Cairoli One of The Greats!

One of the greatest riders of the modern era of the FIM Motocross World Championship enters his 12th season with the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team in 2021.

From 13 years in the MXGP class, Tony Cairoli has only dropped out of the top three in a final championship standing on two occasions — 2015 (seventh) and 2019 (10th), both primarily caused by injury.

In ’21, armed again with the KTM 450 SX-F he will be chasing his 10th FIM title and will hopefully extend his total of 92 Grand Prix wins — the second-highest amount in the history of the sport.

Tony, you had minor knee surgery at the end of 2020 and started riding at the end of February. How is your fitness?

The knee is okay, and I started training with the bike by taking it very easy. I was giving priority to physical work in the first part of the recovery – not so much on the bike – and also because there was some instability about the start date for the season. So, there was no need to rush. But, I’m okay, I’m feeling good.

So, the big question for 2021: when will you decide if this is the last year of racing for you?

It’s a matter of results, of course, and how competitive I am — this is clearly my goal at the moment. I want to see if I can still improve but I know the level of performance is unlikely to go up. A lot depends on my condition and the knee. That’s why I don’t know where I am [with speed and feeling] because I still cannot really push because of this injury following me around. Last year was very difficult for me but I think if my knee can be in a bit better shape for 2021 then I should be able to fight for the championship. This is my goal and then the next season depends on how I feel.

You were a mentor to Jorge Prado when he came to the team and now Mattia Guadagnini is the junior rider. How has it been working with him and knowing Italy now have a big prospect?

Of course Mattia has quite a bit of pressure at the moment. He has come from the European Championship directly into MX2 and with the potential to be a top-three guy, he has a lot of expectation. It won’t be easy for him. I have been in his shoes before, but it has been going well for him and he has been working a lot. I think the first races will tricky but once he gets the flow I think the results will come.

You haven’t had much riding time yet but is there anything you wanted to fix or address on your KTM 450 SX-F for this season?

No, so far we have tested a few things but because I don’t have a lot of bike time we are not pushing 100 per cent with technical parts. For me, it is important to feel better with the knee and then test something when I am at a decent level.

What about rivals for 2021?

I think we’ll see the same sort of names going for the championship as we did in the last couple of years but for race wins, I think there is a bigger group and even new people like [Thomas Kjer] Olsen and [Ben] Watson are among them. I think it is time for Jorge [Prado] to show his skills in going for the title and then you have Tim [Gajser], Jeffrey [Herlings] and myself. [Jeremy] Seewer will be very competitive, [Glenn] Coldenhoff also. There are many guys that can go for the championship and even more for the single race win.

Your skill at building a championship is unmatched for the last 15 years at least but do you feel like you still have the raw speed for multiple race victories?

I think it depends on the knee again. Last year I started the season and I wasn’t ready with my shoulder and when that was better the knee got worse! So, in 2020 I could not really ride like my best. If I’m in good shape I know I can still go for wins, even if the championship is my main goal and what I’m working towards.

Eli and Kawaski

Eli Tomac's current contract at Monster Energy Kawasaki was always going to run out at the end of 2021. Race day talks with people close to the situation made it seem like he was set to sign a two-year extension and would stay on the green machine through the close of his hall of fame career. But on Tuesday, Steve Matthes of PulpMX broke the news that Eli Tomac will move from Kawasaki to Yamaha in 2022, a development that shakes up the pit area. From what we've learned in recent days, it's a done deal but won't be publicly announced until much later in the year. UPDATE: Kawasaki has announced that the team and Tomac have mutually agreed to part ways at the conclusion of the 2021 race season.

A Word With Jeffery Herlings

A Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider since his Grand Prix debut in 2010, Jeffrey Herlings has been one of the team’s best and most emphatic racers with four FIM Motocross World Championships and 90 victories to his name; the third-highest total in history.

After his near-perfect third season in MXGP with the KTM 450 SX-F in 2018 – in which he claimed 17 from 19 GPs and finished as runner-up in the other two – the Dutchman suffered two years of injury frustration. Now, at the age of 26, #84 is again looking to establish his superiority at the peak of MXGP.

Jeffrey, are you finally healthy? No more metalwork in the body or difficulties for fitness?

