With three big names from last year’s 250SX West chase—Jason Anderson, Cole Seely, and Dean Wilson—now on 450s, it’s time for a new generation to step up. Lucas Oil/Troy Lee Designs KTM rider Jessy Nelson fired first, leading every lap at Anaheim for his first-ever 250SX victory. After the race, we slithered into the party rave that is the TLD pit and found Nelson accepting congrats from all angles. Then we interviewed him.
Racer X: How does that feel?
Jessy Nelson: It feels amazing. This is my third season in supercross. First two I came in injured, and this year I came in healthy and feeling great. I told my mechanic this morning, "I’m going to win today." He said, "All right!" I figured I better back it up otherwise I seem like a jackass.
Even though you said you were going to win, did it still surprise you a little bit?
Of course. A win like that, they’re hard to come by. I’ve been trying for three years. To finally get it, it’s huge. The feeling’s unbelievable. It’s hard to explain. It’s just so surreal.
Was it as easy as it looked?
Once I got the start I tried to sprint for, like, five laps and once I got out in front and saw I had a gap I just maintained and made sure that Zach [Osborne] stayed in the same spot every lap. So if he got a little closer to me I’d wick it up for a lap, put him back to where he was and just kept it there and then I just started having fun. Make sure I get through the whoops and turns and that’s it.
Talk about changing to the KTM. How big was that?
Huge change. Wasn’t difficult at all, though. The bike’s awesome and clearly it’s working out for us.
Did you feel at home on it right away?
Yeah, as soon as I hopped on it I loved it. I was actually a little bummed, though, because compared to what we raced with last year, I felt like we were at a disadvantage compared to what we have now. Wishing that we had the same equipment for outdoors, would have been awesome. It’s just a step in the road, and we’re going to keep going.
What about the WP suspension, too?
WP has been awesome. We have Luke, our suspension guy, and he’s been working with me a lot. Honestly, it didn’t take that much to get us happy. I found a setting where I was happy every track I went to, so can’t complain. It’s been awesome.
How much did some of those good runs you had and a moto win outdoors help you? Did that boost your confidence through this whole off-season?
Honestly, no. Supercross is completely different for me. I’ve always been an outdoor rider. I never got a chance to prove myself at supercross. Last year I only got to ride five days before A1. I was coming in so far behind and out of shape; I hadn’t ridden. So when I got the eight-week break [last year] I put it to use. Kind of like what I did the year before, but I ended up getting hurt on the off-season last time, both of them. So this year I stayed healthy through coming into outdoors. I had a good season outdoors, ups and downs. Not where I really wanted to be, but I showed flashes of brilliance. Tonight I just kind of put it together. Training program, everything’s just been really good.
You’ve been with this team a long time, even your amateur days. The ups and downs, what’s that say that you guys stuck together and now it’s really starting to pay off for both of you guys?
I think my team manager [Tyler Keefe] and I kind of butted heads a little bit when I was younger—16, 17, 18 years old—I just should have listened a little more. I’m glad they stuck with me and they just gave me good advice and helped me grow to what I am now. Seriously, I think we have the best team there is. We have awesome equipment and hands down the best people around. It’s sweet.
What gave you that confidence that you thought “I could win today”? Was it a good off-season? Was it the team? What gave you that feeling?
I know my ability in riding and I know how much I’ve put into this. I’ve put in so many hard days and tons of miles on my bike, hours in the gym, riding, testing, everything. Honestly, I’ve never given it this much effort, and I think that was the missing link. I just thought this is it, now or never. If this doesn’t work, I’m screwed, I’m done. And it paid off.
