There is something to be said for dedication and determination. Thomas Sileika has both of these by the bucket load, and when it runs short, he runs up the mountain for some more. At the beginning of his debut season in the 125cc motocross class, the Latvian youngster knows that the landscape as far is the opposition is concerned might be somewhat different from what he has experienced till now on the 85cc bikes. Whereas he was one of the bigger riders in the class in his last year on the smaller bike, he now suddenly finds himself in a junior position again, facing up against riders with beards made of steel wool.
He is gutsy, too, setting off on the long road to Italy in search of quality opposition. To take on the Italians on home soil is … well … brave. Just ask anyone who ever tried to invade the Roman Empire in times of yore. Still, mountains are there to climb and Thomas was up to the challenge. So much so, that by round 2 of the series at Malagrotta, he had gathered enough steam to charge to victory on his KSM – sponsored KTM.
The third round of the series at Arco, however, was to be a different kettle of fish altogether. Firstly, a whole phalanx of riders of riders entered for the event, much more than at the previous races that were maybe just a tad too far away for many homeboys. Secondly, the track was unlike anything that Thomas had ever ridden on. It was hard. Concrete-mixed-with-titanium-
Despite battling with the conditions, he managed to eke himself into the top ten in his qualifying group – ninth to be exact. His start was also not made of fairy dust and gold shavings, either, and he had to fight his way back from a mid-pack position. He scrambled into the top 10 after a few laps, and advanced as high as ninth, but a mistake near the end cost him two positions and he finally finished 11th.
Coming into the event, Thomas was in third position in the championship standings. He was always mindful of this, for a good overall finish in the championship would go a long way towards making all the time and money spent and kilometres travelled worthwhile. The less than stellar first race result had put him under a whole heap of pressure, though, and the second outing would have to be substantially better if he were to make something of this race day.
He may have a boyish, camera-friendly face, but once he’s donned his motocross gear, Thomas is made of stern stuff. This time he rocketed into seventh position off the start. The battle up front is of course all the fiercer as compared to the fight further behind, much as a mountain becomes steeper the nearer the top you get. Thomas gave as good as he got, and piloted his orange machine home in 6th position, for a good handful of points.
In our previous report we mentioned that the Italian series has a curious points regime, with the front runners being favoured to an inordinate fashion. This kept Thomas down to a fairly disappointing 8th position overall on the day. We say disappointing, from his point of view, because in the mind of a charger, anything less than the top is disappointing. He was the first non-Italian home, though. Moreover, with permutations being what they are, he had collected enough points to actually jump a position in the final championship standings, hoisting him to second.
There was much cause for happy thoughts on the long trip home. The trip had been an adventure in itself, the kind of which most teenage boys dream about. The credit side was stacked to the brim – a heap of experience gained, confidence bolstered, new friendships forged, and a large bit of silverware marking him as the Italian vice-champion.
ITALIAN CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS
Qualifying
Race 1
Race 2
Overall
Championship