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AM: I was really happy with my first stage; the bike was handling<br />
exactly how I wanted. Things just started clicking for me and I was<br />
riding with so much confidence, especially in my navigation. By<br />
the 50km mark I had caught the lead group and managed to open<br />
the rest of the stage for around 200 km, the first time I’ve opened<br />
a stage. I really surprised myself with my opening speed that day,<br />
which gave me a lot of confidence going into the following stages.<br />
ME: Stage 2 would be both triumphant and bittersweet at the same<br />
time as you ended up winning the stage, but had to see Docherty airlifted<br />
from the track after a gnarly get-off. You and Konrad Dabrowski<br />
(DUUST Rally) had stopped to aid Docherty, which put you back<br />
in the field. But due to FIM rules, you were credited with the time<br />
spent – and you won the stage by 2:08 over Dabrowski, and took<br />
the overall lead in the race. Talk about Stage 2, and, however you’d<br />
like to put it (blessing, Karma, ‘good vibes’), the sportsmanship you<br />
showed in stopping your race to assist a fallen rider.<br />
It allows all of us<br />
to compete at<br />
such a high level<br />
with a certain<br />
level of security<br />
and for sure that<br />
helped me get my<br />
head right and<br />
carry on with the<br />
stage and get my<br />
first stage win.<br />
AM: I couldn’t have put it in better words myself. It’s always tough<br />
seeing a rider go down let alone one of my best friends. I’m glad I<br />
could be there for my buddy and assist the medical team any way<br />
that I could. It’s really important for us to help other riders in these<br />
situations and I’m glad the rules allow us to be there for each other.<br />
It’s one of the reasons I love racing rally; the sportsmanship and<br />
camaraderie is really something special and I think it’s great to know<br />
that your fellow competition is always there for you when you’re out in<br />
the middle of the desert. It allows all of us to compete at such a high<br />
level with a certain level of security and for sure that helped me get<br />
my head right and carry on with the stage and get my first stage win.