Jake Weimer: Yeah, for sure, I would agree. I was definitely nervous coming to this race. I was sweating it a little bit the last couple days. It was raining, and I was nervous. I’ve done really well in the mud, and I’ve really sucked in the mud, so it was a little bit up in the air. I just tried to come in here with an open mind and tried to joke around and have fun today and just keep it light, and it worked. It was a good day. I got good starts and rode pretty solid, so it was a really good day for me.
What’s up with that haircut you got?
What about it? What’s up with your haircut?
It just makes your head look even smaller, that’s all.
So? Maybe I like to show it off!
(Pause) All right... On the last lap, you had Jake Moss cut down on you trying to get out of your way, but he almost cost you the race. I didn’t think a Jake should do that to another Jake...
It’s kind of that way in the mud. There’s always one good line, and it sucks if you’re not in it, so it’s just one of those situations where you’ve just got to roll with the punches, and it made the race really close. It is what it is. Whatever happened was going to happen, and the only thing I could do was get through that section the best I could, and that’s what I did, and luckily it was good enough this weekend.
Talk about the change in your attitude that led to this year going like this. You’ve talked on the podium about just riding the best you could, and that’s it, instead of getting involved in other people’s paces.
I think it’s just part of growing up and maturing as a human being and just giving it 100-percent from the time the gate drops to the time the checkered flag flies, that’s what it’s all about, and you can’t really do more than that, you know? Some people are able to hang it out more than others, and I’m a person that rides in my element and in my zone, and that’s just kind of the way it is. I think that’s why I’ve really, really focused on my starts, because I know that if I put myself in a good situation, chances are that I’ll be able to do something with it. Whether that means I win or get third, it’ll be okay, and that’s what I’ve been trying to do, and that’s what I did tonight. I just try to ride the best that I can, and that includes the start. The starts are huge.
Coming into the series, I think it’s fair to say that a lot of people weren’t counting on Jake Weimer to be challenging Ryan Dungey every week for wins, but here you are with three of them now. Were you aware that people weren’t really paying much attention to you coming in?
Yeah, I mean, a little bit, but that’s just kind of the way the game goes. I mean, he was very successful outdoors, and you’re kind of as good as your last race, and he won the last outdoor race. There’s going to be a lot of hype on him, and there’s going to be a lot of hype on [Trey] Canard and [Jason] Lawrence, because they’re both champions. It’s just kind of the way it is, and to say that it bums me out, no. That’s just the way it is. I’ve got to earn my place to be talked about and be on the cover of magazines and this, that and the other. It’s something you have to earn. You don’t just get it. That’s fine with me, and that’s why I’m here.
{LINKS}You’ve got one more race and then a pretty big break. What are your goals going into that last race before you end up sitting around for a while?
The same thing. I’m just trying to be smart and do the best that I can do. That’s it. That’s all I can do. I just want to try and keep myself out of bad situations and be smart, and that’s really all you can ask from yourself, just to put your time in during the week and show up on the weekend knowing what you did during the week, and do all you can. There isn’t much you can do besides try your hardest, period. If you’re fast, you win, if you’re not, you don’t.
