SuperBike Magazine June 2020

98
RIDER INTERVIEWS
Cam Petersen
Class SuperStock 1000
Race Number 45
Age 25
Home Province Gauteng
What team are you riding for?
Altus Motorsports
You kicked off 2020 with a really good result.
What are your expectations for the 2020
season?
Ja started off really good with a 2nd but I
entered the championship with high hopes of
being a serious contender!!! So I was happy
with 2nd but we always looking for more.
Can you please run me through your qualifying,
race one and race two briefly?
Qualifying was good!!! I managed to get P2
after limited track time after writing my bike
off in the first session and that caused me to
miss the 1st qualifying session, so I was pretty
happy with the progress we made. I knew it
was going to be hard to race the Ducati as it
has some strong legs under it but I did everything
In the stock race to keep him behind me
but he was just a little too fast in the end and
2nd was the best I could do on the weekend.
The Superbike race was really hard knowing
that with about 2-3 laps to go our bike would
start running out of gas!!! I pushed hard in the
beginning to try and stay as close as I could to
the guys upfront and get a good lap time in. I
was pretty lucky with some of the other guys
bad luck as there were a few crashes in front
of me promoting me to 7th in the Superbike
class and 2nd stock bike to cross the line
while running out of gas with 2 laps to go!!!
What made you want to race in America over
Europe, was there any particular reason?
Ja I felt like America would be a good fit as my
dad had lived here in the early 90’s while chasing
his dreams, so he had a lot of connections
and knew what the scene was all about. As
well as just moving to a country where they
spoke the same language so that we could try
make a life over here. Not to mention there
are some are the most talented motorcycles
racers in world over here at the moment!
What is the competition like compared to
racing back home?
The competition is pretty stiff! I know there
is a lot of talent back home and the South
Africans have always been fast and they have
proved it time and time again!! It takes
time to adjust to the pace over here and
get used to the way things work but it
awesome racing against some of the best
riders in the world, guys like Cam Beubier,
Toni Elias, Jake Gagne, PJ Jacobson and a
lot more.
Have you emigrated to America? If not
what are your living arrangements like?
The whole family has moved over here, so I
guess you could call this home now
How did you get into riding?
I got into riding through my dad. He had
raced his whole life along with my 3 uncles
so ja my earliest memories are of bikes
and racing.
What advice would you give to the aspiring
racers?
My advice to all the aspiring racers the
hard work and determination will get you
further then you could imagine!!! Always
chase your dreams and don’t let rejection
and controversy set you back but let it
grow you as a person and rider!
When can we expect you back in SA?
I’m planning on coming back in January
2021, I’ve missed home so much and it’s
about time I come back and see my family
and friends!
You spend quite a lot of time on the dirt
bikes. Has this helped master your craft?
My dirt bike has been 1 of my biggest tools
and assets in my career. I feel that the
fitness and strength it gives you is second
to none. As well as bike control and focus
so ja I think it’s help me with the road race
stuff. I still wish at times that I had continued
my career in motocross, I absolutely
love it!!!