Cole Martinez had his breakout season last year that was headlined by a career-high tenth-place finish in Phoenix. This year, Martinez, now armed with a Strikt Slaton Yamaha ride, has been pushing for the top ten at every round, which he finally broke through at Anaheim 3. Martinez is fresh off of tying his Phoenix performance from one year ago. With one more round before the series heads to the East Coast, Martinez will have one more shot to better this performance, which he said he intends to do. We caught up with Cole on Tuesday afternoon in between motos to get his insight on what it will take to do battle inside of the top ten.
Racer X: What’s going on in the world of Cole Martinez right now?
Cole Martinez: Right now I am out at Pala doing some motos.
Who are you out there riding with?
It’s Cooper [Webb], Aaron [Plessinger], Matt Lemoine, and myself.
That sounds like a solid crew. You live with Cooper, don’t you?
Yeah, Coop and I live together, and Aaron lives not too far from us.
Let’s talk about your season a little bit. Your Anaheim 3 finish tied your career high. What’s that mean to you?
I’m pumped on it, honestly. I mean, the field is stacked this year. I’m pretty bummed that it’s taken me five rounds to get it. I’ve been dealing with a cold and just kind of little stuff here and there. I finally put it all together and put a solid ride in. I am pretty stoked on that.
I read in an interview we did with you last year, and you said you wanted to get better and better. What’s the goal you want to reach in these final three West races?
My goal coming into the year was to be inside of the top ten, like a ninth or eighth. I just wanted a single-digit finish because I have never gotten one. I would like to be up front as long as I can, whether it’s a lap or ten laps. I would like to run up front like I did in Oakland. That was awesome to be up front in the heat race. I’d definitely like to see more of that.
Being in front during the heat like that, how does that help your confidence heading into the main event?
Oh, a ton. Just from the previous weeks where I felt like I was struggling. I had an awesome ride going at Anaheim 1, and another rider in the rhythm section cleaned me out. From then on I felt that I struggled at the races. So, to finally get a good start and run up there just puts me right back where I started confidence wise. I am ready to do battle again. I am pumped on it, though; it was sick. I’ve never gotten to be up front in a pro race before.
You’re on the Strikt Slaton Yamaha team this season. What’s it like being on a team opposed to doing everything on your own?
It’s awesome. From what I understand they have definitely stepped it up this year. They’ve got a good program under the tent and the support from Yamaha is awesome. They’re doing everything they can, and I’ve definitely done my work in the off-season to be ready for this series. I think that progress will start to show. It’s definitely awesome to be under a semi.
Going forward, you want that single-digit finish. What’s it going to take to accomplish that?
A good start [laughs]. I was so bummed this last weekend with that stupid elevated start. I did like 500 starts on Wednesday and had them dialed; then that downhill start just totally ruined me every time.
Did your bike just want to keep the front wheel up going down the slope?
Every time I would get to the bottom of it my holeshot device would unclick and then my front end would pull up. I would have to get on the clutch or let off, and everyone just pulled me from then on. For what I ended up on the weekend, I am stoked, but it was definitely hard because I got horrible starts.
What are you expecting in San Diego?
I am just pumped to finally put a good ride in and have some confidence for San Diego. My goal is to get a top-five. Hopefully we have a normal start so I can get some good starts in and run up front.
Who would you like to thank for helping you out this year?
I'd like to thank the whole Strikt Slaton Yamaha team and all of the sponsors that support us. Dunlop, Mika Metals, dt1, c4mx, FMF, Enzo, Rekluse, Spy, Shoei, Novik, my friends, family, my mechanic Trevor, Dave Maxwell, Nathan Fite, Jeff Johnson, my mom and dad, my roommate Coop and his group that helps me out as well, Simi Valley Cycles, Justifed Clothing, and Woodland Merchant Services.
