Chad Reed, TwoTwo Motorsports Bel-Ray Racing, 2nd in SX Class
Racer X: Good ride. The lappers got in the way a bit but it made for a great race.
Chad Reed: Why is everyone being hard on the lappers? I mean, yeah they were hard, they sucked, honestly.
But they jacked both of you up.
Right. He got them and I got them, it was one of those things. That Alessi group, damn, they were going at it as a group, so we maybe caught them off-guard a bit. I got jacked on maybe lap 13 or 14, but then he got jacked and I caught back up to him. It was a tough track, whoops were gnarly.
But you were gaining on him there [the whoops]. Did you know that was your strength?
Yeah I knew that was my strength, it always has been.
I was waiting for the 19th lap blitz by. But you weren’t close enough.
Yeah I wasn’t close enough. The pass he made, I wasn’t able to triple, and he got a little gap on me. That was probably the only thing I was bummed with, the fact that when he made the pass I wasn’t able to triple before the finish line and he just got a big enough gap that he wasn’t going to give me the opportunity on the last lap. He hooked me up a few times pretty good in those turns, so I was going to send it if I had a chance.
Yeah you made a comment on the podium about aggressive racing, and this was the first time this year we’ve seen two of the big guys really go at it. So maybe now it’s starting to pick up?
Yeah, clearly you have guys who want to win the championship, and tonight he showed he wanted to win more. I’m not mad at him for anything, it’s just that he showed me, that’s what it takes to win, and that’s cool. Let’s race now! Rubbin’ is racing, and really nothing is off limits because he was sending it. Credit to him for getting the job done and getting the W. I almost got win number seven here.
Yeah almost another win in San Diego. We in the media are always debating what it is about you in San Diego, but it has to be something. The dirt? The layout?
Honestly, I don’t like the dirt! Tonight it was slick and it was nasty. I just felt like I rode well tonight. Yeah, the stadium has an atmosphere unlike any other stadium we come to, and it’s a football stadium, the first one we come to, and I generally like that layout more. The whoops are gnarly which always seems to benefit me. Yeah, sucks I didn’t get number seven. It would have been nice.
"Let’s race now! Rubbin’ is racing, and really nothing is off limits because he was sending it. Credit to him for getting the job done and getting the W." - Chad Reed
Photo: Simon Cudby
Josh Hansen, Dodge Hart & Huntington, 5th place in the SX class
Racer X: Congrats on your season best fifth place finish. How’d it go for you out there?
Josh Hansen: Yeah, it was good. It was a good racetrack. It was a bit gnarly [with] those whoops and I think everybody struggled with them. I seemed to have a pretty decent way to get through them in the main event. I just got a super bad start, man. I think me and my teammate were honestly dead last and we made our way back up to top five. I’m pretty stoked, you know. We’re building each weekend and that’s what we wanted. We really do want to carry this farther every single weekend and more or less just be solid. I’m super thankful to be here.
Do you feel like you were faster tonight in comparison to other nights or do you think consistency helped you, which is where others faltered?
I think consistency tonight really helped me. I think those other races I was thinking too much. Which, I don’t know that I was riding bad but I was my own worst enemy. So I really feel that I kind of broke the ice and just let it come to me tonight. It worked out well.
"It was a bit gnarly [with] those whoops and I think everybody struggled with them." - Josh Hansen
Photo: Garth Milan
Matt Moss, JDR J-Star KTM, 3rd place in the SX Lites class
I talked to you last weekend and you said you felt like you’re a podium guy. You definitely proved your point. How’d it go for you?
It went really good. The whole day I felt really good. Practice went great. I qualified the best I have and I always turn it up come race time. I qualified eighth. I got out to a great start in my heat. You know, third, my best heat finish. I just thought, tonight I can do it. I got out to a great start. I was in third and passed into second, then Seely got me and I stayed in third for the whole race. I’m just so pumped for the team -- the JDR J-Star KTM team. I can’t wait to have these eight weeks off and go motocross testing, then get back for Las Vegas.
Yeah, that’s definitely a good note to leave on with the upcoming break. How hard was it to stay consistent out there tonight? It seems like guys were going down everywhere out on the track.
It was hard. The whoops were really technical, but otherwise, I felt like I was just sitting there by myself. After Seely passed me, there was no one coming up behind me and I really wasn’t catching Seely. I just sort of tried to keep my head about it. The 15 laps actually felt like it went quick. I thought sitting in that position it was going to be a long race. All in all, the night was great. I’m looking forward to getting home and seeing my friends and family.
You weren’t around right after the race… How was it peeing in that cup? (Drug testing for riders, especially top finishers, has been enforced heavily as of recent.)
Stressful! [There’s] some guy looking at your private bits and telling you that you need this much. And first time I came up short… that’s what they always say [laughs]. And then uh, got enough, luckily.
Well congratulations on your podium finish tonight.
Thanks mate.
"I was in third and passed into second, then Seely got me and I stayed in third for the whole race. I’m just so pumped for the team -- the JDR J-Star KTM team." - Matt Moss
Photo: Simon Cudby
Nico Izzi, Star Valli Yamaha, 5th place in the SX Lites class
It was a pretty crazy track – very tough whoops, that’s for sure. How’d the race go for you tonight?
It was a tough day all day. The whoops were getting me; I’m a short guy. They were a little tough like you said, but [we] pulled it together for the main. I got a good start and just found a rhythm. I dropped back for the first couple laps, but put on a good charge and didn’t get tired. I really felt strong towards the end. I think I could’ve got fourth but I ran out of time. It’s good man! I’m happy with my fitness. I’m happy with the way I rode. I just need to keep trying to get on that box.
Yeah, you definitely had some good battles out there with some of those guys.
Yeah, for sure. There was never really a dull moment. It was good, it kept me on my toes. Like I said, just got to keep trying to work toward that box, you know? It should be a good year. I just have to stay healthy like I’ve been doing.
"Yeah, for sure. There was never really a dull moment. It was good, it kept me on my toes." - Nico Izzi
Photo: Simon Cudby
Gavin Faith, GEICO Honda, 6th place in the SX Lites class
It looked like a warzone out there. How did you pull of a season best sixth place?
Yeah, it was good. I didn’t get off to the best start. I think I came around the first lap in eleventh. I just put my head down and tried to charge for it. About halfway through I started to feel like I was getting a little pumped up from my injury last weekend. I had to back it down a little bit. I think I was in seventh the last lap when I got around [Billy] Laninovich for sixth. It’s good. I can’t complain compared to the last three weekends. It’s a good starting place. I’d like to be up there a little bit farther but it’s definitely a good starting place. The whole GEICO team has been behind me a hundred percent, so it feels good.
Did you have any close calls out there?
Umm, no. I was pretty good. A couple times in the whoops a little bit, but nothing too crazy. I’ve got some long legs under me -- a little extra suspension travel -- so it was good.
"It’s a good starting place. I’d like to be up there a little bit farther but it’s definitely a good starting place." - Gavin Faith
Photo: Simon Cudby