You just couldn’t wipe the smile off Shaun Simpson’s face after he finally got a podium with GB at the MX of Nations!
It came on his best surface but it certainly wasn’t easy for the Scot who turned his form around for this race after a difficult last few months of the GP season.
Simpson rode fantastic to take third in his first moto and backed that up with 10th in race two despite no clutch to lead Britain to a third podium in a row, but it was the first for all three riders on the team!
We caught up with the beaming Scot to get his thoughts on such a huge but long-awaited achievement in his career.
That was a tough race out there and you had a tough second half to the season, but a podium today, you’ve been at this (MXDN) a long time, it must feel amazing!
For me personally this definitely means the most. Seven tries at it, first time up there, I wish I was one of those guys (Sterry, Watson,) mid 20s, first try and first podium! It’s been a tough day but we said to each other this morning, no matter how bad you feel or what happens in the race, just keep plugging on and I think it came down to just a few points at the end.
It’s been an incredible experience. We thought this morning a podium was possible, that though never really left our minds. It was distant goal after the second moto even though me and Adam rode quite well in the second moto, with Nathan’s DNF and Adam’s weak result in the first one it was going to be a tough call but we just got stuck in in the last one. Nathan rode incredible, that guy is a serious motocross talent let alone a dirt bike talent, he’s a serious guy on two wheels.
After that it was just a lonely race, I had a really tough time with my bike, she was steaming, I had no clutch, so I was riding felling really alone out there. I was in a spot in the race where I could relax because there was no-one actually behind me. When I crossed the line I though we were fourth or fifth then Mark (team manager) just gave me the three fingers and I thought, ‘ you are absolutely joking!’
In motocross, definitely not in family life, this is one of the great moments of my career.
You have won GPs, how does this feeling compare? And is it a better feeling than you ever thought a podium at the Nations would be?
It’s totally different, you can share it with your boys. It’s obvious when you win a GP, it’s a weekly occurrence for some of the other guys, not especially for me as I don’t get on the podium every week, but when I have won GPs in the past the press conference goes on for five or ten minutes and that’s it all done but this has been a lengthy affair, the press from all over the world are here, I’m absolutely blown away to be up there with the best in the world.
You’ve a had a rough few months but that second moto, your first of the day, it was like the real Shaun Simpson was back! Did you feel that on the bike? Had you done anything different in the lead up to be able to ride that strong?
We have actually worked really hard with the bike in the last two or three weeks. My dad’s been over in his van and a mattress doing the old school stuff. He has really excelled and we have the bike back to somewhere where I actually feel like myself on it and feel like I can produce results like I have in the past.
That’s really something to take with me into the off season, it has been a tough year and I really think next year is going to be hard graft running my own team but I think if we can start with the basics and get the bike right, we will be onto a winner.
And you will be on KTM next year?
Yes.
So you will have a good base (to work from), are you looking forward to doing it yourself, you know what you are looking for and everytthing like that?
The bike I was riding today was actually my own bike so we worked on that and got everything ready to go this weekend. I’m not sure how she’ll be after this weekend, she has taken a bit of abuse! But no, I think overall it’s a good base package to start with and I’m excited for 2020.
And that bronze medal will be nice to be able to show your wee kid in a few years!
That guy does not know what has went on today! It has been an incredible day, and incredible weekend. Seventh attempt, first podium, I couldn’t be happier than I am right now.
