Interview with cult hero Junior Slegers!!
No, Junior Slegers (FMX4Ever-PPS exhausts) has not given any suggestion for the above title. We at MXMag simply think Junior is a cult hero! The son of exhaust specialist Pierrot Slegers - born as Pierrot Junior Slegers - grew up in motocross. Everyone knows Junior and he is never shy about entertaining the spectators. Because as an amateur motocross rider, cycling is mainly about fun!
Junior has been walking around the paddock since he was a child. And even as a young guy he had an eye for top material. Maybe some people remember him as that guy who did crazy things in the riders' park with a super cool, aluminum BMX! He has often shown that the 23-year-old Slegers is also fast and has the necessary skills. Last month he almost achieved a first, in Paal he rode his two-stroke to a double series victory in the MX1 (#twostrokeisnotdead). In the meantime VMCF Inters A In the MX1 championship, Junior is shared second (together with Dennis Wagemans) this season, 55 points behind Frederic Weigert.
Slegers has always been the man of the specials: cool jumps, a cool Instagram account, technical highlights in the EMX Race of Champions and the one-off Shox – Short Motocross in the attic, in which he finished third after Ken De Dycker and Andy Truyts. Moreover, Junior made a long-cherished dream come true a while ago: racing in Australia. Enough material for a nice chat!
How did you end up in Australia?
Junior Slegers: “Through my sponsor Moose (the nickname of Grant Covus from Spirit suspension). He has known me for a long time and is a friend of the family. Moose knew that it was my big dream to ride in Australia. Everyone wanted to go to America, but for some reason the dream destination for me was always down under. One day he called me and asked, would you like to drive in Australia? I said yes and I thought it was for fun! Then Moose said it was soon and asked when I could leave…”
A bit like a mercenary! Just to the other side of the world?
Slegers: “Through KTM Australia and Jeff Leisk – who rode his exhaust GPs with my dad – I got a 250 two-stroke KTM on the spot. The same motorcycle that I also ride here. Then I took some engine parts and my exhaust with me. On site I stayed with Neil Dunn, the event organizer Willy Thompson also helped a bit. In the end, everything turned out to be well organized and the people there gave me a great welcome!”
I understand that the competition you participate in in Australia was not just any fair race.
Slegers: “That's right, the Manjimup 15.000 Motocross is a real top race there! It is an international competition with sprint races; 3 races of 6 laps and the last race was 8 laps. There was also an eliminator race, but because I suffered quite a bit from jet lag I did not participate in that. It was not easy to defend myself with a 250 against four-stroke guns, with well-known riders such as Todd Waters, Cody Cooper. Moreover, the circulation was very fast. The driving itself went great. Especially because I have been struggling in Belgium for the last few months, resulting in many falls and minor injuries. Then something like this quickly comes to mind. However, during the time I was in Australia I never fell. I have made good progress in terms of attacking driving. That is very important in those sprint races because if I were to drive patiently as I do in Belgium - I am more of a diesel - then you cannot do anything there. I felt very good there and I think it had a lot to do with the atmosphere.”
If you get a foreign driver, he should in principle be better than the other available local drivers. Were there no expectations?
Slegers: “I didn't really know what I was getting into and they didn't know that on site either because they didn't know me. After all, I'm just an amateur pilot, but that's where it came naturally! I ended up in a different world, very pleasant. I have never experienced that atmosphere anywhere else. The top pilots have no haircuts. Everyone feels like we are here to have fun. The competitive spirit is not there, or at least not yet in terms of atmosphere, because the driving was fast. I had to deal with block passes that were quite muscular. If you were to do that in Belgium, 10 men would be waiting for you after the series with 'pickets' in hand. But the pilots who passed me with a block pass came up to me afterwards and said you did well or that was a nice race! I felt very comfortable there. In any case, it was a good and pleasant learning experience for me. You noticed that there was a lot of respect between the riders. Of the greats compared to the lesser gods. You didn't feel a difference in level when interacting. You're just all there together at the start to race, not as a factory pilot or as an amateur.”
Will there be a sequel to your Australian adventure?
Slegers: “For next year they would like me to enter the two local Nationals for the Manjimup 15.000. That is not entirely clear yet. Then I would go there for about 3 or 4 weeks. I rode in the Allstars category in which all invited pilots participated, including AJ Cantanzaro and Cody Cooper. In the Allstars you had the Allstars and the Allstars Lites. In the Lites class you can compete with the 250 two-stroke among the MX2 four-stroke motorcycles. I was the only invited pilot to reach the podium, albeit in the Lites, but I was still proud of that experience! I had a great time, and I got paid for my work. I also tried to provide the spectacle on site. To show some of my skills on the jumps and stuff. In the meantime, I have also been invited to ride a very large international motocross in New Zealand at the end of January. That also happens with a 250 two-stroke there. Simply because I left a good and pleasant impression in Australia.”
