Cole Seely | Honda HRC | 6-5-6 for fourth overall
Racer X: First time we’ve seen you in awhile, and you’re on a new bike.
Cole Seely: Yeah, there’s been some struggles within, not with the new bike, just with myself. It’s been good, but as soon as I got back from my injury I hit it hard, I just started getting after it and training my ass off. Last week I had some issues, with like a flat spot on your training. You know what I mean?
Well actually when it comes to training, I don’t know.
[Laughs] You try training for two months and then, for whatever reason, you go up, up, up, and you’ve got to come down. For whatever reason the timing was last week, and I’ve been trying to shake this funk and do whatever I can—massages and cold tubs, which wasn’t fun. Just trying to get my body recovered for the race, and it was close, but I wasn’t 100 percent, I’d say. But that’s okay, that’s what the Monster Energy Cup is for. Try to shake everything down, try to win a million dollars. Fourth overall is okay, but I just didn’t have any spark tonight. Just kind of a mediocre night for me.
Finger 100 percent?
Yeah, the finger has been fine. Right away it was a little tender, especially because when I got back I started riding motocross, and motocross the bike tends to pull when you’re coming out of turns. So that was tough for the first three weeks, my hand was super sore. It’s been good now. I’d say it’s 100 percent now. Like I said, I’m just struggling with recovery.
Don’t give us the usual stuff, but I’m really curious about the new bike versus the old bike. What do you feel like it does better?
It turns really well. That’s one of the first things I noticed. The geometry is better and that’s one of the first things I noticed; it’s just a better cornering bike. Also the ergonomics, you almost feel like you sit more … you don’t sit so in the bike. It’s easier for a guy like me with longer legs to go from sitting to standing to sitting to standing again. I think it’s really stable. It tracks really good. When you’re kind of drifting out of a turn, your getting good traction. That’s what I really like. The engine package is awesome now. From a technical standpoint I don’t know how to explain how the new airbox works….
It should have better throttle response and more bottom.
Yeah more bottom for sure. It’s definitely got more bottom; definitely a harder hit. It’s a really good bike. I haven’t been this excited for a bike to come out in a long time.
Kyle Chisolm | Privateer Honda | 16-14-14 for 15th overall
Racer X: Kyle Chisolm, didn’t look like a lot of fun out there. Pretty easy track and kind of beat down dirt, I didn’t notice a lot of intensity from a lot of dudes.
Kyle Chisolm: The track was all right, like it was fun and had a good flow I thought once you got going on it. But the dirt was terrible, it was hot and windy for the last few days I think so it just wasn’t the best conditions for sure. Then they tried to get water on it and it just wouldn’t soak in.
Like you said, it was hot and windy—not their fault.
Yeah I wouldn’t say it was their fault. I normally like this track; I usually like the dirt here, actually. But it was just—I think they just couldn’t do anything with it. It was just too far gone. It’s like the test track in the afternoon; you try to water it, its just not going to soak in. But it was fun, I enjoy this race. It’s fun, you know? I don’t like having a long off-season of just not racing so, I like to keep racing so it was fun doing this race.
How was the start?
I didn’t like it that much, honestly. I like the metal stuff that we start on, at straight rhythm the last three years when I’ve done it they’ve had that, not downhill obviously. I wasn’t a fan of the downhill thing.
Was it sketchy?
I was in fifth gear by the time I hit the bottom, on a 450. I started in third, halfway down I was fourth, by the bottom I was fifth, and we’re going super fast into the turn. If you lock bars going down with somebody, it’s not going to be good when you hit the bottom of that.
Surprisingly though, there weren’t really any crashes.
Honestly, at least me, like first moto I didn’t have a good jump, so I was just kind of careful. Second moto I had pretty good jump, so I like ran it in there. Last moto I didn’t have a good jump so I was just kind of careful. It’s not worth it for this one weekend to have an off-season hurt for something stupid like that. You know, when I had a good start I went for it, I think that’s what you have to do at this race.
Rocky Mountain, the team you rode for, that kind of went away. You kind of ran their graphics a little bit, helped out. What’s the deal?
