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/128355
How would your championship this season co mpare to a ny other ones tha t you have w o n? I would say that this year is actua lly bett e r than the other two. You know, I've won four Hare & Hound Championships, one 250 and then three of the overall ones. This o ne's by far the best one . I think it's because I too k it for gra nted the other years . W hen I did win it [the previous ones], it was a lot easier bec ause I clinched the titles with two races to go. This year I had two DNFs and I wasn't sure if I was going to win it. And to be able to go to the last round and to be able to do what I did [win the title] was just awesome. So t he re really wasn't a ny point in the season tha t yo u t ho ught, " Maybe I ca n actually win this title?" I think it was maybe the other way around. Iwas thinking, "Man, I'm throwing this title out the door." And the fact that we 're [Kawasaki] not racing Best in the Dese rt this year - I've won that the last two years with Shane Esposito - that really took anothe r champio nship title out of my hands. So, I knew it had to be this or WORCS, and WO RCS races haven't really been going that we ll. So, this race series, luckily enough, went my way all the way to the end. Besides those two races that I DNFed . Who do you consider your main competition in the desert? In the hare and hounds it' s tough, you know? It' s always Russ [Pearson], David Pearso n and Brian Brown : They are like the three guys that race the se ries co nsiste ntly. O f course, Ty [Davis] and some other guys that show up, they're always going to be a threat. But right now, it's basically those three. People a re alwa ys talking a bout how g narly d ese rt racing is. Are t here ev er a ny ti m es w he n yo u t ake chances in o rd e r t o win ? Being a Vet rider, I think I don't take chan ces until the end of the race where I push it. I really don't like pushing it. But the bike, the SOO, is an awesome bike. And we have a great setup with the suspension and everything, and I'm pretty confident with my ability. As long as I don 't clip something and go into it, I'm all right. N ow, sinc e Kaw asa ki is d iscontinuing the KX500 after t his ye a r, w ha t a re you going to be rid ing in t he hare and ho unds next year? Well, our original plan was to be on the 450 [fourstroke] at this time, but now that's going to take a little bit longer. 50, I'm going to ride the SOO [tw o-stroke] until midseason when the 450 hopefully comes out , and then I'll be on the 450 for the remainder of the time. I'm actually really lookingforward to that. I've never had the chance to ride one , but I'm sure it will be a really good bike. You've ridden 25 0cc four-strokes before. Are you pretty comforta ble on a four-stroke? Yeah, a lot of peo ple don 't know I actually raced the Four-Stroke Motocross Nat ionals. When I was with KTM I was racing four-strokes, and I actually raced a lot of off-road races on the four-strokes. So, I have a good background on four-strokes, and I'm really anxious. Peo ple think I'm not too excited to get rid of the 500, but I'm looking forward to riding the 450, especially in other events. Not just the hare and hounds. In the past, you have t ried to qualify for some motocross N ationals. Do you t hink t hat be ing a wellrounded off-ro ad ride r is im po rtant for doing well ? I did some outdoor Nationals. I haven't had the best of luck. Usually I do someth ing dumb and crash out in qualifying. But next year I'm hoping that Kawasaki gives me the