SPECIAL - Craig Dack interview. November 2008

JB: With things like CDR Performance and the corporate hospitality initiatives, you seem to be on the cutting edge of innovation when it comes to what can be done with a race team. Would you agree with that?

CD: I would like to think so. I don't think I'm such a world pioneer of it. . . . I keep my eye on a lot of things around the world and see what trends are happening. I like every facet of sport. I like cricket, football, motor racing. . .I just love sport. So, whenever I'm watching any sport, I'm sort of working out what those sports are 'doing', picking a little bit from each sport, and sometimes put a puzzle together, to bring it into our sport to go that next step. So I guess it's just being vigilant on what's going on around the world and what current trends are.

The corporate hospitality thing you mentioned was, I think, a big thing for our team, and it's been a great success. This is the second year we've run it, and it just builds momentum every race - this weekend we've got 45 guests coming. And the unique thing about ours is that the suite . . . . unlike other sports, is part of our truck set-up, so the guests can eat and drink and be entertained while they watch the mechanics working on the bikes, literally right alongside them.

All the guests who come seem to have a really good time and they go away with a really good feeling about the team, and they spread that word about our sport and our team and we think that just helps us gain more fans and more notoriety.

JB: Is that sort of innovation something that comes easy, or is it hard work to come up with those new ideas and new ways to build your team and the sport.

CD: No, I find it quite easy . . . . I would never do anything I'm not passionate about. I think that, for anything you do in life, the passion is the most powerful driving force that you can have. For example, there was a period there in the early days with Yamaha where I was approached to maybe do something with the road race team. Although I love road racing, my passion wasn't in that, so at the end of the day I didn't take that on. Although the opportunities were there to do it, I just didn't feel like I had that driving passion to do it. In anything I do, I make sure it's accompanied with passion. and usually, when you've got that, you'll do OK.

JB: Looking at freestyle motocross (FMX), you see guys like Cam Sinclair and Robbie Maddison, and even Robbie Marshall - who has a foot in both camps - do you think the growth of the FMX scene, and the money and lifestyle it offers, is pulling some potentially great racers away from the sport?

CD: (pause) Mmmm, no I don't. I think that. . . with a lot of the freestyle guys, it's at least giving riders some options now. Maybe, before the freestyle revolution came along, those guys may have thought "this is getting too expensive to go racing", and "I don't think I'm really going to make it" and they might leave the sport completely and go in a different direction. But now this (FMX) has allowed those that don't fit into a racing career to go "OK, well I don't think this was really for me - I might try the freestyle thing" and they go bang "that works for me".

I think that freestyle has been a huge benefit for the whole industry. I like a lot of those guys, they're really professional, and they've brought a lot of outside-industry sponsors and given our sport a whole new dimension.

JB: You were at the Crusty Demons Night of World Records back in March. What did you think of the whole spectacle and particularly the crowd (almost 30,000) that it pulled?

CD: That was the first time I'd really been to a full-on Crusty show . . and I loved it! I thought it was fantastic. I think you've always got to respect and admire something that you can't do, and I watch those guys now and can't even fathom how they could do that. Having been a professional racer, I've got so much respect for the skill of those guys and what they do. The crowd added a lot of atmosphere, too - they have some serious fans! So, yeah, I enjoyed it a lot.

JB: Getting back to racing, CDR haven't had a rider in the Pro Lites class for a few years now - is there any particular reason for that?

CD: Yeah, unfortunately, it wasn't something I wanted to happen. We found it to be a really good development program, fostering riders through up into the main 450 class. But Yamaha, a few years ago, assigned Serco as the Pro Lites team. I guess it was just a case of spreading their resources out, instead of feeding it all into one person. That has proven to be successful for Yamaha for a couple of years, but from my own point of view, it was a decision I was disappointed with, because the (Pro Lites) program we had in the past was very successful and we were always good doing it.

JB: Moving on to Supercross. With Chad Reed being the new face and financing of the 'Super X' series this year, what are thoughts on Chad getting involved, and is it something the team are looking forward to?

CD: We are looking forward to it. Supercross has been a bit of a problem in past years, and we certainly need to take on any opportunities to get supercross back on track. Rush Sports - the company that promote the Crusty Demons shows - have gone into a joint agreement with Chad Reed. While he won't be a part of the day-to-day running of the series, Chad's whole purpose is to race here, and to give the series that "Chad Reed" factor, which means a lot of interest from the fans and media. Anybody who knows anything about dirt bikes will know who Chad Reed is! We get to see him on websites and television, but we don't get to see the world's best supercross rider live. And this will be an opportunity to do that. I think it's a very positive move for the sport, the fans, and everybody involved. I've had several meetings with the guys from Rush Sports, and they have a lot of interest in making it work. They're here for the long term, and I hope the industry gets behind it and supports them . . . because we need it.

JB: You must be glad to see Chad's wrapped up another AMA SX championship?

CD: Yeah, I spoke to him two days after he won the championship, and throughout the year, and I know how hard a time he was having.

Generally, your readers wouldn't get to hear all the ins and outs of what goes on. From what they see, it all looks good and rosy, but underneath, he had a very, very difficult season - he had quite a few more injuries than people knew about. He had a wrist injury. . . I think his wrist was broken for the first part of the championship. And he had a lot of unfortunate crashes, so it was a really difficult year for him. Sure, it may have looked rosy when (Ricky) Carmichael retired and (James) Stewart pulled out at the beginning, but in the end it was a pretty tough championship.

