At the recent Irish MXoN fundraiser event which was held at Loughbrickland, we caught up with Cailum Meara who is involved in the Irish MXoN team to discuss the team, his role and much more…
You can listen, watch or read below…
GateDrop: Cailum, you are the assistant Team Manager of the Irish Motocross Nations team. Just for the people that don’t know, can you tell me a bit about your role? This is going to be your third year doing it now, so you’ve got a bit of experience behind you, unlike the first year which everything was brand new for you, going into RedBud…
Meara: Yeah, so basically my job is assistant Team Manager, but I do the dirty work. I’m sure Mark (Mooney – the team manager) won’t mind me saying that… But I seem to do the dirty work of the team, sorting the riders out, sorting passes out, working with guys’ teams. Look, there’s a lot goes into it. It makes me appreciate what other team managers have done over the years, and if they’re able to do it on their own, hats off to them, but it is a two-man job, and there’s more than two of us that really make it work, but look, I enjoy it. It doesn’t really feel like a job to me because I enjoy it. I do it because I love the sport, and I love this country more than anything, so that’s the reason I do it.
GateDrop: And Mark Mooney, I did an interview with him last week, and he was very complimentary about you, so you must have a good relationship with him… What’s your relationship like with him, and it must obviously be very good because this is going to be your third year working with him now for the team…
Meara: Yeah, no, it’s great. Look, I’ve never really worked much with Mark until this role came along. I was possibly going to be team manager alone. Mark wanted to be team manager, and we came to this idea that the two of us would work together, and we work absolutely great. I mean, Mark’s become one of my best friends. He’s like a mentor. Any problems I have, even outside of bikes, life, I can speak to Mark about it.
How he speaks to people, he runs very successful businesses. He’s a great guy, someone that I see as a long-term friend, and I keep learning off him every day. Some of the things that Mark comes out with, he could teach you a thing or two.
GateDrop: Obviously this year, in terms of logistics, it’s probably not as bad because it’s only across the water, and the guys are used to racing in England. But obviously, there’s a lot that goes into it, but is it maybe a little bit easier this year because you’re only going across the water?
Meara: I wish I could say it was a bit easier, to be honest. If anything, it can be harder because now all of a sudden, we’ve all these guys who want to jump on… they want their passes, and they want this, and they want that, but they weren’t anywhere to be seen whenever we were in France or whenever we were in America.
So now all of a sudden, we’ve all these tagalongs with us who want to do this, or demand this, yet they weren’t there whenever the riders were riding for us. But look, getting there is a bit easier, but the cost definitely isn’t any easier. The way that things are going in the world right now, the price of things are through the roof, and it’s probably going to cost us anywhere from 20 to 25 grand just to bring a team to 200 or 300 miles across the water. So, look, it is a bit sickening, but that’s the role I’ve taken on, and I’m confident we can raise that money between myself and Mark and get the team everything they need and see where we can go from there.
GateDrop: Obviously when it came to picking the team this year, I have to say this is the third team you guys have picked and the third year in a row I’ve agreed with the team that’s been picked, so in terms of that, I think you’re doing a good job. But in terms of this year, obviously Mark’s asking you for advice, you’re doing a lot of analysing from what I believe. Just how hard was it to pick the team this year, or was it actually straightforward in the end?
GateDrop: No, it definitely wasn’t straightforward. There’s people that don’t make it straightforward, the likes of yourself, GateDrop, who are, I feel like they’re a very one-sided website if I’m totally honest with you. Everyone else commenting, you know, I don’t think Glenn gets the credit of how good of a rider he is to be honest.
Glenn’s a very fast rider, he has been for years, but the people that are commenting under Facebook don’t watch Glenn ride a bike. I watch Glenn ride a bike, and everyone else commenting doesn’t watch Glenn ride a bike in terms of a British or any races that he’s done or if he’s practicing. All these people that are commenting on their Facebook, they don’t watch Glenn ride a bike, and the same goes for Cole too.
I understand how fast Cole is, he’s an amazing rider, amazing talent. Probably some of the best talent that we’ve had from here maybe in the last 10 years, but that doesn’t take away from the fact of how good of a rider Glenn is as well.
But look, I’m happy with the team, I get on amazing with Cole. We were out for breakfast this morning, he’s stung me 60 quid already (laughs). No look, I’m happy with the team, but I do wish everyone would start seeing two sides of it. At the end of the day, these people are all motocross racers and they’re getting slated on Facebook from people that know absolutely nothing about the sport.
