Cycle News

VOL. 55 ISSUE 10 MARCH 12, 2019 P105 means, but I think we'll be more in the hunt on the Kawasaki than I was on the Indian on the half-miles. What are your feelings about racing on the pavement and doing sort of a supermoto-style track at Daytona? I like it because it's a bigger track, first off. Before, it seemed like we were rac- ing around a rodeo barrel and drag racing down the straightaways and turning around another barrel. It's good because it opens it up and makes it a little bit bigger, which I like. The bigger, the faster tracks I like. So personally, I like it. After seeing some of the videos of them guys down there testing it, I don't think it will be any issues going on the pavement. At first, I kind of was reserved about it. But I think overall, it's going to be fine. It adds a little bit of excitement, the history of the Daytona 200 how they used to go on pavement and down the beach. It's kind of a little bit of a cool factor. But I'm not counting out the fact that it could turn into a train wreck if the wrong kind of dirt and chemicals get drug up onto the asphalt and cause some problems. But I'm going to be optimistic and say it should be just fine. Personally, for me as a rider's standpoint, it's better because it's big- ger and faster and I like the bigger and faster tracks. The Kawasaki is better on the bigger and faster tracks. By what I've seen, I think I'll be good there. Who's with you this season personnel wise? Basically, it's essentially the same team that we started with in 2012 and '13. 2013 was our first full year. It's the same crew of guys back together all again, which is Ricky Howerton, Jeff Gordon and Ron Glidden, which they were in and out on the Indian deal basically. But essentially, we're doing ev- erything in-house—engines, frames. Ricky's building the frames. Basically, finally back to how it was. We don't have any influence from anybody. We can do whatever we want, right or wrong. So it's cool. That's how we wanted the Indian deal to be. Unfortunately, it didn't work out that way. So it ain't like we're start- ing over. It's the same team just getting back going again. It's put a lot more juice into the season as far as interest and anticipation because I think it was getting a little monotonous with Indian winning everything. I think a lot of people are looking forward to some competition. Yeah. For the sport, it's going to be good, and I think for me it's going to be good. I'm excited. Last year I wasn't so excited. How are you physically? Have you re- covered well? Yeah, everything's good. I broke my leg there the first part of the year. That healed. When I broke my leg, it kind of re-injured my ankle that had a plate and screws in it, so I had to have some of the screws taken out of my ankle midway through the season. So I missed Peoria and Buffalo Chip trying to let that heal. But I came back strong and won two or three of them last races, whatever it was. Which leg was it? Left leg, of course. The third wheel on a flat track bike is the left leg. So that's why I sat out the TTs just because it was no reason basically to thrash on it. I was better on the miles, so I kind of saved myself for those. Obviously, it paid off because we won three of the last four. CN Back in 2016, Smith's Kawasaki had the advantage in the miles, will that be the case again in 2019? We actually took an Indian, rode that, then I went out on a Kawi and I was instantly faster on the Kawi. – Bryan Smith

• Cover