By Holly Wingler and Jason Weigandt
Jeremy Martin, Yamalube/Star Racing Yamaha, First in 250SX
Racer X: This supercross season looks like it’s going to be a lot different than last.
Jeremy Martin: Just got off to a good start there, was sixth or seventh, and worked my way forward. All the top guys were there and we had one heck of a battle. I think the crowd was into it because I could just hear them cheering us on over triples and stuff. I knew when someone made a pass because the crowd just erupted.
You were pretty far back. How’d you gain the momentum to get that far back up?
I guess just good fitness. I just never gave up. I guess I had the eye of the tiger!
So you had Bogle right in front of you and Musquin right behind you at one point. What was going through your mind?
I was like, you know, now’s the time to give it 100 percent and see what you can do and see how you stack up against those guys. I was riding behind them and I learned a lot from them. They were going really fast and they had some really good lines. I learned from them, and I think I was able to take some of what I learned and apply it in the main event and come out with the win.
So when you’re talking about your fitness, I’ve heard you train on your own. You have Jeannie Carmichael looking over things, but what do you do to keep out front, physically?
Lots and lots of training, trial and error. I think having a trainer is a good thing and I think I’ll have one one day again, but for right now I want to do it on my own. I think that proves what I got going on is working for me.
What do you do to keep the momentum going?
Just take it race by race. Tonight was a great night and tomorrow we’ll take an off day and get recovered, and then we’re coming back here for Atlanta 2. Just work on hitting your marks and having fun too. – Holly Wingler
Marvin Musquin, Red Bull KTM, Second in 250SX
Racer X: How do you feel about your starts tonight?
Marvin Musquin: I tried a different technique actually for the heat race and it didn’t work out. I obviously didn’t get a good start. But it was okay. I was like top five in the first lap, but then I didn’t jump a rhythm and then I went inside and someone ran into my rear wheel and it took me down. You don’t want to get down in the heat race because you want to go to the main event with a good position and a good gate pick. I fought through it and I got eighth, so I went straight to the main, but it’s a really bad gate pick so I was far outside. I was not in a good position but I tried my best. I was running in a good position, maybe fourth and then got third. I felt like I had good speed, but I made too many mistakes at one point. Then I didn’t do that triple over there, the big one, and then Jeremy passed me. And then we went by [Martin] Davalos and [Justin] Bogle. So to get second tonight, it’s actually pretty good with my heat race for sure.
Did you do the same start technique for the main as you did the heat race?
No, because we actually got a better rut behind the gate and more grip. I actually went back to the normal technique and it worked out pretty good.
That triple, what was going on? What was making you double into the triple a few times?
I was cutting too much inside. When I was getting it perfectly I thought it was pretty quick, but it was tough to get it done every lap. I made a big mistake and I couldn’t triple and Jeremy went by me. When you don’t jump a triple, you don’t want to stay in the way because people are coming and you don’t want to get landed on. So obviously he went by and that cost me the win.
So, are these all just mental mistakes, or were these things with the bikes you were working with?
It’s all me. Bike was working good and I’m really happy about it. I have a great team over at KTM. I can’t wait for next weekend to do better.
What are you going to do to regroup?
Same thing. Just go down to Florida and riding with Aldon [Baker] and Ryan [Dungey] and Jason [Anderson], and have some fun and come back here. – Wingler
Justin Bogle, GEICO Honda, Third in 450SX
Racer X: You had a good start and you kept it close the whole time.
Justin Bogle: It was good. I got a really good start. My GEICO Honda is a rocket ship. It’s getting me off to great starts here lately. Followed Martin [Davalos] around for about ten laps, finally made the pass, and then I just got super tight. No excuses, I just kind of gave that one up. A lot of positives out of the weekend though—learning, and I think I’m better off this weekend than I was last weekend.
How did Musquin catch you through those whoops? Was Davalos slowing you down?
I kind of got hung up a little bit behind Martin [Davalos]. He was riding really good, but I think I was a little bit faster at that point. It kind of let those guys catch up to us. But just little mistakes. Like I said, I got really tight and kind of pumped up, but it’s not a super bad problem to have. That’s easily fixed, just a little work during the week. It’s better than not having the speed or getting tired.
Do you feel like this round was better than last weekend?
For me, for sure. I feel like I’m a lot better off this weekend. I learned a lot last week. Put a lot of time in during the week to prepare for it. I feel like I rode a lot better. I had to ride like I wanted it to get into the lead. Little things. It’s just lessons, learning every weekend. Like I said, definitely better off.
Did you like the track? The whoops were super gnarly in the beginning, and then throughout the main they got so smooth, and it looked like people gained more speed going through them.
The track was good. It was very technical tonight. The dirt—kind of another element—it’s very slick here. The dragon-back-to-dragon-back was tough to drill every lap as well. – Wingler
Martin Davalos, Rockstar Energy Racing Husqvarna, Fourth in 250SX
Racer X: Great start. You led the first half of the race. Can you lead me through what happened after those first couple turns of the lap where the rest of the guys caught up with you?
Nothing. I just kept making a mistake in the dragon’s back. I think that’s where I lost the race. I felt like I rode well but just kept making a mistake there, and without getting onto that tabletop, that was costing me a lot of time. That kind of caused me to tighten up a little bit. I just couldn’t find that momentum. That section kind of got me throughout the whole night and I just couldn’t get going. Definitely an improvement from last weekend. The team worked really hard at kind of getting my bike a little better. Just trying to plug away.
You came out strong in the beginning, so what was different from the beginning to the second half?
I think I needed to change lines. The lines that I took for half of the race kind of went away. It was just a struggle to get a little bit of traction. I just needed to do something differently, because at lap eight it just wasn’t working for me anymore, the line that I was taking. Something that I guess I learned from it, but I’ve been around this sport for a little while, so it’s kind of frustrating that I just keep making mistakes like this. Definitely take a fourth-place and build from it, and hope for a better weekend this weekend.
You’ve come back from such a big injury last year. How have you been feeling?
I’ve been feeling really well. My ankle’s coming along quite well, but obviously I still struggle with a little bit of pain, especially after I’m done riding or practicing. The days to follow, that’s when I struggle the most. But it feels stronger and that’s a positive thing. Obviously, like you said, I came off the injury and I kind of left off on top. Just kind of got to find my rhythm. I’m still struggling a little bit. Definitely something to build off, and the improvement we did on the bike throughout the week definitely helped this weekend.
Like you said, you’re the vet of this class. Are you going to come back strong next week?
Yeah, definitely. I’m excited to be here in Atlanta. I feel like this is one of my home races. I have family and everybody here. I look forward to it. Like you said, I’m a veteran, but these people are going fast. Everybody just keeps stepping it up. The track definitely played a big part tonight. I struggled a little bit to get traction and it was hard to separate people. Hopefully next weekend it’ll be good. – Wingler
Dakota Alix, Orange Brigade KTM, Fourteenth in 250SX
Racer X: That looked way better than last week.
Dakota Alix: It was definitely better. Last week was my first supercross and I was definitely a little nervous and jittery. I was in awe of the whole thing. Now I know what I need to do and I know what I need to work on.
So was a lot of it just mental?
Almost all of it was mental. My starts were better, and a little bit more raw speed, but most of it was mental. The biggest thing is I know what I need to work on. – Jason Weigandt