33rd Annual World Vet

WORLD VET CHAMPIONSHIP IS TWO WEEKS AWAY: ARE YOU READY?

 

The World Vet Motocross Championship celebrates its 33th year at Glen Helen Raceway on November 4-5, but it is really a four-day festival of speed 2016—because there are two days of practice before the weekend races.

Dubya Wheels is the 2017 World Vet Motocross Championship title sponsor, but there is a bigger story behind Dubya and the World Vet Motocross Championship. Tom White, who owned White Brothers back in the day, sponsored the first World Vet in 1984, and actually founded the event and sponsored it for the first 26 years. After selling the White Brothers, the new owners gave up the sponsorship of the race, but Tom wanted to keep the race moving forward, so he had his daughter and son-in-law’s company, Dubya USA wheels, become the title sponsor in 2014. And they are back for 2017 — bigger than ever.

Here is the schedule of events for the most important Vet race in the world—start making plans now.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 2: Thursday will feature an open practice from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The cost is $25 per bike. The 2017 Dubya World Vet Motocross Championship wants to give out-of-state and out-of-country riders as many chances as possible to adapt to the track — while riding on Thursday with AMA National Pros and 16-year-old kids. It’s a wild day. Smart World Vet racers skip riding on Thursday and stand back and watch the mayhem. Many riders skip both Thursday and Friday practices to save themselves for the actual races. Thursday Open Practice: 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. ($25 per bike)

There is free camping at Glen Helen for the weekend. A weekend-long pass is $25 each. The one-day spectator entry fee is $10. If you camp, which is free, you can hear the race announcers on 93.4 FM on your radio.

The Glen Helen National track is always mellowed out for the World Vet, per orders from founder Tom White, but don’t think for a minute that the lack of big doubles makes it an easy track. No one will see the full 2017 World Vet layout until the REM Octobercross the weekend before the big race.

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 3: Friday offers a special practice, limited to riders who have pre-entered the 2017 Dubya World Vet Championship. This practice costs $25 per bike and runs from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. On this day the vendors will be setting up shop and the Glen Helen/Troy Lee Museum will be open in the afternoon. Sign-up for the weekend is open from Noon to 5:00 p.m. Pre-entry is $40 a class (the three pro classes, 30, 40 and 50, are $50). Friday Practice: 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. ($25 per bike)

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 4: Saturday, November 4, is essentially a warm-up race to lessen the advantage that Glen Helen locals have. It is no surprise that foreign and out-of-state riders need time to get used to the roughness, elevation and size of Glen Helen—it is a tough track that gets rougher with each lap and each day. Only the Over-40 Pros are racing for a World Vet Championship crown on Saturday, November 4th. Gates open: 5:30 a.m., Practice: 7:00 a.m., Racing: 8:30 a.m., All Classes +25 and up, Feature Purse Race: +40 Pro

SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 5: Sunday, November 5, 2017 is the official World Veteran Motocross Championships day. All the same classes that ran on Saturday will race again on Sunday — only this time it is for all the marbles. The exception is the Over-40 Pro class (who named their Champion on Saturday, but can race for purse only on Sunday). The big classes on Sunday are the Over-30 Pros and Over-50 Pros. Gates open 5:30 a.m., Practice: 7:00 a.m., Racing: 8:30 a.m..Feature Purse Race: +30 Pro, Edison Dye Lifetime Achievement Award: 12:30 p.m. (in museum)

SUNDAY AT NOON: THE EDISON DYE MOTOCROSS LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: On Sunday at noon the Edison Dye Motocross Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented for the 20th time. Initiated to honor individuals who have made a positive contribution to our sport, the award has been received by Edison Dye, Roger DeCoster, Jeff Ward, Joel Robert, Torsten Hallman, Bruce Brown, Feets Minert, John DeSoto, Lars Larsson and many others. Each inducted rider gets a marker on the Glen Helen Walk of Fame (see Bob Hannah’s below).

 

Bob Hannah received the Edison Dye Lifetime Achievement Award ten years ago from World Vet founder Tom White.

THE RULES: CLASS JUMPING & MOVING DOWN AGE GROUPS: Riders can ride in their age appropriate class and are then eligible to move down one skill level for every ten years (for example, an Over-50 Expert can race the Over-40 Intermediate class). Old riders can ride in younger classes, but young riders cannot ride in older age groups. This system works like this: An Over-60 Expert can also race the Over-50 Intermediates and the Over-40 Novices—he could also ride the Over-30 Novices and Over-25 Novices.

