Team Ireland made their long overdue Junior World Championship in Heerde at the weekend with Richard McKeown landing the team manager role. With his experience racing overseas and the Dutch Nations, it made him the ideal candidate for the job.
We caught up with McKeown after the event to discuss his role and much more – at 43 years old he has decided this will be his last season racing. You can watch, listen or read below…
GateDrop: It’s obviously the first year Ireland have sent the team to the Junior World Championship, long overdue but it’s good to see them out there, out on the track and learning…
McKeown: Yeah, it’s been a good experience for the boys, super proud of everyone, put in a lot of effort. The boys during the week training and practicing and just getting everything ready and two boys made it into the main event today. Young Ross on the 65cc and Cole McCullough on the 125cc, so super pumped that we got through to the final with a couple of boys to the main event. But proud of everybody really because they worked hard and put their best in. We’ve got this thing going and we will try and improve for next year. The riders enjoyed themselves so yeah, it’s good.
GateDrop: Obviously you got the team management role, how did all that come about? You used to race the Dutch Masters so that’s an advantage to have…
McKeown: I just was asked really by the Federation… they asked if I would be interested, and I said yes it was something that I thought I’d be good at and would enjoy doing. I used to live here; this was my local track actually so 20 minutes up the road I used to live. Everything was easy in that way I knew where I was going and knew the tracks and knew this track, so it was really good.
GateDrop: Seeing that there today and especially yesterday how deep it was, do you miss racing these kinds of conditions?
McKeown: I love these conditions… yeah, really good. I think it was challenging yesterday especially for the 65cc’s but that’s what you get when you come to Holland. You know the tracks are gnarly and with rain it’s difficult.
GateDrop: Our riders maybe don’t realize until they come but there’s nothing to prepare for these kind of tracks at home, I think if people want to make it from home they probably have to come and race over here like what you’ve done, what Cole is doing and what only a handful of riders have done…
McKeown: I think it’s important that the riders go back and learn you know to figure out their level is now within the world or the European level you know and then maybe try and make a plan to do some stuff further afield, the ONKs or something like that. The more challenging circuits at a higher competition.
GateDrop: Caleb Ross I mean to me he was unbelievable, he’s only raced outside Ireland two or three occasions so for him to come here and qualify is outstanding in my opinion… I mean I’m surprised… you must be happy to see him do that…
McKeown: I wasn’t surprised really because I’ve been watching him training during the week and leading up to it. I’ve seen him a few times and yeah I knew that the track would get slower after lap two or three and especially when the skies opened. We had a plan that he was out first on track and then lap two was going to be the lap so it paid off for him but yeah I wasn’t really surprised, just pumped that he got in.
GateDrop: Cole McCullough yesterday had unbelievable speed and that isn’t a question, just bad start after bad start and then trying to come up through the field crashes… just the story of his season really but in terms of his talent and his speed, his work ethic… I think he has all that but just needs starts…
McKeown: Yesterday he was so fast in qualifying. Today he just had a bad start so a little bit unlucky but the pace in that second moto was incredible, you know. To come from last up to 10th, the fitness and speed is obviously good, he just needs to put a few starts together and he’ll be right there.
GateDrop: Lewis Spratt, I think has got the right idea, he’s came and done the Dutch Masters this year, obviously this weekend didn’t go well for him but again even the conditions yesterday were probably even rougher than a regular Dutch masters but it’s encouraging that he’s making these steps to racing over here and he can only improve…
McKeown: Yeah, I think Lewis wants to go that direction, you know he wants to go the European level and the only way you’ll get there, I think is to compete at that level and start from the ground up. You know so I guess he’s walking now before he can run sort of thing… You know it is a big learning curve for him this week and especially yesterday so I think he’s going to try and race maybe the EMX125 at Arnhem but you have to keep on learning and so that’ll be good if we get another rider in the EMX or something a higher level.
GateDrop: You still race but I don’t think you go to any MXGP races so what’s it like being back here and at a Dutch race, does bring back good memories from when you were racing here all those years ago? The good times…
McKeown: It’s good, yeah. Good to be back and know the club here very well because I used to practice here a lot, you know. It was good to be here.
GateDrop: Just on a personal level obviously you’re still racing Scotland, some races at home and then the British… you must still love it because you’re not exactly getting any younger but you must still love racing and riding a bike…
McKeown: I just love racing, you know, so I don’t know much else. The day is coming though that I’m going to hang the boots up so don’t worry.
GateDrop: You’ll still be back racing next year though, maybe?
McKeown: No, no, no… this is it. This is my last year once I get to the end of the season.
GateDrop: In terms of the future you still probably want to stay in the sport? Will it be to help the Junior World Championship team again and maybe make yourself available for the MRA and help in any way you can?
McKeown: Yeah, for sure. I want to do this again… I really enjoyed this, and I would like to put in a good effort for next year if I was to be accepted as team manager again. First, they have to ask me or whatever, but I would really do it again.
