Steve Dixon has been in the paddock more than most as he’s been in the paddock for 35 years. He adores the sport and still has the same passion. Not only does he run a team but he also helps run GP’s at Matterley Basin and this year running the MXoN.
Kevin Frelaud from Dailymotocross.fr recently caught up with Dixon to discuss a range of topics…
STEVE, WE KNOW THAT YOU HAVE BEEN AT THE HEAD OF THE DRT KAWASAKI TEAM FOR YEARS BUT, FOR THOSE WHO DON’T KNOW YOUR STORY, CAN WE KNOW HOW IT ALL STARTED?
I started in the paddock in 1990. I had been doing engineering and development on my own Yamahas for 9 years before a GP opportunity presented itself with Jeremy Whatley, who was a factory rider at the time. I was his mechanic, then Paul Malin’s mechanic in 1993. It lasted 8 years. I was a mechanic and team manager in reality, because there was no one to manage the team. Before me, it was Roger Harvey who managed it, he is now at HRC. From there, Yamaha decided to pull out, so I had to find sponsors in 2000 to continue. I started my own structure and here we are. I’ve been in the paddock for 35 years, and I manage the longest-serving team in Grand Prix racing.
We won the Motocross des Nations in 1994 with Paul Malin. I think I’ve taken more riders to their first grand prix victory than any other team except KTM: Dean Ferris, Andrew McFarlane, Paul Malin, Carl Nunn, Brian Jorgensen, Max Anstie, Zach Osborne… It’s a real passion, like working on motorcycles.
In 2004, it had already been a few years since we had had a Grand Prix in Great Britain. I told Giuseppe Luongo that things had to change. The ACU (British federation) was willing to organize a GP, I was willing to help them but it didn’t happen. In 2005 I organized a Grand Prix at Matchams, but there were space problems.
In 2006, we organized a GP at Matterley Basin. I also organized the MXoN twice there, and the event returns to our track at the end of the season.
You know Motocross, it’s my passion. I have two children, and they don’t ride (laughs)!
WAS IT YOU WHO TOOK THEM AWAY FROM THIS ENVIRONMENT? YOU KNOW IT BETTER THAN ANYONE, IT’S A VERY DEMANDING ENVIRONMENT.
No. One of my boys made videos for me for a while, he now makes videos in the fashion industry. My second is still studying. This job is really difficult for family life. I make sure my children have fun doing what they do. I think a lot of young people ride motorcycles because their parents wanted to stay in the business in one way or another.
For me this job is 18 hours a day, every day of the year. I never take a vacation. It has become harder and harder, because the teams are managed by wealthy owners who are passionate about Motocross. They easily link up with factories, because it allows them to save budget. For me, it’s much harder to be competitive against these teams, because they have more staff, more budget. I still love it, I enjoy it every day, it’s really my passion.
From now on, I’m trying to develop young British riders within my team, because the British scene was very important in the past and now there is no one left. Conrad Mewse could have been one of them, but he now only rides in the national championship. I have Billy Askew who is 16 years old and Bobby Bruce who is 19 years old; I also like working with Americans or riders from abroad like Courtney Duncan, Dean Ferris, Andrew McFarlane. They are always passionate when they come.
AFTER ALL THESE YEARS, WHAT PUSHES YOU TO CONTINUE TO COME TIRELESSLY TO THIS PADDOCK, BESIDES PASSION?
Obviously, it becomes very complicated to find the budgets. Every year I have to find sponsors and I put the team before myself. I’ve had my house for 25 years and I must have spent 2 days in my conservatory, and enjoyed my garden 5 times in 25 years. It’s the truth. For me, home is just a place to sleep. It’s a way of living. You miss birthdays, you miss weddings, you miss funerals, you miss family reunions but you have to. It’s not out of selfishness, it’s just your way of being and your choice of life. Some people are made for this life, and others are not.
I was born for this, I started for fun when I rode among amateurs. I wasn’t very good, but I loved taking motorcycles apart and I started doing it when I was 12. I had a BSA, then I got a CZ. I learned on the job by doing a little welding and modifications on my bikes, and it’s still my passion to this day. I live my passion on the mechanical level, on the competition level, and on the relational level by working with the riders. I really love what I do.
WITHOUT A PROMOTER, NO CHAMPIONSHIP. WITHOUT TEAMS, NO RIDERS, WITHOUT RIDERS, NO RACES. DO WE HAVE THE IMPRESSION THAT SOMETIMES, THIS ENTIRE CHAMPIONSHIP RELIES ON THE TEAMS WHO GO OUT OF THEIR WAY TO BE PRESENT SEASON AFTER SEASON?
