ADB: Matt, your racing career has been pretty amazing and you've achieved a lot. Do you ever reflect on those good ol' days?
MM: I never used to but lately I’ve been looking back and thinking “that was pretty cool, what I’ve done and getting to travel the world". Back then it was year-by-year, trying to get better. I didn’t take it for granted, but I had all these factory rides and it was so easy, riding bikes and getting paid. I was lucky that at the peak of my career I was winning a lot.
I’ve never had a real down season, even if I had a mediocre motocross season with injuries, I’d win supercross, then go back-to-back motocross and supercross. Australian riders don’t get paid much comparatively, but if you can make something of it, racing motorbikes is a cool living.
Out of curiosity, how good was the money then compared to these days?
I can’t exactly say, but I was probably making $30-40 grand more than the current factory guys are. The biggest difference is the 250 class now. We were lucky to earn really good money, probably more than double what the top guys are currently getting. One year I signed a one-year, 250 deal with JDR for $90,000 and I probably would’ve made triple that when bonuses come into it.
Now, I don’t get paid anything as I’m a solo operator.
How do you manage that?
I’m very lucky that I have Bayden Blanchett in my corner, and he loves the sport