As of October 18, pre-entered riders have signed up from California, South Dakota, Maryland, Washington, Kentucky, Hawaii, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Wash D.C., New Mexico, Oklahoma, Colorado, Utah, Ohio, Texas, Idaho, Utah, Arizona, Michigan, Florida and Virginia. Foreign entries, who have pre-entered, are from England, Sweden, Ecuador, Australia, Canada, Spain, Germany, New Zealand, Holland, Japan, Mexico and Brazil.

FREE TRANSPONDER SCORING: Scoring will be by transponder and you must bring your driver’s license to sign-up to prove that you are the right age before transponders will be handed out. No driver’s license—no race. There is no charge for the transponders, but you must leave a form of identification (driver’s license or credit card) to insure that you bring the transponder back at the end of the day. Pre-entered riders must check in along with post-entry riders. For more info or to pre-enter go to www.glenhelen.com

THE HARD AND FAST AGE RULES: It doesn’t matter if you will be 40 the next day, you cannot race in the 40 class until you are 40 years old. Cheaters are frowned on—especially in the Pro classes (where true ages are easily verified). The same goes for the Over-25 and up classes. No exceptions. No cheating. Bring your driver’s license to sign-up when you check in (and you must check in regardless of whether you pre-entered or not). No driver’s license — no race for you.

WHO CAN RACE THE WORLD VET CHAMPIONSHIP? The 2017 World Vet Championship does not require membership, licenses or special paperwork. If you show up, you will be allowed to race. Racers come from 20 different countries to race all the classes. It is the original Vet race and titles have been won by many famous motocross racers — including Gary Jones, Rex Staten, Jeff Ward, Erik Kehoe, Warren Reid, Kent Howerton, Torlief Hanssen, Alan Olson, Rich Thorwaldson, Ron Turner, Feets Minert, Kyle Lewis, Casey Johnson, J.N. Roberts, Lars Larsson, Eyvind Boyesen, Pete Murray, Andy Jefferson, Zoli Berenyi, Ryan Hughes, Pete DeGraaf, Kurt Nicoll, Travis Preston and Doug Dubach.

WORLD VET CHAMPIONSHIP TITLES: Any rider who wins his class on Sunday—regardless of the skill level can claim to be a World Vet Champion (with the caveat that they are the “Over-40 Novice Champion,” etc). However. The true World Vet Champions, the ones that will be recognized for posterity, are the Over-30 Pro, Over-40 Pro, Over-50 Pro, Over-60 Experts and Over-70 class.

Two Stroke Entry Lists Red Bull SR

The Red Bull Straight Rhythm has become one of the most spectacular off-season events for a handful of reasons. This weekend's instalment will attract thousands of eyeballs, thanks to the inclusion of a two-stroke category. The support class will arguably feature bigger names than the actual professional category, as the entry list below shows.

Ryan Villopoto

Chad Reed

Ronnie Mac

Mike Brown

Ryan Sipes

Gared Steinke

Ryan Morais

Jon Ames

Australian Yeppoon EnduroX Highlights

After the cancellation of the Australian national series, the Keppel Coast Dirt Bike Club from Queensland came together to put on their own endurocross event with a prize pool of $11,000 - the 2017 Yeppoon EnduroX.

Steward Baylor wins John Zink National Enduro

  

Photo Credit: Shan Moore

The battle for championship honours heats up in the AMA National Enduro Championship with Steward Baylor winning the penultimate round to claim the point’s lead.

Steward Baylor claimed a dramatic come-from-behind victory at this weekend’s John Zink National Enduro in Sand Springs, Oklahoma, marking his second win in a row in the Kenda AMA National Enduro Series powered by Motion Pro. 

With the win, the SRT Racing KTM rider moved to the top of the series standings with one round remaining on the schedule, guaranteeing a winner take all finish at the series finale in Alabama. 

Two crashes in the opening test – a grass track – left Baylor sitting 12th heading into test two. 

However, as he has done so many times before, the South Carolina rider clawed his way back into contention and then sealed the deal with a hammer-down performance in the final two tests to steal the win from Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Thad DuVall. 

“Giving the field a 15-second head start after the first test is starting to be my M.O.,” said Baylor. “It seems I have a habit of starting off my weekends with a bad test. 

