Features 11 Sep 2014

Five Questions Why: Callum Spriggs

Yamaha Supersport contender chats to CycleOnline.com.au.

Callum Spriggs is one of Australia’s fastest-rising road race stars, figuring prominently in the Supersport categories in 2014. The Queenslander had been a title favourite after a strong start to his season but had his progress halted by injury at the mid-point and was forced to the sidelines to recover. CycleOnline.com.au caught up with the quietly-spoken Spriggs ahead of the penultimate event on the Swann Series calendar to find the answers to Five Questions Why.

Image: Keith Muir.

Image: Keith Muir.

Why did you choose road racing over motocross?

I’ve always liked the road racing, from watching it on TV and stuff from when I was growing up. My dad’s mate thought I should get into it and have a bit of a go. From there we decided to get an R6 and do a track day on it to see how I went. I really liked it, and was going pretty good at it, and have stuck with it since. And then I was starting to like it more than motocross so that’s why I’ve gone that way. Also Aiden [Wagner] got into it before we started, about six or eight months before me, so that made the decision to do it a bit easier.

Why is it good to be both best mates and racing rivals with Aiden Wagner?

Yeah it’s good, it’s always been good to race with him. But obviously he’s switched teams now so in that sense it’s not the same! I think we’ll probably want to beat each other more, and that will make us more hungry for it. But we’ll still be mates away from the track [laughs].

Why is Yamaha the best package in Supersport?

That’s the only bike I’ve ever ridden to be honest. It seems to be the best bike, the one to be on. I can’t really compare the others to it but when you have all the riders at the front on it it is obviously the bike of choice. YRD is another big part, they’re awesome and a big help. The plan is to stay there, there’s no real reason to change. I’m still learning and getting experience so staying on the same bike would make sense.

Image: Alex Gobert.

Image: Alex Gobert.

Why is it good to race on a mix of tight technical tracks and wide, flowing tracks?

You’ve got different types of tracks and they suit different riders and their way and style of riding. It’s good to have both and have that variety. Some people prefer the tighter tracks, others like the faster tracks. Obviously Phillip Island is the best track we have and that’s my favourite, so I prefer its style. Wakefield this weekend is kind of shorter and more technical. I’m not really a fan but I’ll ride anywhere.

Why does it suck to sit on the sidelines with injury?

Not being able to ride, and losing points, is the worst part. Watching from the sidelines and watching people battling it out there is hard, and not being there means you’re not getting the experience. In terms of my injury I was losing a lot of points not racing, and that was hard because I was doing so well. It’s going to be hard to try to get back up there in the points but hopefully I can mix it up in the next two rounds. The injury is healed, so it doesn’t hurt on the bike or anything. Hopefully I can push to 100 percent again this weekend.

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