This season the 24-year-old returns to the Pro Circuit team to contest the East Coast Lites Supercross Championship.
 
A QUICK BIO:

Well I grew up in Durban in South Africa and I started racing when I was 5 years old. When I was 14 I went over to Europe to race over there and try and make living from it. It was good. In the beginning it was really tough. Different countries, climate, different races—the racing was really different. But I enjoyed it and knew I could make it if I kept working hard. In 2008 I won the world championship in MX2. I had a pretty good battle all season with Caroli and Searle. It was really awesome racing with them.

HOW HE ENDED UP RACING IN AMERICA:

I got a good deal from Mitch [Payton, owner of the Pro Circuit] to come over here and race in America for last year. I wanted to do Supercross but my deal was done pretty late with Mitch so I had to get my visa approved and all that. That took a good month to six weeks to get it all finalized by the time I already came over it was the middle of January so it was too late to do anything.

But I did the outdoors. It didn’t really go the way I wanted it to. I was riding third in the championship then I crashed at Red Bud and broke my thumb. So I needed to get that fix and they put in a plate and I was back riding about six weeks after that. I came back for the last three nationals. Managed to do pretty good at Southwick, I won the second moto which I was really happy about. I really like riding in the sand.

HIS FIRST SEASON RACING AMA SUPERCROSS:

This is my first year going into Supercross now so it’s something I’m really looking forward to. It’s a new challenge for me. I’m learning every time I’m at the test track watching guys like Reed and Villopoto and Weimer and my teammates. I had a little crash at the test track and dislocated my left shoulder so I needed to get that fixed on. It’s good now and I’ll be ready for the races for sure.

PREVIOUS SUPECROSS EXPERIENCE:

I’ve raced some Supercrosses in Europe like Bercy and some German Supercrosses and those kind of things. Obviously they’re a lot smaller but there are still jumps. I mean this is my first time going to be racing a big Supercross. But if you can ride a dirt bike and jump I don’t see why you can’t be good at Supercross. I’ve really been focusing on Supercross and really trying to get better every time I go out on track. Trying to improve on little weaknesses. My timing is pretty good. My weak point is going through he whoops I need to get a bit better through that.

THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN RACING DIRT BIKES IN THE U.S. AND EUROPE:

The racing in Europe is a lot different to America. One weekend you’ll get to a track and it will be a huge mud race. Then the next weekend you’ll go to the race and it’ll be a deep sand track. So the variety of tracks is really different. Then the next weekend you’ll go to a track and its really slick and it will have little pebbles. Here they are really the same. It’s all good dirt, gets good ruts. Here in America they are all pretty much the same.

THOUGHTS ON REIGNING MX1 WORLD CHAMP, ANTONIO CAIROLI:

Cairoli is a good rider. I think our first race together was 2004. When he first came to the GPs he was really good. He’s a great rider got a good technique and he’s pretty good at Supercross too. I wouldn’t say that if he came out he’d kill Villopoto or Stewart not in Supercross anyway. But in motocross I think he’d have a shot at winning races for sure.

LAST YEARS MOTOCROSS DES NATIONS:

Team South Africa, we got ninth. When I flew over to Europe I got food poisoning and I felt terrible all weekend. I got tired pretty quickly in the race. In America I hardly ever get tired. But over at des Nations after 15 minutes I was just dead. So I think it just took it out of me that sickness. It was disappointing I was really looking forward to going over there and having a good ride. But it is what it is. Next year is Colorado and I think it will be a lot better.

BEING A PART OF THE PRO CIRCUIT TEAM:

He is by far the best tuner [Mitch Payton]. A lot of factory teams take their stuff to Mitch and he tunes it for them. I think Mitch he’s a really good team manager, does things really professionally and really wants the best for his team. Everyone on the team works hard at the workshop. Everyone is always staying after hours. I think it’s just the whole package that he has that makes his riders want it even more.

The bikes are really awesome. I’ve never ridden a bike like that before. The biggest thing is the handling. Bones and the guys from Pro Circuit really know how to tune up the suspension. That’s the big thing especially in Supercross and motocross it is really important to have good suspension. It’s a really, really good team. You feel like a part of a family with the team. For me it’s the best team to be on in America.

HIS GOALS FOR THE 2010 SUPERCROSS SEASON:

I’ve raced motocross here in America so I know I’m competitive. So like I said Supercross is new for me it’s going to be a new challenge going to different tracks in different stadiums. I haven’t done that yet. That’s something I’m really looking forward to. Obviously to stay healthy the whole year that’s my main plan to stay injury free during the whole season. I think Supercross for me is going to be fun.

DUNLOP BEING THE NEW SUPERCROSS SPEC TIRE: 
 
They feel pretty much the same [as the Bridgestones]. They’ve been in the business for so long they have a lot of experience. I think they are really good tires. Bridgestone are good too. I don’t really feel so much of a difference. If you put a road race tire on it then yeah maybe. But with the motocross tires nowadays there isn’t that much difference.

THOUGHTS ON MOTORCYCLE ROAD RACING:

When I was in Europe I liked to watch it—MotoGP and Rossi and them racing. I still watch it now. I really like MotoGP and Formula 1. That’s the only two sports I like to watch. But, I don’t like street bikes. For me it’s a coffin on wheels. I hate those things.