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/128312
By STEVE Cox PHOTOS BY STEVE BRUHN THE CONTENDER eam Yamaha's David Vuillemi n is really the co mm on t hr e ad t hat lin ks the Je re my McGrath and Ricky Carmichael eras, in that he's really the only rider to have won headsup supercross races against both of them . He has yet to do such a th ing with Chad Reed or the new Kevin Windham, but if history's any indication, it's coming. In the closing stages of the San Francisco Supercross, for example, he was gaining quickly on his Aussie team mate , but he fell just short. DV has been racing in America basically since 1997, and he knows the ropes as well as just about anyone . He's had his ups and downs in the last few years, including his place in the controversy surroun ding Kevin Windham's loss of 10 points at the Phoenix Supercross (which he's since gotten back), and he's looking forward to more ups and fewe r down s in the near future. We talked to Vuillemin about hisproblems at Daytona, his trainer David Bailey, and the now -infamous Phoenix collision. T HO would you d es crib e your season so far this W year? A I th ink it has been good , you know? I've had some 11g00d finishes, but I'm just a little scared sometimes and sometimes a little bit mad if I've made a mistake or something . I haven't put 20 strong laps together yet. At Anaheim II, I was fast, but not for 20 laps. I made mistakes, and some of the race I wasn't up to speed. So I'll just try to be fast for the whole race . Q Whe re did you ex pect to be following your U.S. Open ra ce compared to where you are right now? A I knew Chad was going to be a tough guy to beat, and I'-'J think I just want to go out there and now just start getting some points back - you know, stop losing them. Q 42 FEBRUARY 25, 2004 • CYCLE NEWS It's one -third done, the season, and I just wan t to do goo d - stro ng races and stuff. So far it's been good - tw o podiums [three, after San Francisco). I mean, that's okay, I just nee d to ste p it up a little. W ha t do you consider the biggest sur prise of this season so far ? A I'm not sure, maybe Kevin [Windham). He's riding """'eally good , and he's never been like a strong rider, I'd say. Uke, he's always been fast, but he 's never put 20 laps together much in the past. It seems like he's fast and he has fitness. I think his fitness was a question mark for every boclybefore the season. We knew he could ride fast, but he's going really good right now. Q for me because I learned a lot, and it made me realize I had to get back to work and get fit and ready for this season of supercross. I mean, with my kid and my injuries, it was a tough season. It was a good experience. I'm lucky that the injury was not bad, but I still feel it. I still feel the pain a little bit the next morn ing after a race , but it's all basically done , and I just want to turn the page. I don't think about it anymore. I think I just wasn't ready, or fit, when I crashed . Maybe I wasn't ready for it. The last two Daytonas have signified bad tuming points for you . This year, do you th ink you can tum Daytona into the start of a good thingl A Yeah, you know, Doug Hen ry broke his back in JI-IlBudds Creek and bro ke his wrists the next year, and the following year he won. So, I'm looking for somethi ng like that . I'm going to try my hardest and ride that race a little diffe rent because that's a different race, obviously. Q Q You're actually look ing forward to it this year? A Yeah, I want to race good at Daytona. I think that's """'eally importa nt. Everybody 's saying, "Oh, we're going to Daytona. It's going to be bad, the track." I mean, the track is rough, but we have to race there, so it will be good to win that race for once in my life. That's a rea lly famous race to w in. At Daytona the last few years, you've had a lot of problems surrounding that race . Why have you had such bad luck therel A I don't think it's bad luck, it's bad decisions. I'm one I1guy that do n't trust in luck. I think if something happens, it happens for a reason , not because I was unlucky. I shouldn't have made those decisions at that time, and I paid a big price for it. But you know, Daytona is a really tough race, and I really want to win that race once in my life. It's the toughe st supercross of the year, and I feel like I'm capable of it. I just need to get it together. Q Wha t was the recovery like from t he broken back you suffe red th ere last year? A Whe n you break your back, it's kind of a big injury, so I'-'J think I started riding a little afte r six weeks or seven we eks. It was a little early, but I we nt to ride the 12 Nationals. I wasn't fast in the Nationals. I got sixth, but it wasn't that great. I just wanted to go out there and race a whole series without getting hurt and stuff. It was good Q 40th Anniversary What do you think is missing right now that's keeping you from winning? A I don't know. It see ms like, speedwise, I'm right I""there. I have the speed, I just maybe am missing something e lse. It seems like, whenever I have the speed so far, I just wasn't consistent. I was making little mistakes that cost me to lose contact and to ride tight. Q DO you t hink t hat's more of a concent ra t io n issu e, or is it so me t hing else? Yeah, it could be, but I need to keep charging to get ""","y confidence up, and everything will kick in and work out pretty good . Q A Have you made a ny serious bike changes sinc e An aheim II A No . We changed at Anahe im II to make the bike ""","ore mellow because it was so slick, but it's basically the same. Q