling sorry for myself. You can send flowers and expensive gifts, which may help heal my damaged ego and confidence.

I think before I start again I’m going to practise a little more of what I preach to folks. Get fit before you attack Moto-X tracks in anger. I know it’s extra hard in winter but you just have to come up with a plan. I know myself when I am really fit it all becomes so much easier.

Planning for the ISDE is really progressing great guns. I am so impressed with my team’s commitment and energy to make this a major world-class success. We have 610 riders entered and that must be a record for the event. I think the fact that New Zealand is seen as such a beautiful country (and add in the fact that our currency is so weak) International teams can come here with powerful buying and budgeting powers. Rest assured MNZ and the ISDE team are brilliant with the level of planning they have undertaken to make this an incredible event that you shouldn’t miss.

The first round of the SsangYong New Zealand Motocross Champs took place at Mercer and the general feedback was great. The riders told me the track held out better than they initially expected, probably due to the hard work of the Pukekohe club volunteers grooming efforts and the heavy rain on Saturday night. One of my heroes, Shayne King, looked a little flat on the weekend by his standards but anyone how writes him of is in for a serous thrashing. He told me he is out for revenge at Hawkes Bay.

One guy who impressed me with his incredible tenacity was young Cody Cooper. He took a huge hit in one of the early races and sustained a massive haematoma on his leg and groin. The team asked him if he wanted to carry on and he said he would. During the last race he fell of directly in front of were I was standing and I could see the sheer pain and determination in his near tearful face to get back up and carry on and not let his team down. This is the difference between weekend warriors and potential world champions. That’s the mental toughness I want to see and that’s the determination we will need if we are going to win the Motocross des Nations in September that Cody will be a part of. His team mates Coppins and Townley sure have it.

Good luck men, make us proud.