Somewhere in Indiana, Mike LaRocco fans are smiling. Not because Notre Dame has a good team this year, but because there are a couple of great young riders coming out of the Hoosier state. Shane Sewell and his brother Travis have become regular fixtures on the professional motocross scene. Shane won the north regional AMA arenacross series this year and they both hit as many supercross and national rounds as they could this summer. With help from their family and a few good sponsors, the Sewell family plans to do even bigger things in 2009.
Racer X: Tell us about Shane Sewell.
Shane Sewell: I’m twenty and I’m from Westville, Indiana. And I’m a privateer, as you can probably tell since you are reading this on the Privateer Profile [laughs].
What about your riding and racing career?
It’s been going well. I’ve been riding for a while but only racing professionally for a couple years so I’m really happy with the way it’s going.
Racer X: Tell us about Shane Sewell.
Shane Sewell: I’m twenty and I’m from Westville, Indiana. And I’m a privateer, as you can probably tell since you are reading this on the Privateer Profile [laughs].
What about your riding and racing career?
It’s been going well. I’ve been riding for a while but only racing professionally for a couple years so I’m really happy with the way it’s going.
You have an older brother too, right?
Yeah, my brother Travis races the 450 class. It helps us both a lot to have someone to ride and train with.
How did this summer go for you?
I was ready to go for Glen Helen and I was going to do all the nationals and then I crashed the week before the race and broke some vertebrae in my back. I struggled for a couple months with that. I rode just a few days before Red Bud and that was my first race back.
I can’t imagine that went well...
Actually, I got a 23rd the first moto and I was pretty pumped on that. The second moto, my back was really sore and tired and I ended up getting a 27th. I didn’t get any points, but I thought it was pretty good for not riding in so long.
That is really good. How did the rest of the summer go?
It went okay. I was hoping to do well at Southwick because I like the sand but it didn’t work out. At Millville, I was running 15th the whole moto and then just faded at the end and got 19th. I got another 19th the second moto. At Steel City, I crashed in the first moto and got 28th but I came back and got another 19th in the second moto. So, at least I was getting some points.
Do you have a shop that helps you guys out?
Yeah, my dad has a friend named Rusty Ott that owns a shop in Illinois called Pro Source. Without his help we wouldn’t be able to do nearly as much as we have been.
You did some arenacross and supercross this year also. How did that go?
This was my first year in arenacross and I was happy with that. I won the Lites North championship, which was a big accomplishment for me. I will be in the big class this year. The first supercross I went to was Indy and I made the main event. I got taken out in the final and my brother landed on me.
What a dick.
[Laughs] Yeah, it wasn’t good. I made four out of the six mains that I tried for so I was happy with that. I got an eighth at Daytona so that was a good finish but I want to improve on all that this year.
Yeah, my brother Travis races the 450 class. It helps us both a lot to have someone to ride and train with.
How did this summer go for you?
I was ready to go for Glen Helen and I was going to do all the nationals and then I crashed the week before the race and broke some vertebrae in my back. I struggled for a couple months with that. I rode just a few days before Red Bud and that was my first race back.
I can’t imagine that went well...
Actually, I got a 23rd the first moto and I was pretty pumped on that. The second moto, my back was really sore and tired and I ended up getting a 27th. I didn’t get any points, but I thought it was pretty good for not riding in so long.
That is really good. How did the rest of the summer go?
It went okay. I was hoping to do well at Southwick because I like the sand but it didn’t work out. At Millville, I was running 15th the whole moto and then just faded at the end and got 19th. I got another 19th the second moto. At Steel City, I crashed in the first moto and got 28th but I came back and got another 19th in the second moto. So, at least I was getting some points.
Do you have a shop that helps you guys out?
Yeah, my dad has a friend named Rusty Ott that owns a shop in Illinois called Pro Source. Without his help we wouldn’t be able to do nearly as much as we have been.
You did some arenacross and supercross this year also. How did that go?
This was my first year in arenacross and I was happy with that. I won the Lites North championship, which was a big accomplishment for me. I will be in the big class this year. The first supercross I went to was Indy and I made the main event. I got taken out in the final and my brother landed on me.
What a dick.
[Laughs] Yeah, it wasn’t good. I made four out of the six mains that I tried for so I was happy with that. I got an eighth at Daytona so that was a good finish but I want to improve on all that this year.
So, is your plan the same for this year?
Yeah, I’m doing arenacross, the east coast supercross series and then as many nationals as we can get to. It should be a busy year of racing but we have been having a lot of fun doing it. If something comes out of it then great and if not, well, I had a lot of fun.
Are you going to take your brother out to get him back?
I’ll give him a nice little stuff here and there.
Who’s faster?
We’re about the same on the 250F but he’s faster on the 450 for sure.
Who would you like to thank?
Rusty Ott, Pro Source of Illinois, Scott, Bell, MSR, Mom and Dad, Wiseco, Yoshimura, Pirelli, Boyesen, Factory Connection, Todd at TLR Motors and my mechanic Daniel Castloo.
Yeah, I’m doing arenacross, the east coast supercross series and then as many nationals as we can get to. It should be a busy year of racing but we have been having a lot of fun doing it. If something comes out of it then great and if not, well, I had a lot of fun.
Are you going to take your brother out to get him back?
I’ll give him a nice little stuff here and there.
Who’s faster?
We’re about the same on the 250F but he’s faster on the 450 for sure.
Who would you like to thank?
Rusty Ott, Pro Source of Illinois, Scott, Bell, MSR, Mom and Dad, Wiseco, Yoshimura, Pirelli, Boyesen, Factory Connection, Todd at TLR Motors and my mechanic Daniel Castloo.