“I don’t have any material left in my body anymore, luckily! My foot is definitely better than it was but it’s not fully healed or as good as my other one. It bothers me a little but not when I’m riding. I sometimes have pain afterwards, that’s all. Physically I am not super-conditioned but, at this time, I don’t want to be anyway because we are still not 100% sure when racing will start again due to the pandemic. Hopefully, we are set for mid-June but it is mentally and physically tough to know when you might or might not start. Right now, I’m just riding three-to-four times a week and every day do one – or maybe a maximum of two – training sessions to stay in shape and keep the bodyweight under control. When we’re absolutely sure of the first race then we’ll go hardcore again.”

You have an insatiable appetite for victory but after the injury problems of 2019 and 2020 is part of your motivation just to reach the end of a season?

“Obviously the last couple of years I didn’t succeed in completing most of the races, so that has to be a big goal for me. I have to be [present] everywhere and I don’t know if that means I’ll be close to the front each time, as has been proven in the past, but if I can try to be consistent every time I’m in the gate then I’ll hopefully be around the podium spots at the end of the year.”

The Dutch GP is supposed to take place in Oss, Holland. What’s your opinion?

“Before we talk about that I think it’s a shame we’re not going to Valkenswaard anymore. It was a tradition on the calendar. I raced there since 2010, I won there nine times and was on the podium 10 times, so it has a place in my heart. Oss is a nice track. It’s close to my house! It’s not a typical ‘Dutch’ track in that it’s not super-sandy but it’s a cool place and good for the fans with a nice overview for watching.”

Who will cause a surprise among your rivals for 2021?

“I think it will be the same group of main riders, it’s just a different year. I think Jorge Prado has joined the party now but basically the same guys like Tim Gajser, Romain Febvre, Tony [Cairoli].”

You could get a bit closer to the all-time win record of 101 this year. Will that be another small objective?

“Definitely. If I have a season like 2018 then I’ll pass it this time! That was a dream season. It’s certainly a goal to reach that 101. I’m on 90 now and I’m 26 years old so I think it’s realistic. I’ll have to go for it.”

You are the best sand rider in the world: is it possible to get even better in the terrain?

“No matter how old you are, you keep on learning and you find little ways to improve – but – I don’t think I can get better in the sand. 26 is not old but also not young and I can’t see myself increasing my level. I’m either at my peak now or I passed it! In 2018 I was not at my best level but I was super-good in the sand and pretty-much won everything. So, I don’t know if it’s possible to be better …but if I can stay at the same level then I’m already happy.”

Eli Moving On!

Foothill Ranch, California - Monster Energy Kawasaki and Eli Tomac will not renew their rider agreement following the conclusion of the upcoming AMA Pro Motocross Championship following six successful seasons together and mutually deciding not to pursue a contract extension. As they look ahead to the upcoming Pro Motocross season, the team and Tomac are both committed to earning their fourth championship in the last five years with preparations starting this week.

"We are extremely proud of the success that Eli and the Monster Energy Kawasaki team achieved over the last six years,” said Kawasaki Senior Manager, Racing, Dan Fahie. “We have built a great relationship with Eli and his family and we are proud that Kawasaki played a strong role in Tomac’s racing legacy."

The Monster Energy Kawasaki team and Tomac have enjoyed tremendous success during their six-year campaign with the Colorado-born rider earning four AMA championships on the Kawasaki KX™450. During his six years with the team Tomac lined up on the starting gate 165 times and earned 60 wins while only missing one scheduled main event. The 60 wins is the most by any rider during that time frame.

Monster Energy Kawasaki is primed to continue its AMA racing success in 2022 with a two-rider program that includes Adam Cianciarulo who propelled himself through the amateur ranks with Kawasaki Team Green. Cianciarulo earned the 2019 250cc AMA Pro Motocross championship and finished second in the 2020 450cc AMA Pro Motocross standings as a rookie and will be aiming for the top of the podium this summer.

KR Will Be Back!

Roczen: "I’m looking forward to the outdoor season now, and supercross next year.”

