Starting Fires: Keith Flint On Bikes

It's not every year that a major international rock star enters a race team at the TT. But then Keith Flint isn't your average rock star. He's been a die-hard bike nut since he was a kid, has won a club racing championship as a rider, and is now using his royalty cheques to help others achieve their TT dreams.

Words: Stuart Barker

He may have sold some 25 million albums, had two number one singles in the UK, and played to crowds of over 700,000, but The Prodigy's frontman, Keith Flint, is never happier, or more animated, than when talking about the TT. 'A photographer friend of mine once told me that he'd taken pictures of jet fighter pilots just before they took off from the flight deck of an aircraft carrier during the Gulf War' Flint explains, his eyes alive with enthusiasm. 'He noticed that the look in the pilots' eyes, through their visors, was exactly the same as that of TT riders as they prepare to blast off down Bray Hill. He said it was very obvious that the bravery and the controlled fear on display was exactly the same. And I think that fear is crucial - if you don't have an element of self-preservation then you're not coming home.'

            Flint is no flash-in-the-pan convert to bike racing, seeking to associate himself with the glamour and danger of it all with no risk to himself. He's a seriously fast motorcycle racer and winner of the 2012 Hottrax Clubman 1000 Endurance Championship. But with a new album in the works and band commitments at an all-time high, he's had to reluctantly take a back seat from riding and is instead focusing his efforts on running his own outfit, Team Traction Control, with riders Steve Mercer and young American star James Rispoli.

Flint with his riders, Steve Mercer (left) and James Rispoli

            Flint set up his race team in 2011 but this will be his first assault on the TT and he's clearly very excited about it. 'The TT is one of the greatest races on earth and one of the biggest challenges for a racer to undertake' Flint says. 'The competitors must be some of the bravest men on the planet. It's a bit of a cliche but I see them as modern day gladiators. I mean, if someone went to a government today and said “We're going to set up a road race and this is how it's going to be” it would never happen. So events like the TT are precious - we need to not be told what to do all the time. We need to be able to make our own decisions to go and do stuff, even if it has an element of danger attached to it. Otherwise we're just going to live in a nanny state, wrapped in cotton wool, and lives won't be worth living.'

            Flint has been obsessed with bikes since he was a kid. 'I had two older brothers who both rode bikes and I would pay them petrol money to take me out for pillion rides' he says. 'As soon as I was old enough I got an unrestricted Fizzy (Yamaha FS1-E) with a big bore kit and all the trimmings! It was the first form of transport I could get my hands on and to have the freedom of being able to travel further than my push bike could take me was amazing.'

Flint's first bike was a Yamaha 'Fizzy'

            As he progressed to bigger machines (including a Suzuki GSX-R750 and Honda Fireblade), Flint's horizons broadened and it wasn't long before he was using racing as an excuse to ride all over the Continent. 'The first race I went to see would have been a Transatlantic Challenge race at Brands Hatch in the 1980s. I remember going to see the rotary Nortons racing as well when there was a big fuss surrounding them, and I used to go and watch a lot of proddie racing too. Then I got into endurance racing because there was always a great road trip involved in going to see an endurance race and I liked that - you got to ride abroad and have a laugh with your mates and then you got to watch 24 hours of racing as well. What's not to like?'

            After The Prodigy enjoyed massive success on a global scale in the 1990s with number one hits like Firestarter and Breathe, Flint was in a position to indulge his passion for bikes and began to split his time between being in one of the biggest bands in the world and going racing. It was a move that could have panicked fellow band members and his management company, let alone the insurers who underwrite The Prodigy's huge international touring schedule, but Flint says everyone around him was fully supportive of his passion. 'We've always done our own stuff and don't tell each other what to do and we respect each other's space and free time' he says of his fellow band members. 'Being into bikes - racing, crashing, all the noise and excitement - that's all part of the same fire that goes into the band, so letting that side of things run free keeps you feeling alive and it very much represents what the band is all about anyway. I'm sure if I was into crochet or synchronised swimming then they'd be a lot more concerned about me!'

