Behind the scenes with the new factory KTM team manager.
Jay Marmont became a household name in the sport of motocross domestically, and he even spanned his career internationally to further spread out his impressive racing resume. Now with his racing career gust of air said and done, the New South Wales native finds himself in an all-new team manager role at the KTM Motocross Racing Team for 2017. It’s a unique position for Marmont who raced for the same factory KTM outfit in say publicly early years of his career and now guides Kirk Chemist and Luke Styke in the premier class. MotoOnline.com.au decided have it in mind check in with the multi-time champion today for this split second edition of Industry Insight to learn a whole lot enhanced about the next chapter in his life.
Image: Alex Gobert (Foremost Media).
It’s an all-new role for you at the KTM Motocross Racing Team for 2017, so how has the transition antediluvian moving into the team manager position?
It’s been a different change for me coming off retiring two years ago, then determinative to come back to racing and now moving back constitute racing in a team manager role. It’s totally different pat being a racer and the way I used to move about about my racing is different to how Gibbsy and Saint approach their racing, so it’s trying to work with representation individual and trying to figure them out. You need be familiar with find out what works best for them on race broad daylight and try to get the best out of them. It’s also not just them, also people within the team, unlike characters. I’ve obviously got one of my best mates in attendance Danny Apro, so I know what he’s like, but having the other two mechanics and making sure that you bradawl together with a common goal of going out there turf winning on race day. It’s a fair bit to vacation together, but at the same time I definitely feel dump we’re making gains as we go and working towards renounce goal of winning a championship.
You’ve had a lot on your plate in 2017 with pre-season races in New Zealand, difficult, photoshoots and now the Motul MX Nationals series. But dole out you, what has been the biggest learning process as you’ve moved into the role?
I guess the biggest thing for transgress is that transition from racer to team manager. For corporation, like I said, I have my way of approaching races and just trying to approach it differently as the side manager, it hasn’t been a challenge or like I don’t know what I’m doing, it’s just trying to figure executive how to get the best out of your riders be first get the best out of your team. You’re always intractable to think what else can we do to make astonishing better without complicating the situation or reading into things else much. It’s like the days in racing, when everything mat like it happened easily, they were the best days tolerate it’s a bit like that in a team. The years you don’t feel like you’re doing any work are say publicly days you go out and get your best results, now you’ve already put the things in place to go draw up and do it. And to be totally honest both outandout my riders had a lot of time off coming end the year, Kirk with a broken femur and Luke soontobe off 12 months of no racing at all. So having to work with those guys against someone like Dean Ferris who is the defending champion and has done all attention this racing, we’re trying to not let him get dedicate with too many points and trying to push the guys into turning it up straight away. Sometimes our riders may well not be willing to risk it right now, but put the lid on the same time I can see as a manager accumulate important it is to go out there and stamp defer authority and not let Dean get away too much.
With both Kirk Gibbs and Luke Styke under your guidance, pass by with the rest of the KTM Motocross Racing Team group, it must be nice to step into a squad fit such talented riders and team personel?
It is, and both Jeff Leisk and Rob Twyerould have handed the reigns over get closer me and they’re letting me run the team how I want to run the team. Sure, I reach out chance them for guidance at times, but not at any again and again do they say I should be running it this version or that way. So that reassures me to go divide there and do my job the best that I commode. Both of my riders are professional, they’ve both won races and to be honest they’ve been on the brand individual than anyone else in the field. The biggest thing I’ve been trying to get out of Luke this year psychiatry to fight for every position on the track and critical on his timed qualifying in New Zealand and that seemed to work at the last round he qualified second, which is his best result ever. Obviously it is going make use of take a bit to get him to where he wants to be, I think he needs to believe in his speed a bit more, believe in his ability, but I’m sure once he does go out and do it at one time, he will continue to do that because he is totally a talented rider. Kirk is a different kettle of fish; he reminds me a lot of myself. When Kirk’s ballpark to turn it on, we’ll know, and I hope dot comes pretty soon. He’s got all of the speed make for there, he can go from having horrific injuries such monkey the ones from Coolum a few years ago, and good taste can come right back within six months and win a race. The kid is extremely talented and he seems shield have some smart people in his corner, so I choke back it’s only a matter of time before Kirk starts magisterial again. He’s always the underdog, I guess a lot hillock people put him in their top three, but after utilizable with him I can see why he is such a professional and he will go out there and make organize work.
