INTERVIEW WITH DARRYL ATKINS – APRILIA PACIFICO SUPERMOTO TEAM RIDER AND MANAGER



Q: Darryl…can you tell us how you got into motorcycle racing in the first place?
A: My dad owned a motorcycle shop in New Zealand, so he kinda of introduced to moto cross. I started racing in moto cross when I was 9 years old.

Q: You have a very accomplished career in New Zealand MX and SX as well as World MX; what are your most successful moments in off road?
A: I won seven championships, 3 were minibike titles, then I won the New Zealand Moto-Cross and Super-Cross titles and I also won the Australian Queensland Supercross championship. Then I went to Europe to compete in World MX and SX. My goal was and still is to win a world or U.S. championship. Preferably an American championship cause that series is more prestigious. It’s harder to come by with the level of competition. To cap it off, I represented New Zealand 3 times in the Motocross Des Nations. My best finish was 5th is Austria. I also, did World MX and SX in Europe and got 10th in world SX Championship and in World Motocross, I was getting to a point where things were really coming together…good results, getting 8th and 9th… until I ended up injured. I was just not able to get to the level that I wanted. Didn’t really have the ride I needed at the time either.

Q: In 1994, you were involved in an automobile accident that nearly ended your career, tell us about that and how you overcame it?
A: I was at a real turning point and had just signed a deal with UK Yamaha for GP (offroad) in England. My mechanic was driving to a race in Madrid and I decided to put my feet up in the van and get a little sleep. Things were going well and the next thing I know, I noticed we started to roll, hit a wall, and flipped 6 times. I went out the window. It was very bad luck. I landed on the other side of the road. I remember cars just missing my head. I was lying on road….in and out of consciousness. I could move my legs. My buddy looked pretty bad.
My main injury happened when my neck and shoulder went in opposite directions and pulled out the nerves that controlled my shoulder and 80% of my right arm. Other injuries that I sustained were a broken right arm, and broken right hip, One stroke of luck was that we crashed just outside of Oxford Hospital which is an extremely high tech facility. They operated on me immediately.
Afterwards they thought that I had pinched a nerve in my right arm. It felt paralyzed. The impact, pulled the nerves controlling my arm out of my spine. There were 670 muscles that these nerves fed and it was impossible to line them all up again. There were only two options: amputation or to take 2 of the 7 nerves in my rib cage that control breathing and attach them to my arm. Since you only need 5 to breathe, they transferred one into my bicep and one into my shoulder. My bicep and shoulder worked but I had, and still have substantial loss in strength. The doctors told me that, one day, I may be able to drink glass of water again using my right arm. The doctors said it would take a year and to forget about any thoughts of riding a motorcycle ever again.
But I was very determined to be world or U.S. champ…and I said to them, “I’m gong to prove you wrong.”
I went to specialist in New Zealand to see what the chances were that I could regain my arm strength. They confirmed the previous opinion that it was absolutely impossible to recover enough to ride again. I went out of there in tears…totally devastated.
So I began going to the pool and gym. I thought that if I could just pump blood into my arm I could get it to come around. After about a year it slowly started to work. At first I had to lift my hand onto the handlebar but I started racing again. But my hand would slip off the bar. I really struggled to start racing again but I kept at it.
After I had been racing again, I went back to hospital to see the staff again. The whole hospital shut down. All the surgeons and everyone could not believe it. They were asking me what I did to make it work. When I first started working out, when I would breath my arm would move! I literally had to reprogram my brain. I I did a lot of cardiovascular work.



Q: So after your amazing recovery from the accident, how did you decide to come to the US?
A: I was at a real turning point before the accident…I had just signed with the Yamaha team with good equipment and had a great chance to winning a championship. I am proud to have gotten to that point because not many from New Zealand had succeeded in world scene to that level. I was one of first to open the door.
After my car accident my goals were simply to qualify and score points…and begin to get back.what I had accomplished. I actually won the Czechoslovakian SX Championship in 2003, and the Scandinavian SX Championship in 2004 and in 2005. That was the last time I raced motocross.
Of course I was extremely grateful that I could still race and do what I love, but I was frustrated cause I could win points in World SX but without my full arm strength I could not win a championship. I lost a lot of muscle strength. I found that the forces on the street were a lot easier to deal with than on dirt. So I tried Supermoto and I found that I could manage pretty well doing that. The difference in having fewer and smaller jumps made a huge difference in my ability to ride at a competitive level with my arm. I felt that I could still achieve my goal in Supermoto.
On top of that, I met my wife in Indy and wanted to start a new life with her. I also knew that the U.S. series was not quite the level of competition that it has grown to in Europe and in long run it would be possible to be a factory rider which was ultimately my dreams. So I saw the AMA Supermoto series as my perfect way back into competition.



