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/1546134
C Y C L E N E W S • AUGUST 16, 2006 71 traveling to get better. We started going to the Nationals and there was plenty of competition there. I was about 9 or 10 when we started really hitting the Nationals. You will be making you Pro debut in your home state at Millville. What are your thoughts on that? Yeah, I have ridden that track a few times this year and I like it. It gets rough and I am hoping to do really good there. What are your expectations? I want to, for sure, get top 15 and maybe top 10. I just want to be in the hunt - I think I've got the speed. Do you have a trainer now? No, I have always just done my own program. At first I was a little lazy and didn't put a lot into it, but I started wanting it more and pretty soon it got to where I really wanted to do it. I train a lot now. I try to ride at least four times a week and I road-bike about five times a week, for about an hour at a time. This last year I have been training pretty hard. What do you feel are your strong points? Now, it is my determination. When my grandma died, that really motivated me. Now, I want to be the next Ricky Carmichael. If I come off the track in second, I can't stand it. My grandma passed away this past March. She lived for five years with cancer, and I saw how hard she fought and never complained. And I thought if she could fight that hard with cancer, then I could fight hard for this. That was a turning point. There are thousands of kids out there who would love to be in your position. Did you ever dream that you would sign a major contract at 16 years of age? No, not at 16. It came really fast, but I think I put in a lot of hard work, and I am not going to stop working hard. Being a factory rider now inspires me to step it up even more. What goals do you have for yourself? Next year, I would like to be in the hunt in motocross. I haven't ridden Supercross that much, but I would like to be up there in that, too. I am just going to take it one day at a time. What kind of Supercross experience do you have? I have spent a lot of time on a track that my buddy has that is pretty much a Supercross track, and I went to the U.S. Open a few years. I really can't wait to get on Suzuki's track and start learning. Will you continue to live in Minnesota? I would like to get a place in California, because that is where Suzuki is, but our home is in Minnesota. But for this to work, I will have to be in California. You are skipping Loretta's to start getting ready for Millville. Yes, we will be doing three or four days of suspension testing at the Suzuki track the week of Loretta's. We will work on the right setup for me on the bike and I will be adapting to the bike. Will you be riding a factory bike at Millville? It will be a test bike, which I think will be close to what Ricky is riding. CN