“But I slowly worked my way back towards the front and then in the sixth test I was able to get the win and gap those guys a little. 

“It was anybody’s race going into the final test and I’ve always ridden my best in the last test and I just nailed all my lines and came away with the win.”

Baylor now leads DuVall by two points heading into the final round in Stanton, Alabama, on November 5.

 

Photo Credit: Shan Moore

Baylor brothers go 1-2

For the second race in a row, Grant Baylor accompanied his brother, Steward, on the podium; putting his KR4 Arrive-n-Ride Husqvarna into second place, some 14 seconds behind his big brother. 

Like Steward, Grant also got off to a poor start, but turned the fastest time in the third test and then edged DuVall for second place with a quick time in the sixth test.

“I know I’m not my best in slippery conditions and after last night’s rain that grass track was pretty slick so I just took it easy and got through it the best I could,” said Grant. 

““I was a little bit down the standings after that first test, but I was pretty much top-three the rest of the day. 

“Thad had six seconds on me going into the last test and I just hung it out for the last eight miles and I was able to edge him out for second by about three seconds.”

DuVall drops point’s lead with third

DuVall came into the event holding the series point lead and he led the race after four tests, having won the second and fourth tests. 

However, the West Virginia rider admittedly struggled in the final two tests, dropping him out of first place and into third. 

“I felt like I gave 100% all day and it was some unreal close racing, but it was a little tighter and rockier than I was expecting,” said DuVall. 

“I was way off in the sixth test, and then in the seventh I stalled the engine and had trouble getting it started.

“I’m super happy with how I rode and I felt like I laid it on the line all day. Even if I had of won, it would still come down to the final round in Alabama, so I’m not disappointed at all.”

Smith grabs fourth despite crash

Fourth overall went to Evan Smith. The Integrity Acquisitions-backed KTM rider crashed in test two and went over the bars, leaving him trapped for about a minute. 

However, the Georgia rider was able to work his way back just short of the top three by the end of the day, edging SRT Racing’s Cory Buttrick for fourth with a strong ride in the final test. 

Sixth was FMF KTM Factory Racing Team’s Russell Bobbitt. Other than a small tip-over in the first test, Bobbitt stayed clean for the rest of the day and rode a consistent race to beat out Solid Performance Racing’s Jesse Groemm. 

Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Josh Strang finished the day in eighth, while AirGroup/Enduro Engineering Husqvarna teammates Thorn Devlin and Andrew DeLong rounded out the top 10.

In addition to a ninth overall finish, Thorn Devlin also topped the Rekluse/Expert AA class, beating teammate Tyler Vore by two-minutes-twenty-five seconds. Husqvarna-mounted Bryan Forrester was third. 

 

RESULTS

1. Steward Baylor (KTM)

2. Grant Baylor (Hsq)

3. Thad DuVall (Hsq)

4. Evan Smith (KTM)

5. Cory Buttrick (KTM)

6. Russell Bobbitt (KTM)

7. Jesse Groemm (KTM)

8. Josh Strang (Hsq)

9. Thorn Devlin (Hsq)

10. Andrew DeLong (Hsq)

Red Bull Straight Rhythm

Red Bull Straight Rhythm returns to Fairplex in Pomona this coming weekend, for the event’s fourth consecutive year, utilizing the same riveting format where practice, qualifying, and racing will all take place on the same day. Additionally, the finals will once again take place at night under the lights making for a spectacular spectator experience.

Red Bull Straight Rhythm, once again featuring head-to-head racing on an “unwound” track, where there are no turns, just a 1/2-mile-long straight rhythm section. Now in its fourth year, the event will continue the new format where practice, qualifying and racing will all take place on the same day, with the finals taking place at night under the lights. With many of the world’s top Supercross and motocross riders expected to return to the competition and with some new changes to be announced shortly, the event looks to be better than ever.

Single-day tickets gives access to practice, qualifying, and the finals. With over 10,000 grandstand seats, plus an infield and paddock, spectators will be treated to a one-of-a-kind experience while watching an all-out, head-to-head sprint to the finish line. For those needing a break from the action, spectators will also have access to the race pits, numerous concessions and side acts throughout the day, offering something for the whole family.