Yesterday 2:05pm | by: Jason Weigandt

 

It was a tough finish to the 2021 Monster Energy AMA Supercross campaign for Ken Roczen, as he faded back to 10th at the end of Saturday night's race in Salt Lake City. Roczen came into the race as the only rider with a mathematical shot at taking the title away from Cooper Webb, although his chances were slim. Nonetheless Roczen tried, as he grabbed the early lead and, instead of pulling away, he looked to engage Webb in a battle. This also allowed Roczen's teammate Chase Sexton to get into the mix, and the Honda HRC men ran 1-2 for a few laps early in the race. Of course, that wouldn't have been enough to deny Webb the title, and eventually Webb settled in and upped the pace. He went after Roczen and even punted him in a corner, and that began a steady drop through the field for Roczen.

With the tenth-place finish Roczen didn't have to participate in television or media obligations after the race, but Honda HRC did release a statement on the race with the following quotes from Roczen:

"Round 17 was a tough one again. I just seemed to struggle with the altitude. After getting the holeshot in the main, the first little bit of the race looked promising, but I really let go and dropped way back. Overall, I’ve had a good season. I’ve never stayed in the game for so long—making it all the way to the last round being in the championship hunt. Last year I was third, this year I was second—at least we’re going in the right direction. We had some really good battles, and I learned a lot about myself this year. I’m looking forward to the outdoor season now, and the supercross season next year."

If these quotes hold true, we'll see Roczen back in action at the end of the month for the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship. Roczen skipped the 2020 motocross campaign to rest and recover, with hopes his 2021 season would be better. Indeed it was, as Roczen stated he was in the title hunt all the way to the end, but his final stretch of races, dotted with crashes while leading and missed opportunities to score more points, will mar the overall look of his season. Regardless, it's good to hear Roczen, a two-time 450 AMA Motocross Champion, will give it another shot a few weeks from now at Fox Raceway at Pala.

 

  Roczen accepting his silver FIM medal for finishing second in the 2021 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship.

Scott Sheak Hurt

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Scott Sheak Hospitalized With Spinal Cord Damage  Following a Severe Practice Crash in New York Road 2 Recovery Opens Fundraising Campaign to Assist With Scott’s Medical Bills ENCINITAS, Calif. – Retired professional motocross/supercross racer Scott Sheak suffered a substantial practice crash last Friday at Walden Motocross Track in New York while preparing for an upcoming Loretta Lynn’s Amateur Motocross Regional Championship. When Scott was approached; he was found unresponsive, not breathing, and without a pulse at the site of his crash. He was rushed to MidHudson Medical Center, where he was stabilized then transported via helicopter to Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla, New York, where he underwent surgery to stabilize the cervical spine in his neck.   After arrival at Westchester Medical Center, it was determined that Scott had sustained a collapsed lung and fractured cervical spine, as well as a severe concussion, damage to the spinal cord and major soft tissue damage. On Saturday, May 1, Scott underwent surgery to stabilize the C7 vertebrae with rods and screws and they decompressed the spinal cord. At this time, Scott has no movement or feeling in his extremities due to the excessive swelling and damage to his spinal cord. It is still too soon to know if the paralysis is permanent.   At this moment, Scott’s recovery process is unknown but it is expected that he will have an extended stay in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and months of physical therapy. The Road 2 Recovery Foundation has established a fundraising campaign to support Scott as his medical bills are expected to be substantial. As always, R2R is a nonprofit 501(c) (3) and your donation toward Scott’s fund is tax-deductible. Scott Sheak's R2R Fund- https://road2recovery.com/cause-view/scott-sheak/ As more information on Scott’s recovery becomes available, we will update his R2R page HERE. We encourage folks to leave positive messages of support on Scott’s R2R page for him to read.   For more information on Road 2 Recovery, upcoming events and athlete updates, visit road2recovery.com or click here to make a donation. Media Contact: Lori Armistead Road 2 Recovery Foundation 619-339-5671 Lori@Road2Recovery.com   About Road 2 Recovery: The Road 2 Recovery Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2000 to help AMA-licensed motocross and supercross professionals and action sports athletes with financial assistance after sustaining career-ending injuries as well as providing motivational, emotional, and spiritual support to these individuals and their families.

Webb Makes It Two!

