Tim Mathys the owner of the Standing Construct KTM team is as passionate about the sport of motocross as he is in his building business (Standing Construct). He also knows that MXGP has become a great promotional tool for his business, with worldwide television, and a lot of online coverage, but the team goal is still go get results and prove that can be competitive.

The 2018 season has seen many injuries, and those injuries to their riders Kevin Strijbos and Valentin Guillod means poor form, and poor results. Things are looking up with Strijbos riding well in Italy last weekend and Guillod showing signs of his old form.

I talked to Mathys today and he gave us a great look at what it takes to run a GP team, and some signs of what the future is for the team.

MXlarge: It hasn't probably been the year you were hoping for in your return. Injuries, and struggles. How have you felt with the 2018 season so far?

Mathys: For sure the first half of the season was not easy. Everything went perfect during winter- testing and both riders’ speed looked really good. We have tested and trained a lot in Spain and looked good prepared for the start of the season. However, a week before the start of the International season opener in Hawkstone Park in 24h time both riders got injured. Kevin Strijbos broke his collarbone, but as it was already plated before and broke just next to the plate, it was a nasty injury. Valentin Guillods injury was even worse as he broke his fibula and tibia. Both of them got surgery and so our complete good winter prep was ruined. Kevin was able to start at the first GP in Argentina but was not fit at all because of the time off the bike and had in fact all the first GP’s problems with finding the same rhythm and speed as he showed before the injury. Step by step he looks to get back at his real level and at his last GP, last weekend at Ottobiano, he proved that he is getting back there. Valentin was off the bike for almost 5 months and started riding a month ago. To be honest we are surprised with the speed he already shows, and we are happy with the already two top 10 places he got in this current so high level in MXGP. We hope he can continue to grow to his full potential and are sure that if he does he will show some nice results in the coming GP’s.

MXLarge: It was important for you to come back, to enjoy the sport again, and while your team results maybe haven't been what you hoped, it has been an amazing MXGP season, with some great battles in MXGP and MX2. Have you enjoyed being back and what has been the highlights for you?

Mathys: Well, just the feeling to have something I really like and am passioned with next to my daily activities in the construction company already gives me a big satisfaction. Although combining the team with Standing Construct sometimes it is not easy and gives me long days it helps me so much to keep being motivated in my company. The beginning of the season was in terms of results difficult because of the injuries of our riders but how it is going now, the last few GP’s, it looks like we left this period behind us.

MXlarge: The level of MXGP and the quantity of riders having top 10 potential is so large that the racing is awesome. Of course the fight between the two KTM Red Bull guys for first place is amazing but also for 10th place the duels are massive and exciting which make watching an MXGP race great.

Mathys: Personally speaking and for my team we are super pumped that we got the holeshot in the 2nd heat in Ottobiano next to the several top 3 starts we had in the last GP’s. Since the time I was riding myself I was always fascinated by making bikes faster and the search for extra horsepower and together with our crew and the support of KTM, GET and HGS we have also this year a very competitive bike. But also as a reward to our crew it was a high. The guys work so hard, are so dedicated and would do everything to have the best possible bike and if then all that work, and dedication is rewarded for sure that is a super feeling. In Matterley in the qualification heat and also in St Jean and Ottobiano Valentin had great starts, and if you can achieve this technical wise as a private team in the most competitive championship in the World against teams with a budget more than 10 times ours then that is something that puts a smile on my face and gives me so much energy to start the week at the company. 

MXLarge: Obviously a lot of riders looking for rides in 2019, and probably not enough teams to accommodate them. I guess for a team like yours, it is a good situation, as many very good riders looking for a position. Have you decided what you might do in 2019, and have you talked to many of the soon to be free riders?

Mathys: It is the time of the season again that there comes a kind of nervousness in to the paddock as riders are looking for teams and vice versa. We are indeed contacted by a lot of riders, but I choose to have the courtesy to only talk with riders we are really interested in. In our MX2 days I had to discover that there are teams who talk to almost every rider and mention promises and amounts that they would never really make only to make it other teams difficult in their negotiations. Maybe this strategy is tactical a good one, but I choose to be correct and clear and not to play games with people’s future. Together with KTM we have worked out a few options of riders which are working on now. We made the decision to continue with 2 riders in the MXGP class. I am convinced that if you want to run a team 100% you have to stick to maximum 2 riders. I don’t believe in tents where they have 3 or even more riders and create some unnecessary stress.

