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►"What does the
championship mean to me? It's a nice feeling, but it's no big deal," said an
introspective Chuck Sun shortly after becoming Honda's first national
titleholder since 1977. Sun, the thinking man's motocrosser, is an even-keel
individual whose approach to life complements a trackside personality that is
analytical, well-prepared and in control.
His team manager, Gunnar Lindstrom, says about Sun, "Chuck is
a technical rider, and a thinker. He doesn't ride any harder to win than he has
to; he saves his strength for when he needs it." Lindstrom, a former GP and
Trans-AMA competitor himself, admires one facet of Sun's racing personna in
particular: "He's a strategist," Gunnar says bluntly. "He compensates and solves
problems on the racetrack. He's not a power rider, like Rick Burgett or maybe
Danny LaPorte, but Chuck's mental qualities, plus his natural talent are a tough
combination to beat."
Indeed, they
were in the 1980 Open-class series. To be sure, former 500 champs Burgett and
LaPorte had equipment and physical problems at inopportune times. And the rest
of the field sported an unlikely variety of new faces—Goat Breker, a talented
youngster was second to Sun and Marty Moates, remember him?, tied for tenth. But
in the final analysis, Chuck Sun won five of the seven races he competed in and
handily capped the title with one round left on the calendar.
"I feel
comfortable in the 500 class," Sun says. "I can relax, not work as hard as on
the smaller bikes. It takes throttle control, a lot more technique, and I just
felt confident all the way. The stage was set when I won the first race," he
continues. "From then on it was up to me: If I screwed up it would be my fault.
If I won, well, what did happen should have happened. Everybody got potshots at
me at different times, and I raced them all when they were at their best at
least once each, and I beat them.
"This is
something I've been working on all my career," Sun adds, "but I think in many
ways next year will be the toughest. I'm 24. I'm the champ, the guy to point
for, the guy they expect to slide.
"More than
anything, my main reason for being on earth is to become a better person. Part
of that is becoming a better rider as long as I'm able, but whether I win or
lose isn't really important. It's how I win or lose, how I take it personally,
that means something. It's easy to win. It's tougher to lose."■ |