Ken Roczen will host (but not race) the Two-Stroke Shootout, an eight-man, two-stroke-only class. Confirmed riders in that class include four-time Supercross and three-time motocross champion Ryan Villopoto and two-time Supercross and motocross champion Chad Reed. Other riders in the two-stroke class include former AMA 125cc champion Mike Brown, and former Supercross/motocross and current GNCC racer Ryan Sipes.

In addition, the event will once again contain a Lites Class (250cc and below) and an Open Class (greater than 250cc), and this year these classes will contain eight riders each. In the Open Class, the riders announced include recent MEC winner and 2016 Red Bull Straight Rhythm Open Class Champion Marvin Musquin, his Red Bull KTM team-mate Broc Tickle, returning racer Josh Hansen and 2016 AMA EnduroCross National Champion Colton Haaker. The Lites Class will feature 2016 Red Bull Straight Rhythm Lites Champion Shane McElrath, 2016 third-place finisher Jordon Smith, Alex Martin, and Josh Hill. Hill will be on the Alta Motors Redshift MX electric bike.

RV vs Reed on Two-Strokes at Red Bull Straight Rhythm

 

In late September, Red Bull Straight Rhythm announced it was introducing the Ken Roczen Two-Stroke Shootout this year. While Roczen won’t be competing due to injury, Red Bull has scored some marquee names, including Ryan Villopoto and Chad Reed. RV vs. Reed on two-strokes!!! This is going to be awesome. Also competing are Mike Brown, Ronnie Mac, and Ryan Sipes.

In Open Class Marvin Musquin, Broc Tickle, Josh Hansen, and 2016 AMA EnduroCross champion Colton Haaker have been announced.

The Lites Class will feature 2016 Red Bull Straight Rhythm Lites Champion Shane McElrath, Jordon Smith, Alex Martin, and Josh Hill. Hill will once again be at the helm of the Alta Motors Redshift MX electric bike. The remaining riders for the Two-Stroke, Open, and Lites classes will be announced later.

Inside America's Toughest Extreme Enduro w/ KTM Star Cody Webb

Red Bull Moto Spy follows Cody Webb at the 2017 Tennessee Knockout as he goes for his fifth straight win at the event - the toughest hard enduro in North America.

The FMF KTM Factory Racing rider had to fend off the UK’s Graham Jarvis, the most successful extreme enduro racer in the world while competing on some of the most difficult terrain imaginable.

Nearly three hundred riders competed at the seventh annual Kenda Tennessee Knockout and this feature highlights the second and final day of competition when the field was already down to 58 riders.

2017 Kenda Tennessee, Knockout Main Event Results

1. Cody Webb, KTM
2. Graham Jarvis, Husqvarna
3. Mario Roman, Sherco
4. Max Gerston, Beta
5. Jordan Ashburn, Beta
6. Cory Graffunder, Husqvarna
7. Ben Kelly, KTM
8. Mitch Carvolth, KTM
9. Quinn Wentzel, Husqvarna
10. Grayson Goncalves, Husqvarna

KTM’s Black Rally 450!

KTM’s new 450 Rally dressed in black looks hot!

  

Photo Credit: Marcin Kin

This week at the Rally of Morocco marks the final proper shakedown before Dakar 2018 and KTM have rolled out their new 450 — in black.

Morocco always brings something new to the table, last year we saw Yamaha show up with their new 450 and now this year KTM.

Naturally enough there’s not any details on what’s new and what’s not, just that it’s new. 

KTM haven’t really drastically updated their rally bike for the past couple of seasons, we’re guessing that’s because they haven’t been beaten.

But we do guess that to stay ahead of the pack you got to stay on top of your game, and with Honda and Yamaha bridging the gap to them, it’s now time for something new.

Dressed is black, she certainly looks cool sitting in the Moroccan Desert, but come Dakar no doubt she’ll be dressed orange.

Nice though…

A detailed chat with Max Anstie

Following an incredible display at the Motocross of Nations, does Max Anstie really need an introduction? The Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing rider decimated the conversation whilst en route to a pair of moto wins and lifted Great Britain onto the podium for the first time in twenty years. Anstie put himself into the record books on Sunday.

MX Vice: We have done these on the bad days and we’ve done these on the good days. I don’t throw claims like this around often, but today you were the best rider in the world. How does it feel?

