Warren Monson will be defending the coveted FIM Speedway Sidecar World Cup and FIM Oceania Speedway Sidecar Championships this weekend at Gillman, but there is more to the man than meets the eye. We caught up the reigning champ to discuss how he is a motorcycle race technician by trade and a Speedway Sidecar World Champion on the weekends.

How long have you been a motorcycle race technician? Who have you worked with/for?

“I’ve been a race technician since 1998 and worked with Mick Kelly for years, winning a 250 Production Championship. I’ve also gone on to work with Phil Tainton in 2005 with Shawn Giles. I then collaborated with Troy Herfoss and Wayne Maxwell. Then there was the big move to Yamaha with Wayne in 2015. Now I’m back with Suzuki this year in the ASBK Championship.

“I’ve worked with Phil Tainton for a long time and worked on multiple bikes including Honda, Yamaha and Suzuki machinery. I built Josh Waters bike last year but I wasn’t his race technician over the weekends, I was actually with Yamaha Racing Team with Wayne.”

At the end of 2017 you went from Yamaha to Suzuki, but for some of that time you were working on Suzuki’s by weekday and Yamaha over the weekend. How difficult was it to swap between the two? 

“It wasn’t that difficult to split between the Yamaha and Suzuki all the time. I tried my best no matter what bikes I was working on.”

This weekend we have the FIM World cup and FIM Oceania at Gillman where you will be defending your 2017 wins. Talk us through what kind of travel this will entail for you.

“My sidecar lives in Mildura with my parents. I generally fly to Mildura, work on the bike then drive to Gillman for racing. I generally fly, because if I drove I would have no time to work on the bike. It’s important to have as much time as you can to improve your machine.

How do you go splitting your time between being a mechanic and Speedway Sidecar Competitor?

“I’ve been a mechanic and Speedway competitor for years. Sometimes one of these suffer with how busy it gets, but you try as hard as you can.”

Now the superstition of green, do you have to wear green or is it that you can’t have any green on you? 

“I just don’t like green on the sidecar for some reason. It came from the really early days. I won’t wear green jocks, I won’t wear green nothing!

Now 12 broken bones and less than half of them come from motorcycling. Where are these coming from? 

“Just from stupidity really, such as dropping logs on my foot! Back when I was working in Mildura, a four-wheeler hit me in the leg and broke it.

How are you preparing for the FIM World Cup and FIM Oceania Event?

“I haven’t ridden on a Sidecar for nearly two months, I will be running in the Super Series in Adelaide so this will be the first time I’m riding since I broke my arm. There is still a little bit of pain but I’ll be fine.

You will be up against the UK’s Champion’s Mark Cossar / Carl Blyth. How challenging will they be as opposition? 

“I’ve ridden against Mark Cossar / Carl Blyth before and he will be one to watch. I’m really looking forward to competing and attempting to defend the title at this weekend’s events at Gillman.