Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

race, Dan Bentley worked with me because there were some small troubles in ide the team. (Honda tapped Bentley, Mickael Pichon's mechanic during the 1999 Supercross Series, to tune for Hughes at the Glen Helen race). It worked out fine for me, because both of those guys are really good mechanics. Dan and I got along really welL 10 years and gotten somewhere el e. I've been able to change my outlook on things, becau e the last two years have been kind of tough for me, and now I'm having a real good lime and feel like I'm riding real well. of the two motorcycles, Q speakingany comparison between is there your GP bike and the National bike land? Have the GP teams taken to you pretty well? At first, people just talked about how I wouldn't la t or how I wouldn't be in shape. But after Spain, I proved them wrong, and I continue to prove them wrong. Some racers in America are in shape. I now have a lot of people talking to me, and a few are interested in me in the years to come. If I ever have some problems with the team I'm on now, I think a few of the other teams would be real interested in getting me. years pits Q After spendingstranger inina the how of the American racing scene, does it feel to be a strange 10 A you rode in San Bernardino? The suspension is the same - I am using last year's factory suspension in Europe. The engine is pretty close to being the same, with the exception of the ignition, the cylinder and the gas. Over here they can run better gas, while in Europe we have to run 98 octane. The gas is kind of crap in Europe. The problem with me in Europe is that I don't get the support from Honda that I really need. The bikes are great and everything is great, but to race at that level, you really need a lot of support, and we just don't have a lot to choose from and that's where we run into problems. A Is that due to the fact that Stefan Everts and Frederic Bolley ride for t e chosen Radson Honda factory team, which is supported by Honda of Japan? Yeah, I think so. That and the fact that I came onto the Pamo Honda team kind of late. You know, when someone signs on in September, that's kind of late. That didn't leave a lot of time to get the ball rolling. U we can get some more parts and more stuff to choose from, I think it will be a lot better. There have to be a few people over the.re that want to see you fail jus because you are an American. Oh, yeah, of course. There is some jealousy, and I don't know what else, but I'm also sure that there are a number of people in America that want to see TorteIli fail, as well. It' just competition. I mean, I know of one guy, a guy that's won a number of World Championships, that wants to see me fail. A A sense that Japan Q DO yousince thingsHonda of topretwill provide more support the Pamo team are going ty well? well, I'm hoping so. I think if I do better, they will help me out more. Right now they only have one guy that they are really backing up (Bolley), while I'm sli1l using leftover stuff from last year, so I'm not really getting a lot of support. With the support I'm now getting, the bike really is great - I can only imagine how much better the bike could be with more support. A How did you feel about your performance at Glen Helen? In essence, you came &om one world and dropped right into another. I was happy, but I was upset, too. The first mota I think I should've finished top-three, if not better. I just had a couple small crashes. In the second race, I just kind of got settled into a pace and just remained there for some reason. Then, in the middle of the race, I made a couple of small mistakes. Then, at the end, I started pushing harder and caught up, but it was too late. But I'm happy and healthy and I can now go to Brazil. My goal was to get through the race and see how things were, and that went well. However, it was also kind of tough to come right in here and not be able to test the bike. Honda pretty much set it up and said, "Okay, here you go." The suspension was the same but the motor was different. U I could've done some testing, the bike could've been more to my liking. But for someone to just set the bike up without me testing it - the thing was pretty damn good. A It seemed as if a lot of your former competitors and the fans took a lot of IDterest in you at Glen Helen. What's your take on that? I think a lot of the fans were interested in me, but I think most of the racers wanted to beat me real bad. They Q A HOW do you compare the speed of the GP riders with the guys you faced off against at Glen Helen? The majority of tl1e riders in the GPs take tl1e sport real seriously, almost more seriously than a lot of the guys in the U.s. That doesn't make them faster, but on their tracks over in Europe, they are fast - real fast. However, I think there is more deptl1 here and that the riders in American are a little more aggre sive. Here, if tl1ere is an opening; tl1ey take