Tuesday Conversation: Stevie Bonsey

One year ago, Stevie Bonsey was riding for the DeGraaf Aprilia team in the 125cc world championship, but he lost his Grand Prix slot in the financial crisis. Two weekends ago, he was out at the Springfield TT and Mile events, returning to his roots and earning his AMA Pro Flat Track number. Shortly after his first GNC mile, we sat down with Bonsey and discussed his current situation and what he plans to be doing this time next year.

RRX: What have you been up to since last season ended?
Stevie Bonsey: I’ve been hanging out, motocrossing, and getting back to the normal kid life—going to the lake, hanging out with friends, and training just in case anything pops up. I’m doing any dirt track races that I can, but it’s been really relaxed. I’ve been having fun getting back to my roots.

On Saturday you earned your flat track national number, which is a pretty big deal. Can you talk about what it takes to get something like that?
A couple of weeks ago I didn’t even think I was going to be coming to Springfield. The AMA talked to me and asked if I wanted to do some dirt track. They said I could ride the XR750 on the mile and the 450 on the TT. I said, “Find me a bike, and I’ll do it.” They found me a ride, and so here I am. On Saturday I was probably more nervous than anyone on the grid. I was lining up next to Chris Carr, and I’ve been watching him since I was a kid—I always idolized him. It finally made my dream come true, chasing him around the race track in the TT. I got tenth, so I earned my national number.

Can you go through the TT race and how it felt for you?
It was something a little different than what I’m used to. They have three practices that are timed, which was kind of a bad deal for me—I got screwed in all three practice sessions because of prepping the track every five races; I always ended up in the sessions right before track-prep, so I didn’t get fresh track. Everybody else got really fast times. I had a lot of fast guys in my heat, so I was really nervous. I got a good start from the second row and people were pressuring me when I was in fourth, but I just stuck it out and ended up in the main—no semis or anything. Coming into the main, I was really nervous—on the second row on the outside. That’s the place you don’t want to be because if anything happens it’s going to hit you. I gunned it and went for the outside line and everyone else went inside, so I railed around the outside. I was holding seventh or eighth, following Carr, and he started moving up so I just chased him. I stayed consistent, using my road racing skills in the right-handers and kept it in the top ten.

How was your first mile event?
I started from the back row, so I had everything to gain from that race and everything was going good. I was happy to make it into the main, to tell you the truth, and I wasn’t expecting anything. I got a good start—I was fourteenth—and I just started moving up from there. About five laps into it, I started slowing down and dropping back. Everybody was blowing by me; I couldn’t make any drafts. It started sprinkling, and they eventually decided to red-flag it. I was getting raindrops on my helmet and they still weren’t doing anything about it, so I was getting a little bit nervous. Fired the bike back up for the restart and it started knocking, so I just called it quits. I didn’t need to go out there and tie up a bike in the middle of a pack and have everybody yard sale behind me. It was good for my first mile on a 750.

You mentioned road racing, and here you are at a major flat track event. Which of the two disciplines do you prefer?
I like to race, to be honest I could probably adapt to cars because I love the adrenalin of racing. Of course I love dirt track and road racing, but I just love the speed and the danger of it. Racing, roller coasters, it doesn’t matter whatever it is. Road racing has definitely helped me with dirt track. I didn’t think it would help me on the mile, but it has…. On Saturday night [at the TT], it definitely helped me going into the right-hander. I could flick it in and get right back on the gas. I don’t know which I like better; I just like to race.

You’re still not racing full-time. What are you doing to get a job next year?
Since I don’t have anything going on right now, I’m kind of broke. I like to get the side jobs like the X Games this year in Supermoto. I’ve already talked to [Mack Daddy Racing owner] George Mack, and he said anytime I want to race, I can, so it’s not like I’m struggling to find stuff to do. If I want to do this stuff, I can do it. With dirt track, it’s hard to make a living out of it. You’ve got to live back here in the Midwest; you can’t be traveling back and forth. It’s tough. Road racing is where it’s at, and if I don’t get a ride this year, hopefully I can do some wildcards and stay fresh and ready to go.

Do you feel like you have to stay out in the public eye so people don’t forget you?
Stuff like this is definitely helping—coming out to my first national dirt track event, making the national, and getting top-ten in the TT is huge. They posted on MotoGP.com that I was coming here to do my first national. Any press is good press; getting my name out there in front of the MotoGP guys keeps my name in their minds and so hopefully if they need a rider, they know I’m here.