At the start of 2017 Mason Coote had been on the sidelines of road racing for over 12 months with no plan to return. He’d shown promise in the Supersport class, but the cost of racing was taking its toll – on both his wallet and body.
“I was working six days a week (as a motorcycle mechanic at Spot On Motorcycles in Melbourne) and every scrap of money I saved went into racing. I was weighing up whether to continue and, at the end of it all, I thought the potential return from all this sacrifice just wasn’t worth it. I didn’t rate myself as being that good, to be honest”.
Coote’s mind was made up, until a few trackdays with some mates turned the decision on its head. Realising he still had the speed and love of racing, the temptation to return was too much.
“I have always loved racing, loved bikes, my whole life pretty much revolves around bikes, so I definitely wasn’t over it … I needed to try again.”
That decision would lead to him lining up on the grid for the opening round of the ASBK championship at Phillip Island, on board a Yamaha YZF-R6 in the Supersport class. Once again it was largely self-funded, but some mates had also chipped in, feeling they could be backing a winner.
It’s in the history books now – the result was an emphatic round win for Coote, who took two victories and a second place that put the rest of the field on notice.
The 24-year-old was on a complete high after Phillip Island, but the roller-coaster of emotions took another dive when Coote’s transporter broke down on the way to Wakefield Park for testing – five hours from home. He left it on the side of the road and waited for his brother to pick him up, only to have the winch break on the car trailer when they returned for the van. By the time fellow racer Will Davidson helped them get it to Wagga, the whole exercise had cost a fortune.
With the situation looking grim, the last thing Coote expected was an offer to join a top team, but that’s exactly what happened when Andy Offer phoned from AARK Racing.
“It was just such a shock to get a call-up like this. I remember when I got the phone call from Andy, I thought they must have wanted to chat about bike set-up or something! It was kind of uncomfortable because I knew they had a rider. I wasn’t sure what had happened for them to be needing someone else, but in those circumstances, it just made me feel uncomfortable. Besides all that, I didn’t really feel like I deserved a ride this good.”
In a sport where an overactive ego is considered by many to be a prerequisite, it was a surprise to hear this said with such conviction. Does any racer ever think they don’t deserve the best ride in the paddock?
Coote clarified.
“I seriously didn’t think I was good enough, not because I felt down on myself or anything, just because before when the results weren’t coming I felt like everything else was squared away. My bike was good, suspension, tyres, gear … everything was as good as it could be. There was only one thing left that and that was me. That’s just how I made sense of it.”
After returning from his self-imposed exile from racing, Coote now finds himself on a top bike with consistent results behind him and solid form leading into the third round of the championship, where he is in second place behind Ted Collins.
“Dealing with the pressure could have been tricky, but I’m not getting any pressure to perform from the team … and that puts me in a really good place. The crew that are around AARK, I’m learning things off them every session. The collective knowledge they have blows me away and I really feel like I am taking myself to another level.”
But does he feel like he deserves it yet?
“You know, I’ve started thinking after Phillip Island, after signing on with a top team, the podium at Wakefield Park … maybe this isn’t a fluke … maybe I’m okay at this after all!”
If the buzz in the paddock is anything to go by, there are certainly a few people who are watching very closely and thinking the same way.
INTERVIEW MATT O’CONNELL
Photos Keith Muir and Russell Colvin