MXlarge: What do you make of the Cairoli vs Herlings battles? For me it’s been something very special to watch, and at times I wonder if I have seen anything like this, so often, weekend after weekend. What is your opinion?

Mathys: For sure the battles are amazing. I have a lot of respect for both riders. They have different personalities, different characters, but once they’re on the bike they turn into a kind of extra-terrestrial beings who are riding on a different level. I hope that the duels continue, and we will be witness of some more great racing in the second half of the season. Jeffrey may be injured now but knowing him every minute he can’t ride the bike will motivate him even more to come back stronger than before. Toni however has so much experience that he will be ready to continue the fight. Both riders are not afraid to have some really close racing but till now kept it clean and I hope that will continue. They are 2 great ambassadors for motocross and I look forward to the MXON when they will race against the Americans on home soil.

MXlarge: Obviously if you had unlimited budget, and all the riders were available, everyone would want Cairoli and Herlings, but on your budget, and with the riders available, who would you love to work with? A Simpson, Anstie, Bobryshev, or maybe Paulin?

Mathys: I think there are a lot of good riders in MXGP with each their own positive points. Finding a rider that matches maximum the by the team desired characteristics is what every team tries to do and so also, we do. Like I already mentioned we are working on our 2019 setup and I try to do that in all serenity.

MXLarge: How as the collaboration with KTM been this year?

Mathys: Working with KTM was and is simply great. I have worked in the past with other brands and if I compare the way of working then I have to conclude that the difference is huge. KTM’s way of working is in my eyes exactly the same as their strategy in the different competitions: they put the right person on the right place and do everything for the result. I like working “to the point” and to avoid an unnecessary loss of time or spending energy to unimportant things. That’s how I work in Standing Construct and I also want to work in Standing Construct KTM. If we have a question or want to have advice or discuss something, then I contact them, and we have immediately answer or action. As you know I combine managing the team with managing the construction company. I just have not the time to have to send 3 times an e-mail for the same thing or to have to wait 3 persons’ confirmation for a detail. We have a good support from KTM on several levels and this combined with their extremely professionalism makes that I am absolutely happy to be able to work with them.

MXLarge: You are a small team compared to teams like KTM and Husqvarna. How does it feel for you to travel to Hong Kong, China, the Middle East and the other fly-away in Argentina and Indonesia in 2019?

Mathys: If you want the World Championship to be a real-World Championship then you have to race in the whole world, period. You can’t claim the title World Championship if you have only races in Europe or another continent. Besides that the industry also wants MXGP to go to countries who have big commercial interests in the motorcycle business or related industries like for example Indonesia. We just have to understand that and try to find together with the promotor a healthy balance between the commercial necessities and the financial consequences these overseas GP’s give. With one or two extra overseas on the calendar for 2019 and maybe also again expensive to travel to GP’s like Russia and Turkey on the list it would be nice to have besides the travelling increased also the support in these travelling costs for the teams increased. Most of the teams appreciate the support the promotor already gives to the teams but as this is only a small percentage of the total costs for going overseas, every extra overseas still gives a huge cost increase for a team.

MXlarge: Final question: a little less than a year ago, when you announced you would be back in the paddock, you mentioned the publicity value of MXGP. Can you explain that a little more and tell us if you experience the consequences of your come-back?

Mathys: I think that motocross has become a sport which gives companies the possibility to attract a wide group of people. Thanks to the more and more professional organizations, the last 15 years motocross became a marketing tool that can be used for more than only close to the sport products. Besides that, Youthstream gives to companies like Standing Construct the possibility to be on television and to promote their products in a lot of ways. A few weeks ago I went to a local International race, of an organizer who organized GP’s in the nineties, and was known for having one of the best organizations at the time. I realized that everything that day was the same as how it was 20 years ago, and I was astonished when I compared that with how an MXGP paddock and organization looks now. More and more we hear from new contacts we get in Standing Construct that they know us from the publicity we make in MXGP. As in both companies I absolutely want to work in a professional, well organized, clean and performant way both complement each other very well and support each other commercial. And besides of that, like I also mentioned last year, being again in the paddock gives me the best motivation there is to continue working hard in Standing Construct and to keep building the high-quality houses we are known for.