So yeah, I would like people to open their eyes a wee bit, appreciate what’s really going on in other people’s lives, and seeing how hard they’re working, because I know how hard Glenn’s worked. Glenn has had a really hard year and some of the crap I see written about him on Facebook is an absolute disgrace. So, whoever is saying all that crap, just know who you are, so have a good look at yourselves and if you feel like you’re a faster, jump on a bike and see who’s beating you.
GateDrop: Just on your brother Jason Meara, I mean what a year he’s had. From talking to him, he’s not even sure how this improvement has happened because he hasn’t changed that much, so he tells me anyway. But I mean what a season he’s had, knocking on the door top fives consistently in England. Not easy to do, especially when you’re working full-time and he has to go back to work and make all those long travels every weekend. Must take it out of him, but you must be happy with what he’s done this year…
Meara: Yeah, for sure. I don’t really know where it’s come from either, to be honest. Jason’s a weird character, he has his own life, you don’t really know what you’re going to get, but Jason, he’s happy now. Clive Huntley and the guys at MotoCycle, they’re a real good group of people, they have his genuine interest at their heart, so they have a good heart, they’re good people, and they genuinely want to see Jason doing well.
They’re not turning up with their fancy trucks and their fancy awnings, wanting everyone to look at them. They get pushed to the back field in a British Championship and they go out there and score top fives, and realistically he’s battling for top three in the British Championship. If you’re in the conversation with Jeffrey Herlings, Conrad Mewse, Tristan Purdon, Josh Gilbert and all these guys are all doing it full-time.
Jason’s running his own business full-time, I have to laugh, I see guys complaining about having to drive four hours to a race… We have to drive two hours to a ferry, sit on a ferry for four and a half/five hours, and then maybe drive seven or eight the other side, so it doesn’t even come close, but hopefully some more people come on board with Jason, get good financial backing, and we can go forward from there… But it’s not just Jason, Martin’s having a great year too, and Cole’s having a really good year as well.
I don’t ever miss a race, I’m sure you know yourself, I’m completely obsessed with the sport, always have been, I never miss a race. Jason, Martin and Cole this year, there’s no reason why we shouldn’t be straight into that A final, avoiding that early start on a Sunday morning.
GateDrop: Just on Jason, obviously he has his own business, before he hangs up the boots I would quite like to see him have at least one year at this full-time, I think that would really help him, you know, if he’s able to train and put the work in during the week, do you think it’s maybe realistic, or maybe not?
Meara: Yeah, I mean, if you look at some of the guys that are doing it full time and look at the results, it blows my mind, I don’t know if it’s because we’re from the other side of the pond, or I’m not sure what the reasoning behind it is. But you know, Jason’s kind of a quiet guy, kind of does his own thing, and doesn’t really like asking for stuff, so yeah, I mean, I don’t see why there’s no reason why not, you know, he’s up there with the top five fastest guys in the UK at the minute, and he struggles to get his training in, struggles to get from race to race every weekend, but he’s still making it happen.
Look, it would be amazing to see. I have no doubts in my mind that he can be pushing out the top three regular in the British Championship if he was doing it full-time, but as I said, he comes home on a Monday morning, gets off the ferry on a Monday morning, six o’clock, and he’s back on site at seven, so you know, there’s no reason why he shouldn’t get that opportunity. But at the same time, there’s not much out there in the paddock at the minute, so hopefully something comes along.
GateDrop: Just on Martin Barr, obviously, at the very beginning of the year, actually, this was probably going to be it for him at this event… but I think it’s good news to have him, we’ll need his experience, and probably the big thing for him was probably the switch to the Honda, maybe if he was riding the same as he was last year, maybe he wouldn’t have made himself available, but I think the big thing for him is, he’s happy with the Honda, and he’s riding better than last year…
Meara: Yeah, for sure, I mean, what is it they say about going about across to the Motocross des Nations without Martin Barr? It’s like going to a war with a water pistol. Something like that anyway. I mean, people get what they want, and that’s what me and Mark deliver, so yeah. Look, it’s going back to knowing what a motocross racer goes through, you know, Martin was maybe in a darker place last year, whenever he announced that post, and then all of a sudden, people jump on the bandwagon this year, he shouldn’t be picked, why shouldn’t Martin Barr be picked for the Motocross des Nations?
I get that he’s nearly 90 years old or whatever (laughs), but go look at his results, you know, he’s again, he’s battling with the top three… a possible top three in the British championship, and he’s been doing it for so long, it’s like second nature to him now, especially with having a newcomer with Cole on the team, and Jason’s now on his fourth year. I’m really confident this year, to be honest, but it’s just keeping everyone safe until the event, and giving everyone what they need once we get to the event, but that’s why I’m here.
