Monday Conversation II: British MX2 National Champion Shaun Simpson

Racer X: You’ve been racing for a few years now, but you finally broke through to win your first title – the 2008 British MX2 National Championship. How do you feel about that?
Shaun Simpson: I don’t know, it’s been a long time coming. I’ve been doing the GPs now for four years and the British Championships for five or six, so I’m still quite young, but I’ve been at it for a long time. I’ve always had injuries and all sorts of things going on, so this year again I had an injury, but we managed to come back quite soon after that – only six/seven days after breaking my collarbone. I managed to put it together. I’ve not been feeling great the last part of the year, but it’s just been putting the motos in and scoring the points, and staying consistent. The bike’s been working really good. I can’t say enough.

So you’re moving up to the Red Bull KTM factory team for the GPs next year. Talk a little bit about the transition and what you expect to be different, because it seems like in a lot of respects it’s going the be the same thing, as you race KTMs already.
I think in a lot of ways it will be very similar, and I know my bike’s been good this year, but I think the help you can get and the support that everyone’s got there, I think being on a factory team, you can’t ever say no to that. It’s going to be a change for me. I’ve been with Roger [Magee, principal of KTM UK] now for four years and a lot of things are going to have to change. I’m going to have to live in Belgium – I’m going to have to get a place out there – and I think it’ll be good, practicing and training with Stefan Everts, and the facility there is good.

{QUOTE}How come Scotsmen are beating up the Englishmen in their own championship here?
I don’t know! It’s good to see some good talent coming out of Scotland. I don’t know. That’s a hard question. Billy [Mackenzie] has been riding good, and obviously Stephen [Sword] and myself and a few other guys. It’s just nice.