We sat down with Billy Mackenzie and asked him about his monsterous crash at the British GP in August and also about his future plans.

MXlarge: Just a quick review on your British GP, I know it’s a while ago, but haven’t spoken since. How did it feel and tell us about that crash?

Mackenzie: I loved being back in the action and especially at the British GP. Being my first GP back in a while, there were a lot of things I needed to do and tick off the check list. The first one was I needed to make sure I put in a solid result in the first race, hence why I rode it safe. I had to do it for myself and for my team by riding sensible for a top 10 result. I felt my speed was there, I just didn’t try as hard as I should have in hindsight. I think if I had a few more races to work the little things out I’m confident of running top 5's and pushing for the front again.

MXlarge: Tell me about that race with Tanel, it looks terrible?

Mackenzie: The second race I had a terrible start and rounded the corner outside the top 20, but was pushing hard and already up to 8th place behind Tanel before the crash. I still believe that Tanel would have jumped that quad when I was right behind him. I didn’t feel like the crash was a result of my sometimes instinctive craziness on the track. I like to get that thrill of making a last minute pass or railing it near the posts and that’s what I love motocross for, the way it makes me feel when my body and bike are in tune. I guess it was maybe a bad decision, but that’s the choice I made, I had been doing the quad every lap and knew Tanel had been too, so I just trusted that Tanel would hit the quad as I made that choice to jump it. That’s what I like about racing at the top level, is that you have trust in your competition to race hard and safe. When I realized he had only carried enough speed for the triple, I tried to pull up and bring the front wheel to the right as it was already a slightly right handed jump. I realized as he landed that I was right above him, I just hoped he would have dashed out from under me before I came down those last few meters!

MXlarge: There was some serious impact wasn’t there. I mean it obviously he didn’t get out of the way quick enough?

Mackenzie: Unfortunately not! I landed square on his seat and flipped the bike from under him, I fell off to the left and that’s one of my last memories! It was the first time I had ever been knocked unconscious, so it was a crazy feeling when I came back round!   I didn’t think anything of it, I wasn’t in pain and I only had a black eye! I was strapped down in the ambulance. Luckily I had my Dad watching over everything and Harriet by my side from the instant I crashed. They were there when I woke up and talked me through what was going on. I wasn’t panicking at all; I was just waiting for the ambulance to stop so I could get checked out. I thought it was the qualifying race on Saturday and asked if I’d be alright for the race! Some very odd twisted thoughts going on, my consciousness trying to catch up on the last 24 hours! All my friends who I have talked to have gave me gory detailed descriptions of what happened as we were trying to work out how many minutes of life that has just disappeared! It’s a freaky thought, but pretty interesting! I'm just lucky I guess, and thank my Mum for looking over me during that time. Looking back, it was way more serious than I first thought; you don't red flag a Grand Prix for nothing!

MXlarge: What followed once you got out of the ambulance?

Mackenzie: I got to the hospital, and was in a neck brace. I had mud stuck in my hair and it was digging into the back of my head! That was the most annoying thing and I had to wait till the x-rays came back before I could move my head and get up! When the results came back and everything was clear I got the hell up out of that bed and wanted to sign myself out but the doc wouldn't let me! I knew I was fine, I was back to normal and I just wanted to sleep in my nice big bed at home, not spend the night in a hospital bed with beeps and bleeps! So I just walked out and got home! I was even the navigator for my dad out of Southampton, so my memory was back to normal.

MXlarge: You were open to offers from Europe, did you receive any?

Mackenzie: I was just putting the feeling out to see what was going on in Europe. It seems the only riders who are getting paid decent money are the top 5 riders, after that it's a really big drop and I heard the normal stories of riders not being paid by teams. It just seems a really risky business both financially and physically to race World Championship level at this point in time. I have a great relationship with Kawasaki from when I raced for the factory team in 2007 and the support is still the same here in Australia. They are a loyal company and I enjoy racing for them. I didn't have any solid offers, only because I didn’t go looking for them. There were options if I was serious about returning, Kawasaki mentioned they could put me in one of their teams, but Dean was more intent on going to Europe than I was returning so it worked out better for both of us. There was also a whisper about a Yamaha position but I am happy with what I’m doing with Monster and Kawasaki in Australia. I can only use Pourcel as an example. He had a few races before he found the speed he knew he had, but he had to prove it to everyone first to get his ride. I think being a world champion and multiple Supercross Champion you would think a deal would have fell into place a little easier for him. So a 7th place and a crash didn’t quite put me in a strong position!