So basically the guy that owns our team, Sean Hall—Bracken Hall’s dad, he [Bracken] rode the 250 for the team the last however many years—Rocky Mountain was just the title sponsor of the team, they’re from Utah, so is Rocky Mountain, so from what I know they kind of got hooked up that way. They’ve been together for like four years I think. They just decided they had an opportunity with the Butler guys, that’s what Rocky Mountain wanted to do. As of right now, at one point Bracken was potentially going to go over there.
So that’s not happening?
Some things happened so I guess that’s not happening. As of now, Sean’s still … he owns the semi and everything that we ran out of. He owns the team, like I said Rocky Mountain was just the title sponsor. So as of right now we’re still going to go racing, we’re trying to find a new title sponsor and put stuff together. We’re waiting to here from a couple manufacturers.
You should call BTO because they’re free now. [Laughs]
I know, I need you to hook me up with them. Maybe Superstore too? [Laughs] No, we’ve been making some phone calls. We’re hoping to stay on Hondas because the new bike looks awesome, but we’re waiting to know when we can get them and what they can do, just stuff like that. I think we can put a good program together, like I said, I’m thankful the whole family … they don’t have to help me, but they’re going racing with their kid and we had a good time this year. So hopefully we can put something together.
Jimmy Albertson | Privateer Suzuki | 14-13-13 for 14th overall
Racer X: I just talked to Chiz [Kyle Chisholm]. The track looked like not much fun. Hot and windy, and then kind of got beat up. But, something different tonight.
Jimmy Albertson: Yeah, I mean it was typical Vegas. I don’t really feel like the track has ever been worse. Every time we leave here, everyone’s like, Ah the track sucks. Well, it always sucks. If you’re going to show up, race the damn track. Cause its gonna suck every year. But, I thought it was fun.
For a last second decision for you to come out, you’ve got to be happy?
Yeah, it’s 14th place overall. It wasn’t great, but the last moto I rode really good. I pretty much kept pace with that group, like with [Shane] McElrath and [Blake] Baggett. The last two motos I was in 10th going into the last lap, without hitting the Joker Lane. Then I would come out and literally like be bar-banging with three guys on the last lap. And I went from 10th to 13th both motos.
You should have just said, screw it, and just kept going.
I should have just launched into them. [Laughs] Yeah, they wouldn’t have even known. They don’t pay attention to that far back.
It’s like whatever, did Albertson take it? Everybody just looks up.
[Laughs] And even the guys with me like, that are battling back there, they’re probably like, Who cares anyways. They probably would have felt better for me. Give poor Albertson a few spots.
[Laughs] Yeah, just let him have it.
It’s all good though, man. Georgia [Albertson] and I, I walked into the living room on Wednesday day and was like, “Honey?” And she’s like, “What do you want?” I’m like, “Can we go to Vegas tomorrow?” And that was literally the first thought of doing it. So we just packed up the van, I washed the practice bike, took the filter out of it, it looked clean so I stuck the filter back in it. And then Greg [brother, team crew chief] is like, “Well I changed the oil before you rode it last time so your oil is good.” So I literally just headed on the road. It’s kind of ironic, my mechanic from last year, Mikey Germain, who just started working for RCH, was like, “Well I’m coming up anyways so I’ll help you out.” So he came up…
Oh I didn’t even know Mikey got a job with RCH.
Yep, he’s got a job over there so we’re super happy for him. It’s a good group of people at RCH. But, we brought the team back together one last time….
Now you got pay him a bit of bonus money, though.
Yeah I know. I told him that already. I actually owed him bonus money going here! We were making this guy rich doing off-season races.
How was the start?
The start was fun. I mean, the first moto was the only good start I had, and that was the worst I rode. But the start in general?
Yeah, sketchy?
No, I mean, I think the only people we saw wad shit on it was the junior challenge. But no, it was fine. I think everyone in the pro class is kind of like, all right lets not doing anything stupid down it.
A few guys have told me over the years that they would like the metal behind the gate, like just because its so jacked up behind there. People don’t even see that kind of part of it.
It hurts me because I feel like I can judge like traction very well. With that, the way I start, it completely ruined my starting method. Because I do low throttle and like to find the traction. With that everybody who just crouches down and holds themselves forward were getting good starts because it was consistent.
Second or third gear for you?
I was second. But I think I…
Some dudes were third.
