SON OF MX LEGEND ENJOYS
THE KIWI EXPERIENCE
F
by Andy McGechan, BikesportNZ.com
rom the moment Belgium’s Liam Everts
decided to follow in his father’s wheel-
tracks, it has possibly been quite a pressure-
cooker environment for him, particularly
so in the European hot-bed of the sport.
As offspring of the world’s most-decorated
motocross Grand Prix rider, 10-time world
champion Stefan Everts, the eyes of the dirt bike
world were always going to be fixed on him.
So a trip to far-off New Zealand, to train
under the guidance of Stefan Everts’ friend
and former GP rival Ben Townley, must
have sounded like a pretty good idea.
“I’ve done a couple of similar training experiences,
one with a Japanese rider and also with some
Australian kids. It’s something I’ve been building
on to create options for them,” said Townley.
“Liam does a lot of riding all over Europe
but for him to travel away from home and
have the benefit of being able to ride while
Europe is in its winter is a good thing.
“It’s a good time of the year for him to come
over and do some racing. He arrived at the end
of September and, in total, he’ll be here for three
months. He’ll be here (in NZ) until Christmas.
“He’s got nine races to go to in an 11-week period.
“He raced the MX Fest at Taupo and he’s
got regional events like the Waikato Champs
and then the Auckland Champs to do as
well. Then he’ll also race a few club days.
“Liam races the 85cc class in Europe and he
raced at the Junior World Championships this year.
He’s not top of the tree, that’s for sure, but it’s
definitely in his blood [to be a top rider one day].
His grand-father (four-time world champion Harry
Everts) was very good and his dad was very good.
“The potential is ingrained in him really, but
he certainly has a lot of work to do. He finished
just top 15 at the Junior Worlds, so it gives
you some idea of the depth in Europe.”
The 13-year-old Liam Everts has certainly
enjoyed his visit to New Zealand so far.
“It’s been a good time. The tracks are
very different though,” said Everts.
“At home we have a lot of sand tracks. I thought
the Taupo track (venue for MX Fest at Labour
Weekend) was really nice, although my bike
broke for the last moto.
“The main thing I’ve learned while I’ve been here
in New Zealand has been my foot positioning.
My foot was sticking out too much in the corners.
I’ve got it sorted now and I feel more comfortable.
It’s helped me improve my cornering speed.”
Everts lined up for the 12-16 years’ 85cc class at
MX Fest and, although he could only finish three
of the four races, he managed fifth overall for the
day, the class won by Ashburton’s Ben Wall, with
Matamata’s Brodie Connolly finishing runner-up.