The English girl who now resides in Oklahoma talks about her career.
The English girl who now resides in Oklahoma talks about her career.
Me: How’s everything going with the new house? What’s Jimmy Albertson’s 2014 plan of attack?
Georgia Lindsay: Plan of attack in 2014 is in full motion as we speak. I just drove back from Arkansas, meeting with a guy. And actually he’s going to be quite a big part of the team this year which is going to be good. We’re not those kind of people that do the secret talking, but we’re getting a team together. We’re working with a guy from Arkansas and getting a semi and getting everything pretty nailed in as of this week. Stuff is looking really, really good. I’m excited.
You did a lot of the announcing for the GPs for a couple years.
I did Supermoto for a few years and then motocross, so a few years.
And now over here you helped out with the live track announcing for the Nationals. Did you enjoy it?
Oh my gosh, I honestly had so much fun this year doing the announcing. I guess with announcing you get a lot more freedom and you get to say stuff that you want to say and stuff that you know. Obviously I’ve done the television before but television you get your 30 seconds to interview this one guy about a question which people are trying to push you to ask, whether you want to or not. Whereas announcing you’re back and forth with whether it’s Rodney (Tomlin) or Rob (Buydos) or Tim (Cotter) or whatever, and it’s good fun. I’m a motocross fan. At the end of the day anyone that sees me standing in the mechanics area, I’m normally shouting about something. It’s good fun. I had a really good time and I enjoy it a lot.
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The Albertson’s hanging out. LIssimore photo |
Did it pay okay? Did it make it so you could go to the races?
The last couple years I’ve done a few interviews for Racer X. That whole time the plan from the start was come and do some videos for Racer X. And it kind of turned into a couple more videos for Racer X, a video for Alli Sports, and then they finally said, could you do the announcing too? It pays my way to the races, but this year flights were just so ridiculously expensive that sometimes I wouldn’t even break even if I’d gone. There are a few races I didn’t go to. But at the end of the day it’s something I really enjoy and I want to further.
The problem with the Racer X videos is you were good at it so they kept asking you. That’s how those things happen. I’ve been there…
I don’t want to be that person that’s like, “oh poor me.” Obviously TV pays a ton more money, a ton more. And you do a quarter of the work or less than you would if you were doing announcing. However honestly if I could choose and money wasn’t involved I would definitely choose to do announcing. I had fun. And when you’re having to watch all the races you get into. You fully get into the races. It was really good fun.
I always thought that when I saw you and I talked to you a whole bunch at the races, how weird it was that you were heading to the races and your injured husband was sitting at home on the couch.
It did seem weird because he came to Millville and I’m like, what are you doing here? This is my thing, dude, come on. It sucks for him. I’ll give him a text during the day or whatever while the races are going on. He was either at the time training, riding and hadn’t watched the races and he’d want to know what was going on. But he’s easy and cool and he’s like, “have fun,” but deep down he’s like, “I wish that was me. I wish I was going.” But at the end of the day if I could have some money and I’m doing something that I enjoy then he’s all for it.
You were all set to do the TV last year and you got Wally Pipp’ed. Are you bitter? Are you mad? (Ed note: You can read this HERE to find out what that means but basically Georgia was all set to do TV but her green card didn’t show up in time, NBC went with other pit reporters and LIndsay never got her job back. She was Wally Pipp’ed)
I would be mad, and naming no names, there are a few people that they went with and had done the TV that upset me because I knew I knew more, and I knew I could do a good job. And I’m never that person that’s like, “oh, I’m good at this.” I really felt that way. Plus I want to be able to show them that I know this. With Kelly Stavast, she’s great. She’s really good at it. She’s a really nice girl. She’s totally with it. She’s not like a dumb, blonde chick. I’m happy for her. She is such a nice girl. The last few Nationals we worked together. If something happened, like I forgot about Utah and I was supposed to do it from on the track. I went and told her and then she would tell the TV people or vice versa. So we kind of work together. Although I would love the TV money.
It sucks because you were set to do that and you would have done a great job at it. You were fantastic in the GPs. Only because immigration and all that stuff that it didn’t work out and then you lost your spot like Wally Pipp.
I kind of shot myself in the foot but without meaning to. I didn’t fully understand. From my perspective I was being told, “it’ll be here, it’ll be here” and I gave my lawyer the date of the race instead of when I needed it by. As far as I knew she knew that and we were good to go, no matter what. Even the Friday of Hangtown she was giving the impression it will be in an email or something. I never fully understood it so I guess that’s my bad on that one. I kind of shot myself in the foot but it wasn’t anything that could be helped. And it is what it is. Oh well, everything happens for a reason and I didn’t get to do it but I’ll do whatever I can do, which is why I want to do stuff all the time.
