Troy Bezuidenhout could have left the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli disheartened after being ruled unfit to take part in round four of the European Junior Cup, but the 15 year old used the extra time off track in the paddock to strengthen his relationship between several sponsors and discuss further his plans for 2017 and beyond.
Commentating on stage at the WorldSBK Paddock Show, meeting fans at the Meet ‘n’ Greet sessions as well as dining with sponsors allowed Troy to hone his media skills both at the circuit and in the town of Cattolica a few miles from the track.
Bezuidenhout also received some great advice from World Superbike race winner and former MotoGP Champion Nicky Hayden who was present at the chat show in the EJC village. A confident Troy was one of only a handful of Junior Cup riders who put forward a question to the 2016 Sepang race two winner.
Looking ahead with optimism following his impressive early season pace, #52 will be back on track for the final races, starting at the Lausitzring in Germany in a couple of months time with the objective to still finish inside the top 6 in the overall standings.
Troy Bezuidenhout – Into The Blue Diving Honda: “This weekend I was unable to race due to an incident at Donington Park where through no fault of my own I fractured my radius. I was declared unfit on Thursday afternoon so was bitterly disappointed but that is racing. Even though I never raced I learnt a lot from staying in the paddock. I got some great advice from many racers such as Nicky Hayden who understands what it is like to come back from injury. I was also right by some of my friends in the EJC to support them during the weekend. I would like to thank my mom and dad for all their support through the entire weekend as it was quite emotional for us all on Thursday, Michael who helped me promote myself while off the track, Ray from Held Australia who gave me some more valued kit. It was great to also meet some great new people. I will be back in Germany, faster and stronger!”
