When the name Josh Hill is brought up, it’s hard not to think about the devastating injury that nearly cost him his career. It’s etched in our minds, and probably his. Following his injury, the next few years were difficult for Hill as he struggled to regain the form he previously had. Last year may have been the turning point, though, as he grabbed nine top-tens in Monster Energy Supercross and returned to the podium (at East Rutherford) for the first time since 2010. He also returned to a full outdoor schedule, racing the Canadian Nationals, where he also won races. Hill is faced with another task now: finding a deal for 2015. With help from Pro Circuit, Hill has been busy this off-season, racing everywhere from Sweden, to Southern California, to South Africa. We caught up with Hill earlier today just as he was headed for France for the annual Paris-Bercy Supercross.
Racer X: You haven’t had much of an off-season; lot’s of travel for you. Fill us in on what’s been going on.
Josh Hill: This whole summer has been crazy. After supercross I went and raced the Canadian Nationals. That was a lot of traveling. I was only home probably three days a week, except for the two-week break. I came back from that and a guy from the team got me hooked up with Escondido Cycle Center and they got me a bike because I’m kind of in-between rides. I have just been training for supercross non-stop, between on the bike and off the bike with my trainer Johnny Louch. I’ve done a ton of races. I did the Transworld Slam. I did Red Bull Straight Rhythm. Then the following weekend I went to Sweden The weekend after that I raced Monster Energy Cup. Then I had a weekend off, then went to South Africa, and now I’m headed to France on Thursday for Bercy.
Do you like racing this much during the off-season? It’s not something, because of injuries, you’ve done a ton in the past. Is it something you’re enjoying?
I had my best year when I had a program like this. It was 2010. Off-season 2009, I got a call from Larry Brooks and he put me on the San Manuel team and I had a lot of off-season races like this. I showed up to Anaheim and was ready for the race. I didn’t have that rusty, I-haven’t-raced-in-six-months feeling. I’m enjoying doing this, and to be honest, I don’t have a ride locked down for 2015, so doing all of this is keeping me sane and keeping me on the right path with training and riding every day. It ‘s keeping my mind set on a goal. I have a feeling something will fall into place for supercross, but if you don’t have anything going on, that will just wear on you.
Mitch Payton hooked me up with parts and a bike for Straight Rhythm and Monster Cup, and he’s been continuing to support me through all this stuff until I get something sorted out or maybe even ride on one of those bikes. I don’t know what I’m doing for next year. Even if I have to buy his stuff, I feel like I can ride what I’ve been racing on at Anaheim and be competitive.
These races have offered you a chance to experience a lot of things. You went to South Africa and rode in the dunes and got to hang out with some lions. How was that experience?
The South African Supercross was amazing. We went a little early and went to Cape Town and got to climb some pretty cool mountains. We did that and went to see the beaches, and then we flew out to Cape Town and went and played with the lions and went and did some promotions for the race and rode a local supercross track to make sure our bikes were dialed. The race itself was one of the best overseas supercross races I’ve been to. The track was in a massive stadium with a huge floor for the track. The track was pretty close to an AMA Supercross. The lap times and jumps were a little shorter and not quite as steep, but it was close. It was a great event and I think 30,000 people showed up. So it was good.
This weekend you’re taking off for Bercy. How different is your bike setup for these races? Are you getting the same parts shipped?
Well, you just ship the parts. I flew to Sweden, and we thought it would be fine to just bring the parts onboard. A lot of people didn’t get their stuff. It was me, Vince Friese, Shane McElrath, Preston Mull, and Weston Peick. I think the only one that got their stuff was McElrath. That was rough. I had a local guy over there helping me out and doing the best he could, but when you have to ride something someone builds on a completely different set of suspension, that’s tough. I’ve learned my lesson and now we just ship suspension. I shipped my suspension to Africa and then from there to France. Luckily, Mitch Payton and Bones and those guys have allowed me to run some good A-kit suspension. So I’ve felt pretty comfortable.
Bercy is probably the biggest off-season race. How important, for someone like yourself that doesn’t have a ride, are these races?
It’s important, but there are some many variables when you go to different countries. I’m hoping my suspension gets there. I’m checking tracking and stuff, but you never know. This race I’ll be on a stock bike. Bud Racing is helping me out, so it will be stock bike with suspension. Other guys sometimes ship their whole bikes, so it creates some variables. But I’m going to go out there and do the best I can. I know there are a lot of big names at Bercy this weekend, so I’m going to go out there and dice it up and see if I can’t get a win or at least be in a battle for the win. These races are also pretty nice for your bank account. So if I have to create a program for next year on my own, this will help me out.
As of today, what are your plans for next year?
I’ll be racing supercross—100 percent. Even if I have to do it on my own dime. I feel like I’m riding the best I have in a long time, and the best since I had my injury, and I feel strong. I still feel like I have something to prove and that I can still mix if up for podium positions.
Do you feel like you’re the healthiest you’ve been in a while?
I’ve had a pretty good run. Other than breaking my collarbone at Oakland last year, which only sidelined me a week, I’ve had a pretty good run. I’ve been able to ride consistently all year long. I’ve returned to that comfort level that I used to have. It’s where I would get on a bike and I knew exactly what I could do with it, and I’m not second-guessing myself or worried about getting hurt. You have to be a little careful, but that’s not in the back of my mind right now. I feel like I just get on the bike and ride.
It looked like that toward the end of supercross last year. Were you able to gain momentum from that and take it to Canada, or these off-season races or even into 2015?
With Canada, it was something completely different with me. I hadn’t raced a full season of outdoors since 2008. I missed one weekend, and then I had a crash at the last round. Other than that I was pretty much in the mix. I was battling for wins and podiums at all the races. It was a pretty good learning experience for me to get outdoors again and get it out of third gear. Even though the season wasn’t extremely successful in the big scheme of things—like, I didn’t win the championship—I feel like it was really good training for me. It gave me something to push for all summer long and stay focused. I had to get out of my comfort zone as far as training and get my butt into shape for racing outdoors.
Your brother is really starting to make strides as well. Talk about how it’s been watching him come through the ranks.
I’m proud of what he’s accomplished. Last year, riding for Mitch Payton, he won the East/West Shootout and San Diego. That’s where I thought he should have been the first year. I think injuries held him back that year. Then I think he should up at Monster Cup and proved what I’ve known forever—he’s a better 450 rider. He doesn’t really wrap the 250 out enough, and when he gets on a 450 he totally rides it within himself. I’m really proud of him. I hope he can go out and contend for a championship and I think he’s more that capable of it.
In the future, we may even see you guys in the same class. What would that mean to you?
It would definitely be cool. I think we would definitely push each other. He doesn’t want to admit that there are days when I can still go faster than him, and I don’t want to admit it the other way around. I think if you take us out to the track we are pretty close in speed and technique and everything. We are both pretty hungry as well. I want to go out and have a breakout season again and remind people of how good I am, and Justin wants to go out and win a championship. We are both focused. We both have the same trainer, Johnny Louch, and it’s definitely a good thing. We push each other a lot, and there is some competitiveness, but at the end of the day I think he just want what is best for each other.