GateDrop: With Cole, I think this is his third year racing the EMX125, you have a little bit of experience in the paddock, because people probably forget, but you raced the EMX150, so you know from your past how hard it is to race in that paddock, let alone get really good results, so from the outside, first of all, you must be glad to see an Irish rider actually race the EMX, and then second of all, the speed he has, maybe doesn’t always translate to the results, but he certainly has a lot of speed, and for the future, it could be good…
Meara: No, for sure, I got a lot of slate last year because I said Cole, I didn’t think Cole should have been picked last year, and I stand by that decision. This year, Cole stepped up his game, you know, I’ve always been friendly with Cole, we’ve had our fall outs within other people, but you know, me and Cole have always been friendly. He’s a nice kid, he would never ever pass me, he stayed down at our house last night, and he’s here today with us, so, but yeah, it goes back to these people commenting on their Facebook, or on their social media… Again, you know, social media is a bad place at the minute, everyone’s commenting on whether they’re saying Cole’s fast, or whether they’re saying Cole’s slow. How do you know? You’re sitting at home watching live timing, you get off your ass and go and watch a few races, like I do every single year, I make it my point, and as you do yourself, you know, you are there.
The speed, it’s not just the speed on the track, the craziest thing that is mind blowing to me, is how immature and fun Cole is off the bike, and whenever he puts his helmet on, he’s like a young man, you know, he really is. He can really fit himself into that mode, he can have his fun off the track, but once Cole flicks that switch in his mind, he really turns into a young man, but I have massive expectations for Cole. I wish him all the best in whatever he does, but his speed’s definitely there, hopefully we can get him up onto the speed on the 250, but no, I’m really happy to have him on the team, you know, I think we’ll have fun. I’m excited to see how he’ll do this year, you know, most years we go to the Nations, and we kind of know where we’re going to be, we don’t know where we’re going to be with Cole, and it brings the excitement, we give the people what they want, so, yeah, me and Mark continue to do that, we like the support of the people, and we like to hear everyone’s opinion, but at the end of the day, Mark makes the decision, not me. So yeah, I’m looking forward to Cole, Cole’s speed is really good, and he has a nice style on the bike, and his technique’s really good. I’m looking forward to seeing where we fair out once we get him on track at Matterley.
GateDrop: Something that you wanted to be involved in, in the past, is the Junior World Championship, now I don’t think it all came last year, but obviously this year it all was put in place, and we sent the team out to Heerde. I was at it, great event, and it was actually amazing to see Ireland there… Cole, and also Caleb Ross, I mean, what he done was amazing, just to qualify, probably people don’t realize how hard that is, especially when you’re, I mean, in one of the moto’s he was battling with a wee Belgian guy, and I was just laughing, because the Belgian guys grew up in those conditions, he had never seen a track like that in his life, so, first of all, it was nice to see him in the paddock, and hopefully they can keep it going…
Meara: Yeah, look, if I get a call tonight and say I’m going to help out the youth, next week I’ll go and do it, so, like, for example, I’m going to Vegas on Wednesday, I’m there until the following Thursday, and I’m coming home and then driving straight to Belgium on Thursday to take Jack (Meara) to Coupe de l’Avenir. But, yeah, I put my name forward, I was going to be Junior World Manager, but I’m not going to get into that crap anymore, that is behind us.
But, yeah, it’s amazing to see, it’s amazing to see Ireland anywhere, you know, anyone that knows me, I am proud to be Irish, and that’ll never be taken off me, I’m a die-hard Irish guy, whether it’s football, motocross, rugby, whatever it is, I’m Ireland, and I will always be proud to be Irish, and that’ll never be taken away from me, so, just to see that flag, see the country, see our guys from home that I’ve watched grow up from a young age, and be on the world stage, it’s absolutely amazing.
But a special hats off to Caleb Ross, you know, that kid’s riding around on a bike that isn’t… he kind of reminds me of the way we grew up, you know, we didn’t have all the best stuff, but we know how to ride bikes. Maybe me, not so much anymore (laughs), but Jason, Jack, John, they know how to ride a bike, and we never had the best stuff, but we always had the biggest heart, and Caleb Ross reminds me of that sort of kid. He has a massive heart, and his Dad is a great guy. You know, I wish him all the best too, because hopefully with the right guidance and the right people around him, that he’ll go far in the sport.
GateDrop: Perfect, thank you very much for your refreshing interview, and good luck for the Motocross des Nations and we’ll see you there.
