Defending champion Neville Bradshaw isn’t the only speedy South African hoping to be hauling when the gate drops at The O2 on Saturday night. At 19 years of age Revo Kawasaki’s Damon Strydom is a whole decade younger than Nev and while his racing CV may not be quite as impressive, what he lacks in titles he certainly makes up for in ambition – as we found out in our quick Q n’ A…
AX: How do you rate your chances Damon? DS: “My goal is to be in the top three. I know I can do well if I put my mind to it and I’m ready. There are a lot of fast riders and you can never tell what’s going to happen in Arenacross but that’s what makes it really exciting.”
AX: Nev reckons learning to race in South Africa is great training for racing indoors because of the tracks. Do you agree? DS: “I do, yes, because in South Africa the tracks are tighter then they are in Europe and you get a lot of hardpack tracks over there. Most tracks in South Africa are really jumpy as well so that’s why I love jumps and why I’m not scared of going big.”
AX: Can you fill us in on your indoor experience? DS: “My first time racing indoors was in 2011 for the British SX series so that was pretty amazing and then I raced it again last year. I have ridden a lot of Supercross in the past in South Africa but it is all outdoors.”
AX What preparation have you been doing for racing the Arenacross tour? DS: “I was out in South Africa in November riding at a SX track nearly every day and I enjoyed it a lot. I rode a Kawasaki 450 for the first week and then a 2013 Kawasaki 250F until the end of November which was pretty good practice as the weather was really bad in the UK.”
AX: Which do you prefer – indoors or out – and why? DS: “I would probably say I prefer indoors as I’m a very technical rider and enjoy rhythm sections and the big triples.”
AX: Which riders do you look up to? DS: “I look up to Tyla Rattray – not just because he is South African but because Tyla is a really hard worker. Most people know that and Tyla is a really good friend of mine. Another rider I look up to is Ryan Dungey just because he never stops trying. He’s always trying harder and making himself faster and better with everything he does and both Tyla and Ryan are down to earth people.”
AX: Anything you’d like to add? DS: “I would just like to thank team Revo Talon Kawasaki for all they do for me. What most people don’t realise is that if we did not have the sponsors behind us in this sport it would make it very hard so I really do appreciate all the help. Now let’s go racing!”