Not especially. I’ve been a mechanic, I’ve been a manager, I’m a team owner, I’ve organized races in England and in the world. As I like to say, it’s like when you bake a cake. You need all the ingredients for it to be successful. You need a promoter, riders, circuits, organizers… None of these actors is more important than the other, and we must understand that we all have to work together. There’s no point having 40 riders without a circuit. There’s no point having a circuit without riders. There’s no point having 40 riders on a circuit without promotion and without TV broadcasts. It is a whole.
In the past, it’s true that there were many more riders but the truth is that they also paid a lot out of their own pockets. The parents paid for them. Many of our English riders were helped by their parents to qualify for the events. In the end, this is always the case. Where things have changed is for the Factory riders.
Now, MXGP and MX2 riders have a good lifestyle. We provide them with a campervan, we provide them with this, that, they have options and facilities. Any motorsport is complicated, especially financially. To be able to make a living from your passion and reach the top of the pyramid, there is a path to follow. Only a few riders will reach the top of the pyramid, which can become very lucrative.
We hear that there were more riders before, but everyone paid. I’ve had riders whose parents paid for the camper, provided the mechanic, paid for the gas, for everything. A lot of teams worked this way. There weren’t many people who earned a living, who could afford to buy a house.
I remember Billy McKenzie. He was 16 at the time, and he was paid a decent salary. 25 years later, he owns two houses, the loans are paid and he can resell them for €700,000. If you invest wisely, you can build a future for yourself or you can simply decide to work like everyone else. For 9 years, I clocked in at work when I was with British Railways. I did welding, metallurgy, engineering. In fact, I was doing what 95% of people do. You work to live and on weekends, you have fun spending the money you earn. For me, money is not the priority.
My goal is to have fun every day. Yes, it’s a difficult job, it requires a lot of work, traveling, putting the structure together, dismantling it. You see your riders performing, riding badly, training. But at least you wake up every morning with huge motivation.
When you work, you clock in at 7 a.m., you come home at 5 p.m. and you watch television. You’re not really cerebrally active, you’re not fulfilled. This is why I love my job so much to this day, because I experienced this lifestyle for 9 years, and I always thought about my sport and my passion during all these years. Everything I did, I did it so I could go motorcycle riding on the weekends, I worked on my motorcycle in the evening.
I got married at 21, and the passion was still there. I don’t go on vacation during the summer but for me, being happy every day and having a purpose when I get up every morning is worth more than two weeks of vacation in the sun a year. I don’t see an end to this adventure. I just celebrated my 60th birthday, and I don’t want to stop. The day I’m between four boards, I’ll stop… maybe (laughs).
COULD THE RETURN OF AN MXGP PROGRAM BE IN THE PIPELINE IN THE FUTURE?
I like the riders who compete in MXGP but I am attracted to MX2, because it represents a bigger technical challenge in terms of the engines, and in terms of the riders. When you start in MXGP, the riders are already well established, the bikes are already very powerful from the factory and in a pinch, you have to look at the adjustment of the suspensions which is important. On the riders side, we especially have to talk about money and motivation. The top 10 in the MXGP world race in Factory teams, they are completely out of reach. This is why the MXGP world does not attract me and yet, we already had a program in the category, with Shaun Simpson for example.
It’s not the same excitement as MX2 for me, just on the technical and mechanical challenge side. For example, we saw Dean Ferris take a holeshot in the nations in 2013 on our bike against the 450; It’s the kind of thing that really makes you happy. In 450, the bikes are very powerful, there is a lot of money for the top riders who are already very experienced, and therefore it is difficult to contribute something. With young people riding motorcycles that we can prepare, we can make a difference. This technical aspect is what makes the MX2 more exciting and more attractive to me. In MXGP, I feel like the guys could win on any bike. On a good day, Herlings could probably win on another bike.
YOU BROUGHT JACK CHAMBERS FROM THE US LAST YEAR TO COMPETE IN THE MX2 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP. GIVEN YOUR HISTORY IN THE PADDOCK, YOU KNOW EXACTLY WHAT TO EXPECT EACH SEASON BUT HE LANDED IN THE UNKNOWN. DO YOU THINK HE EXPECTED IT TO BE THIS DIFFICULT, THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP?
Zach Osborne is Jack’s coach, and we had Zach on our team for 4 and a half years at the time. Mikkel left the team last year, and I needed another rider quickly. There was no one to sign in England. I called Zach who told me there was Jack, but he wasn’t really a Motocross rider, more a Supercross rider. I wanted to give it a try. Jack is 21 years old, he is learning the tracks. This season, there must be 17 factory bikes behind the grid so at this time, we can say that we are the best non-factory team in the paddock and again, that is what is exciting. Regarding Jack, I think he expects a little better of himself but I don’t expect as much, because it’s difficult to learn on the job like that.