The 450 Main was an intense battle throughout the top 10. Ken Roczen grabbed the holeshot with Marvin Musquin and Cooper Webb following closely behind. Cooper made his way around Marvin and Chase Sexton would follow. Then Chase gained significant ground on Ken through the whoops, making the pass and leading the race. Eventually, Ken would run out of steam, falling through the pack and allowing Cooper and many more opponents to make passes. Cooper Webb made the pass on Chase Sexton after Chase made a mistake through a turn, grabbing the lead. Cooper would lead the rest of the race, win, and become the 2021 Monster Energy Supercross 450 champion

Will Kailub Moto?

Eight-Time GNCC Champion Kailub Russell Interview

Shan Moore | April 29, 2021

 

It’s not uncommon for a retired professional motocrosser to take up off-road racing, rarely is it the other way around, but Kailub Russell is going to give it a shot.

Retired off-road racer Kailub Russell now has his sights set on motocross—at the highest level.

Photography by Mac Faint

Off-road racers around the world will be tuning into this year’s AMA Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship in hopes of catching a glimpse of the familiar #557 dueling with the likes of Ken Roczen and Cooper Webb. It’s the perfect bench-racing topic, pitting 31-year-old Kailub Russell, perhaps the top off-road racer in the world, against the best motocross racers of the day.

Unfortunately, since our interview with Russell, the off-road star suffered a nasty crash in training that you have probably already seen, or at least the aftermath of it, on social media. This unfortunate incident that left him with two black eyes and his jaw wired shut—which doesn’t bode well for a follow-up interview—will delay his pro motocross debut indefinitely, which was originally set for the opening round at Pala, California, next month. Despite the crash, however, we do know that his desire to race motocross hasn’t wavered.

In 2021, Kailub Russell, who has been with KTM throughout his entire professional racing career, wants to join an elite group of racers/athletes who have been successful in both motocross and off-road. Having just retired from an off-road career that saw him win eight Grand National Cross-Country titles, Russell will be competing under the factory KTM tent, where he hopes to make yet another mark for himself.

Like most off-road racers these days, Russell has spent a big chuck of his off-road training on the motocross track. He’s used to putting in the laps.

“With my success in off-road, KTM is affording me the opportunity to live out a lifelong dream,” says Russell who is realistic about his goals. “I feel like it’s taken me five years to get to this point and ride at a high level on a motocross track. I still don’t think that level is capable of being a top-five guy. I’m just hoping for a few mud races to get up there and throw it in, but I think I am capable enough to have some good results and show some potential.”

Separating himself from former “dual threats” like Rodney Smith and Mike Brown, Russell will be transitioning from off-road to motocross, instead of from motocross to off-road.

“Back in the day when I was growing up, riding off-road, nobody really rode motocross,” says Russell. “The ’90s and early 2000s were weird for off-road. There wasn’t the surplus of motocross tracks either like there are now. So off-road, it’s just different, and I’m hoping to break out of that off-road mold and into motocross. Now, everyone trains on a moto track.”

Russell has already been hard at work getting ready for the upcoming outdoor motocross series.

Off-road racing has always seemed to take a back seat to motocross, but Russell hopes to bring some credibility to off-road where it’s long overdue. Sure, off-road racers compete at an incredible level, but are they at the same level as motocross? Time will tell.

“To go fast in the woods, it doesn’t really translate into going fast on a motocross track,” says Russell. “Woods riding actually breeds a lot of bad habits. I even have to be mindful of this, and I work on it a lot. I’m always covering my brake in the woods because, especially the first couple laps, you don’t know where you’re going because we don’t practice the track. It’s hard to break those habits once you get to a certain age. I think that’s why the translation from woods to moto is so much harder. The guys that ride motocross are used to going fast and not being on the brakes and rolling the corners and stuff, so their ability is a little bit different. It’s like Michael Jordan going from basketball to baseball. That’s about the same concept.”

In order to find out just where he belongs, Russell is thinking about splitting his effort between the 250MX and 450MX classes.

“We might be doing six 250 rounds and six 450s,” says Russell. “It just depends on how well it’s going whether I stay with 250s or not. I personally would like to do six and six, because I feel like I would have more consistent results in the 450 class, but those top 10 guys—in both classes, everybody is really good, all the factory guys and the top 15, even the top 20 guys, are really good. It’s going to be hard for me no matter what or where I’m at. But I ride the 450 a little more consistent. I’m a little faster on a 450 because I can rely on the power. I come from riding in the woods, lower RPMs, not over-revving my bike crazy like you have to on a 250.”

