Cycle News

VOL. 50 ISSUE 49 DECEMBER 10, 2013 single turn and really have to focus a lot and be really smooth. There's been a whole lot of talk here lately about getting Americans overseas and how having experience racing overseas really helps your growth as a racer. Do you think that's an accurate statement? Yeah… man, I think racing there in the past has helped me. But it's been so long since I've raced there that I think everything I've gotten out of it I've kind of used it up. And that's one thing that I want to do is get back to racing over there. So it's great to see that PJ [Jacobsen] and Josh [Herrin] have some great rides there and hopefully they can do well, which I think they will and maybe open the door for us. With your time in the Red Bull Rookies, do you think that having a development class like that here would be a big help to up and coming racers? Oh yeah. I definitely think it would help. If you look at all the up and coming riders that are in MotoGP and World Superbike - like even [Marc] Marquez and [Jorge] Lorenzo and all them from when they started racing a bike they were all on a road race bike. Even they got the pocket bike series over there and the CEV [Spanish Championship] and everything and like you said the Red Bull Rookies Cup. If Americans want to compete with them than we need to have more of a little bike feeder series that's really big and have something to where kids can get on a bike early and start getting fast sooner than waiting until we turn 16 and can start racing as a pro. You've had a lot of ups and downs in recent years with the state of the sport, and money and all that. Were there any moments where you thought, "Man, maybe it's time to give it up and do something else?" Yeah, it's been kind of a tough few years for me… just cause I mean sometimes my results P71 highs and low. But for me to go straight from Supersport to riding basically one of the fastest Superbikes out there that had the most power was really hard. And I was racing with the fastest guys in America and I was really pushing hard because I wanted to be as fast as them. I made a lot of mistakes and crashed a lot of bikes and just kind of got down on myself. I think it really took most of the 2012 season after that to really build myself back up " IT'S BEEN HARD TO KEEP GOING, BUT I'VE BEEN LUCKY ENOUGH EVERY YEAR TO HAVE SOME GREAT PEOPLE HELPING ME AND JUST KIND OF KEEP MYSELF GOING AND KEEP WORKING HARD AND IT SEEMS LIKE NOW IT'S STARTING TO ALL COME TOGETHER. " haven't been where they needed to be and with the way the series is, it's kind of hard. AMA is doing all they can to make it better, but it's still been hard. Its been hard to keep going, but I've been lucky enough every year to have some great people helping me and just kind of keep myself going and keep working hard and it seems like now it's starting to all come together. Your time in 2011 on the Kawasaki Superbike… there were some highs and lows? Yeah, I mean racing the Superbike definitely I had some and really get a good feeling with the bike again. What are your goals for next season? I'm stepping into some big shoes to fill since I'll be taking over Cam's [Beaubier] spot and be running the number six like he did. My goal for next year is just finish strong every race. I definitely want to win some races and the ultimate goal is to win the title. And I'm working hard this winter. I know I've got a great crew and a great bike to ride. I've got all the tools to do it. I feel like I can go out there and do it. CN

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