At the beginning of this year you rode a four-stroke?
Slegers: “Last year I spent the entire winter preparing for the 450 Yamaha. A week before the VMCF championship started I tore my meniscus. Because my physique was gone, I decided to get back on a two-stroke. The intention was then to participate in the first round of the EMX300 in Loket. Two weeks before that competition I tore my anterior cruciate ligament in the same knee. That way I had two serious knee injuries in one year. As a result, I also had a difficult rehabilitation. I have only been riding again since January. I first started riding the Yamaha again because in December my home was broken into: my motorcycle from last year was stolen. Jimmy Verburgh got me a new Yamaha. That was my first race in the VMCF, I immediately came second and it went really well. Jimmy then suggested that I ride for FMX4ever, so I also get his support and now ride a KTM.”
Do you consider yourself a two-stroke specialist?
Slegers: “I don't think I have ridden a full year on a four-stroke in my entire career... I have been riding a 18 two-stroke since I was 250 and that was five years ago. There is also the link with my father's exhaust brand (ed. PPS). In addition to the pleasure of riding the two-stroke, it is also about the promotion of our products. Two-stroke is in my blood, it would be a shame if it disappeared. Not everyone prefers a four-stroke, by the way. I prefer working with the engine, you also have more feeling about what is happening or if something is wrong. Because I drive for pleasure, the choice is quickly made. I just enjoy myself more with a two-stroke! Many people sometimes say to me: you can't compete with those 450s with your two-and-a-half two-stroke. If I don't enjoy it anymore, I'll stop racing. Motocross is too expensive and too dangerous to just ride around. In addition, a two-stroke is also financially more interesting. If the block of a four-stroke breaks, you are immediately looking at a mountain of costs.”
It's also cool to see younger riders like you, with a modern style, riding a two-stroke. You don't have to be a vintage or EVO pilot to appreciate that feeling.
Slegers: “Certainly, in the meantime some of my comrades have also switched to a two-stroke. They are all very satisfied with that choice. I like the physical aspect that you have to work with, those typical vibrations, the sound - especially with the exhausts we make - basically everything. We worked very hard to achieve such a chic sound. Every time I hear that sound, for example when I see a video of myself, I get goosebumps from the sound alone and then there is that special smell!”
Do you also make exhausts yourself?
Slegers: “I am learning that now, although it is not an easy process. The welding is going very well, but the most difficult aspects are drawing and developing an exhaust. How can you make it better? My dad has been in there for 50 years, so to speak. That takes a lot of effort. Maybe I don't put enough effort into it yet. On the other hand, it is not always that simple, the father-son relationship as a working relationship is not always the easiest! Ultimately, my goal is to be able to make my own exhaust, even for vintage car engines, for example. This way we can continue that craftsmanship.”
From a sporting perspective, it seems like a two-speed season. What are your other goals?
Slegers: “I had initially planned to ride the EMX300, but that first race in Teutschenthal was disappointing. Due to several falls, because I was under some stress and also simply because I was not physically well. After that I also decided not to participate in Ottobiano. And after my heavy fall at the AMPL in Gèves, I really needed time to get back into shape. I have felt that in recent weeks. So stupid to fall that way! Julien Bill simply took unnecessary risks. Ridiculous, we are all amateurs who want to have fun... Still, I had good competitions in the VMCF this year. My goal is to reach the podium in the final standings.”
Are there any games in the VMCF that you are looking forward to this season?
Slegers: “I know that there are still some beautiful circuits to come, such as 'het Fort' in Koningshooikt for example. I especially like the technical circuits, with height differences and such. I didn't really understand it on the chip fields, but we will all have to work together to keep those nicer sites still available for the cross. If that doesn't work, I fear that there will be nothing left but fields of fries.”
That's how it is! Thanks for the great conversation and thanks for your time Junior.
Slegers: “Thank you. I would also like to draw attention to my sponsors: FMX4Ever and Jimmy Verburgh, Jokal lettering, Hoydonckx, MB Tuning, Haan Wheels, Bosporus, Owen and Spirit Suspension of course.”
Interested in a live spectacle?
This weekend Junior Slegers and his VMCF colleagues can be seen at 't Zwaanhof in Komen.
Photos: BresarMXpics, Gfox, Hahn
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