Russell says he plans to start off racing in the 250cc class and then move up to the 450s. He does have one pro MX race under his belt at Unadilla in 2018.

 

Russell does have one Pro Motocross race, Undadilla, under his belt.

“The theory behind starting on the 250 is mainly because when I did Unadilla, I got sixth and I would have qualified in the exact same position. Granted, I would have had to ride a 250 after all this, but my time was good enough to qualify in the same spot in the 250 class. My overall time for the first moto would have won the first 250 moto. So, my hopes with that are if it’s muddy then I’ve got my best chance to be a podium guy or maybe even win a moto. That odd chance that it might be a mud race, I want to make sure I’m prepared for it.”

Thanks to his background in off-road, Russell knows his best chances are with the more technical tracks.

“I just need to work on the overall riding and intensity and the speed at the beginning, but here in the woods, I’m in my element and I’m comfortable with everyone and everything around me,” says Russell. “I don’t have much motocross-racing experience, so when I get in a cluster of guys, I notice I tend to back off and kind of fall in line, where in off-road I’m searching for the lines and trying to get around people. So, there’s going to be that timidness to overcome. It’s going to be a lot of learning.”

“I think I am capable enough to have some good results and show some potential.”

Russell needs to learn quickly, because he knows he’s only got one shot at this.

“I’m just excited to give it a shot and get out there,” says Russell. “I feel like the East Coast tracks, the ones that are going to rut up, long ruts, they’re going to suit me a little bit better and I’m going to probably have better results there and more consistent rides. The faster, square-edged, choppy, harder-packed tracks like Pala had in the second moto, that’s what kind of scares me, those types of tracks. Those guys can just pin it and throw it into the corners. I’m more of like a precision type of rider and pick my way around the track and not just going all-out down a straightaway and through the gnarly square-edged bumps and braking bumps and then throw it into a berm, but we’ll get there. That’s why when I raced out West [in the WORCS series] I struggled with that, too. Those guys were going so fast into the corners, and I didn’t have that experience. Obviously, that was not a motocross setting, but it was along the same lines that some of the tracks could be.”

As far as conditioning, Russell is for sure one of the fittest off-roaders on the planet. But does that translate?

“It’s definitely a different fitness,” says Russell. “I feel like I’m a pretty fit guy all the time, pretty on point most of the time, especially the beginning of the seasons in off-road. It comes down to if I’m fading back in the motos, it’s because I’m uncomfortable. It’s not necessarily the fitness. The fitness is different. My body is not used to having to manage that high heart rate straight away, straight through it. You get right there to the top of your zone and you’ve got to hold it, where in off-road I work up into that zone and it’s not even to the top of it. The moto guys have years of experience and training their bodies to be able to hold that zone where they’re at and they’re comfortable in that area right there. It’s just a different kind of fitness. Motocross is not really an endurance sport like off-road. It’s an intensity and just a high max heart-rate threshold right there that you have to be able to withstand. Once your body gets into that red zone and your blood feels like it gets thick and your muscles get slow, it feels like you are tired. At least this is how I feel when I ride moto and I’m going all out. I feel like it’s all I’ve got, and I’ve got no more, but then I cool down, come off the track, take a break and I’m fine. It’s a whole different ball game. For me it’s going to be a lot of laps, a lot of riding and trying to get comfortable, is kind of where I’m at right now and what I’m trying to do.”

Unfortunately, Russell recently suffered a hard crash that will delay his MX debut.

As far as bike setup, Russell says there is a big difference from off-road to motocross.

