Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
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Josh Summey made the move to the 450 class for this year's outdoor series, and the move to a bigger bike has paid off for the 23-year-old from Stanley, North Carolina. The Team Unbound Energy/ Moto XXX/Honda-sponsored rider has consistently finished just inside the top 10 all year, and he's been able to accomplish this, despite being recently diagnosed with diabetes. He credits his strong fin- ishes of late to his endurance, proof that he has the disease under control. cn: How long has it been since you were first diagnosed with diabetes? joshsummey: This past October was a year. cn: How has it affected your racing? joshsummey: It really doesn't affect it. At first it was a problem just trying to get used to it, trying to get everything in order and getting a routine for race day. You have to definitely monitor your blood sugars on race day because you are going to go out and ride for 35 minutes at a time and that can lower it, so you want to make sure you are at a substantial num- ber and you have enough in your body so it is not going to fall during the race. cn: Do you think you are stronger now that you have it under control? joshsummey: Yeah, for sure. I feel a lot stronger than I did during the outdoor series two years ago. Toward the end of that season I was starting to feel kind of weak and I think that is when it was just starting to have an effect on me. So it was good to finally figure out what was going on with me so I could go ahead and take care of it. cn: You have had a good year so far, what is your assess- ment of it all? joshsummey: Well, going into Hangtown I didn't know what to expect; I had never ridden a 450 National before. So, I just wanted to go out and see how I finished. I ended up finishing 10th overall, so I kind of realized where I could be. Since then, I have expected to be inside the top 10 and so far things have gone well for me. cn: Did you have any problems making the jump to the big bikes? joshsummey: Not really. I had raced the four-stroke Nationals before, so I had ridden the bike, four-strokes, before, and I was comfortable with them. Hopefully, this will carry over into the Supercross series for me next year. I am a big guy and I just feel more com- fortable on the 450s now and I think it suits me better. cn: Do you prefer the outdoors over the indoors? joshsummey: I am definitely enjoying the outdoors more than in the past, just because I'm on a bike that suits my rid- ing style and my size. But, I still love Supercross, because as a kid I did a lot of the BMX and bicycle stuff, so I think Supercross comes a little more naturally to me. But I have been working really hard for the outdoor series, and I'm real- ly enjoying it now. Shan Moore AUGUST 9, 2006 • C Y C L E N E W S 20 Josh Summey: Overcoming Adversity