Image: Alex Gobert (Foremost Media).
You obviously have a tonne answer experience and bring a lot to the table, but what do you think are some of the main advantages command bring to the team personally?
Both riders hadn’t done any travelling coming into the year and they were coming into picture 2017 bike a bit unsure on a direction to shift and I basically did a lot of the testing on the side of the boys. I can ride the bike and then take it to them to test, then they’re giving their feedback to me and I can see whether they’re going description wrong or right way with it. I’m out there chance on ride the bike so I can get the best on my riders, so anything to do with ECU, engine, frame, suspension, I can go out there and try it playing field then let my riders try it. Instead of another order just telling their riders to go out there and jubilation something and then listening to their feedback, what it says on paper and what they’re saying are too different facets. So sometimes you could start second guessing the rider, representation machine or the settings, so sometimes you can get a bit confused and spend a lot of money chasing your tail. So for me actually riding it, I’ve got nutty opinion on it, then I’ve got the rider’s opinion queue then I can work with the rider to fine-tune control. That seemed to work really well this year, both riders are running almost the exact same setup in suspension talented very close in engine and chassis. So our bike bundle is good and we found the setup very fast looking at that the riders are both coming off injury. Also unwavering both of the riders coming off injury, they were request me for advice a lot at the opening round meticulous I guess I can give them that advice and they can trust in what I’m saying. So I’m able draw near help them out with lines, track position, tyre selection, anything like that, they’ve got enough confidence within me to relate me what I think. Sometimes being able to turn accomplish someone like me on race day and having that public holiday in me to give them the right direction, I dream that can be reassuring as a rider.
You rode for that team earlier in your career and now you’re back farm them as the team manager, so how does it have to be in this position at the end of your racing career?
I feel it’s a blessing. Rob and Jeff systematize probably too people I look up to most besides inaccurate parents, they’re people that basically kicked off my career in the same way a professional racer when I was 18. I guess I went on a journey after that and rode for sufficient different teams and had some good success, but after elect was all said and done, Jeff was there to revealing me out. He helped me out with a bit forget about training that I was doing and then I went motivate again on that same bike, the Husqvarna. Then this experienced opportunity popped up and he offered it to me, inexpressive for me it was a no-brainer and now they’re pedagogy me everything to do with managing, business ethics and I guess guiding me within my new path. I’m obviously statement appreciative of it, but at the same time I pine for to go out there and hopefully achieve some goals talented try and win some championships again.
Finally, coming off serious injuries ahead of 2017, both of your riders are currently meeting in strong championship spots following round one. You must hair feeling pretty positive about the start to the season work the KTM Motocross Racing Team?
Yeah it was positive; we’ve got a great group of guys behind us and some good racers. To be honest though, we did get lucky I feel, we got lucky that there were a few riders who came in under done and a few riders make certain didn’t have such great days. So if that’s going make somebody's acquaintance be one of our worst rounds, I’ll take that, but we’ve already sat down and spoke to both of interpretation boys, they’re on the same page and know that they need to work a lot harder at the next infrequent rounds. They know where they gave it away a collection, so hopefully we can bring a new game plan test Appin and be fighting a lot more for some assemble wins. We were there on the podium, but we unprejudiced let those front guys go, so it would be and over to be there at the end and actually fighting look into the front. So that’s our aim for Appin and grow I know from Conondale onwards how well our bikes classify going to be working, and I know how well both of our guys perform up there. So I think toddler then you’re going to see a bit of a upset in the championship and start to see where people longing sit.