Five Minutes with … Steve Simms
OCTOBER 29, 2007

 

Tyler Medaglia and Steve Simms had a great year working together. Medaglia finished third overall in the MX2 East series and then won the all-Canadian MX class at Montreal.

 

By Danny Brault
Photos by Allison Kennedy


Steve Simms just might be the next Steve Matthes. No, he isn’t really that funny, but he is hard working and skilled and he’s quickly making his way through the spanner ranks. Simms started spinning t-handles for Joel Saarits in the Ontario Provincial Series and East Coast MX2 series in 2003. From there, he’s found homes in the Morgan Racing Yamaha toolbox, where he worked for Jason Burke, and he’s heading into his second year with OTSFF Suzuki and Tyler Medaglia. Simms isn’t just a quality mechanic, either; he’s also one of the best sand riders I’ve ever seen! Seriously, Simms can put down some of the fastest lap times at Gopher Dunes. Fresh off his win with Medaglia at the Montreal SX, we figured it was time we sat down with Simms.


RXC: Steve, you’ve worked for a few top pros now, but please tell us how you got into wrenching?
Steve Simms: It was through Bill Burr. I was doing an apprenticeship through school in grade 12. I was working with Bill for a year and half and at that point, Joel [Saarits] needed a mechanic. Bill was helping Joel out and he recommended me to him, and that’s how I got started.

And then a few years after you started helping out Jason Burke?
Yeah, Joel was kind of losing interest and Rob McCullough turned me over to Jay. After Rob thought I was good enough for him [laughs], he hired me on for a couple of years. That led me to Morgan Racing in `06, and then I ended up with Andre [Laurin] and OTSFF.

Geez, Steve, you’re really getting around! You must get bored easily!
[Laughs] Well, Joel just kind of came to an end, and Jay was going back to being a privateer and I was hoping I could stay in a rig, so I put in a resume with Andre and he picked up.

That worked out well; you and Tyler Medaglia seem to work together.
Yeah, I was down with Adam Deakon last winter before Christmas, and when I was down there, Tyler was having bike problems before Montreal SX or some time around then. At that point, Andre decided to put Tyler and I together.

You’ve also worked with Colton Facciotti at a couple of AMA SX rounds too, right?
Yep, I did four West Coast rounds with Colton two years ago. He didn’t have a mechanic going into it, or I’m not sure what the whole deal was, but his mom put a job positing on MXForum, I replied to it, and I was in California soon after.

You helped him out at the Motocross Des Nations in England last fall too?
Yep, I went to the Des Nations—it wasn’t the best.

Simms and Jason Burke made the move to "factory" after two years of working in the trenches together. Simms kept Burke's #22 Yamaha tuned in the MX2 western rounds and MX2 East series.

No?
It was a great experience, for sure. It was by far the biggest race I’ve ever been to.

You’ve come a long way in just a few years, Steve. Like many riders, you were once a starving privateer mechanic, now you’re sipping on energy drinks under the OTSFF tent. What advice would you give you an aspiring mechanic?
I would say, start at a dealer first to figure things out and find out what problems bikes have. It’s a lot of work—so be prepared for it.

What can be frustrating when working with riders?
When ever the rider blames the bike or if something goes wrong with the bike. They’re struggling and they just get something into their head that it must be the bike, not them.

When you’re not working on bikes, do you have a 9-to-5 job during the week?
With Andre, I’m working full-time this year. During the week, we come back to the shop, do inventory, order parts, clean up the bikes, rebuild the top ends, and just get everything organized for the races.

What are some of the most memorable moments you’ve experienced alongside your riders?
Well, obviously Montreal with Tyler this year was definitely the biggest moment; Jay had a couple of good rounds, like when he ran top 5 in MX1 in Ste-Julie in 2005; Joel had a couple of good rides; and Colton, winning the LCQ at the San Franciso supercross in the mud.

What’s your favourite pit board saying?
Tyler really likes the “breathe” one; he forgets to breathe a lot. The two hands in the air worked really well for Jay when he wasn’t riding well.

[Laughs] Thanks, Steve. I will let you get back to cleaning air filters and changing tires!
Thanks!