Guest Column - Life of a GP spanner-man
By Olly Stone on 27th Apr 12
Work, sleep, eat, work, sleep, eat, work, sleep, eat and work some more has seemed to be my life for the past two months. But seeing your bike lead the opening MX2 GP race in Valkenswaard makes it all worthwhile.My name is Olly Stone and I am the mechanic for Jake Nicholls. Ever since I could remember this is the job I wanted to do. Travel the world working on race bikes at the highest level possible.
I remember going to the GPs as a kid and I would rather watch the mechanics working on the bikes than the actual racing itself, so I guess I'm suited to what I do now.
After working my apprenticeship in a local MX shop I started to help out some local riders for free.
Luckily I got my big break in the GPs shortly after and – as they say – the rest is history.
I've worked for a number of race teams now and some top riders and have been fortunate to work alongside some legends of our sport.
I was offered the chance of a monthly column to take you into my world, letting you know what mechanics do and what goes on behind the scenes.
I'll be keeping you updated on what goes into giving Jake the best possible chance of GP glory this year.
So the first GP is over and as you all saw that our pre-season testing and Jake's preparation worked.
The 15-hour working days leading up to the GP were all worthwhile, as Jake rode like a trooper in the Dutch sand and finished sixth overall – which we were all expecting really as we all worked really hard this winter.
The first GP is always an interesting one.
Although you do pre-season races and hours and hours of riding and testing, you are always keen to see how you really get on against the rest of the world's best.
The night before you ask yourself are we ready? Have we tested enough? Is our bike competitive enough? Is Jake ready?
We did everything possible this winter and I think it showed on Monday, when the gate dropped for the first heat – although after the morning warm-up crash I was definitely working flat out to repair the damaged bike while Jake was sleeping off a concussion.
With that one out of the way we're now onto the harder terrain tracks of Bulgaria and Italy with just the little matter of a 1,400 mile road trip ahead of us.
So that's a little about me – and if you didn't already know me you do now.
Every month I will be keeping you up to date on what goes on in my world and I hope you get an understanding of what goes into my job.
Take it steady, see you at the races and don't miss my next column in four weeks.
