VOL. 51 ISSUE 6 FEBRUARY 11, 2014 P75
worse. There are times you have
to look at the bigger picture, and
being there for the entire season
in very important."
When asked how he feels his
rookie season in the 450 class
is going, Hahn admits it's been a
long learning curve.
"I feel like I'm getting better
and better every weekend," says
and things were just clicking that
weekend. The dirt was good and
the track kind of suited me. I liked
the track so I was feeling the fire
that weekend.
"I learned a lot from the race in
Oakland, and I just need to try to
learn from every race going for-
ward and keep getting better."
Over the years, Hahn has had
a reputation as a hard worker,
something he says he gets from
his father, whom Hahn says has
an excellent work ethic. And he
expects to work his way to the
top of the 450 class, the way he
has in the past.
"I knew without a doubt that I
could be top 10 coming into this
year," says Hahn. "It was just a
matter of how things worked out.
And always, goals change and I
think of myself as moving further
and further up and getting better
and better in this class. It's impor-
tant for me to learn each week
and get comfortable with my sur-
roundings."
The biggest change from last
year for Hahn has been getting
used to the power of the 450,
compared to his 250.
"It's kind of been a big change
moving to the 450, although our
bike has the same frame as the
250," says Hahn. "It's just a mat-
ter of more power and how to put
it down on the track. It's definitely
got more power than I want. We
got the handling the way I like it
right away during the off-season,
so it's just been a matter of get-
ting used to the power."
But there's much more to his
graduation to the elite division
Hahn. "I think the biggest thing is
to just adapt to the pace."
In Oakland, Hahn's pace was
there and he proved he had the
skills to finish near the front by
being the first person to jump a
particularly difficult quad in prac-
tice. It ended up being an obsta-
cle that only a few top riders were
able to clear consistently.
"I knew when we walked the
track that it was doable, but I didn't
know if anyone would pull the trig-
ger," says Hahn. "During the first
practice I was jumping the table-
top and I was thinking I could do it
and I just pulled the trigger.
"I felt really good in practice
(Left) Hahn says that getting used to
the 450's incredible power is taking
some getting used to.
(Right) It's been a tough road to the
big leagues but Wil Hahn is here and
quickly learning the ropes.
"
IT'S IMPORTANT FOR ME
TO LEARN EACH WEEK AND
GET COMFORTABLE WITH MY
SURROUNDINGS.
"
