VIKTOR & STEFAN
The MX Brothers
The sun starts slowly going down, surrendering from its position above the motocross track in Samuilovo, Bulgaria. Just an hour ago, the air consisted of a mix of dust and gasoline vapors. Now, silence surrounds the sloppy turns and jumpy rhythm-sections of the track. In just a minute, the peaceful atmosphere will be disturbed again.
Viktor Neychev during the evening session in Samuilovo
Viktor Neychev during the evening session in Samuilovo
A red motorcycle with the number 92 on it bursts through the gate and rushes straight to the longest jump. As the rider goes for another lap, kids from the nearest village quickly form a group on the uphill, concentrating on a roar somewhere on the other side of the track. Time passes quickly as children carefully follow the sound, turning their heads in its direction.
Braaap! – and their hands go up as if trying to reach the flying machine.
One of Bulgaria’s leading racers Viktor Neychev did not get enough during the training day. The local motorsports star from the Air Max Racing team pushes his motorcycle to the limit, as it is always a tough battle for the first place that awaits him after the practice sessions are over. Today, the 18-year-old student from Pernik is out on the track on top of the official schedule to test a suspension set-up for the race day.
Viktor during the training day at Samuilovo
Viktor during the training day at Samuilovo
“It takes time until he gets things done. He’s really fast, but, until he warms up, until he assimilates what’s happening, half a race could be over. Last year, we’d made him run before a race: two, three, four kilometers. He doesn’t get tired if he warms up, but it takes a lot,” Stefan Neychev said, smiling as his brother conquers another section of the track.
Stefan Neychev, who is two years older, had to quit racing because of studies and a family business. He continues to be involved in motorsports as a part of Air Max Racing Team – Blagoevgrad. The older brother is observing Viktor’s test with the eye of a professional, holding a stopwatch.
“I’m not his coach. But I just help him. It’s like brotherly help. I can’t say I know more, because the entire time I was training, he was training, as well. He heard the same advice as me, and whatever I did – he did it too. From the very beginning until today.”
Viktor vaguely remembers his first rides, as he was only eight years old back when he got on the motorcycle. Stefan reminisces about how they spent their childhood on the off-road tracks around the country. Both brothers agree that they basically grew up wearing helmets, while motocross, which started as a hobby, developed into a professional sport.
“I’ve basically been on a bike since I was a kid. As time passes, you get better and more comfortable on the bike, you learn different techniques, the hype gets bigger, and if you haven’t experienced that, then you can’t really understand such emotions,” Viktor explained.
Both mention that it was inevitable that they would become motorcyclists. They have inherited the racing spirit from their father and grandfather, former professional motocross racers with multiple titles from the Balkans.
Ivan Neychev near the team van
Ivan Neychev near the team van
Ivan Neychev did not want his sons to follow the family tradition. So, he tried to distract his kids with football, while working as a motocross coach himself.
“That played а joke on me. When they were coming home, I had to clean and repair the bikes, and they would help me. After that, they would climb them, try to ride and I couldn’t fight this shivering emotion, because I saw – they lived for that.”
Ivan started a logistics firm to get all the best for the young racers. The father stresses that he is ready to give everything for the boys to continue racing, comparing this professional sport to hiking in the mountains with a backpack, which becomes heavier with every step one makes.
“You need to risk everything you have for your kids to have a chance to compete. We didn’t go on vacations. Everything we earned, we invested in the motorcycles and whatever was needed for them to compete. Everything for the love of sports.”
In the Neychev racing family, parents are not the only ones sacrificing some of the usual pleasures for the success on the racing track. The brothers start listing the differences between the life of a usual student and a racer, and the list goes on.
“You must run in the morning; you can’t go to a café. You have training today; you can’t go out with friends. You can’t go to a party in the evening because you must get up early for a race. Such sacrifices are, how do I put it… I like doing this, and I’m happy,” Stefan said.
Stefan working on Viktor's motorcycle
Stefan working on Viktor's motorcycle
The brothers do not only have to manage their schedules properly. Everything that surrounds them in this sport is under their control, as their parents’ working hours do not let them get involved in the motorcycle maintenance and other championship preparations. Viktor shares that the responsibilities pile up during the racing season.
“We had fewer races this year, unfortunately, because of Covid. But in general, they’re every week or two. That’s an individual sport, even the team can’t really help you much, except financially. So that depends solely on you – how you train and how you prepare. I maintain everything myself. My brother helps me, since my dad works all the time.”
With the team helping financially and the brothers’ parents working non-stop, money is still the main barrier for motocross racing to develop in Bulgaria. Motocross sportsmen criticize the governmental and media engagement in supporting the races. Viktor points out that there is a chain reaction that starts with the lack of funding from the state and results in little to no money coming into the sport from large independent sponsors.
Plastic scratched from the amount of the rider's movements
Plastic scratched from the amount of the rider's movements
“In Bulgaria, our sport isn’t popular at all. And when there isn’t any popularity, there is no audience. So, not many people want to provide sponsorship. As a result, the sport is not developing the way it’s supposed to. While other countries are on a completely different level,” Viktor noticed.
Stefan at the Blagoevgrad Grand Prix | 31 October 2021
Stefan at the Blagoevgrad Grand Prix | 31 October 2021
During the season, the older and the younger brother started going in slightly different directions. Stefan is skeptical about the future that being a professional sportsman in Bulgaria can bring to a motocross enthusiast, considering all the difficulties one has to face.
“For me, it’s enough to be on the track. But my main goal now is to develop myself, to develop our family business. Because racing is not forever. At some point, the sport will be over, and we will be all broken. We won’t be able to work, so we won’t be able to buy our own bread.”
Viktor is looking forward to further career development in the European championships, where the situation is drastically different, and the sport is more appreciated.
“Our sport is popular there, in other countries. There are more investors, more sponsors, and thus better development.”
Viktor approaching a rhythm section of "Zelen Dol" motocross track
Viktor approaching a rhythm section of "Zelen Dol" motocross track
The head of the Neychev family supports both his sons in the paths they have chosen. While being happy that the older son is ready to help out with the family business, Ivan is looking forward to the younger son’s professional growth.
“We should go to the European Championship, that is where things get more serious. That’s what we are aiming for. It’s very hard to reach European or world championship level. So, to succeed there, you need to live in countries like Italy, France, Germany or the Netherlands.”
Viktor after the finish of Petrich Grand Prix | 3 October 2021
Viktor after the finish of Petrich Grand Prix | 3 October 2021
Ivan thinks that motocross is shaping the boys’ lives in a positive direction, even if they do not reach the much-desired titles in Europe.
“It’s the sport that contributes to their future anyways. You get a motorcycle and a route filled with elements, sometimes dangerous and risky. Those are things that happen in life too. And they will succeed much more in life as athletes from a sport that is so tough both physically and psychologically.”
This piece is produced by
Viktor Kharyton and Yenlik O'Neill.
The article is a part of the Motorgrad Project.
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