MXlarge: What is the plan for 2012?

Mackenzie: At the moment I have verbally agreed to stay with Monster Kawasaki again in Australia and race the Motocross and Supercross again. The team is fantastic and it's a solid unit, so I just want to make sure I have an injury free year and try bringing this Australian championship home.  

MXLarge: What things did you notice about the GPs, any changes, riders speed the same?

Mackenzie: Nothing has changed man it was like travelling back in time! The pace is still the same there are just a few more riders capable of doing it. The mx2 class is good to watch, it's nice to see the fresh talent coming up. There are a few guys who are riding really creative in both classes and doing some different things which was nice to see. Overall it was a good event with a quality track and a good atmosphere; I hope to be back doing it again next year.

 MXlarge: What are your plans for the coming months?

Mackenzie: I have the Supercross season starting in 9 days! So just finished our final touches to testing and training hard for the 5 round series which starts on October 22nd.  

MXlarge: Did you watch the MXoN and if yes what did you think, what impressed you?

Mackenzie± I had the luxury of watching it from the comfort of a sofa for once. There was a little part of me that wished I could have been there, but it was nice being a dignified observer and not feeling the heat from the pressure cooker that is the MXDN! It was far easier justifying not being picked to my own ego than it was to fry my brain and bust my ass for something that ultimately isn't that important for me right now. Too many times after giving it 100% only to let the whole country down and have that weight on my shoulders, the choice to worry or not to worry has become pretty easy! This is all not to say I wouldn't have rode if I did get picked...... of course, if my results had justified a position in the team, I would have done the race and raced how I’ve always raced. All I’m saying is when u take a back seat for once and become a spectator while having the experience of racing the event, it's easy to enjoy watching the race rather than racing/acting like your life depends on it!   Maybe I’m just upset I didn’t get picked!? I actually really enjoyed bench racing the moto's and backing our boys all the way. We missed the podium by a fraction again, but we all know we have the potential for more, and I’m sure we'll get it again one day. I was impressed with the passion of the riders; the riders who normally fall into the train were actually pushing till the end.

 MXlarge: Is there anything you would change at the moment, anything you wish you had that you don’t maybe?

Mackenzie± Hmm, that’s a tough one, I guess we always want more than we have, that’s just human nature! Seriously though, I’m in a good place and I’m loving what I’m doing, the only things I’d want are material things which aren't that important. I have a few plans in place to make riding and training a little easier, I want to have my own track built and maybe get a new van and camper and enjoy the Aussie sunshine.

MXlarge: What can you improve on 2011?

Mackenzie± Just general set up and communication. We got a bit lost with my set up this year and I believe that’s where I lost the championship. I like to stick to what I know and gain confidence with the bike. We have lots of positive things going on at the moment and it's looking like we will be ahead of the game for 2012.

MXlarge: Brad Anderson is coming down to OZ; I understand he had contact with you. Will you guys hang out down there?

Mackenzie: I'm sure if he's passing by we'll do some riding and training together, but I’ve already told him I aren’t his baby sitter! He will be based with the Honda team pretty far away from where I’m living, so it's not like he'll be a couple hours away like we used to be back in the UK. It will be good to have him around and yeah we'll hang out when we can, he will definitely add to the Aussie championship, it gets stronger every year and Brad is a good guy and a hard racer. He called me to ask my opinion on a few things, but ultimately he made the decision to race in Oz himself. Sometime we all need a change!

MXlarge: Ferris is heading to race the GPs, how will he do in your opinion?

Mackenzie: I think Dean will surprise a lot of people. Dean is a quick learner and is incredibly passionate about racing in Europe. He has his goals set and I think he will surpass them easily.

MXlarge: Will we see you back in 2012 for some races?

Mackenzie: Hopefully the British GP again!

MXlarge: Thanks mate and have a good Supercross season.

Mackenzie: Thanks Geoff, I really appreciate it.