The first theme of this brand will be the 'Racing' line. As this was a huge part of my life since the day i was born until now. The name of this brand is also based on my racing number 56. This was the number that worked out the best for me, remember changing it for 1 year and it was a wasted year.
All designs are based on the life in and around the Motorcross track. Words like Whoops (it's when your bike does 'Braap Braap Braap Braap' - only racers will understand), full gaaz, a blockpass, the Bubbascrub and wheely's will be used. Your warned.
The why:
My first words must have been 'broem broem'. As i grew up i always wanted to become a proffesional Motorcrosser. One of the earliest memories are me riding my little bike at our garden.
My father owned a garage where he fixed and seld cars, and then you had me in the background racing my little bike between the cars. (most of the time making motorcross sounds as well) 'And the winner is 'Benjaminnnn'. As i crossed my imagenary finish line.
The clients of my fathers garage knewed me as the 'wittekop' (whitehead) or the 'crosser' (racer) with his bike. Because my hair was full white back then and i was racing that bike all the time.
When i crashed and had my knees scratched for the 50th time that week, i couldn't cry because 'i was a motorcrosser and they dont cry' So my family knew what they had to say when it happened..
It was basicly all day, every day riding my little bike, later i got my first real 'BMX' bike wich i already putted a race number on (nr 1) and a few years later it became a motorbike.
I remember watching DVD's and video's in the morning (think i watched them 500 times at least). To then go outside for the rest of the day trying to do the same.
My dream was to become a motorcrosser. I raced tremendes times in my head against Stefan Everts, Sebastian Tortelli, Alessio Chiodi,.. (witch where the top riders at the time). It went like : 'And Benjamin passes Tortelliii, he jumped by Chiodiii'. Imagine this as a 5 year old boy full off dreams screaming this on his little bike. x)
It was just a few more years later of asking it EVERY DAY to my parents when they finaly listend and started my motorcross journey with me.
Posing at the xmass tree like a real 'crosser' with my buddy prutske.
With both of my parents growing up in the Motorcross scéne, it wasn't that of a surprise i had it in my blood to. However they didn't go anymore to the races when i was born. As my father and uncle's where retired from racing a few years already. On my fathers side they rode aspecially in local Belgian races where the name 'Van Der Steen' was well known. At my mothers side, my uncle was a bit more famous in the sport riding international competitions. He quit racing riding world championships for a team in Monteveglio, Bologna.
After he retired he started riding Enduro together with my dad, It's more freeride in Nature. As there was a big forest behind our house (where i basicly grew up myself) it was easy for him to combinate with his business. I remember racing after my dad with my BMX bike when he went to the forest for a ride. I followed him just until the entrance just to watch him ride for a second, then i waited until the noise of his bike was gone and then i came back. Everytime i heard a motorsound behind our house, i jumped on my bike to go check if it where 'motorcrossers'..
When i started to ask to do races at the age of 5, my parents didn't want to do it anymore. They knew what it was, how expensive it was and how much time, work, effort, and traveling it takes. Aspecially the traveling they didn't had time for anymore. 7 years of holding on, and just don't stop talking about it- later we finally started. My dream (as i am a lifelong dreamer) could finaly start!
Once my father walked in my room after midnight because the lights where still on, and he saw me reading a book about motorcross. He said to me, he never knewed somebody that could be so fascinated and obsessed about something and that i will become a good motorcrosser go on like that. I slept verry good that night..
So with my parents permission, we finaly started to ride at 'real' tracks. I remember the first time i jumped at a small motorcross track in France. Was talking about it to everyone for the rest of the week.
We started riding on a weekly base and not much later i rode my first national competitions. The first year i finished 5th in the belgian youth class and from there on we started our 16 year long journey. We traveled, we had good/bad times, and it teached us a lot about humanity. All as a family. Me, my parents, my brother and our little dog 'Prutske'(+) offcourse. We lived every weekend together in our motorhome at the races, wich was every weekend at a different place. Here i learned about the benefits of a family working together as a team.
One of our first trainingsweeks in France, i could ride every day over there. Just how i prefered it
Doing what i loved the most on a camping in Germany
Must have been one of the first fox racing shoes. Later it became a thing
My father was verry strict on me back then, it was verry difficult to make him 100% happy. I could win the race but still getting smoked at our motorhome because of i made a mistake or if i losed to much time behind a lapped rider or something. He was never realy to happy. For example if i started in first place and somebody would have passed me, i knew already i was in big trouble. It took a bit the fun away back then, but i'm still gratefull for it. It made me who i am as a person and it learned me life isn't all about fun. He must have beleved more in me then myself back then.
My first year riding the adult class, remember we maded the seat of the bike lower
so i could just touch the ground with my feet. That year i became champion of 'Vlaams brabant'.
My 2 green bikes where stolen in our garage later that year. The sunday before that happened was the last time i ever rode the 125cc bikes as we started to ride the yellow suzuki's 250cc's from there on.
I used to think racing was about the career and the results, but now i know its much more then that. Its about developping a strond mind wich benefits you for the rest of your life. It also brought me to places i would have never go to, incluided the timing and the place of the next theme wich made me even more gratefull.
The experiances, the lessons, the traveling, the wins, being hurt, it all teaches you this at a verry young age. You learn to seperate who is a good person and who is a bad person. Even now in business it helps me a lot, sometimes i hear new business owners say they need to take some rest, i don't get that.
The only negative side for me, was social development. The result of living in a circle with my family AGAINST all the competition had left his traces. Aspecially in a sport like motorcross you learn to be silence. And if you say something its 'yeah, i feel good today' even if you feel like shit. Then there is always that next goal. 'So.. you won now, cool. Up to next year. 'Next year will be a little bit harder Benjamin, but you can do it'. So instead of enjoying the moment you where immedeatly brought back in the reality of gotta do it all over again next year.
It must have been a few years in my early 20's, i started thinking there must be something more in life then this. Life is more then a big motorcross race.
4 years after i won my belgian tittle, i told my parents to take a brake from everything to get rid of my introvert side.
Wich brings us to the next theme.