In MX2, there are almost more bikes than riders, so it’s difficult to find someone. There are also official programs in Europe and riders are unavailable for signing. From there you have to look further afield like Australia, but it’s difficult for them to cross the threshold and come here. Especially since at the moment, Australian drivers earn a good living in Australia, so they manage to keep their riders at home and Australians dream more of the US than of GPs with the Lawrence movement. From there, you look towards the USA but the rider must be under 23 years old. You have to look at how long he can stay, if he will have the time and the ability to adapt, and that’s really what makes the big difference for Jack. For him, in the USA, it’s easy. The track is 10 minutes away, you will find good riders there. You ride, you get in, and it’s over. Even on events, you change state, but you stay in the same country and you only ride for one day.
In Europe, you have to find the tracks which are open, which are prepared, you have to watch the weather. A workout quickly takes you a full day. I think this is the aspect that poses the most problems for him, here everything is more complicated for him. There’s a lot more travel, you spend your time between airports and you have to drive to the GP circuits every time; you eat different food. Some hotels have air conditioning, others do not. Some have a gym, others don’t. It’s a constant adaptation, but it’s part of the sport.
I think that’s also what helped Zach Osborne toughen up. When he returned to the United States, he was able to win championships because he had this determination, this resilience, this ability to overcome all kinds of things; he put more heart into it because things had not been easy for him in Europe. At the time and at home, he had his own track, he bought Club MX, he had his own Grand Prix field at his father’s place in West Virginia. American riders are used to it being easy for them compared to Grand Prix riders. Maintaining land in France or Spain is not easy. We see that in Belgium, there are fewer and fewer tracks. In England, we have the tracks, but not the talent and the riders don’t necessarily want to compete at the Grand Prix’s.
ARE YOU PART OF THIS GENERATION WHO SAYS “IT WAS BETTER BEFORE?”
No. Today there is EMX125, EMX250, MX2 and MXGP. There are many more professional people, more riders who know how to train, how to ride, how to travel in good conditions, how to respect each other. When you look at the 125cc in the 90s, it was more like a local race, with riders coming in vans.
You could say it was more fun if you want, but I remember my first race. I had to dig for hours in the paddock to get a flat place to put the bike on the tripod. I remember going to Finland, and working while we were hit with 300mm of rain, and we were with our feet in the water.
In the world of work, everything has improved over the years, in offices, all that. Our paddocks have improved too. People sometimes say it was better before but today everyone’s expectations have been raised. Everyone wants better working conditions in everyday life. Why should we go back? If that’s really what people want, they can go back to carrying bricks on their backs instead of using machines, and digging with shovels instead of using a backhoe; That’s what I tell people who tell me it was better before. It’s easy to remember things from before that, in this day and age, would not be realistic.
IF WE LEFT YOU IN CONTROL OF INFRONT AND THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP TOMORROW, WHAT WOULD YOU DO TO IMPROVE THE SITUATION OF THE TEAMS AND RIDERS?
I will make sure to broadcast the races in as many countries as possible, free of charge. We could turn on the TV, and see the GP on the national channels, it would really develop our sport. If the sport develops, we will have more sponsors. If we have more sponsors, the riders will earn a better living, the teams will be more efficient. Motocross is no different from Formula 1 or MotoGP.
We have to think about the exhibition of the sport first. If we have very good riders but no one sees them, what’s the point? If we didn’t have Instagram, Facebook, social networks, we would never have discovered all these people who are gifted at doing certain things.
Now, we also have a limitation in terms of paddocks because we have to be able to accommodate semi-trailers in MXGP these days. The thing is that we need these vehicles to be able to do a good job during the Grand Prix, and doing a good job on the GP’s also means helping the sport progress. Whatever anyone says, it’s all about money, money comes from sponsors, and sponsors are looking for exposure.
Just look at Formula 1, it’s the motorsport that generates the most money. Their championship is managed exactly as it must be for it to work, whether people like it or not, because it works… Money comes in, Formula 1 drivers earn money, the teams do a good job.
The difficulty is that to have television, you need money. To have money, you need sponsors. What comes first? Money or exposure?
I was discussing it recently, someone told me that “it was better before”. The reality is that today, it’s difficult to find a club that can organize a race. It’s difficult to find a city that will agree to organize a race, a hospital that will agree to take potentially injured people, a locality that will be able to provide parking for spectators… Behind closed doors, what happens many things. I know all this because I look after Matterley Basin. I think people don’t realize how difficult it is to organize a race in Argentina, Indonesia… It’s a World Championship, so we have to go to those countries.
