Cycle News

VOL. 51 ISSUE 50 DECEMBER 16, 2014 P151 And you're hearing it from other people. It's just a different transi- tion and you've got to learn to trust. And you've got to grow with the team and put your faith in them." And even when dad is an ac- complished racer in his own right, there's human nature at play, and human nature often makes chil- dren think they know more than their dad, no matter how much their dad has accomplished. "You think that dad doesn't know it all and everything like that, but I always listened to my dad quite a bit growing up," Mar- tin says. "Even though I may not have agreed with him, just be- cause I knew that he meant well and he wanted the best for me, [I'd listen]. So even despite may- be saying some mean things here or there behind his back, I always tried to listen to him. [Laughs]" ROUGH START The 2014 season started out rough, to say the least, for Martin. Touted as a favorite for the 250cc Eastern Regional Supercross Championship prior to the start of the season, and despite the fact that he was very fast in qualifying at every event, he failed to make the main event at not only the first round, but round two as well. The championship for him was over before it even started. "It was rough," Martin says. "You know, I really can't label it on one thing. I just think it was a little bit of everything. It was a little bit of being uncomfortable and a being a little underprepared for the season. We had to work hard and turn it around and we were able to do that by the end of the Supercross season." Having it start out that rough could definitely do a number on the mental strength of any racer. "I definitely had some dark spots," Martin says. "I wondered how much longer my career was going to go on, because at the rate it was going, it wasn't looking good. And a lot of people were questioning me, even within peo- ple that I looked to for support. So it was one of the worst things that's ever happened to me. But I look at it as one of the best things that's ever happened to me. I wouldn't be where I'm at now if it wasn't for then, so I'm glad it hap- pened." Mistakes can be a positive thing as long as you learn from them. Martin learned from them, and landed his first Supercross win at the final round of the 250cc Eastern Regional Super- cross Championship in Las Ve- gas, then a couple of weeks lat- er, lined up for round one of the AMA 250cc National MX Cham- pionship at Glen Helen. TITLE TIME Talking to some mechanics and team managers at the teams competing against Martin's Ya- malube/Star Racing Yamaha squad, there were quite a few people who indicated that they had a clock on Martin during test- ing and practice days at Glen Hel- en and other local SoCal tracks, and they knew he was fast. But even they were surprised at how round one went, as Martin got out front and walked away with both motos. "I don't think I stepped it up anymore than what I was doing during the week, but I was ready to battle and I was ready to fight with anyone who was going to be on the line and up at the front of the pack that day," Martin said. "I tried to put the hammer down and I ran with it. I enjoy the outdoors, and I enjoy Supercross a lot, too, but the outdoors is all about that grit and being a man. When you're 25 minutes in and you're hot and tired and stuff like that, you've just got to keep digging." There was a time during the championship where Martin be- gan to unravel. It started at High Point, and continued through the following round at Muddy Creek, but Martin managed to pull it back together at RedBud, where he went 1-2 for the win. From there, it was mostly smooth sail- ing yet again. "You know, on Saturday it's whoever shows up and is the bet- ter man," Martin said. "And not ev- ery day throughout the summer, for 24 motos, you're going to be the man on every Saturday. I rode as hard as I could and I struggled with a little bit of things, whether it be bike setup or whatever, it was that day at a few of the races. I was able to get a grasp on things and deal with being in the hunt of the championship when I've nev- er been there before and make it

• Cover