Prodigy's 'Fat of the Land' album sold over 10 million copies

             Flint won his first race in 2012 in the pouring rain at Oulton Park - a Hottrax Clubmans Endurance race - and proved beyond doubt his credentials as a real world biker. 'Yeah, it was on my birthday too' he laughs. 'It was pissing it down and I'd done one stint on slicks before we decided to switch to intermediates. Big mistake. Intermediates should be burned at the stake! It's so hard to get them up to temperature so that they work properly. Horrible things.'

            But despite winning the championship that year, Flint remains endearingly humble about his riding abilities and almost looks offended when asked if he'd ever consider doing the TT. 'I wouldn't disrespect the riders by trying to pretend that I could do the TT on a whim' he says. 'It takes thousands of hours just to learn the course - doing endless laps and watching onboard camera laps - so I'd never insult a road racer's ability by saying “Yeah, I could give the TT a go, no problem.” But me and Steve Mercer are going to go over to the Isle of Man before the TT and we'll ride the course, just as a bit of a refresher for him and a bit of fun for me. And I'm doing a parade lap this year for the first time so I'm really looking forward to that.'

            Steve Mercer first rode at the TT in 2009 and finished a highly credible eighth in last year's Superstock race. He certainly got more than he bargained for when he went to see The Prodigy playing at Brixton Academy in 2012 - he left the event with a new job riding for a rock star! 'I had a lot of band commitments and knew I couldn't commit to a full season of racing so I decided to take on another rider and that's where Steve came in' Flint says. 'He came to one of our shows at Brixton Academy and I asked him if he fancied doing some endurance racing and he told me he was going to be doing the World Endurance Championship so I asked if he'd like to ride for my team in the UK too and he agreed. I was really blown away that he accepted the offer.'

A young Flint in his Freddie Spencer tribute jacket. Spencer was a triple world champion bike racer

            Mercer won the ACU National Endurance Championship for Team Traction Control and finished third in the World Endurance Championship that year too. Flint says there's something about the camaraderie of Endurance racing that has parallels with his musical career. 'I love the team part of it - being part of a team is a much more fulfilling environment for me. The camaraderie is very much like that in the band. In fact, I've always seen the similarity between race meetings and gigs. One day the venues are just empty car parks and fields and the next day there's a massive infrastructure and a thriving hustle and bustle, then the whole circus packs up and moves on again. In racing, the riders are the stars of the show, like the bands are at festivals, but neither show would happen without all the background staff involved and I love all the camaraderie that makes all that happen.'

            Even though he misses racing, Flint says that winning the National Endurance Championship as a team owner was every bit as satisfying as winning a championship as a rider. 'Yeah, it definitely was. Knowing the qualities of Steve Mercer and Ben Neeves as riders, I put that team together with the sole aim of winning the championship. It was very pre-meditated - it wasn't just about putting some friends on bikes for a laugh - and I achieved what I set out to do. I knew that winning that championship would be a good step up to the national scene. People in this game don't like those who have all the gear and no idea but I think we proved that we knew what we were doing.'

            Now it's time to put that hard-earned knowledge to work at the TT, though Flint is realistic enough to know his team won't be challenging for wins in the first year. 'It's a three-year plan at the moment' he says. 'I don't think I can predict too far into the future because that's just not how I operate as a person. But we'll try it this year then regroup and see where we stand for the future.'

Flinty in his Red Bull Ducati leathers. He's fast on a bike. Proper fast

            The team is certainly not lacking in experienced members. Team manager Grant Bunting has worked with the Swan Yamaha and Milwaukee Yamaha squads at the TT and crew chief Simon Green has worked for Crescent Suzuki and Swan Yamaha. It's these experienced hands that allow Flint to juggle his band and racing commitments. 'I'm busy working in the studio at the moment but I can leave the other guys to run the team without me needing to be around' he says. 'There's a lot goes on behind the scenes in a race team - getting leathers made, having logos designed, lots of logistics - but I enjoy all of that. I like to come into the garage at night and sit with a can of beer and just be around the bikes. But I've had my tinkering licence revoked now - I'm not allowed to touch the bikes any more!'

