Introducing the all new British Youth Championship Q&A Feature in association with Live Motocross.
First rider up is Hitachi KTM Fuelled by Milwaukees Ethan Lane who is registered for the Official British 125cc Championship. Check out what Ethan had to say when we quizzed about his career to date, answering your questions and much more.
Listen to The Live Motocross Podcast here
Can you give us a bit of information about your background in the sport and achievements to date?
So far, I haven’t actually completed a full championship due to different circumstances however I still managed to make the podium in the BYN. It was amazing to win the Daytona Supercross last year, to ride for Team GB at the World Finals in Australia in 2018 and also racing at Loretta Lynns in Texas.
When did you start riding, what on and why?
I started riding when I was about 5 years old, just for fun. My Dad owned a motorbike shop for a few years, so I was always around bikes when I was pretty young. I started riding on a quad then when I was 6, I went on to a KTM 50sx. I stopped riding for quite a while and then restarted when I was 10. I started racing when I was 11.
What is your career highlight to date?
I honestly couldn’t just name one as each of the following has meant a lot, all in different ways. Winning Daytona last year, Racing for Team GB at the world finals in Australia and also racing at Loretta Lynns last year.
What is your all-time favourite track that you raced at?
I would probably have to say Redbud in America. The history behind it and everything that has happened there just makes that track so you unique. I love the layout, the style, and dirt there. It’s a mixture between sand and black dirt, it also gets super rough by the end of the day. It was also one of the qualifiers for Loretta Lynns and the atmosphere there was fantastic.
Why did you go to America to race?
I was only supposed to be in America for 2 months to compete at the Minios. The Minios is one of the biggest events in America and is a week of back to back races. We enjoyed being there, so we ended up staying on and training there. I was invited to train with Tim Ferry which was a great experience. There is a great mixture of tracks over there and we got to travel to a lot of different tracks during the Loretta lynns area and regional qualifiers and also at different races. I also enjoyed riding the night series there too.
How did the opening round of the Judd KTM British Youth Championship go for you at Little Silver?
I was really looking forward to this race as it was my first race with my new team, Hitachi KTM fuelled by Milwaukee. It didn’t quite go as we wanted it to as we had a few problems. In the first race I had a bad start and then crashed twice and came from last to 11th, not the result we wanted but I felt that I fought hard to get back up to 11th. In the second race we had some bike problems and ended up 34th so went 11-34 for 14th overall.
You race for Hitachi KTM fuelled by Milwaukee for 2020 how did the deal come about and what’s it like being picked for a top KTM motocross team?
My trainer, Richard Mike Jones of RMJ Academy, spoke with BC the Team Manager of Hitachi KTM fueled by Milwaukee on my behalf at Assen last year. The team explained that they were looking to create a 125 team to compete in the EMX 125 and the British Championship. After this initial discussion, we all met with Roger Magee the team owner, where we agreed a two year contract. It’s an amazing opportunity that Hitachi have given me and the success the team has had is incredible. I love the bike and the mechanics have been fantastic in ensuring that it is set up exactly for me. The other riders in the team are really supportive and I feel that I have already learned a lot from their experience.
What do you do for training and fitness?
My fitness trainer, Darren Roberts (from Harris and Ross) sets out my daily gym training. I do a lot of cardio, rowing, skierg, cycling, lots of spin sessions and then I will do upper body strength. We have also been doing a lot of work on warm ups and cool downs, recovery and mobility. And of course, good old-fashioned foam rolling. My nutrition sleep etc. is also recorded daily and reviewed.
What have you been up to during isolation to date?
We have been in lockdown here in Spain for 4 weeks now, so I have been at home and I’ve been doing a lot of gym work. We have been really pushing my fitness and It’s been great to have weekly catch ups with the team through zoom sessions. I have also been working hard with my home schooling as this is my pre GCSE exams year. Like everyone else, I am really missing riding and racing, and I am hoping that everything will be back to normal soon
What’s your all-time favourite bike you have ridden and why?
My favourite bike I’ve ever ridden has to be my team race bike this year. The power, the smoothness and the way it handles is amazing.
Photo Credit – Ray Archer