Max Anstie: It is unbelievable. I don’t even think it has sunk in yet. That was just one hell of a day. I woke up this morning and I did not… I was focused. I suppose I did not give myself time to think about anything. I was telling myself for the last few weeks, it is just GP number twenty. I’m going there to do my work and ride as fast as I can. It is my home GP, great, but I’m training and preparing like normal. When I was riding, I was trying to just think about that. Think about hitting my marks, hitting my turns, doing my bits that I know I could do and not get too carried away with it.

Max Anstie led twenty-one of the twenty-five laps at the MXoN (ConwayMX)

In the first race the crowd was just absolutely unreal. I had a bit of a gap and I got a bit nervous the last few laps. Then in the second race, I was about midway through and I had a little gap on Febvre and then I heard the commentator say, “It is all eyes on Anstie. If Team GB get on the podium…" I was like, oh! Then I went and ended up pulling the front brake in a bit too much and slid out. I got up and I felt all right and I said, “I’m having this." I managed to catch Febvre and pass him. Obviously then Jeffrey was right there close. It was a mega race. It was awesome to do and something I’ll never forget. Just an amazing feeling.

Obviously you have been around a while now, but it is weird. I feel like today after those rides, you have arrived now. I feel like you are now in the hall of fame and an all-timer. Do you feel like you have done something that is going to go down in history?

It is unreal. I was here in 2006 and I watched. I stood on that turn where Stefan Everts went around the outside of James Stewart. I watched Antonio Cairoli beat Ryan Villopoto. I just remember thinking there, “wow, these boys are amazing. They’re like my heroes. I’m never going to be like them." Now eleven years later, I’ve gone and went 1-1 at the same track and same event. That is bloody cool.

Did the fans help you? The commentators were constantly going on about how you could not do it without the fans. They were urging you on. Did that actually kind of spur you on and give you that extra bit of drive you needed?

Like I said, I was just trying to focus on myself and my lines. Actually, it made me a bit more nervous. It was the first time in a while, actually on Saturday even in free practice I felt nervous. I was like, “oh, this is quite cool." You have got a bit of the weight from the whole nation and the whole team. There are three riders and if you mess it up… I was a bit nervous the last few laps in both races. I’m just so glad I was able to get it done. It was just unbelievable.

Max Anstie has attracted attention from across the globe now (ConwayMX)

The fans were great, because they were getting the lappers out of the way as well. The blue flags were good but the lappers. We don’t race some of these guys in GPs, so they are not too clued up on getting out of the way. So, the fans, it just sounded like it was so loud. People were just like, “okay, something must be going on." Let me get out of the way. It was good. It was helping me. The last few laps we started lapping some relatively good guys. Then they were still kind of holding their positions. It was getting tight, because Jeffrey was there. It was good that we were able to do it.

Can the crowd sometimes hurt in spots when a guy like [Jeffrey] Herlings is right behind you? They kind of drown out the sound of his bike so you cannot really hear what side he is coming from? Sometimes maybe they get louder and you are like, “wait, why are you doing that? Is there someone like right there?"

Yeah. I got in front of Febvre then started pulling away a bit and the crowd, I just thought… I had to look back over the finish because I was like, “is he right on me trying to go down the inside of me?" Then I was like, “oh, no, actually I’ve got a few seconds." I was like, okay, I can go outside of the bottom. Down the end of the old pit lane after the finish jump, if you went outside it was better for the next straight, but obviously you were going to get T-boned if you left the door open. I was like, “I don’t know, I don’t know!" But then I looked back and I was like, “oh, I’ve got a bit of space now."

It is hard to hear with those fans, but could not do it without them there. They are unbelievable. It is just so nice to be able to do this for everyone and put on a show. It was not exactly the nicest day out. I know people travelled from all over the country. It was just something for us as a team, as a country we proved that we are there. We can be on the box and as a country we’re right up there. We might be a small country, but it is cool. It’s great.

72,000 fans watched Max Anstie jump into the record books (ConwayMX)

You came in from the first race after having won and were stoked, pumped and all of that. When you found out that Tommy did not finish and GB were only ninth, were you like, “wait, so I did all of that and it is only good enough for that?"

I know. Again, in the first race, there was one time where I could really hear the commentator every lap. I was kind of going around. It was like four or five seconds and I could hear what they were saying. I heard him say Searle this, Searle that or something. I was like, “oh, great! He’s probably like fifth or something, mega! We are having a great time. I’m out front. Tommy must be right up there." I came in and I was like, “great! How was Tommy’s race?" They’re like, “he only did two laps." I was like, “oh no."