            Flint says he won't be getting too hands-on at the TT either - at least not in pit lane. 'I'll probably be running around carrying wheels and changing tyres but I'll avoid pit lane' he laughs. 'I heard a story about Carl Fogarty and James Whitham doing pit crew work for some rider and it went t*ts up so I'll leave it to the lads who know what they're doing. I'm better off just making tea for everyone!'

He's never more happy than when leaning over a pit wall

            The team will be running a Suzuki GSX-R1000 in the Superbike, Superstock and Senior races and a Suzuki GSX-R600 in both Supersport events. They will also be contesting the other major road races in 2014, including the Ulster Grand Prix,  and might even take in Macau if results are encouraging. 'We're dangling the Macau Grand Prix as a bit of a carrot for Steve Mercer! Flint laughs. 'He loves it out there so if he goes well in the other road races, and if the bikes go well, then we'll take him to Macau at the end of the year as a bit of a treat.'

            While there are high hopes for Mercer within the team, there's certainly no pressure on him at the TT. 'I'll be happy if Steve beats his personal best lap time which is 126.3mph' Flint says. 'Other than that, if he gets five finishes and comes home safe then I'll be more than happy.'

Flint with the author

           

Steve Mercer will be Team Traction Control's only rider at this year's TT. The Maidstone rider had a best finish of eighth in last year's Superstock race and finished 12th in the Senior but he's hoping for much more on board Keith Flint's Suzuki GSX-Rs.

Steve Mercer

How long have you known Keith Flint for?

I've known him since about 2009 and I raced for him in the ACU National British Endurance Championship last year - which we won.

Were you surprised when he asked you to ride for the team?

It all happened quite naturally really. We were speaking at the Brixton Academy gig and he asked me what I was racing in 2013 and I said “Why? Do you need a rider?” It turned out he did so things just went from there.

Does your team boss mean you get some added street cred with your mates?

Yeah, they love it! But it's amazing how many friends I now seem to have who just want Prodigy tickets!

Is it kind of odd for you to see Keith in music videos and on stage when you know the real man so well?

Yes, it's like he's two different people. When I go and see him on stage it's almost like it's not him! I know Keith just as Keith - not as Keith from The Prodigy. So yeah, it's quite surreal to see him on stage in front of thousands of screaming fans.

And he's pretty handy on a bike himself isn't he?

Yeah, he can ride really well. He won the Hottrax Endurance Championship a couple of years ago and he does a lot of green-laning and off-road stuff too. He's a proper biker.

Were you happy with your performance at last year's TT?

Yes. I rode for the Penz13.com team (Mercer finished third in the World Endurance Championship with the same team in 2013) and it went really well but my speeds at the TT were a bit down on the year before and I'm not quite sure why - it certainly wasn't for a lack of trying. I'd done a 126.3mph lap on a Honda Fireblade the year before but could only manage a 125.8mph on the BMW. It was a bit puzzling but the Honda is quite favoured around the Isle of Man and it's definitely an easier bike to ride. This year I'm on Suzukis and I'm very excited about that because I rode a GSX-R1000 in my first year at the TT in 2009 so I know the bike - and it hasn't changed much since then. I think the bike's going to be strong and the team's going to be strong.

What sort of results are you hoping for at the TT this year?

I'm aiming for top six in the big bike races (Superbike, Superstock and Senior) and top ten in the Supersport races.

And are you aiming to up your best lap time?

We've all got goals and targets and my goal is to eventually run at the front with 130mph laps. I honestly believe I can go that fast because I look at what other riders are doing - guys who I can beat on short circuits - but I've taken my time to learn the TT and I've not taken any risks so my progress maybe hasn't been as fast as others.

Mercer leaps Ballaugh Bridge on the Team Traction Control Suzuki

* This interview was first published in the 2014 Official Isle of Man TT Programme. Steve Mercer was seriously injured at this year's TT and remains in hospital.