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/133062
FEATURE P98 A DAY WITH TYLA RATTRAY Along with the other 39 riders and mechanics behind the gate, Rattray and Lumgair lined up the works Kawasaki KX450F. Graced with engine parts and bits sourced from Formula 1 and NASCAR teams, the bike is a mechanical marvel – alchemy of technology, ingenuity and increscent research and development. The colors of all the bikes, helmets and racing clothes were absolutely brilliant and there was an almost stifling atmosphere of nerves and tension reverberating through the staging area. Rattray is riding on the all-mighty Monster Energy/ Pro Circuit/ Kawasaki team. " Yeah, for sure. I believe he can win. Everything would have to be right, but why not? " -Mitch Payton Concurrently, well over 25,000 fans surrounded the sinuous track. There were people everywhere – people hanging off fences, people in lawn chairs, people all over the hillsides and people teeming all over the facility. Thousands of umbrellas were sprinkled amongst the throng, all of them absolutely glowing from the stinging sunlight. It was motocross nirvana. It was classic motocross. It's the reason why we all fell in the love with the sport in the first place. Back to Tyla Rattray. It's taken the 2008 FIM World Motocross Champion five years to get to this point, a point to where he is now on one of the elite teams in the paddock and racing against the world's best riders in the premiere 450 class. The past two years have been extremely unkind to Rattray. Second in both the 2010 and 2011 MX 250 class in the AMA National Championship, in 2012 he was moved up to the 450 class by team boss Mitch Payton. However, starting with the Monster Energy Supercross Series, it all went sideways for the red head. A horrific crash at the Oakland Supercross left him with a nasty concussion and a fractured C7 vertebrae. He would be forced to the sidelines indefinitely. After healing up, Rattray was tapped by the Monster Energy/Kawasaki factory team to ride Villopoto's bike. Suffering from an injury, Villopoto's bike needed a rider and Rattray was given a huge opportunity. However, that all went to hell when a flying rock badly broke his hand at the season-opening Hangtown National. Rattray would make it back for the last four Nationals, the highlight being a moto win in the deep chocolate-brown sand of Southwick in Massachusetts. The win was certainly a portent for good things to come for Rattray in 2013. During the winter of 2013, and with the help of Monster Energy, Kawasaki and a number of other sponsors, Mitch Payton fulfilled a dream: He was given the green light to own and operate his own 450 race team. Dean Wilson was hired on and, at Payton's instance, so was Rattray. "We wanted to give Tyla a chance because last year, when he was supposed to race Lites for us, he got hurt and sort of had a bad year," explained Payton