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Marc: No not really. Last year I only came into the season half way through so by the time the ABA grands got here I was still keen to keep going. I had a week off in the snow but other than that I have pretty much trained right through the off season and therefore continued to improve rather than having to rebuild. Other than that all I have done is change to the Speed Bike, and that is no lie.

Can you explain that you needed to leave New Zealand to get better in BMX?
Marc: No matter where you're from, anyone can be good on a bike. You can be just as fast and skilled as the best guys in the world but if you can't race a bmx race then it's all a waste. Growing up in NZ I always had American Bmx up on a pedestal. By doing that to yourself it only hinders you when it comes time to be a part of it and the only way I knew I could get over it was to get amongst it. The sport is 95% head games, so if you are sitting back watching from a distance all your life with short bursts of effort to try and have a crack at it, it probably does more damage than good. It wasn't only the matter of getting better in Bmx, I want to be at the top of the US scene so that was the main reason I came here.

How much has BMX and the facilities changed for you now that it is part of the Olympic Games?
Marc: I don't think Bmx supercross would exist today if it wasn't for the Olympics. I may very well be wrong, but who knows what direction it could have gone in. National facilities are popping up all over the globe thanks to the Olympics and in some way or another, more and more people will hopefully hear about it and take notice.

You changed teams for 2011. How much different is the new Speed compared to the bike you rode before?
Marc: It is certainly A LOT stiffer with less flex, and that is just on the regular axle frame. I'm yet to try out the 20mil frame but that will be happening in the near future. I have always been a fan of stiff bikes as I do all the training and preparation I possibly can to go fast, so why waste all of that by making your bottom bracket flop from side to side when your feeing it to it.

Who do you normally train with?
Marc: I'm pretty solo most of the time. Gym work and sprints I enjoy my own company, but the track sessions change from day to day with anyone from Khalen Young, Maris Strombergs, Stephen Laralde, Derek Betcher, Nic Long or all of them at the same time. I'm never concerned about who turns up, it just may shift my focus of that session slightly on what I want to work on.

Who do you like to hang out with when you’re not on the bike or at the track?
Marc: I normally just go out around town meeting new people. I still barely know anyone around this place so I'm always working on making new mates outside of Bmx.

Do you ride trails much?
Marc: From time to time. I have some right across the street from my apartment in Murrieta but they are nothing major. I'll just go play around for recovery sessions now and then. I like riding when there's no pedaling involved.

Best “trick jump” you can do?
Marc: I might be able to pull a 360 if I had to. Growing up I was all about the tricks but haven't really done anything for a good few years now.

How much in BMX do you think is power, and how much is skills?
Marc: I would say 80/20 power to skills. Someone crunched the numbers a while back and I think 80% of guys winning at the first turn won the race.

Are you looking forward to race on the Supercross style tracks or do you prefer the traditional BMX tracks better?
Marc: I love the supercross. It is so much less hard work to get moving down that hill. Plus I like to think my strengths are mid to top end speed so any track that can provide me with room to open up I'll take it. It also looks so much better to watch.

In your eyes, what could be done to make BMX even better?
Marc: A million things. I'm a firm believer in spending money to make money, which relates to so many different areas of Bmx, but noone seems to have enough to get the ball rolling. One person, whether that’s a rider, a parent, a CEO, or whatever, just needs that one break through in the public eye and it could all change. I have a theory that if I could be "That guy" on the arm of some hot celeb' in one of those photos in one of those many people magazines out there, it would change the sport forever haha.

Anybody you want to thank?
Marc: A big thanks to Toby and Michael at Speed Bicycles, Leo from Shimano, Swatch, BikeNZ, Sparc, all my friends and family, my strength and conditioning coach John Cowel, NZ team coach Ken Cools, Mechanic Ryan Hollows and everyone else that has helped me to get here.