Charlie Heyman got to experience what most can only dream of while racing the EMX250 class at his home GP at Matterley Basin – running up front with the home crowd behind him!
The UK talent took eighth overall in a very competitive EMX250 class but his second moto really stood out after he gated second and finished fifth following an all British battle with Billy Askew!
Heyman, of course, has also been riding the 250 US Nationals this year, so intensity didn’t prove to be a problem when got out at the front and we asked Charlie about his experience in the States as well as riding the British championship in what is a global season of racing for a rider that has been long talked about in the UK as one of the next big talents coming through the ranks.
Watch or read below:
Charlie, fantastic day, fifth in that second moto there. A pretty phenomenal experience I’m sure to run at the front of your home GP!
Yeah, it was definitely the best ride of the year so far, fifth in the EMX class, so yesterday I was 14th but I was running 9th until I had a back wheel problem, it nearly collapsed but there’s nothing you can do about that, some big jumps and I mean, kind of managed just to get it through the line with 14th, so I’ve got 8th overall, so yeah, really happy and I’m the top Brit this weekend.
And you had Billy behind you there, about halfway through that second one, you made no mistakes, he was the one that ended up going down, did you feel pressure there, were you able to enjoy that?
No, it was more enjoyable, it’s nice to have. Billy’s a good lad, nice to have someone like that behind me and I don’t know, but yeah, I think Billy just made a little mistake, I kind of had my head really straight in that race and didn’t make many mistakes, but yeah, we all made mistakes, I mean I think he just had a little slip off which happened, so yeah, it was a good race, really good.
We were talking before this track for people that don’t know, there’s no British Championships on this track, so your advantage is really just you’re at home but you don’t have any home track advantage.
Yeah, it’s kind of a home GP but not home track, like last time I rode here it was like two years ago, so we ain’t really got no advantage.
Do you enjoy the track here, is it harder to ride than say a British Championship track, how was the adaption for you?
Yeah, I’ve really enjoyed it this weekend, I mean a lot of people have said our track’s not great, yeah it’s not been great but it’s kind of you can make it how you want, if you ride well and kind of flow, you’re going to enjoy it, so yeah I’ve enjoyed it and my positions have shown, so it’s been good.
And you’ve come from America, you’ve raced a couple of rounds there, did that intensity help you in EMX?
Yeah, definitely, the intensity in America is crazy, so it kind of felt like it was intense today, especially when I was running up front, I kind of had to relax a bit but definitely America has helped me because that racing is like crazy, yeah.
Is it more enjoyable to race in America, I know you said before it was really intense, even qualifying, you’ve got 10 minutes to put a lap in, so there’s a lot of pressure.
It’s enjoyable because that’s kind of what I want to do, I just live for racing, so yeah it’s good, sometimes it gets stressful, sometimes you kind of lose your head with it a bit but in the long run it’s helping me massively, so yeah it’s good.
Do you feel the intensity you’ve been able to bring that from America over to here and maybe good passing, holding people off because it’s pretty cutthroat over there?
Yeah, definitely, I kind of feel comfortable and I feel like if I hadn’t been to America this would be a big step for me, but coming from America and doing them races it’s like I’ve come here kind of quite relaxed about it, knowing that I can, where I can be, I’ve got no expectations on myself in this class this weekend, but I’m pretty, I’m proud of where I live from home, so yeah, it’s good.
And whenever you’re doing the British Championship then, do you feel more confident having raced in America and obviously it’s a lower level, but still the top end’s fast?
Yeah, the British is a really strong class at the minute, there’s a lot of good riders and a lot of knowledgeable riders in there, like you’ve got people who say Tommy Searle is an old boy, but Tommy Searle is a very good, knowledgeable rider. You’ve got people like him and there’s a lot of others and yeah, that’s a strong class, like if you’re running top five in that class, you’re doing well.
So were talking before there, Simon Langenfelder, smooth as silk today, dominated the first one, came through the field, you’ve been racing Haiden Deegan, how do they compare for what you’ve seen Simon today and the sheer speed and aggression Hayden has?
Yeah, it’s definitely a big difference there, like I see Langenfelder as a very nice rider, smooth, he looks like he could do it for an hour, but then I watch Deegan and it’s like, like that’s just cool, like Deegan is like just crazy, like he’s got his bar end dragging into like, but he’s just, he gets sketchy and don’t shut off, like it’s pretty cool, he looks like an animal on a bike, he must be so fit compared to them boys, but yeah, a big difference in them.
And you were a prodigy coming out of the UK for people outside the UK that don’t know your name what’s been, maybe 10 years, it’s been Charlie Heyman, Charlie Heyman – did you ever feel the pressure of the expectation of that or are you easy going enough to deal with that?
Kind of not this weekend, I’ve kind of not felt too much pressure, but over the past few years I’ve felt a lot of pressure, but it’s been, it’s hard, like people expect you to come out of the youth and go and win everything straight away, but when you’ve got riders in that class, who’ve got 10 years on you and have done it all before, you’re not going to go into that class unless you’re a Deegan or something like that, like yeah, you’re not going to go into the class and win straight away. But I think I’m getting, I’m getting to where I want to be now, like this weekend’s real big step in the right direction for me. So if we just work off that and keep going.
Is this the best you’ve rode in America and here in your pro career would you say?
Yeah, definitely.I think this has, this has really been like a highlight of my pro career up to now. So I just want to keep going like that and I know I can do it because I come in after the race today and I’ve got a good start, I’ve put myself in the right position and like I feel like I could keep going around there like lap after lap and do like an hour at that speed. So when I’m relaxed and my head’s in the right place, like I know I can do it. I’m just going to carry on like that.
Yeah, you’re very smooth, very fluid on the bike, so it looks like you can conserve energy pretty good as well…
Yeah, I think like this weekend I’ve been really, felt really nice on the bike. I’ve been flowing very well. The bike set up is like, we’ve changed a lot when I come back from America and when I was out in America and yeah, Neil’s helped massively and I think the bike’s like feeling really good at the minute. The bike’s fast, the bike, it handles so well, I can hit some of them big bumps out there and watch other riders get kicked apart and I feel like I can just hit them really hard and it just deals with it.
And the experience you’re getting with this team and the Neil Prince and the Husqvarna team, racing America, GP’s here, British Championship, that’s sort of a lifetime goal of many people even Conrad Mewse is wanting to go to America, but you’re getting to live this now!
It’s pretty cool, I can’t really ask for much more at the minute from the team, like the team do a lot for me, the team are great. Neil’s (Prince) really, really good with me. He’s done it all before in his years, so it’s nice to have someone who knows where I’m at in my own head and he helps me a lot with that. Yeah, people don’t see like, he’s the team manager, he’s just seeing pit boarding, but he does a lot more than that and there’s a lot of people behind it all, so it’s cool.
And the goal then is it to stay in America and make a career there and what makes America so good?
So it’s hard, like it’s hard going from the UK to America and not buying into a team and that, but I just, yeah, I’m going to go back out to America and I need to prove myself like I’ve done today and I think maybe if I keep doing that things come about. But with Neil being the guy who knows everyone and who owns the team, they’re all good guys, so they will help me on my way as much as they can.
Well done today and good luck in America and all the other races you are doing!
