Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

Are you going to live in Japan during the season? No, I will be flying back and forth for races. It's only 11 races and it's only about three more hours of flying than a normal race weekend for me over here. A normal race weekend here is about six to eight hours and it's only a 12-hour flight with no stops to Japan. To go back east (for Nationals or SX), when I leave LA in the morning 1 don't get back east to my hotel room until later in the evening. And I only have to do it 11 times. not 28. Will your family be traveling with you? Yeah, Suzuki is really helping me out there and we've got a deal that allows them to travel with me. That's really going to make a big difference since I won't miss my daughter so much. Plus she gets to go over there and see a different culture. Not very many people get to do that, and she gets to do it at a young age. You've seen Tichenor and Matiasevich go over and win championships. What do you think your chances are going to be like and who do you think will be your main competition? Well, I'd have to be foolish not to think that Jeff (Matiasevich) wouldn't be my competition - he knows the programs, he knows the tracks. There are a few other Japanese guys that go pretty fast. I know that Kawasaki's guy Endo (Masanuri Enomoto) and Yamaha's Kohji Ohkawara are pretty good. I don't know the Honda guys' names but I've heard that they got pretty fast. But the main ,competition is going to be myself. Take care of business is all I need to do - let my ability take over. The bikes are awesome and I just need to go there and work hard, and not pay attention to other people, just myself. Have you 'raced with Matiasevich much before and do you know what to expect from him? Yes. He's an aggressive rider. He will definitely show you the wheel. That's for sure. I have a much different attitude now if someone wants to get physical with me. I'm not going to initiate it. I don't think that's the way racing needs to be done, bu t if they want to do that then fine. There's always another weekend and people need to think about that. There is always another weekend to get someone back. But Jeff is a tough competitor and he's capable of going fast. Everyone keeps saying, 'you're in way better shape, you're going to smoke him: but I don't think like that. 1 just need to work hard and, ~opefu]Iy, I'm working harder than him. Then, the races will be easy. What do you know about the tracks over there and how do they compare to ours? I went testing on one on the first of December. They seem to be OK - kind of high speed and not too difficult. The high-speed part is good for me because that's my preference anyway. Hopefully the tracks are firm because I like more of a harder base. I don't mind riding in soft sand, but I'm more of a hardpack rider. Is that due to the fact that you grew up Tiding in Southern California? Actually, I grew up riding sand at Indian Dunes (California), but I've grown accustomed to riding the harder surfaces. How are your new bikes and how do the new Suzukis feel compared to the Yamahas that you've been on for so long now? It's not fair to compare my bikes to the Yamaha because 1 wasn't on a works Yamaha. My bike is completely different -I can't even ride it here in the States. So it wouldn't be fair to compare them. (Left) Kyle Lewis has never been afraid to mix It up with the big boys of motocross. Here he battles with defending 1995 250cc National MX Champion Jeremy McGrath on his Noleen Yamaha In Unadilla, New York, during the '96 season. (Below) This Is Lewis in action at the '97 Seattle Supercross, where he finished ninth on his new Suzuki. Lewis Is off to Japan for '97 to ride works Suzuki RM250s in the Japanese National Motocross Championships. What about .the bike you're riding now in the States with the parts from Suzuki of Japan? It's all based on the production rules, so I'm basically running last year's works suspension and motor stuff that they prepared for me. That's about it. I put some Pro Tapers and Applied triple clamps on it and I'm going racing. I changed to a Twin Air fUter to get it breathing a little better. I don't have the ignition, or the big brakes, or a special carburetor or anything like that. How do you feel about your Supercross results so far this year? I'm a little bummed out because I'm riding a lot better than my resu Its are showing. Unfortunately, I've been stuck in the back. I crashed running seventh at the second race and I was right on the guys in front of me, pressuring them and they weren't walking away. I feel like I need to have a couple things go my way and I'll be stoked. Since you11 be flying back and forth to Japan, are you going to keep this bike together and try to do more of the AMA Supercross races or Nationals that don't conflict with your schedule? I have two practice/race bikes here and I may do the Gainesville (Florida) National, which is tentative. I'm going to do Hangtown'(California) because I have a bunch of friends up there and a lot of people are going to drive up there and s'ee me ride. I always seem to do good there. I'd like to do Glen Helen (California), but unfortunately r have a race in Japan the same weekend. I'm going to have to stop riding the Supercross Series after the fourth round in Seattle. Do you think you can win the Japanese Motocross National Championship? Yeah, I feel 1 have good equipment and everything is going for me right now my bikes are good, my endurance is up, so there's no reason 1 can't go over there and win the championship. There's no problem with me going over there and hammering out 30-minute motos. Do you feel you can spend more time training now with the factory contract? It's not so much the training, but it's the fact that I won't have to worry so much about doing good to pay the bills. No more headaches lining up your travel and stuff? It wasn't like that with Noleen, though. At Noleen I had a pretty good deal where they took care of a lot of tha t stuff. r was pretty comfortable there, but nothing was guaranteed every month. I had to go earn my money. Which is not bad - everyone has to earn their money. But when you have a salary it makes it a lot easier. I'm have fun now and I'm really not used to feeling this way...it's a weird feeling. It makes it a lot easier to wake up in the morning when I'm getting paid to go running, go to the gym or got practice. Before, I would wake up because I had to c;io it and it gets old. Now I do it for two reasons - primarily for my family and then, secondary, because I want to do good. How much longer can you keep racing? I can't answer that. I don't feel 26 - I feel like I'm in good shape. Providing I don't have a serious injury, I feel I can go a long ways more. Look at Dowdy GOM Dowd), he's 31 or 32 and he's strong. It's just all a matter of will and desire, I think. Anything you want to do you can do. Is there anyone out there you'd like to thank for helping yO!! attain some of these goals you've reached? I'd like to thank my parents because they went without a lot for me when I went through the mini ranks. My whole family - my mom, my dad, my sister and everyone backed me. I need to thank my second family, the McFarland family. Bob (Mcfarland) is like my second dad, he's my chiropractor, he's kept my body together and he still does to this day. 1 couldn't have done anything without him, that's for sure. In 1990 I was at a low - I had nothing and was flat broke and Danny Rubio helped me out a lot. I dOIrt talk to him very much anymore but he knows that he helped me and I sure realize tllat he helped m~, and I appreciate that. I was at a serious low in my life and he kind of gave me a jump-start again. I'd bke to thank my fiancee Kathy, we're getting married February 8, she goes through all my moods before the races - I get kind of uptight and short sometimes. We're always getting ready to go somewhere and I spend a lot of time away from her, and she puts up with that. She has to raise our daughter Kelsey by herself sometimes when I'm on the road for five days at a time and it's got to be tough. She's been 100 percent behind me four six years and I have to thank her for that. I have to thank Yamaha, Clark Jones and Bill Kapalkoff of Noleen. They basically got me this ride and they've kept me going since '91. Six years is a long time to support someone. My sponsors have always taken care of. me. All my friends, they go out and buy their stuff this is a pretty expensive sport and I've always had the best equipmenf possible. I've been helped out immensely and I can't thank them enough. I'm happy that I haven't had to go to a 9-to-5 job and th y've kept me there, and I have made a decent living. I don't think I'm above anyone because I can ride a motorcycle fast. That's not what I'm about - I'm a p~r son. I put my pants on the same way everyone else does - one leg at a time. I.N 15

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