FreestyleXtreme Magazine Issue 3 | Page 77

JOSH BROOKES middle of winning multiple world titles in his career, and so I was just like “that’s what I’m doing!” In Australia you can’t start road racing until you’re sixteen, so I was just focused on being the best MX’er I could be until the day came when I could go road racing. I idolised the top MX guys. I would look through the magazines, looking at the way they wore their helmet, and the gear they had. I don’t come from a rich family so I always had hand-me-downs from my brother. It was never like the coolest, latest, best looking gear - so I used to flick through the magazines wishing that I had all that cool stuff. £ Josh on the start grid for R1 of the 2014 BSB at Brands Hatch never “…I the TT...thought I would ride as soon as I got £ Brookes picks up the pace at Oulton Park for R2 of the 2014 BSB here I watched some bikes coming through and I just got that feeling like I wanna have a go, I want to try it will just go over their head and they won’t know it, but people that have any old MX knowledge or a background in the sport will recognise those helmets. In the late 80’s early 90’s I was becoming really interested in bikes and at that point I had already decided it was going to be my career. Even at such a young age, as I said before, I had so much self-belief and that was only at seven years old. I was like: “I’m going to be a world champ!” ” If a school teacher said “what are you going to do when you leave school?” I would reply “I’m racing bikes man; I’m going to be world champ!” I was so passionate and the self-belief was unreal. It even shocks me now. I sometimes wonder how I had such a strong will and desire