Liam Everts candidly admitted to us in Lommel that, despite having a chilled and relaxed demeanor when you talk to him, dealing with a famous surname is still hard for him at times even with his success in the last couple of years rising to a factory rider and GP winner. “It does get to me sometimes,” Liam told us. “It is hard. It goes a bit up and down you just have to find the consistency, I believe that is the next step, the mental step.”
It is something worth acknowledging when watching the teenager that he has an extra burden of expectation to carry compared to most riders, but for me, he does remarkably well under the circumstances, and seeing him around the paddock and how he easily interacts with people and rides, he never looks weighed down, like maybe sometimes Stefan did early in his career (and maybe something that wasn’t understood enough back that). But clearly, as Liam admits, it can be tough in moments and that should never be underestimated or forgotten. What he has done so far is pretty remarkable so early in his career, especially under the circumstances.
And Liam acknowledges that winning a GP has taken some of the pressure off – although he doesn’t want to be satisfied with just one GP win! “It took a lot of pressure of of me but at the end of the day I want to do it again and keep going. Not say yeah I achieved this and it’s good, I want to keep fighting and go for the next step again.”
And the win came after some big changes following Sardinia, with Stefan taking more of a back seat: “I think it was one of my worst GP’s ever! There we saw something had to be changed, something had to be done. The biggest change is going practicing more by myself with my mechanic, still under his program but he doesn’t go to so many practices whereas before he would join every session, he doesn’t do that any more. Just listening a bit more to myself, I have turned an adult (18) find my own will and my way also.”
So what does Liam do to get his mind away from motocross? “All my hobbies outside of racing is still with an engine! If it’s jet skiing or whatever it is, the only one is playing golf, but I haven’t played for quite some time!”
Image: Ray Archer
Article: Jonathan McCready