This is going to be tough. Obviously if you have to throw away your result from the first race, then that put even a bit more pressure on me for the second race. It was not like we all turned around and were like consistent, consistent, consistent. It was just go for it. I had to go for it, but then not crash as well and throw it away. It was a bit of a shame for Tommy in the first race, but I’m so pleased we managed to get it done.

Team Great Britain last finished on the podium back in 1997 (ConwayMX)

Did you feel more pressure after the first race as well? Once you settled down you realized that everyone is going to expect you to do that again. The second time is always harder.

Actually, I felt better after the first race. I felt like, okay, I belong. That’s fine. That’s good. I’ve done it once, so I can do it again. Even in that second race, I had Jeffrey behind me and I learned from the French race a couple of weeks ago. I led him for two of the last two laps and then he got me and I thought, “this is not happening again." I’m doing everything I can to stay in front of him, and I managed to do it. So, it was cool.

How much did Villars help you? Obviously, you got used to being in front of Herlings and defending your position. But even coming from the outside on the start, you did that at Villars and I feel like that whole experience just helped you leaps and bounds today.

Yeah, massively. It did. It has been, the last part of the season and getting a few podiums. I’ve been building in strength and I’ve been telling everyone, “right, the ‘Nations is going to be where it is at." I knew I was going to be strong for this. My physical fitness is great. I know I am on point with everything. But, honestly, my team is unreal. The Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing team is the best team ever. They give me a plan for everything. I don’t even have to think. I’m just able to go and ride. That is great because then I can spend more time thinking about how to go faster. I’m not planning something or planning this. I have got to give it up to Antti and the whole team there, because they are unreal.

Max Anstie credits a lot of his success to those who surround him (ConwayMX)

Finally, what’s your plan now heading into the off-season? I guess you are going to rest a little bit or do you have immediate testing to do?

No, I have got this week off and then I start testing next week. We have got some team testing to do, then it is just getting to work. I like working. I feel great. I feel really, really good. This weekend has been absolutely amazing. I really like the hard work part of it as well because it gives you that good feeling on the weekends. You have that feeling of achieving something. Without working hard in this MXGP class, there is no chance. The boys are all great and everyone works hard. Everyone is great and has got a good team. It is something that I also look forward to. I also look forward to this off-season of training and taking what we have learned from this year and trying to progress and be even one step higher again next year.

I don’t expect to go and win all the races next year or whatever, but I expect to just be a step up from what I was this year and aim for them podiums and take all of that into account. When the time is right, I can take my wins. I think it has been a long process through my whole career, but this year has definitely been a point where I’ve been able to step up and put myself where I want to be. Now I’m looking forward to this off-season.

Cole Seely Talks MXoN

Cole Seely was ecstatic when he got selected to represent Team USA at the Motocross of Nations, but he did not get an opportunity to show what he could really do at the event. A pair of shock issues derailed his charge towards the Chamberlain Trophy. The Honda HRC rider experienced some additional struggles also, such as adapting to a foreign environment and new circuit, as he explains in more detail in the exclusive interview below.

MX Vice: Obviously a terrible day, but we can’t really blame you. Two bike malfunctions, the same thing, which doesn't really happen to anybody, so what can you do?

Cole Seely: No, I’m bummed. Yeah, the bike broke but I was having a heck of a time out there. It is very foreign. The track, obviously I have never ridden here. Never ridden in these crazy conditions on this soil, so it is crazy. I really underestimated a lot of the MXGP guys. They are incredibly talented riders, which is crazy. I thought I’d be hanging in there. I didn’t think I’d be just waxing everybody out there, but I thought I can keep up with a lot of them. They are on another level, especially over here in Europe. I got to hand it to those guys. They are on another level than us right now. But it was an honor to come over here and represent the country; I’m just super bummed on the results, the way I rode and the way the bike broke. Just pretty much anything bad that could have happened today did happen. Definitely bummed on that.

Obviously everyone saw what happened to the bike. There was kind of no hiding it, but how does that happen twice? Do you have any idea?

Just mud kind of packed into the shock and really just blew the bottom ring off of it. Then we tried to stuff foam in there so mud and dirt and rocks couldn’t make its way in there, but it just happened again unfortunately. Just lasted a little longer than the first time. It is a bummer. We are not in our element here. We don't know how to prepare for this kind of stuff. We’ll learn from it, unfortunately at the disposal of Motocross of Nations being the race where we got to learn from it.