I tried third in practice and it just didn’t seem right. I mean my bike doesn’t really have anything to it you know? It’s basically a stock Suzuki, but they’re pretty damn good out of the box so it doesn’t matter.
Great graphics tonight.
[Laughs] Yeah, no graphics. We just did it for the home team, that’s about it.
What do you have going on next year? What’s happening? I talked to you a little bit last week or two weeks ago. Still kind of working things out?
Yeah, you know there’s just a lot of crazy stuff that’s happened this last month. I’d like to come on and do a podcast with you and kind of tell the whole story. Basically we had the offer to do the factory [Suzuki] 250 thing but it just wasn’t the right direction for everybody involved in my team. And we still love the all guys over at Suzuki. They’re still supporting us, we’re still supporting them. So that’s all good. And then, you know [Motorcycle] Superstore, we had a three-year deal with them, they’re kind of, they got cold feet going into the second year so it’s kind of a bummer on that. But, you know…
Shocking that a contract in moto doesn’t get...
[Laughs] Yeah it’s brutal. At the end of the day I’m so thankful for everything they did for us this last year. It just, it really sucks because I put my, you give people your word. That’s really all you have, is your word if you’re going to pull through on it. It left me in a really tough spot with a lot of people. The worst thing is when people come and tell you, “Well its just corporate business.” And I get corporate business, but let’s face it, motocross isn’t corporate business, it’s a different breed. I’ve got a lot of friends that are very wealthy and have their own businesses, that’s the corporate world. Racing’s a family, you know, and it was just really hard to see them do that. Like I said, I thank them for everything they did last year, Motorcycle Superstore. We’re just trying to figure something it out now. I think if I can’t get anything run together or put together, I’ll just end up privateering it and just having fun racing again. I know I’ll be a lot happier.
Right? Less stress. [Laughs]
Less stress, man. I think that’s what made me so upset is I worked so hard this year. I didn’t even have a relationship with my wife during … I was just in my office all day. Doing emails, press releases, race reports, you know, booking flights, booking hotels, it was just non-stop. Doing proposals for the following year, it just, it never ended and at the end of the day to be like, Oh, well that wasn’t enough. It’s like, it kind of … I don’t know. It sucks. But like I said, it is what it is.
Benny Bloss | Rocky Mountain ATV/MC-WPS-KTM | 9-8-7 for ninth overall
Racer X: Benji Bloss, hey first up, how was Sweden? What did you think?
Benny Bloss: It was cool, the track was a little different. A little bit different than the U.S., but it was fun.
Like soft?
Soft, just not big like the U.S. I think the berms were like, as tall as the whoops here. It was fun though. It was cool to see Sweden.
Have you ever been to Europe?
Never been to Europe. So it was cool for sure.
What was the weirdest thing? I’ve been there a ton and I can name half a dozen things that baffle me.
I think we went into the room and the beds were tied together and they were really small. I don’t know, I’m not used to that.
I know, they don’t do the king sized beds. What about the shower curtains that don’t have the shower doors all the way across? Have you seen that yet?
No! We walked into the shower and it was like, the whole bathroom was the shower area. Then the doors just kind of opened. It was weird.
So Monster Cup tonight. It was all right for you, I mean whatever, you probably wish you could have done a bit better, but you got out healthy and got some time on the bike.
Yeah, we came out safe which is a really good thing. But we made progress with the team, everything went well with the team. You know I had fun. Started off a little slow in the first main and the second main. But the third main went really well, so I had fun.
Okay, how was the start?
Start was weird. It was a little tricky, but definitely different.
Second or third gear?
I was second.
Yeah, you’re a bigger dude. Some dudes were third.
I tried a practice start in third and I stalled the bike immediately. [Laughs]
Yeah, good idea to stick with second. [Laughs] Hey, Joker Lane, did you ever forget about it?
No! [Laughs] That was a thought on my mind, as soon as I hit the Joker Lane, it was like, Alright, we can race now! It was good though.
Weirdest thing that Nate [mechanic] said today or did today?
I mean he’s laying on the grass right now sleeping. That might be the weirdest.
Still upset about [losing] Andrew [Short].
[Laughs] Yeah, he cried for a couple days I think.