Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

...... 00 0') ...... eff Fredette Headed for the top By Gary Van Voorhis In just three ISDT appearances, Jeff Fredette had established himself as one of our best 250cc off· road riders. He collected three gold medals in those ndes and this year turned in the third best score by an American n'der. However, Fredette isn't satisfied. "I want to be the best American ISDT n'der, " he says. "Larry Roeseler has been on top for the past two years and I think it's time for a change. " He isn't outspoken, it's just that Fredette has set a goal for himself He was sixth overall Amen'can in his first ISDT n'de in Sweden and finished sixth last year in West Germany. "Next year, " he says with a note of determination. 1981 will mark Fredette's third season riding for Team Suzuki. John Morgan, enduroltn'als team manager for Suzuki, calls him "a very competitive n·der." Morgan liked his spin't and determination when Fredette approached him at the end of 1978 to ask about the possibility of an opening on the squad. "Ifelt he would be a good addition to the team, " says Morgan, "and I was nght. " Fredette lives with his parents in Tinley Park, Illinois, a fair sized city just off I· 80, south of Chicago. He is single, reached his 2Jrd birtli.day on January 16 and appears to be very quiet - until he gets to know you. Will he attain his goal of being America's best ISDT n·der.' Only time will tell, but if determination counts he certainly has a good chance. How did you get started? My dad used to race. I used [0 be the pit crew chasing him around. When I gOt old enough I started riding observed trials and when I turned 16 and could ride on the road then I began competing in enduros. Did you do any motoermaing? No. My mom wouldn't let me. It was ride the safe stuff or don't ride at all. She was afraid I would get hurt in MX. What bike did you start on? I began riding a Penton in 1977 and chasing around to a few National enduros with Ron Ribolzi. I made the AA class thanks to Ron. In 1978 I rode a KTM when they changed over. I also began riding the Qualifiers and made the ISDT team. How did the Two-Days go? I was just out to get some experience, but I got a third in class in the first one I rode and figured maybe I had a chance to do some good after aiL I did all right in the next round and that really made me feel good. The next • 'ng you know I was on the team. That was the Swedish ISDT? Yes. I rode the 250cc class and did pretty well, coming in about 20th in class. I was sixth overall of the American riders, though. Did you find your fint ISDT was different than you had imagined? It surprised me in some ways. I was expecting a killer trail and time schedule for each day, but they gave you a couple of days to get used to things before making everything hard. I expected to have a hard time just finishing much less winning a gold medal. It was easier than I had anticipated. The weather helped because it was quite nice. It was a good ISDT for a first time rider. You switched brands to Suzuki at the beginning of 1979. How did that come about? I got back from Sweden and we were scheduled to ride in a National enduro the next week. I got there and it was one of those times when the organization just wasn't working. Five minutes before I was scheduled to leave they (KTM) didn't even know who was taking the gas to the gas stops and that, coupled with a few other things, upset me really bad. That afternoon I asked John Morgan of Suzuki if they were expanding the team and if they had any room I would really be interested in riding for Suzuki. He said there was a possibility they would be adding riders and he would get back to me. He came out to my house later in the year and we talked and that was it. I was on Team Suzuki. I was really happy and things have been going good ever since. Was it a big change to ride for Suzuki? No doubt about it. It's a lot better than what I was used to. I was used to a very low key operation and you can't describe Suzuki that way. Basically they set up my Qualifier Series and ISDT bikes in New Jersey (Suzuki's eastern regional warehouse) and also give me a couple of PE s to ride enduros on. Right now I've got a pair of PE s and a pair of RM s. I expect to see John (Morgan) soon to pick up those bikes and drop off my ISDT bike so I can use it to ~o ice racing. Your fint season with Suzuki netted you a gold medal in West Germany and this year you were alternate on the Vase team until Teddy Leimbach's tragic accident. Did your move to the team on such short notice put any pressure on you? No. It didn't really bother me or catch me off key. I alwayS go over to do as well as I can, so the only difference was that I was a Vase Team member. I think I would have done as good even if I wasn't on the team. What does happen is that maybe you have more incentive. It didn't change my style of riding. You might thinlr. about being a little conservative or not hanging it out as much, but once you start riding you forget all about that