Was this event what you expected? Obviously you knew it was going to be crazy, as I’m sure you have heard all the stories. Was it crazier? Harder? Easier? What did you think of it?

It was way harder than I thought it was going to be. I knew it was going to be hard and I trained really hard for this event, but it was way harder than I thought it was going to be. The guys were going way faster. They knew the lines way better than I did. I cannot study that enough coming over here and be as good as they are at those kind of lines. They are just so different than what we have in America and the pace they ride at is so fast. It was the hardest, stressful and most insane weekend of my life. Definitely kind of looking forward to getting home, relaxing and finally taking some time off. I’ve been going at it since January 1^st so it’s been a heck of a year. Finally winding down now.

Team USA finished ninth, following a variety of problems (ConwayMX)

Does the fact that it was stressful, hard and all of that put you off coming back in the future or are you hungry for redemption and want to show what you can really do?

I do not know. I need to sit on it and think about it for a while. It is so hard for us. Nobody is to blame for it, but it is tough for us because I ended my season six weeks ago and I had to keep on training with a goal in sight that I did not know how to train for. It is so hard. I do not even know how to explain that. These guys are still somewhat fresh and just coming off a relatively-recent race weekend. For us, it is just that we’re way out of our element. That is not to take away from the MXGP guys, because they are absolutely insane with their speed and fitness.

I expected to be a lot closer than I was and obviously before the malfunctions. I don’t know. I’ll have to sit on that and think about it, but give it some time. If I get asked again maybe give it a little bit more time too. It is tough too because the American fans are so critical. They hate me probably right now. It is tough. I don’t know how to answer that.

If you could maybe change one thing about the way that you tackled the event, would you go back in time and come over a little earlier and ride in England? Even though the tracks would not be the same, at least you’d be on similar dirt and with similar weather?

That is a hard question. I do not really know. I don’t know if it would have helped that much. I got as much time in as I could at home and then came over here as late as I could. Like you said, the tracks wouldn’t have been identical to what I would have been riding, the conditions sure wouldn’t have been and I wouldn’t have been racing against these guys. They are so fast, so I don’t know. I maybe would have liked to come over a little early, but I don’t know if it would have helped that much.

Cole Seely's best finish of the weekend was a ninth in qualifying (ConwayMX)

Whenever I talk about this track I always say it is the most American in Europe because typically GP tracks are tight, twisty and rocky. When it was dry, did you feel like that was the case? Obviously it flows good like American tracks. Ground is maybe harder than you typically experience, but was it somewhat similar to what you ride on?

It was actually really soft, because it had rained so much for our practice. It wasn’t anything like in America. I thought so too. I thought it would be like what we have at Thunder Valley in Colorado. I thought it would be a lot like that. The dirt looks similar. The layout kind of looks similar, but it is nothing… It is good. It is a really fun track, but it was just a really hard track to go fast on. If I could just come here and ride I’d be stoked. It would be one of the most fun tracks I’ve ever ridden, but to try and throw down that pace that those guys are running out there sure isn’t easy and it takes a lot more experience than I have on this track for sure.

Finally, just talk us through what you have got planned in the next weeks. I guess you had an option to do Monster Cup, but are going to skip it?

Yeah. Like I said before, I have not had any time off this year, so I am going to take probably about three weeks off the bike and then start training for supercross again. But, in the meantime, I’m actually having a plate removed from my hand, so that is the main reason why I’m not racing Monster Cup. I need some time to let my body recuperate before I start training again. Like I just mentioned, I need to get that plate taken out of my hand.

I guess the plate made it even tougher to commit to this? If you hadn’t raced, this plate would have been out weeks ago and you would be fresh and ready to go for supercross. You really did sacrifice quite a lot to come here.

Yeah, for sure. That was one of the big questions when I had originally committed to this was I knew I wanted to get it out. We did not know whether to get it out right after the last AMA national and then start training for this. But I didn’t want to have any, not excuses, but any reasons why I wasn’t one hundred percent. I just opted to fully commit to training for this thing. It is beyond my dream to be asked to do it. It was one big sacrifice, but now I’m going to go home and get it taken out in a few days.

Interview: Lewis Phillips | Lead Image: ConwayMX