RAPID STORIES - MARK
“You only get one life - don’t let excuses get in the way of your dreams.”
At 45, Mark was struck by a severe illness which caused him to rethink his life and pursue his lifelong dream to race motorcycles.
Tell us a bit about your illness.
The illness hit me like a ton of bricks. I lost 4 stone in 4 weeks. Doctors told me it was either Cancer, tuberculosis or Eosinophilic pneumonia. I have to admit I feared the worst but after a week of tests, I was diagnosed with a very rare, very serious, but treatable disease called Eosinophilic Pneumonia.
‘I genuinely thought my life might have been over’
How did the illness change your life?
I knew I had a lucky escape and genuinely thought my life might have been over. I vowed that if I recovered I would live my best life going forward. For me this meant more family time and, a real commitment to follow my dreams. I had always wanted to race motorcycles, but so far life had other plans. Now, nothing was going to stand in my way and I set my goal to achieve my National ACU licence by the time I was 50.
How did you get into racing?
I went to all the Rapid Track days I could and my riding went to another level, the more I attended, the better rider I became. My confidence to ride fast was at an all-time high and within 12 months of my recovery, together with a close friend, we obtained our ACU license and entered a round of endurance racing at Donington Park. We experienced all 4 seasons in one day; we had sun, hail, rain, floods, and all this on a set of Pirelli road tyres with no pit crew to help. Out of 40 teams, we completed the 3 hr race in P35. That was the pivotal moment for me and I wanted more. The next 3 years was full commitment to endurance racing. So starting as a novice, then onto clubman, and when we finished the 2015 season in second place (fast bikes took the honours of first), I had qualified for my National race license, 2 weeks before my 50th birthday.
What advice would you give to other riders thinking about getting into racing?
Stop thinking and just do it. You only get one life - don’t let excuses get in the way of your dreams. And if you want to get there fast, get the best training you can afford.
