Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128200
Amsoil/Chaparral Honda's Travis Preston "'m " Travis Preston brings personality to a sport that can use it to cheap-shot him in any way. But the dude can't ride supercross. I passed him, and he just needs to hold his line, let me go by; I'm going to pull away from him, no big deal. These dudes are just cheapshotting me." Maybe the best thing about the newly turned 25year-old, though, is that he works hard for what he has. He loves to train and practice, and, having quit racing at one point in his career, he knows what it's like to have a "real" job - and he doesn't like it. He's friendly - almost goofy at times - and with Preston, what you see is what you get - and it's hard not to love that. We got a chance to sit down with Preston the afternoon before the second Anaheim Supercross, and this is what he had to say: Cycle News Coming into this year, did you feel that you would be as fast/competitive as you've proven yourself to be? Travis Preston Yeah, because when I came into the beginning of the season last year, I had no idea what was going to happen or how I was going to do. It was all kind of new to me. New team, new everything. Now, coming into the first race, I knew I had good bikes, 1 knew everybody on the team, I knew my bike, so that first race, I was really ready. CN With all the hype surrounding James Stewart Jr., do you like kind of flying under the radar, or deep down do you wish you were the guy getting all the attention? TP No, I really can't even handle the attention. More autographs, and then you tell people, "I can't sign just one." I sign one, then two other kids see it and run over, and then I spend all day signing autographs. I can't get anything done. So I kind of like not being noticed as much as Bubba. How everything is right now, I'm really happy. I wouldn't change one thing. CN How do you feel about the situation you're in, being both the defending champion and the underdog? TP That's cool. I like that. I'm totally fine with that, because Bubba has had all of the press ever since he was 10 years old coming up, and everyone just runs ads and ads and ads of Bubba this and Bubba that, and no one does that with me - and that's fine with me, because I don't want people to get burnt out on me. I'm sure people get kind of burnt out on seeing so much of Bubba, so much of Ricky. By STEVE him, and he responded, "I still don't know if the crowd's behind me, because I know James is behind Cox PHOTOS BY STEVE BRUHN t's hard to say whether Travis Preston is a throwback to the days of Bob Hannah or the future of our sport, but he's exactly what people have said motocross needs for a long time: a rider who's not afraid to speak his mind. When he thinks it, he says it. It's as simple as that. It's not to say that the riders at a motocross or supercross race are devoid of personality - especially away from the track - but in a world of quotes like, "I just tried to ride my own race," "I just gave it 110 percent," and, "I'll get 'em next week," Preston is genuinely different. Something special. For example, after he won round one this year, Jamie Little asked him if he heard the crowd behind I 16 FEBRUARY 12. 2003' C U c I .. n _ me and they're probably cheering for him. And then I get scared because, what if I stuff somebody? Then everybody would start booing me, and then I'd get my feelings hurt." That's a man who's not afraid to say what he thinks or feels. And if you read his quote here in Cycle News after the San Francisco Supercross, you remember what he had to say about the riding in the ] 25cc class: "The 125 class is now officially the 125 Beginner class," he said. "People do not have brains. These guys do not think. I'm not the greatest rider outdoors, so I don't really mess with Walker outdoors because he had a good year last year - I'm not going '11II' S CN So much has been said about your sense of humor. Do you feel any additional pressure to "perform" in that regard? TP Yeah. They think that I'm funny - I'm really not funny. I just say exactly what I'm thinking, and I don't really care who's listening. And I'm sure one day I'm going to say something really bad and get in trouble - people are going to get pissed. But I just go up there and I'm myself, and I think that's maybe what's a little different. CN When you won Anaheim I, on the podium, Jamie Little... TP (Interrupts) She always tries to make me be funny, I think. And some days I'm not. Like she'll kind of make a joke towards me, and then ... I'm not a comedian. I don't have a clever comeback for every single thing. I'm really not funny; I just say what's on my mind. Sometimes it's funny, and sometimes it's not funny. And I feel pressure a little bit when I get up there to be funny, and then I'll start saying stupid stuff.