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/1440270
INTERVIEW I JOE WASSON: 2021 AMA HARE & HOUND N ATION AL C HAMPION P54 Throughout all of this, another issue Wasson had to deal with was insurance. While his shoulder surgery was covered, the wrist proce- dures were not, and he was shocked to receive a bill of $348,000! "Naturally, I didn't have enough money to pay for it, so I worked out a little deal with the hospital and I think it end- ed up costing me $18,000," he said—still a substantial amount but not something that'd require a 30-year loan to pay off. "I made a little money with Tesla stocks. When Covid hit, I started messing around with investing and I made $22,000 or $24,000 off of Tesla. I end- ed up paying all my medical bills. Part of them got sent to collections [before the Tesla stocks paid off]. I mean, I was paying as much as I could, but you need some money for everyday living, too. "That was a huge relief to get out of all my medical debt. "Now I have insurance." Does Wasson see himself becoming a day trader or investment banker? "I have a little bit of crypto currency, but I just took a little break from stocks. I'm not very good at it so I did lose a little bit of money. It's still something that's kind of in- triguing. It seems like you can make money, but then you can also lose a lot of money quick, too! Honestly, I feel like it's a little bit like gambling, so I limit myself to how involved I get. I have a couple things but nothing major anymore." That leads to life after rac- ing. "I've been thinking about all the different things I could do after I'm done racing. I've kind of kicked around the idea—there's a guy who wants me to help put on group rides, fun tour deals, so I've thought about that. "Ultimately, I'd like to figure out something to do where I could work with Jayme and have T.J. involved, do some- thing that's the whole family deal. I wouldn't be opposed to going back to my old lifestyle doing a little farming and stuff Though he's enjoyed his greatest success in the desert, Wasson has also found success in other areas. In 2019, he placed second in the AMA West Hare Scrambles (WHS) Regional Championship Series. like that or go work for some- body. "I think when I get too fo- cused on what I'm going to do next, it takes away from what I'm doing now. I keep remind- ing myself, 'Just focus on what you're doing right now. What'll come next will come next.' "I've got to focus on one thing at a time just to make sure I give it my all and don't get sidetracked." That leads him to draw on his mental strength, especially when training. "Sometimes I'll go out and ride in sum- mer in the middle of the day just to torture myself, just to make myself a little tougher. I've found out that I'm will-