“The only thing the same is maybe the grips, the handlebars, and the cables and stuff,” says Russell. “The factory motocross bike is completely different than anything I ride or really have any time on. So, when somebody asks me if the 52s [forks] are much different than the 48s, I can’t give them the answer because I’ve never ridden 52s in the woods with an off-road setting. I’ve only ridden 52s with motocross stuff, and the stuff is so much more stiff than my off-road stuff. I can’t even compare the forks. I don’t know what they’re doing differently, because this whole setting and the setup and the bike is so much different. I’m learning the bike a little bit better and getting more comfortable and finding the directions I need to go, like when the track goes a certain way that I’ve been riding. Because the bike is so rigid and stiff, the suspension almost seems a little bit more finicky. A couple clicks one way or the other makes a drastic change. I can tell a big change on my off-road bike, too, two or three clicks, but it’s like, we can go a little bit more. Two or three clicks is like what I’m used to going like five on the moto stuff. I think it’s just because the bike as a whole is stiffer. The suspension is beefier. I can jump 50 feet to flat off a 20-foot drop-off and it doesn’t bottom out. It kind of soaks it up. If I did that on my off-road bike, I’d be going to the hospital to get stitches in my chin because I hit the crossbar so hard. It makes it interesting for me because I’m learning something new as I’m doing this.”CN

Husky Moving Towards Electric

Husqvarna is moving towards electric mobility.  In a press release, Husky is giving us glimpses of its new E-Pilen electric concept bike.  Obviously, it takes its inspiration from Husky’s Vitpilen and Svartpilen models.

Husky says that its bikes are already known for being progressive, smart, dynamic, and purely design-oriented.  And they say that their new electric designs will continue to be hallmarks of the E-mobility line.  As its entry into electric motorcycles, the E-Pilen’s design caters to the “…urban commuter and leisure rider

Skyler Howes to Rockstar Husky for Dakar

American Rally star Skyler Howes has signed to race for the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing team at the Dakar Rally and in the Cross-Country Rallies World Championship through 2023.

Well, that answers one question Enduro21 had been asking this week. After finishing as best placed rookie in 2020 and taking a remarkable top-five finish at the 2021 Dakar Rally, Skyler Howes has been scooped up by the Factory Husqvarna Rally squad on a three-year deal.

On the back of the news that Pablo Quintanilla was leaving the Husky team, the 29-year-old American Howes will compete in the FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship as well as the Dakar in Saudi Arabia next January.

“I am so excited to have signed for the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing team.” Says Howes. “It is something I have worked hard my whole life for. I started riding when I was just three years old and have raced off-road my entire life.

I have only been racing rally for the past three years, and in order to be able to compete in the Dakar this year I had to sell everything I owned.” In fact Skyler made a pretty cool video all about how much he put into the ’21 Dakar.

Born in California, Howes grew up competing in desert races before turning to rally in 2018 and contesting the Dakar for the first time in 2019. Skyler admits he underestimated the iconic event, and despite showing great pace on the tough terrain he was forced to retire after dislocating his shoulder.

“I raced the Dakar for the first time in 2019, in Peru, and I have to be honest, it was a huge wake-up call.” Admits Skyler. “In 2020, I was able to sort a ride and, despite losing some time through the event, I was able to finish inside the top-10 and as top privateer.

“For this year [2021] it was a struggle financially to get to the start, but I knew I was capable of a really good result – I finished fifth, and as top privateer once again.

“Thankfully, my result got the attention of the factory teams and now it’s a dream come true to sign for Husqvarna Motorcycles – they have one of the best structures and set-ups in the paddock.”

 

Howes will compete in the Sonora Rally in Mexico in early May before lining up at round one of the 2021 FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship – the Rally Kazakhstan – in June.

“One of the biggest things for me is the fact that I can now concentrate on my training 100 percent and hopefully take my riding and results to the next level.” Says Howes of the freedom from running his own racing. “The goal for this year is to take in the world championship rounds and get as much experience as possible before January next year where the aim is to go on to challenge for the Dakar podium.”

Pela Renet, the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing Rally Team Manager, says they are happy to welcome Skyler into the team. “He is a rider with so much potential and his level of riding is improving all of the time. We have been watching him closely for a while and at the 2021 Dakar he rode really well to finish fifth overall in only his third attempt.

“Skyler is a fast, smart rider and a really nice guy as well – we believe that we can take him to the next level. He has been in Dubai recently to test the bike with the team, and everything is looking really positive already.

“Where he lives is a great area to train for rally so he will be able to get up to speed on the FR 450 Rally machine quite quickly. He will then compete in some local rallies in preparation for the upcoming FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship.

“We are really confident in his ability and we can’t wait to see what he can do when the racing season begins in June.”