MRW Issue 41

I was confident that
I could compete for
a podium though,
and I knew it was
still a long race
where anything can
happen. So I don’t
let things like that
affect me.
ME: So out of the gate at ADDC you placed 4th in the Prologue,
just several seconds behind the winner, your Monster Energy/
Hero Motosports teammate Ross Branch. Was it too early yet, or
at that point (Prologue) were you confident you’d have the speed
to run with Ross and, possibly, challenge for a podium position?
AM: It had been a while since I’ve done a rally, so in the back of
my head I was wondering how I would stack up against the other
riders. I’m fortunate that I get to train with Mike Docherty pretty
much year ‘round. And I know Mike has really good speed.
So I had a pretty good idea of where I was. Honestly, I wasn’t
so happy with how my Prologue went. I made a small mistake
and lost some valuable seconds, which can be costly when
it’s such a short special. I was confident that I could compete
for a podium though, and I knew it was still a long race where
anything can happen. So I don’t let things like that affect me.
ME: A runner-up position in Stage 1 to your friend and South
African, as you’d mentioned, countryman Michael Docherty
(KTM). It was also during that stage when Branch ran into some
mechanical issues, which had you in 2nd place overall. How
were you feeling on the bike after the opening stage?