Cycle News

INTERVIEW AMA 250 NATIONAL MOTOCROSS CHAMPION JEREMY MARTIN P154 improvement. I definitely made my fair share of mistakes during the outdoor season in corners, but I just really enjoy it. It's one of my favorite things about riding. There's nothing better than hitting a perfectly smooth rut, leaning it over, dragging the bars and just coming out rippin'." But even with this corner speed, he says the added horse- power from the new model Ya- maha YZ250F is still a big advan- tage as well. "I still think the power is neces- sary," Martin said. "I think once you get the bike setup right for you and you carry speed like that, it only makes it better. And the power is nice, too, because if I do make a boggle, which I do, that Yamaha power is right there to get me back up to speed." GETTING THE NOD With all of the ups and downs of the 2014 season, Martin ended the season with a roller-coaster of emotion as well. Martin was named Team USA's pick for the 2014 Motocross of Nations, and he was excited to head to Latvia for the event. However, during his qualifying race on Saturday, Martin went down hard when he hit a kicker in a rut on the loamy track, and he hit the ground like a ton of bricks. "The sun was kind of in your eyes and I didn't expect it," Mar- tin said. "I knew there was a kick- er there, but I didn't expect it to throw me over the bars like that. So let's just say that was an unex- pected crash." He broke his big toe and pinky toe on his right foot, along with bones in his right foot, but he still managed to line up for both of his motos on Sunday and give it ev- erything he had. "I took some stuff to help it a lit- tle bit with the pain, but I'd rather suffer for an hour and a half than not line up and try, and then re- gret it for the rest of my life," Mar- tin said. "So I think that pain was only temporary." Despite the experience, Martin hopes to go back to the event soon. "I honestly liked everything about des Nations," Martin said. "Despite being hurt and letting my country down, I really enjoyed it. I think the fans are unreal and I hope we get some fans like that in the States. Because those guys, they're nuts. Between the chainsaws and the car air horns, there was some stuff I saw that I've never seen before. It was an experience, for sure, and I'd love to go back. I'd love to go back and win." After the race, Martin was off the bike for just under six weeks, and now he's back up to speed in preparation for the 2015 season. "I can't wait to get going," Mar- tin said. "I'm excited." CN When things didn't go so well for Martin, he got right back up, learned from his mistakes, and went back about his business of winning, like he did after this gnarly crash at Hangtown. "On Saturday it's whoever shows up and is the better man. And not every day throughout the summer, for 24 motos, you're going to be the man on every Saturday."

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