The 29-year old veteran Jamie McCanney has had a long and illustrious career but remains as passionate as ever about riding. We sat down with McCanney to see how he sets up his bike and what it’s like in 2024.
You’re on the same bike as last year which meant you knew the good things and what to improve on. Did you do some development in the winter time?
“We didn’t really struggle but I knew we needed to improve on the handling in corners because that’s where I lost time. That’s an area where the bike could be better. Last season we didn’t spend a lot of time on suspension testing or stuff like that, that‘s just how it is being in a small team.
We spent some time adjusting the settings in the offseason and definitely made progress. In the opening round I was too stiff with the suspension so I went softer for the second round. That felt better and I’m feeling we’re heading in the right direction.”
So what are the things you have to do without compared to the factory riders your competing against?
“A lot is just the limitations of a privateer team compared to a works team in general, waiting for the race bikes to be purchased for example. We don’t get 10 bikes from the factory in one go, I have a race bike and a training bike which is last year’s race bike and it probably has over 200 hours on it! Without additional support the race bike might have to last me all year.”
You have to be 100% to compete at the highest level for titles and that’s impossible without momentum and focus
“Exactly, I think that goes for each series because the level of competition is so high now. I don’t think that any of the top five MXGP guys could come into EnduroGP and get top five straight away. Nor would that be possible with a top EnduroGP rider going over to MXGP.”
What kind of riding do you like?
“I enjoy the technicality that you need for enduro, bouncing in and out of trees. I also enjoy the physical side of it, how you can make a difference by pushing yourself in training. I like how physical and difficult EnduroGP is at the moment. You feel that you’re going to the limit physically, that’s very different in rally.
Granted, you have to be fit but it’s nowhere near at the same level of intensity or corner speed. Those are the things that you lose a bit in rally. And of course there’s more risk involved. I got to taste it and I was lucky to have left without any major crashes.
You had some really interesting team managers over the years, all characters in their own right, how do they compare?
They all have a screw loose, one way or the other. I think I was very lucky to start my world championship journey with Thomas Gustavsson (Husaberg & Husqvarna), he was very calm. I don’t think he ever raised his voice. He did his job and he sat back to let you get on with yours.
It was nice to move on to Marc Bourgeois (Outsiders Yamaha Racing) after that. The full package he ran was very professional. I also had a good bond with my mechanic Fab and my suspension guy Dan.
With Franco Mayr (Jolly Enduro Team) you sensed how much experience he has in running a team without any pretenses. I wasn’t there that long but the atmosphere in the team was super nice.
With Paul Edmondson (FastEddy Racing) there’s a history that goes way back because I’ve been racing in FastEddy events all my life. I hung out with him at his house way before I was on his team. The cooperation with Paul has been fantastic, he allowed me to give a lot of input decisions from team staff to sponsors, and even parts on the bike. That freedom has been amazing, especially because I now have the experience to make choices like that.
There’s a lot of trust from Paul as long as I don’t take the piss with anything! I know what I need to do and what needs to happen. This is the first time where I’m involved in such a way with a team, managing a few things as well. However I respect a lot what Paul has done as a team manager how he built it up and how passionate he is about this project.
With our results and Paul’s background as a World Champion you would tend to think that it’s easy to pull something off like this and you couldn’t be further from the truth. This is the first time that I’ve ridden on this level without manufacturer support so everything is coming out of Paul’s pocket. There’s not a lot of teams in the paddock without a title sponsor. All of this makes the FastEddy Racing team very unique in the EnduroGP paddock.
Without Paul’s passion none of this would be possible. Admittedly a setup like ours makes it so much more special to have the FastEddy bike without a brand on the side in front of the podium when you’re standing at the top step. To pull that off without manufacturer support was pretty cool I have to admit!”
