Pubtalk in Lommel

In Lommel, a city in the Northwest of Belgium near the border with Holland, lays a populair MX track. Walking by I can hear a hub of excitement from one of the garages. It sounds more like a pub but no alcohol is served. Jeffrey is relaxed and his crew is following his lead; jokes are flying back and forwards. The relaxed atmosphere is telling of future plans and outlooks of the already successful team. There is a positive flow surrounding everything. “What are the lap times like?” he asks one of the mechanics. Working a tiny laptop with hands that are much too big he answers. ‘The times are good, really good! Using their system, the men are able to see when he changes gears and even the amount of revs the big 450 gets up to at different places on the track. Numbers are being called out. “Is that a lot?”, he asks curiously. And yes, they are remarkable. The information is transferred to a small box. “Attach that to my body when I am home in the bedroom”, he laughs out loud, while he mimes the oldest move in the world. “At home I am always in sixth gear, limiter full on”. Everyone laughs, without hesitation. When Jeffrey talks, everyone is quiet.

‘Jeffrey the giant’ ultimately decides how, what and when things happen. He is the man because he has to perform. In these moments it appears, a king is just another human being. He is funny and with great ease switches between English and his self-made Belgium dialect. “Allee”, he says to Joel Smets. “Where was the coach? I was here at 8.30 in the morning.” Joel laughs, genuinely. Two patiently waiting KTM’s are speaking to the imagination. The WP blokes quickly and professionally change the bikes fork whilst the team mechanics get the canon ready for the next session. I follow him for another few laps and am amazed again. One thing I know for sure…