JB: Do you think Reed would have been disappointed to not have the chance to face off against Carmichael and Stewart - and beat them fair and square?

CD: Absolutely. Knowing Chad as well as I do, he's up for any challenge, so I know he would rather have done it with those guys there. He wasn't that comfortable last year, but I know that this year he was really ready for it. He was really happy with the bike and his head was in a good spot, so I reckon if either of those guys were there this year, it would have been a really, really good championship.

JB: Still on Chad, he's without doubt the best Supercross rider this country's produced. If you could identify one thing that sets him apart from other Aussies who've tried to make it overseas, what would it be?

CD: It's always hard to point one thing out with someone, but what you've always got to look back at with any true champion is how they were brought up. I know Chad's parents -
his Mum is a really nice-natured, gentle, easygoing person, and his Dad is a concreter. He's a hardworker. . . . a hard taskmaster. So he never 'gave' Chad the new bikes and new tyres that some of the other juniors had. He believes in hard work, and passed those ethics on to Chad. So, I see Chad now and see those same qualities - he's just a very focused and determined person.

I remember when I was working with him in the 'States, we'd go up into the stands - this is back when Chad was riding in the Supercross Lites class - and watch the the guys in the Supercross open class practice with him. I'd say to Chad "see how Carmichael goes through that corner and over those whoops" Chad would go "yeah", and I'd say "Well, that's the fastest line".

So, in his next practice, Chad would have the unique ability to go straight out there and emulate that line he watched earlier. He has a very 'analytical' brain in that respect - or what you could call 'unassumingly smart' - he has this sort of natural ability to see a problem, work it out and put the solution into action.
Accompanying that is a real determination. When he rode for us here, his focus was always on going to America. Basically, he went to Europe first, because he couldn't get a ride in the US initially, and had a factory ride with Kawasaki there, so, with that as his focus, he just packed up his bags, took his girlfriend and off he went - and made it happen.

JB: So that determination has been a big part of his success?

CD: I think that's been one of the biggest things. He's always had
his sights on the big picture, not the smaller stuff. I mean, comparing me as a rider, I went over to Europe, I did a bit in America, but I never made the full commitment to go and do those things. I was happy to stay here in Australia with the comforts that home offered, whereas Chad had a mindset of "I don't want to deal with all this 'small time' - I'm going straight to the top".

JB: Seeing guys like Geoff Ballard still riding around in veteran classes, have you ever been tempted yourself to get out there and ride regularly in competition?

CD: Not really. I still love riding, and still go for a ride every now and again. I prefer to trailride more these days. . . . . I'm 43 now, and my body's OK, but I don't want to take that risk with injuries anymore - I've had a fair few over my career!

And when you're a competitive professional motocross rider, you're riding the bloody bikes every day of the week. The reason why you give up in the end is because you get tired of it. So, I just like to pick and choose my rides now and keep it on a very casual basis.

JB: Coming back to this season, you've obviously been keeping an eye on the junior riders this year. Is there anyone who 's impressed in the qualifier rounds of the Yamaha Under 19s so far ?

CD: There's one rider that we've had an eye on, helping him with his bike a bit, and doing what we can with, and that's Ross Beaton. He's a Tasmanian kid, and Tasmania's never had a superstar motocross rider come out of there. He's got some good qualities. He's had a very good, simple, family upbringing. So, yeah, he's someone we've got our eye on.

From year to year, or season to season, we keep our eye on some young guys, so when we see a bit of talent there, we help them along a bit, over the next couple of years or something like that, and watch for when we think the time is right to try and get them onto our team.

JB: Well, as an extension of that, what would be the best bit of advice you could give to a junior rider who's looking to move up into the national classes?

CD: It's a harsh sport, don't kid yourself otherwise. It's a difficult sport and it requires so much time and commitment from the family. It requires a hell of a lot of mental preparation and a hell of a lot of physical preparation.

It's an expensive sport, too - there can be some huge costs involved.

In saying all that, by identifying those factors, you know you're going to have to put in 100% to get there.

But it can be done, though - look at Chad Reed, he's a classic example of what you can achieve. He came from a background where there wasn't lots and lots of money to throw at it. He came from Kurri Kurri, out in the 'boondocks' of Newcastle, but just had that grit and determination. And I think that's what you need. . . that's a key factor - just keep trying, keep plugging away. You're going to get a lot more negatives for the first part of your career than positives. But that's where you need to be able to pick yourself, dust yourself off and keep going.

JB: OK, let's finish with a few rapid-fire questions. Pick your favourites from the following:
AFL or NRL? AFL
Holden or Ford? Holden
MotoGP/World Superbikes? MotoGP
Cinema or DVD? DVD - but I'll never see the whole thing because I can't stay awake!
Beach or Bush: You've got me there. . . . . I'll say beach in Summer and bush in Winter!
Beer or Spirits? Beer
BBQ or restaurant? BBQ at home

JB: Finally, if you could have a beer with anyone - living or dead - who would it be and why?

CD: (pause) Hmmm, probably Ayrton Senna would be a good one. He made a big impact on me in his racing career, and I just liked his style. He had a unique style to him. . . a great character.

JB: Thanks very much for your time, Craig and all the best for the team for the season ahead.
CD: Thanks mate, cheers.to a one-year deal, while Boyd has signed on for two years.