Team Green’s Darien Sanayei didn’t have the summer he wanted, with a collarbone injury ending his chances of success at Loretta Lynn’s. He came back healthy and ready at the Thor Mini Olympics, though, logging consistent finishes to amass the best collection of results in the A classes. That gave him the coveted Dunlop Silver Tire Award. We grabbed him to ask about his week, and his future plans.
Racer X: Take us through the week, supercross and then into motocross.
Darian Sanayei: Supercross didn’t start out too hot with some bad gate picks and bad heats. But the heats didn’t count for anything; the mains were the only thing that counted. The first main was 250 A in supercross. I got the holeshot. Led every lap. A lapper kind of got in my way. I ended up falling in the last turn. Tristan [Charboneau] got that one, I’m pumped for him. Next class was 450 A, I ended up getting fourth in that, not too hot. Then I won 250 Pro Sport, led every lap there, and 450 Pro Sport led every lap. Then over to motocross I didn’t do the transition so hot. Bad gate picks again. Not getting very good luck with that I guess. We draw for those, and every time I was like thirty or higher. [My heats were] not too hot. They were okay. [In the mains] I ended up coming out with a second in 250 A, a second in 250 Pro Sport, a fourth in 450 Pro Sport and a sixth in 450 A. I got the Dunlop Tire award, and I’m really happy with that.
Talk about how you got that award. It’s kind of confusing how they do it.
I ended up getting two championships, three seconds, two fourths, and a sixth. So I guess I was best overall rider in the Pro and A classes.
That’s got to feel pretty good.
That was my goal for here. My goals were to get at least four of the eight championships. I ended up only getting two, but I’m still happy that I got the tire award.
Seems like there’s a lot of racing. You guys ride a lot of classes; you race a lot throughout the week.
Six days in a row. Pretty much first moto every single day, so you had to get up early. It was tough. The guys were ripping out there. No time to slack. I think I did a total of twenty motos the whole week and I’m pretty worn out.
And you end with motocross, with the rough tracks.
Real rough track, especially being on the 450. I’ve only ridden the 450 for about two weeks now. I’m still new on that thing. I’ve got to get it down a little bit better.
A lot of the guys we saw that were not so strong in supercross came out a lot better in the motocross. It’s flip-flopped for you. Is that your type of riding? Do you like supercross better?
I think with supercross I just got better starts than I did on motocross. I think I could have been equally as good on motocross if I would have gotten the starts I did on supercross. Definitely some other people were going a lot faster on the motocross track. [Alexander] Frye and [Daniel] Baker, they were ripping and so was everybody else.
But you guys were all so close. You would get a bad start, but you would catch up to the tail end of their battle.
Everybody’s lap times are close. It’s going to make for some great racing in the A class this year. I just want to train really hard so hopefully I’m in front of everybody else.
Talk about your plans for 2015.
My plan this year is to do all the amateur races through Loretta’s and just get as many titles as I possibly can, do the best I can, and get a factory ride for the pros. I also have a few arenacrosses that I’m going to be doing, too. Got to get my supercross license, so that will be interesting.
So you’re going to do the Ricky Carmichael Road to Supercross?
Yeah, Ricky Carmichael Road to Supercross. I tried to do it last year, ended up getting injured, broke a few bones in my ankle, so that ended it. But I’m excited for it this year.
Which ones are you going to do?
Not too sure yet, but I’m thinking maybe Baltimore, Kentucky, and South Carolina.
Are you looking for 2015 outdoors or 2016 supercross?
It’s so hard to say right now what’s going to happen. I just want to get a ride. That’s my goal.
Anyone you would like to thank?
God, my mom, my dad, my entire family, Monster Energy Team Green Kawasaki, Pro Circuit, Scott Goggles, Asterisk Knee Braces, Dunlop, Answer, Works Connection, Renthal, Alpinestar.