The attitude you had, some people with what happened to you would say, “Eff off, everybody, take your live announcing and very low money and stick it.” And then you would never, ever get a shot. The bridge would be burned. I think you’re taking the best possible route to maybe one day do some TV. You’re like, hey, I’ll do the live announcing, I’ll help you out with Racer X vides, I’ll do whatever I can and I’m not going to complain and I’m going to do a good job at it.” Down the road that may be rewarded.
I agree. I’ve also learned this year, before I was all about wanting to do TV because I thought that that was the best thing I could do. But after this year and doing the announcing I realized that just because it doesn’t get you on TV you can still have just as much fun and be able to do what you want to do. On the sidelines of the track we need information. But I really enjoy doing that kind of stuff. It kind of shows me different sides of the announcing whereas before I just did TV. Opened my eyes to other things that are fun to do.
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Georgia Lindsay did a whole bunch of videos for Racer X this past year. Photo courtesy of Racer X |
People think I have a dream job and you have the dream job, but it’s a lot of work at Nationals. What I’m doing, and what you’re doing too. Neither one of us stop all day, no intermission, no nothing. It’s just boom, boom, boom.
I didn’t do Unadilla because that was an expensive one, but the other ones that were far away, I was sharing with Jen (Kenyon) my room, the MX Sports media girl, we were getting up at 5:30. You grab stuff, you go to the track, you get there because we have meetings before the riders meeting, and then you have a little bit of a break and practice starts. As soon as practice starts you’re on the go. Like you said there’s no time to sit down and eat because you’re not a 250 guy or a 450 guy or man-friend or whatever. You’re covering a lot. There is no downtime. And that’s fine. I like being busy and I like doing all of that. I think it’s the lack of sleep that you get over three days straight. I wouldn’t choose to do anything else but it’s not easy. You’re constantly having to chase people down and you feel bad about it sometimes and sometimes you’re like, well, this is my job, I’ve got to do it.
I have to laugh because you can’t deny that when you interview Ken Roczen or Marvin Musquin there is a sparkle in your eye.
I love those guys!
It’s ok, you go back with those Euros, they love you, you love the Euros. They’re friendly guys, they’re nice dudes. And there’s a little more hop in your step.
Okay, if you were to interview Timmy Ferry, it would be ten times as much as me interviewing Ken Roczen.
I agree. That’s why I understand.
Everybody knows what Ken Roczen is like. I see those guys, and Mathilde Musquin, Marvin’s wife. The first thing they do when they come up they give me a hug, and they’re like, “Hey, Georgia!” because they know me as well. They’re really good; you can grab them at any moment and they’ll talk to you. I remember I did an interview with Ken Roczen and it was after Millville and then he did an interview with you and he was probably nice about everything. That’s how he is. This is no bashing anyone but there are some people that are very righteous about themselves in the respect of, no, I’m too important to speak to you right now and I have holier things to do. And that’s fair enough, if someone is hurt or someone’s having a bad race and they’re in tears, crying or something. I understand. But there are some people that kind of give it a righteous “I’m too good for your time right now.”
It’s a joy to interview them and ask for their time. They’re always very great. Have they changed at all since you were in Europe? Are they the same guys?
Yeah. Ken’s more American, but that was going to happen no matter what. I remember at GPs, that was where I had a relationship with him was he was fun to be around all the time and was that guy that joked around. I could do interviews with him. There was one point where during the GPs, it was the year he won MX2 championship that year, I was interviewing a lot on the start line. And the GPs, something’s have to be quite spontaneous on the TV side of things. I’d be able to walk up to him without any warning, without any planning, just go and grab him. No matter what he was doing, or who he was talking to, if he was talking to Stefan Everts about something, he’d drop it and do the interview. I think at the GPs they actually sign a contract from YouthStream saying that no matter what you have to do these interviews. I remember there was one time I tried to talk to Clement Desalle on a live race and he turned me down and he had to come and apologize about it. His team had to make him apologize because it’s something you have to do. I think it helps a lot. Ken’s a likable guy. Marvin’s a likable guy. They enjoy it as much as we do.
What do you like about the US Nationals better than GPs and what do you like about GPs better than Nationals, if anything?
Good question. This is a six of one, half-dozen of the other kind of things. GPs everything’s very organized and they spend all week putting up structures. I’m not talking about banners; I’m talking structures. There’s a pit lane with two stories and the Monster Energy thing, all of this stuff. It’s very, very structured. You can go, you can’t go here. It’s very like that. Which is cool because it gives it that glamorous look of a moto GP type thing. However I really like the way the USA outdoors aren’t so much like that. It’s more of a dirt bike race as opposed to trying to make it look like a road race. I guess I’m from Europe so I’ve been to a lot of road races. I kind of like that more raw feeling of an outdoor national.
So pit setup and the way the race is structured and things like that?
