It's been well over a year since my last blog. As such, not really sure how to approach this one, because so much has happened since the summer of 2022 that to encapsulate that all in one sitting seems a somewhat daunting and unrealistic task (not to mention sleep-inducing for you, the reader), so I'm going to make this a multi-parter...
At the start of 2022 - when I had what a drunk might refer to as a 'moment of clarity' once they've accepted they have a serious condition - which is to say that I made the decision to change career path entering my 40s, I had very lofty ambitions. I felt invigorated and motivated, and while I didn't expect it to be a cake-walk under any circumstances, looking back now with 20-20 hindsight I realise I still under-estimated just how difficult it is to break into an industry that you don't have any previous experience in.
In short, expectation and reality have seldom aligned since the start of my journey.
And to be clear, this is a 'me' problem: this isn't about taking shots at others or acting like the entitled, wounded party who is owed something.
Given my Turkish Cypriot heritage, I assumed the likes of Toprak Razgatlıoğlu, Can Öncü and Bahattin Sofuoğlu would not only welcome having a fellow Turkish speaker (if not outright countryman) in their respective teams, but perhaps may even actively assist me in securing a position.
I now realise how presumptuous I was. I placed far too much significance and importance on the 'Turkish' aspect of my mindset, and when none of the riders gravitated towards me in the way I expected, I was a little surprised - disappointed even - that no assistance was forthcoming.
Actually, in Bahattin's case that's not entirely true as he DID do some digging around to find out what the situation was at MV Agusta Reparto Corse regarding a PR/Social Media position but unfortunately nothing was available.
What really brought me crashing down to earth though was the rejection of the Pata Yamaha team ahead of the '23 season. I had already been turned down for a role with them earlier in 2022, which I begrudgingly accepted under the circumstances given how close we were to the start of that season.
But to be rejected for the '23 season before the '22 season had even finished was a real sucker-punch!
Again, I have to reiterate that this is all on me; Pata Yamaha had absolutely no obligation, moral or otherwise, to take me on even though I offered to work free of charge - working in a team with Toprak was unashamedly my main motivation.
Another factor to consider during this period was that in an attempt to gain traction on my YouTube channel, I had been trying for some time to get Toprak on as a guest. Due to my very limited subscriber numbers, Pata Yamaha wouldn't give me a slot with Toprak during race weekends on account of his other media commitments (and you better believe a rider of his stature is in very high demand!).
And while I've got to know "El Turco" over the last 18 months or so courtesy of the TR54 Fan Club, I'm under no illusions that I'm not 'there' yet as far as our friendship/professional relationship goes; I'm not at that level where I can ask him to sacrifice his personal time to record an interview with me. Part 2 coming soon...
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