In 1996, we went to races abroad and the grounds were prepared by hand, with shovels and picks. Only the top 15 in the championship were paid to go to the races. Today, everything is more organized, there is a real structure, the whole environment has progressed. In 1993, Paul Malin was not in the top 10, so we had to pay out of our own pocket to go to the events. We went to Venezuela that year. I took the bike apart in a hotel room, took it to pieces and flew it to Budds Creek to compete in the US GP. Is that “it was better before”? Back then there was no Internet, but that’s how it was; people are not aware of it.
In 1991, my rider wasn’t in the top 15 either before the Japanese Grand Prix. We dismantled the parts of our motorcycle, we spoke with someone on site, and we were lent a 125cc on which we could mount our parts to compete in the Grand Prix. That’s the kind of passion I had as a mechanic, that’s how I made sure we were able to go to all the events at the time. Today, if we had to do that again, everyone would criticize Infront even though that’s what we did before. I remember the difficult times we went through, and that’s why I have a very positive outlook on what we do these days.
What our sport needs is stability to be able to plan and program. With Europe 65cc, 85cc, 125cc, 250cc as well as the world MX2 & MXGP, we have a platform to progress step by step. As a rider, you can achieve milestones more easily these days. Before, there was nothing. You did a regional race where you did the national and if you had the money, you could try to do the world because they agreed to take 8 local riders per country. We’re not talking about factory riders, we’re talking about riders who were helped by parents, who paid the mechanics, who put in days at work to ride.
Back then, mechanics didn’t make any money. “Do you want to be a mechanic for me? Okay, but you have to work for free. ” That’s how it was, it was like a privilege to be a mechanic. Today, high-priced mechanics have good salaries, they buy houses, they get married, they have children. It’s a real profession whereas this was not the case before, except for a very small handful of factory mechanics at the time. The difference between the guy who worked on a factory rider’s bike, and the guy who worked on the 10th rider’s bike was huge.
I have worked with one of my mechanics for 19 years, the other for 16 years. They both bought their house, they both have children, and this is their job. Before, you did it for the experience, for fun for a few years. You traveled, you laughed, you had a good time and then you stopped to find a “real” job. Now you can make a living from it. We see mechanics who end up working for suspension tuners, with tire specialists, there are many opportunities that can allow you to earn a living. Today, working in the industry has become something lasting.
HOW DO WE FIND THE BUDGET TO SEND A TEAM TO 20 GRANDS PRIX AROUND THE WORLD THESE DAYS, AND IN THIS ECONOMY WHICH IS GETTING TOUGHER SEASON AFTER SEASON?
You must always manage your budget correctly and have consistent expectations. For overseas GP’s, Infront usually helps the top 20 with the sending of motorcycles. If you manage it correctly, you can only send a mechanic and a rider and it will only cost you €2,000 to get there, including the hotel. If you go to Sardinia with your semi-trailer, you have to take the ferry and it will cost you the same amount of money.
If you can’t afford – financially – to do the tests, then you don’t do them. We can spend €5,000 to do a Grand Prix and this same grand prize can cost another team €60,000. If you’re smart, you find ways to do things. If you have already exceeded the weight allowed in your box for GP oversea, rather than paying an extra €30 per kilo, you can probably buy what you are missing on site and save money. We shouldn’t worry about what the factory teams do, with their big structures. You find a way with your budgets. You should not envy them, be jealous, you should see them as healthy competition.
You have to know how to keep things clear when organizing yourself, knowing how to get rid of what you don’t need for race day because you’re traveling to ride, not for anything else. The goal is to be efficient, to bring back results, and to come back whole without it costing you a fortune. You can spend a lot of money if you want, but the goal is to be smart with your money.
In 2016, we redid the structure’s awning and everything that goes with it. Everything is 8 years old now but if you take care of things you don’t need to replace them. You can’t tell yourself that everyone is going to look at you, judge you, and point the finger at you because you don’t have the latest things, otherwise you’re going to spend €20,000 more per year just to please them. You must adapt to your economic climate. You can very well have one rider, one mechanic, and be very efficient. We do a lot of things ourselves on our bikes, it saves us a lot of time and money but at the same time, we are here to be competitive at the highest level. You can enjoy this sport at all levels.
Riders’ parents are the ones who most often need lessons. They need to be told to stop spending all their savings before their child is 15 or 16 because they are going to spend a fortune. We have families in England who sell their house and go into debt in the hope of living a dream, and ultimately the child finds himself disgusted with motorcycles because the parents had more ambition than the child. You have to find the right balance, respect your children, that’s the key, and it’s essential.
