Kieran Bennett

How does FOX contribute to your success?
By giving me the absolute best suspension possible for my bike so I can ride it as fast as possible without ever having to worry about something going wrong.

Tell us about your best race or event and how it changed you.
My best race would have to be World Champs in 2008 at Val Di Sol, Italy. The track was awesome and I felt good on it all week and then qualified 15th which I was pretty surprised with but managed to better in finals and finished up 13th. It definitely made me realize that I had the ability to be up there with the top guys.

Tell us about your bike/vehicle setup.
I'm riding a Zerode G1 for my Downhill duties, I run a large frame with a few little custom light weight bits from the guys at Zerode that I'm currently testing.

What else is in your garage?
An Intense Tracer for trail riding, a GT road bike for training, a 2010 Suzuki RMZ250 and a Speed 20" BMX.

What's your training regimen?
I go to the gym 3-4 times a week and the other days I try and fit in as much riding as possible while also working 40 hours a week!

Any major injuries, and how did you recover?
I broke my left middle finger and right index finger both quite badly last year in a motocross race which had me off the bike for over two months. Both fingers required surgery to put plates in to hold them together and neither of them really work properly anymore. I've had my fair share of injuries though - chipped bone in my ankle, broken collarbone twice and a torn AC and SC in my shoulder so my collarbone just floats around now.

What's your typical pre-race/event meal? Guilty pleasure?
I just try and eat what I can for lunch before race runs in the afternoon, nothing too heavy and just lots of water and usually some sort of energy drink before my run for a bit of a boost.

How do you determine which races or events to enter each year?
By how much is in my bank account!

What motivated you to get started professionally?
The desire to win!

What separates you from other professional athletes?
I still work 40 hours a week then go training!

What would you be doing if you weren't a professional athlete?
Probably racing motocross but I doubt it would be anywhere near this level.

What's the best thing about being a professional athlete?
Boxes of goodies turn up on your door step all year round!

What other sports are you interested in?
Motocross is really the only other sport I'm interested in, I follow all of the AMA Super X and outdoors series and the GP's in Europe.

Any advice to the readers dreaming to turn pro?
Ride as much as you can and never give up on the dream.

What are your favorite magazines and websites?
Dirt, Racer X, Transworld MX, and vitalmtb.com

Favorite movie quote?
"They've done studies, you know. Sixty percent of the time it works, every time." - Anchor Man

Who is your hero?
Ricky Carmichael

Are you a Mac or PC? PC

Top 3 bands Bad Religion, Neil Young, and The Distillers

Greatest strength My love for riding bikes

Most frustrating challenge Getting over injuries

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