Yeah. Obviously they say that motocross is bigger in America overall but if you go to a lot of the races you’ll get people in Europe come in really and enjoy going to the races. A lot more Europeans get a lot more hammered. It’s Red Bud times two, that’s like an average GP. Chainsaws, bike engines being just revved in the pits at 3:00 am. It’s a lot more of a party in England almost.
Also, you’re there all day Friday, Saturday, Sunday-you’re at the track.
Yeah, that is one thing I love about the outdoors. You’re actually home more than you’re at a race, whereas GPs you’re at a race more than you’re at home. GPs guys practice once in the week and that’s it, because they get back on a Monday and they’ll ride maybe Tuesday or Wednesday, maybe both, then Thursday off and the race Friday. It’s a lot more traveling, it’s a lot more being away. Just the general traveling in Europe is 100 times more stressful than it is in America.
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LIndsay was the live-announcer pit reporter at this summer’s nationals. Photo by Lissimore |
Do you like living in America?
Yes. I love Oklahoma now. I absolutely love it.
We’re both foreigners living in America. For me, there’s good and bad. I don’t love everything about being here. It’s great, but I don’t love everything. Are you the same way?
No. I do love it and I love Oklahoma. People in Oklahoma are awesome. I don’t care what people say; Oklahoma people are the greatest. They’re such great people here, which is awesome. I miss in England, and I don’t know if it’s like this in Canada, but in England you have you little old parts and you have history and you can walk down a street. You don’t have to drive from a Starbucks to a Chili’s. You can walk around towns and go into shops and walk around and park your car. In the Northeast I guess there are some places like that, but the majority of America there’s no sense of a town. It’s kind of just a spread out, amount of massive manufacturers, big shop things. I dislike that a lot. But I do really like the people here. There are some really nice, pretty places. Even Oklahoma right now is pretty.
I don’t really like people from Oklahoma because Robbie Reynard beat Timmy at Loretta’s.
(Laughs) That’s the other thing about Oklahoma is we have the pretty good riders here. My life is based around being at a dirt bike track. Even Jimmy last night said, “you don’t really have any hobbies, do you? You don’t go to the gym…” And I’m like, when would I have the time to have a hobby? I don’t.
Did any racers hit on you this summer thinking you were broken up with Jimmy and you were now at the races by yourself?
No, but that would be awesome. There was one time, it was the race Jimmy was at, it was after Barcia and Trey came up for the podium thing. This is like me working with the TV. Someone said to me, do they need Justin for TV? And I was like, I don’t know, hang on a minute. So I went and found the TV guys and I was like, do you need Justin? And they said no. So I went up to Justin and I said, “I don’t think they need anything more from you.” And he was like, “Well, you’re married, I don’t need anything from you.” People can say that to me, I feel like.
Our friend Moser thinks it’s disgraceful that any American would ride for Team Puerto Rico in the Motocross of Nations, How do you feel about that?
This is the words of the team manager from Puerto Rico “We are American, we have American barcode. We are American!” That’s what he said, and then he’ll hold his passport up and he’ll whack it on his hand and do his Puerto Rican accent thing in American. He’s like, “ We’re Americano!” Tell Moser to bugger off. You’re getting a free holiday. If he wants to pay for our tickets, then that’s fine.
I think that’s about it…
You don’t want to ask me about my clutch-changing abilities?
You changed a clutch? The whole thing, the plates and everything?
Everything, the plates. I did the lot, everything. I used to watch Jimmy do it last year when we were living in California. And then I helped kind of, parts in different places or whatever. The other day he needed it changed, and it’s been insane. Jimmy leaves the house at 8:00 and gets back at 8:00. I’ve got my parents here right now but we normally spend 12 hours at the shop every day. He’s right now as we speak building his bike from scratch. It’s a farm on a stand right now. I wash his bike every day. I dry his bike off.
Can’t Greg, Jimmy’s brother, do that?
No, Greg goes “if you give me $20 I’ll wash it.” Greg’s helpful with things like, Jimmy’s a really good mechanic but if it’s something Jimmy’s not sure of it’s really good to have Greg there because he can be like, hey, can you either watch me do it or show me how to do it. Like I said he’s building his bike by himself right now. I do little things. I try and help out putting grips on, doing the clutch, the hard job for me helping Jimmy is the fact that the gas things, when they fill up with gas when they’re full they’re really heavy. That’s a big deal.
So you’re planning on going to all the races next year Supercross-wise with the team?
Yes. I would love to still do some Racer X stuff or do some interviews as much as you can at Supercross. I still want to do that. But I think I’m going to work with the team quite a lot and help those guys out. I’m not really sure, like I said, it’s all kind of happening right now. If things come out how we want them to be and we can get the people on board that we want then it will be really good.
Who do you cheer for at Des Nations? Do you cheer for England or USA?
England, I think.
I can cheer for Canada or USA. I feel good; I can pick and choose, and that’s fun. I’m allowed to do that.
