MY MOTOCROSS INSPIRATIONS BY ROGER DECOSTER

NEIGHBORHOOD KIDS
    “In my neighborhood most of the kids were older than me and they rode big English-built bikes, like Triumphs. They took me to my first motocross race, which was fairly close to my house. I remember that there were a lot of good riders there, and just watching them race really got me excited on motocross.”

TURNING POINT
    “I started working in a bike shop and saved my money. Eventually I bought a bike and began racing, but I wasn’t very good. I stopped racing for a while because I was out of money. I saved my money and pieced together a bike with parts from different brands. That was the bike that I won my first race on. Little by little I started getting some help from a motorcycle shop, which turned into even more help, which led to me racing the GP’s.”

JOEL ROBERT & TORSTEN HALLMAN
    “When I began racing Joel Robert really pushed me to do well. Joel’s dad raced, so he had that exposure that I didn’t get. Some of the things that he did on the track impressed me a lot. He rode so smooth and excelled at tracks that had a little bit of mud on them. Torsten Hallman was also one of the first guys that focused on staying low over the jumps. I learned a lot from different riders and tried to incorporate that into my riding.”

MINO HARADA & JULLE
    “The rider’s relationship with his mechanic in my generation was a lot different than it is today. Back then the mechanics weren’t motivators. I did have a mechanic that I got along really well with at Suzuki, though. The first mechanic that I had at Suzuki was Mino Harada. I would come off the track and always knew what I was going to say and he had a remedy for my mechanical problems. Later I had a Swedish mechanic, who was nicknamed Julle. He was a good mechanic, as well.”

Roger today.

PAUL VAN HIMST & EDDIE MERCKX
    “During my racing years there were two top guys in Belgium who were at the top of their sports. Paul Van Himst, a top soccer player, and cyclist Eddie Merckx. Our names would all be in the newspapers on Monday mornings fighting for the headlines. Their sports were more advanced than motocross, but I was able to train with them a little bit and step up my fitness.”

MY DAD
    “My dad was always telling me to be honest about things. He told me to work for what I wanted and not to expect anything for free. My dad motivated me and told me to do things because I wanted to do them and not because anyone else wanted me to do them.”

I INSPIRE
    “I believe that I inspire the guys that I work with in the race shop. They see the dedication that I have and it motivates them to do better. Hopefully I inspire some of the riders that I work with. It also surprises me that fathers are telling their kids that they should get my autograph because I used to win a lot when I raced. It’s a nice feeling, and I always try to make time for people no matter what.”