Q: And what have you accomplished prior to this season in AMA Supermoto?
A: In my first season I finished 6th in the series and last year, I was leading in the points all the way to final race. I was leading the final race on the final corner of the final lap and Mickey Dymond made an extremely aggressive, very controversial pass on me, putting me into a hay bale and I lost the championship. The good that came out of it is that the incident created a lot great press for me which kind of introduced me to the U.S. scene and as a result, I have one of the best rides there is with the Aprilia Team. Things happen for a reason and I’m extremely happy with the way things are going.

Q: We’ve seen you moving up in the Unlimited Class rankings on the Aprilia SXV 550. How is the season going so far?
A: Well, we’ve had all the issues that come with putting a new team together and I knew it would be a challenge. Right now…all the right pieces are there we just have to put them together to make them work. We work really hard getting the Aprilia brand out there and there is probably no one better suited to do what we’re doing. The first bikes were early production and we’re getting them where we need to be. The last race should have been our first but we got a bit of a late start in the season. Denver is coming up and we’ve been really working hard for a podium to finish off season. And next year to win the championship. With the results we’re getting now and without the stumbles in the first rounds…we’d be leading the championship. I have a bit to prove and that keeps me motivated to compete on all levels every day.
And to have the Aprilia fans and enthusiasts behind me makes it even more rewarding.

Q: Tell us about the SXV and how it is to ride?
A: Well the SXV style and look and sound is really in league of its own. We already have a great product developed that customers will love to get a hold of and we’re further improving performance everyday. As far as performance wise…in beginning the bike seems more technical but once you understand it, its actually easier to work with than any other moto on the market. Since its fuel injected, you can change mapping in a matter of seconds. We have things to develop and we’re doing that. We are working to put a package together that is even better for American tracks (tend to be tighter, more dirt and more jumps than European Supermoto). For consumers, street or whatever…you can’t get a better bike.
We’re working to develop the bits for ultimate performance. I want to open the door for everyone to have the same bike I’m racing. As far as frame and geometry…Aprilia is a racing company…it really designed a Supermoto specific bike. Every other brand designs motocross bike and makes it a supermoto bike. The frame, brakes, swingarm and everything are made specific to the bike for Supermoto.

Q: The AMA will not currently allow the SXV (mulit-cylinders) into the Supermoto 450 class. What is their reasoning and will we see the bike in next year’s 450 championship along with the Unlimited Class?
A: Well…their reasoning is that they think 2 cylinders are better than one. Perhaps they are correct. Right now we have to continue developing the bike. I think the Japanese manufacturers are afraid because they know this bike is the future. It’s a fuel injected twin and they’re they’re afraid. Right now, we can only ride the 550 in the Unlimited Class.
I believe, from my communication with the AMA…we will be able to ride next season… at least that’s what I’ve heard verbally. I think it would be really silly not to let the SXV 450 into the 450 class. Aprilia is supporting the sport, they’ve sponsored 2 events in US…they’re really behind the sport. I hope the AMA sees that.
Think how ridicules it is not to let us race. The amount of attention at first 5 races is amazing and its all good for the sport. I hope the AMA looks past the other things and says its good for the sport and makes it acceptable.

Q: What are your goals for the remainder of the 2006 Unlimited Class season?
A: Our goal…well we have 5 races left, we’re halfway. Our goal is to make a professional effort to make top finishes. There’s still a lot of points to get and we will hopefully make the podium. And to continue developing the bike to make it even better for the public. Of course would like to have a win but for sure several podiums.

Q: What do you do to relax when you’re not racing motorcycles?
A: Well you know I manage the team and race. It takes a lot of my time. I run two businesses, Ben and Eric Bostrum’s, Boz Bros deal with Parts Unlimited and I’m the Sales Manager for ASTERISK Knee Braces. I am fortunate to have a lot of assistance in the work which is good for me or I wouldn’t be able to race…but its really hard to find time. I really enjoy spending time with my wife at the beach or traveling around to see family. America is land of opportunity…I came to America with not a lot and now I have so many options.


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