For Michael Mahon, 2011 has been a proper good year. Some might say it’s been his best yet. Locking down the Great Stuff Catering Irish MX2 Motocross Championship, Mahon finally delivered on what he had promised to do for the last couple of seasons. After eight rounds and 24 races of hard graft it took until the final moto of the year for Mahon to realise his dream of becoming Irish champion. We caught up with the freshly crowned champ to find out more about what it means to be king…
Championship Success... Mahon is Irish MX2 Champion
Finally you’ve locked down your first Irish championship that must be a good feeling?
It’s such a relief to have won it! The last couple of weeks everything had been building up to this moment. We’d gone over and over the championship standings trying to work out every situation possible and then double checking everything on the bike to make sure everything could go as smoothly as possible. With it being such a long year it’s fantastic to come out of it as an Irish champion.
With both the MX1 and MX2 classes competing together at the same time that must also add a lot of pressure to get results?
Yeah definitely, adding that element into the mix of things has made things really interesting this year. It’s harder to get a good start on the smaller bike and often you’ll find yourself having to pass maybe three or four MX1 riders before you can even pass an MX2 rider. But I suppose that’s what makes it exciting and why it took until the final race of the year to win the championship!
Leading into the 2011 season what were your expectations? Did you feel this could be your year to be Irish champion?
It’s something I feel that I’ve been building towards for a while now and I believed in myself that I could be a contender this year – but it was never going to be easy. Jason Garrett was the current champion and I knew he’d be the biggest threat. Unfortunately he dropped out through injury but he was fast early on and should have been a threat all year. With Garrett out of the running I was able to build a points cushion but towards the end of the year John Meara came on strong and he pushed me all the way.
When Jason got hurt, that opened the door for you. Was that when you realised that this had become a championship you had to win?
Yeah, it sort of became mine to lose. It was a shame to see him crash out because I really wanted to beat him fair and square but after that it was a case of focusing on what I needed to do to become champion. I was determined to win it from there on out.
Flying High... The road to success was a long one
Is there anything from this championship you’d change?
Even though I’m champion I don’t feel as though I’ve ridden to my full potential. Outside of the Irish championship I’ve spent the majority of my time riding the KTM 350SXf and looking back now I think that’s affected my performance on the smaller bike. Leading up to the final round of the Irish I focused solely on riding the MX2 class and I feel that helped a lot. I was much more confident on it and in hindsight I think that’s were I’ve missed out this year.
Overall how do you view the standard of the racing this year?
I think racing wise the standard has been very high and the majority of races have seen full grids. Unfortunately we missed out on some tracks that I think should have been included. I know every club should get a chance to run a round of the Irish championship but venues like Desertmartin and Dundalk shouldn’t be missed out on.
Another highlight of your 2011 season was winning the Southern Centre MX1 Championship. To win both an MX1 and MX2 title in the same year doesn’t come easy!
Right from the start of that championship I was on the back foot when I didn’t finish the opening race in Dundalk. It took a while to overcome losing out on those points but in a way things turned out for the better. I’d some great battles with Richard Bird throughout the year and so to come way with the championship while also winning the final race of the season (again in Dundalk) capped off my best year yet.
Who’s to thank for helping you get you this far?
This year wouldn’t have been possible without everyone’s support but most importantly Graeme at VMX.ie, KTM, No Fear, PMP Motorsport, my Dad for all those long hours working on my bike and all my family and friends. Roll on 2012…