Nick Kouwenberg to the AMA Supercross!
Nick Kouwenberg (19) from Elshout in Brabant made his debut in the MX2 World Championship this season. It became an interesting learning year in which he recorded his first points in Lommel. Last winter he recorded solid performances in the German Supercrosses. This season he will be working in Germany more often because Kouwenberg will compete for the Hannamax-Castrol Powerweb1 team in the ADAC MX Masters. First an adventure awaits him in the US!
You will be competing in some SX competitions in the States early next month. How did you arrive at that?
Nick Kouwenberg: “That's right, I'm going to do three races there: Atlanta, Daytona and Jacksonville. I met Americans in Germany and they thought I was suitable to give it a try there. So I will first go to those people in Florida with my father and Roel Claessens and from there I will attend some East Coast competitions. Gary Buecker, helped me with further contacts. He also arranged for a motorcycle, a trailer and so on. I registered myself for those three races, but fortunately that turned out not to be a problem because I had GP points.”
Do you feel more at home in SX now?
Nick Kouwenberg: “No, no, certainly not. It's simply a great experience from which you can learn a lot for the outdoors. I said a while ago that I wouldn't race supercross anymore, but I changed my mind. I have learned a lot from it each time, the more I do it, the easier and the safer. Now I have it well under control and I want to continue with it.”
Have you taken a nice step forward indoors this winter?
Nick Kouwenberg: “I only started it last year. Then I got the chance to ride in Germany, but unfortunately I couldn't keep up with the pace in the beginning. This winter I wanted to come back and show what I could do. That worked, I was able to qualify every time except the last two days in Dortmund where I got injured in the free practice.”
What else is on the programme?
Nick Kouwenberg: “The ADACs are very important for Castrol and I also go to the MX2 GPs on my own. We are still waiting for confirmation, but if that doesn't work out I will start with wildcards in some GPs. The ball has now started rolling in the GPs, if you take a year off it will be too late. Then it is more difficult to get involved. Now I can learn a lot from it.”
What are you aiming for in the GPs this year?
Nick Kouwenberg: “I want to be able to ride between places 10 and 15 in the sand. On the hard courts I want to get as many points as possible. That should be possible if everything goes well, if I am fit and if I have the right feeling. For me, 2010 was a learning year in which I unfortunately could not finish due to all kinds of injuries: I broke my collarbone and I often had to chase from the start. The pace was there but there were too many alsen to score regularly; If I didn't fall or if my start had been better, there would have been more in it. Only in Lommel did things turn out the way I wanted.”
What about the ONKs?
Nick Kouwenberg: “I cannot participate in all the ONKs because it is difficult to combine if I do all the ADACs and all the GPs. I do plan on doing some. In Germany I will ride in the Open class at the Masters. Initially I want to qualify quickly there and get as many points as possible, the level in Germany is quite high. I will probably ride the MX2 bike there, but if Castrol can make a 350 available then I will ride a 350.”
Photos credit: Hannamax-Castrol Powerweb1 team, Ronsfoto
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