INTERVIEW: BUILDING A WORLD STANDARD MOTORSPORT COMPARABLE TO ANY IN THE WORLD IS POSSIBLE IN NIGERIA, SAYS THE RIDER.

 

If I can do it and at present have people in almost four states actively participating in competitions across states getting into the sports by merely watching motor racing on television, then anyone can. All it takes is hard work, dedication, and managing all the hustles in life with a dedication to the profession, says Agboola, Ekundayo, popularly known as the Rider.

I asked him to explain how he got into Motorsports. I never really gave the sport of motor racing a thought. I have always enjoyed driving. I can drive all day without tiring. When I watched sports on television, I told my friends that we can not only do what was going on, on television but can do it better. Thereafter, some of my friends came together and decided to give it a try. We saved up money all month, eventually bought bikes, and started practising on our own, and have never looked back since. You know you can be someone who loves bikes or cars just by being able to drive them but to love speed, control the machines, and be dedicated to all that it requires to be a professional, you have to be experienced, physically fit, and bold.

 The Rider, one of the expected participants in the 6^th upcoming Ondo Motorsport has reached the winning pedestal of motorsports. According to him, he is well known now with people always recognizing him wherever he goes. The tale of his life and living speaks volumes of different experiences from having to see his wife always crying that he wants to kill himself from watching him do all the stunts and dangerous riding that the profession demands to investing nearly all his savings to buy new bikes when before the 2021 race, his rider group was disqualified for his group not having uniformed set and was forced after an appeal and uproar by some rivals, he joins in as a lone competitor from which he emerged champion. So, speeding up to reach the epitome of his profession has had to be combined with the daily hustles of holding a regular job as a trucker and keeping the faith as a professional Motorsport athlete. In his unconventional career path, it has been the fact that he has remained a disciple of his rider discipline that has kept him going. After years of rigorous practice, he proudly can say, he is a national racing champion under the aegis of Work and Plays promotions and has found himself racing much ahead of racing drivers.

QUOTES:

“You can be someone who loves bikes or cars just by knowing how to drive and owning it, but to know how to drive is not enough, you have to love speed, be bold, be fit, be dedicated, and you have belief.”

“The profession of Motorsports requires persistent, dedication, keep working hard, being true to yourself and always being yourself and God.”

“Nothing comes easy and there’s no such thing as luck.”

ON HIS JOURNEY SO FAR?

It has been a rollercoaster, to be honest. When I began twenty years ago, I was told that I cannot do it because I had no money. But today, we have a uniformed association I helped form in Ondo State where I am a branch chairman the association is registered with the corporate affairs, and we have branches in Edo, Osun, and Oyo States, including at least two ladies planning to come to display in the coming Ondo State rally. So, I may not have had the desired breakthrough in terms of money and international fame, I have had accidents but I have proven to myself and many others who doubted me that there’s nothing that can’t be done. I have worked with the one-time governor of Osun State; Olagunsoye Onyilola, etc. Thus, from the journey that began with countless appearances begging to be given chance, be selected to participate, searching for sponsorship, meetings so many people for connections, and cold calls, today, when my phone rings, it is often called from those who want me to come and participate in the many events and occasions they see that my skills and talents are required. I thank God.

PERSONAL CHOICES:

FOOD: His favourite food is amala, occasionally rice but with beans. He does not eat more than two times a day. He also likes plenty of fruits and he likes plenty of onions, and ‘iru,’ (a large edible pod of some plants of the pea family, in particular, the carob bean which is said to resemble a locus).

DRINKS: Water is the best. But, where socially, it is compulsory to participate, “I like wine,” whether it is conventional wine or palm wine. Though, must not be more than one cup.

FASHION: “I am a fashionista and trendsetter. I like to ‘kit,’ and wear clothes to match. Sometimes, my clothes have to match my bike or whatever I ride.”

FRIENDS: friendship is precious to me, so I prefer to have good friends, even if they are few. I can make friends easily but given my position and what I am involved in, I am very guarded about whom I allow close to me as a friend.

FITNESS: “As I have mentioned several times, the job I do requires that I am super fit all the time.  There is no perfection in the profession of Motorsports, so I have to exercise and be fit all the time.”

APPROACH TO LIFE GENERALLY: “I think I am a pretty organized sort of person. I am calculative and very mindful of doing the right thing. Maybe because of my profession, being organized is key to survival in the Motorsports profession.”