The weekly magazine Humo recently did an interview with Liam and Stefan Everts. The article can now be read on their website.
In the article Liam talks about being the third generation Everts, the pressure and his own passion to race.
“Grandpa and Dad never pushed me,” he stated. “They never pushed me in that direction, but they also didn’t stop me when I asked if I could ride motocross.
“I did grow up in that world, of course; I must have been about 3 years old when I got on a motorcycle the first time. I have always ridden, but that was purely for fun. That I could also do it professionally, that realization only came later, when I started riding competitively.”
“The name brings a certain pressure. People expect me to become as good as dad and grandpa, I notice. But I don’t care much about that. The biggest pressure comes from myself: I want to perform, to do better and better.”
Stefan also gave his view and experience on having that pressure: “He can handle that pressure well. He is also being coached, including by sports psychologist Rudy Heylen.
“I know myself how difficult it is to come into the motocross world with the name Everts. My father was a four-time world champion: you don’t start from the sidelines. I suffered a lot because of that. Not because of my father, I put the pressure on my shoulders myself, I wanted to do at least as well, and preferably better. If I hadn’t had such perseverance, I think I would have died.”
Liam also said: “I don’t compare myself to him (his dad). He has ten world titles, that’s a lot. Now, he won his first world title at 18 in the 125cc class. I already won that class when I was 15, so actually I already beat him (grins). Unfortunately, that’s only an unofficial title, because the 125cc class doesn’t count as a world championship anymore.”
Stefan also gave an update on health saying: “The malaria is out of my body, but I still can’t work. I keep having problems with my feet. The doctors had to amputate eight toes – I have no toes left and two on the right. That bothers me a lot. I still have an open wound on one foot. It is still a problem, but it is getting better. The first few years, I suffered a lot and had to take a lot of medication and painkillers. Until I said: I’m going to stop taking all that stuff. Now it’s more liveable.”
To continue reading what is a very interesting and diverse interview, as Liam talks about his ambitions to be world champion and other topics, click on the Humo.be link.