it. Or if a rider gets passed, you know they are going to come right back at you. The guys there are in good shape, and tl1ey are very fast on their tracks. Guys like Tortelli and Vohland and now Mike Brown are showing that we are aU going about the same speed outdoors. We're head-and-shoulders above in supercross, but outdoors, I think it's all now pretty even. One thing that is different over there is that it's acceptable to pull off if there is a problem. Over here, if you pull off, the bike had better be broken or you better be broken. U not, you are in deep trouble. Q didn't want somebody coming over from Europe and beating them. But that's normal and not important. The fans were just great, and that was real important to me. What did you think of Tortelli's performance? A-I knew he was good, and that didn't fireally surprise me. The track was really good for him. 1 knew he was going to be tough. Q DO you think he can win the whole thing this summer? A~ I think he can win. However, I rtthink that some of the otller tracks will be a little bit tougher for him. The tracks will start getting a little bit tighter, with more jumps, and he'll have trouble on those. But (on) the fast tracks, he'll do real good. Q With you now Europe, it Q appears that aracing innumber of larger American fans have taken a stronger interest in the GPs. Would you agree? I think I may have got the ball rolling. With Tortelli now coming over and winning the first National and with Tallon Vohland chasing down and passing Ricky Carmichael in the second moto at Glen Helen, it shows that the GPs have some steam and that it's not all about supercross. I think the factories may start hiring some guys to ride the Nationals and not supercross. A DO you really Q u you have thethink that could ever happen? speed you A could would hire you. I'veand sure win the Nationals, I'm somebody already talked to one or two people about that and they said they would be willing to hire somebody for tltat type of situation. Just like Jeremy (McGrath) is doing with supercross, or (Doug) Henry is doing in the Nationals this summer. Twentyeight races is too much - way too much. YOU are now five races into the Q 1999 Grand Prix season. You seem Hughes says he is adapting just fine to the European way of life. to be doing very well. Are you pleased at how it has gone thus far? ln the beginning it went well. But then we had a couple of mud races; a sand race in Holland where I had a bad mota with a couple crashes; then we had a bike failure in France, where I almost lost all my points. But as I talk to people, everybody is real surprised with how well I'm doing. However, I expected a little bit more of myseU. But we sli1l have 22 motos to go, and that's a long time. I'm still in there for the championship, and I just need to get good starts and ride the way I ride. A You ran with Frederic Bailey the entire second mota in Venezuela to ish a close second. That had to be encouraging. That was encouraging. The fir t moto kind of sucked for me, but I showed a lot of speed and endurance in the second, and both of us rode to the point where we almost died. It went right down to the wire. It was good for me, because after the couple bad races I had, I began to question myself with thing like, "Man, can I really do it?" Venezuela was really good for me beca use the second race erased tha t question from my mind. A , 0riginall Y you seemed a little bit apprehensive about leaving for an enhrely different world. How do you feel now that the season is up and running? At first, I kept asking myseU: "What are you doing? What are you getting yourself into?" But now that I'm there and racing, I'm actually having a good time. This was one of the best decisions I've ever made, because I've been able to tum my career around and turn my attitude around. I've been able to get away from the same stuff I've done for Q A A An words fans in Q overy inlastthat havefor thefollowing America been you Europe this season? Yeah, I'd just like to tell them A thanks for me onweekend. Thecame this fans were cheering each lime I around, and that made me feel good. Everybody has s.hown me respect here and that they are following the GPs. A lot of people have been telling me that tl1ey had never followed the CPs until I came around, and that makes me feel great about what I am doing. I want the fans to keep rooting for me and al a for Mike Brown, who is also doing a real good job in Europe. Mike's just not that outspoken and maY' not be getting as much press as I am, but what he is doing over in Europe is every bit as tough as it is for me. You know, now that I think about it, a good Motocross des Nations team might be Trampas Parker, myself and Mike Brown. We're all racing over there, we're all American and we're all top-five in the GP points. 1 don't know if that will ever happen, but that would be a pretty good team, wouldn't it? - 31

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