Just before Christmas the news broke that MX2 front-runner Kale Makeham had signed on as Team Motul Suzuki’s second rider alongside the imposing force of Matt Moss. The 21-year-old Victorian had a bit of a form slump last year, but if his enthusiasm and excitement at been given this opportunity is anything to go by, Makeham could claim some scalps in 2015. We forced Makeham over while he drove home from a hard day’s riding in the heat to get the inside word.

Image: Marc Jones.

Well the word’s out now that you’ve signed with Team Motul Suzuki for this year. How did that all come about?

Yeah, I’m really happy mate. Last year I put the word out there that I wanted a 450 ride – I was going to do it no matter what – but it got a bit of interest. I talked to a few people, but my number one option was Jay Foreman’s Motul Suzuki team. I’ve always admired him, the team and the way they do business. Having Matt as a teammate was also a big plus. The second seat at the team had a few different people linked to it, so there was a bit of stress at the time, but to end up with that team and on that bike is the best case scenario for me. When I drove up and picked the bike up, man, you couldn’t wipe the smile from my face. You still can’t, actually!

How have you settled into the new machine? Has the change to a larger machine been difficult at all?

Actually, it’s been a really smooth transition considering I’d never ridden a 450. I was a bit nervous beforehand, but I felt so good on it straight away, and that’s a huge credit to Matt, Jay and the Suzuki team. I felt like I was ready to go racing straight away and it’s only going to get better from here. We haven’t started testing yet; we’ll start that in a few weeks, make a few changes here and there, and start working on my technique. I haven’t ridden the bike on a super-rough track yet, so we’ll work on getting the suspension set up for those conditions, as the MX1 races are always a lot rougher than the MX2 ones.

That’s going to be a big change for you too, stepping up from MX2 to MX1.

I’m really looking forward to that. I love changes and I’m getting more excited and hyped up about it as each day goes by. I want to work my butt off leading up to the first round, see where I put myself, then build from there. I’ve got a lot of good people around me and we’ll be solid all year I think.

What are your aims for this year?

I don’t have any big expectations, but I’ve got three or four months to prepare and I’m quietly confident in what I can achieve. Being in the senior class will be a whole new ballgame, but if I put in the work and give myself the best chance to get some good results, we’ll be working from a good platform.

Source: Suzuki.

Last year was a bit of a disappointment as far as results go. What are you doing this year to address that?

I definitely learnt a lot last year, more than any other year in racing, I think. I’ve matured a lot since then and I’ve turned some of my weaknesses into strengths. I’d learnt a bit when things were going good, but when they went south last year it was a whole new area and I learnt how to move through that and turn myself into a compete rider and prepare for whatever gets thrown at me.

What are these setbacks you’re talking about specifically?

I had a few things last year that were unexpected and always seemed to come up when I started making headway again. Before the season began I injured my shoulder and had to have a full reconstruction and all the rehab, then at round one I re-injured it straight away. That got me down and things kinda snowballed from there. I was too hard on myself, everyone expected a lot from me after a great season in 2013, and I went from being the under-dog to being expected to win. That pressure was new to me.

It’s going to be a huge bonus having Matt Moss as your teammate too. He’s pretty much seen it all and will be a great resource for you to tap into.

Definitely. He’s in the US until pretty much round one, but after that we’ll start training together. Being able to watch him and learn from him in the best possible environment is going to be great. It’s funny how it’s all worked out though – when I was 15 or 16 at the Paramatta Supercross Matt took me under his wing and showed me around the Suzuki truck. I was so nervous to step inside the tent and to meet Jay! Being on the team now feels like the whole thing has come full circle.

How was it parting with your mechanic Steve Jones? You’d had some great seasons together.

Yeah we’d basically come from nothing and experienced a lot of cool things together. I’m so thankful to him and our sponsors. It was like a little family that we had and it sucked to move on, but sometimes that’s the way it has to be. Steve will still doing Simmo’s [Jack Simpson] suspension for MX2 this year, so he’ll still be around.

Excellent. Well thanks for the chat Kale. We’ll catch up with you again soon.

Thanks mate!