and go for it. Perhaps I slowed a bit on my trail pace; I don't really know. You couldn't have slowed too much since you were one of only three riden to maintain gold level stat115 for the entire ISDT. Well, that doesn't tell the entire story. On day three I lost three minutes on the trail where Mike (Melton) lost only one. I just got caught sleeping. I knew this one check would be tight, but didn't realize how tight until I was almost there and checked my watch. You never saw anyone blitz through those streets Iilr.e I di.d. I was lucky to lose only those points. If I had lost only one minute like Melton I would have had the best score among all the American riders. You know, there are all kinds of ifs, ands and buts that you think about when it's all over. You know you can't change anything, but sometimes you sure wish you could. Did you find this year's ISDT to be the toughest you've ridden? It was the tightest time schedule I've ever ridden. It wasn't consistent. They would give you sections where you had plenty of time and follow it with one where you had to go all out just to make it on time. What do you do in the winter to looeenup? I ice race to stay in shape. It's a blast. I like doing it because you can go out there and everybody is having a good time. It's really a different kind of racing because there isn't the pressure of having to beat the other guy. If you win, you win and if you don't you have a good time. What do you do in your free time when you aren't racing? What free time? I race nearly every weekend. By the time this year ends I'll probably have raced 46 weekends. I know I've got the month of December off -- unless something neat comes up to ride. Do you find it hard to psyche yourself up week after week? Sometimes you get bummed out and you are racing, but you're not really racing. That usually leads to not doing good SO you get mad at yourself and get back in the groove. It's a cycle you try not to get into. How about your spare time at home; what do you do? I work on my 1977 Dodge van a lot to keep it running smooth and looking nice and this winter I'm going to build a wind surfer for next summer. Other than that I don't do much of anything. How about physical conditioning? No, I don't do any of that. I don't like to jog and I don't belong [0 any health clubs because I don't really have any time. I work all week hanging aluminum siding, come home and eat and work on the bikes a bit. How do you get time off to race? My boss races bikes so that helps in getting time off. He's liberal about that. Things get pretty slow in the winter so basically I make my money in the summer and then go into the red when the really cold weather comes. Fortunately, Suzuki pays all my expenses so it doesn't really cost me anything to go to those races that I need to run. How does your schedule look for next year? Right now I'm planning on running the Regional Championship Enduro Series, the Qualifier Series and some National enduros that are nearby for Suzuki. And next October I want to be in Italy for the ISDT. Can you male it four gold medals in a row? I hope so. I want to do bener than I did this year. I finished third overall of all the Americans and that isn't good enough because I want to be best American. I've steadily improved my personal finish each year. Do you feel that riding in the 250cc class might be a bit of a disadvantage? Perhaps, since if you zero the course then it comes down to the special tests and the acceleration tests and the 500cc class bikes pick up a second here and a second there. I'll stick to the 250 s though. I don't think I would really like to ride a 500. Heck, the 250 has more power than I need. Do you believe our ISDT selection process is correct? No. I don't think that how the selection is made is really right. They (AMA and the selection committee) look at past performance a little, but not as much as they should. This year they picked practically all the hot guns from the Qualifiers Series which doesn't really reflect the best riders for the job every time. You can berserk it in the Qualifiers and your bilr.e USUally won't break because they are made so well. A lot of guys do that and you get blown away, but if they rode like that for six days their bikes wouldn't last at all. I think that's the problem with picking the fastest riders. If you don't finish that sixth day you haven't done your job. There's a lot of mental stress as well as mechanical stress in finishing and finishing well. Who are the strong American riden in the 250cc (ISDn class? I'd have to say Dick (Burleson), Mike (Melton), Terry (Cunningham), John Manin and probably Frank Stacy. I haven't seen Stacy ride enough to judge him, but he seems to be a really good rider. Martin is a terror and he wants somebody's hide real bad. If you're going to pick a rider to watch on the trail he's one because he gives it 110 percent all the time. There isn't much that can take that smile off his face either. Why do you ride? I love it. It's in my blood, what more can I say. •

• Cover