This is how Broc Tickle always does it: He’s not a flash in the pan and not an overnight sensation, but rather someone who just builds and builds and builds, making steady progress until he’s suddenly a contender. Last year he was on his way, starting to show top-five speed before a huge crash resulted in a broken back and ended his season. Remarkably, he’s continued that progression anyway, getting better each week, and logging fourth on Saturday in Atlanta—which ties his career best, scored in Daytona fifty-one weeks ago. Tickle is coming on strong, and a podium could be next. He gave us some time after the race to go through it all.
Racer X: Fourth was good, but more than that, you looked fast all day. You looked good in practice. It was good.
Broc Tickle: I felt in tune with the track the first time I set foot on it. I started the day out good by just being smooth and taking my time, not clipping things. That’s kind of what I worked on this week with my mechanic. It was just basically me and my mechanic. We were working on little stuff throughout the day, and what we worked on was not clipping stuff. That doesn’t seem like it’s that big of a deal, but when you clean up everything it makes it a big deal. Practice went well. The heat race went all right. I got a not-so-good start and kind of rode good, but I was back so I couldn’t make it out of the heat. Went to the semi, got a good start. I’m really stoked on my starts. We made some changes last couple weeks and it’s really starting to turn around for us. It’s making it easier for me to get up there. In the main event I think pretty much, if I would have been a little bit further to the left on the gate, I would have had the holeshot. But stoked how everything went. I felt like I rode solid in the main. I felt like I could have been a little better there in the beginning, but that’s what building’s all about. I think once I can do that a little bit more it’s just going to help me get closer and closer to being on the podium.
I feel like I’ve read a thousand RCH press releases with you saying, “We’re working on my starts.” I’ve been hearing this for years now. But it’s starting to happen. It’s working!
The things we’ve changed have made it just easier for myself to get better starts and it’s making it simple. You‘ve known this since day one—that’s the main thing I’ve needed to work on. It’s working for us. I’m looking forward to Daytona. I had my best finish of the year last year there before I got hurt. Just pumped on the whole Soaring Eagle/Jimmy John’s team. Everybody’s been behind me. My new sponsors Thor, Bell Helmets, Eks Brand, everybody who’s stepped in. And my mechanic Ritchie, Justin, Kyle, everybody on the team’s been working their butt off and it shows. The bike is, I wouldn’t say a lot better than last year, but we’ve made improvements to make it easier to go faster, just like that change to the starts. It’s just making it easier on me and making it to where I can perform at my best.
Not like you would ever want to get hurt like that again, but did the time off help? You’re better this year.
I think I was just motivated. I started getting some swagger last year, before I got hurt, and I wanted that back. That’s what I’ve been waiting to feel since I won my championship [250SX West in 2011]. Basically I had it taken away from me for eight months—actually longer than [eight months] because I didn’t even race until January. It’s a long time to think about it. Obviously there can be over-thinking done, but I just had a good group of people behind me, my wife, just everybody who has been behind me. This deal came together and I couldn’t be more stoked. I think if I was somewhere else I would have struggled a bit. I think I felt comfortable here and I’m glad it worked out.
Do you have any back issues at all? Does it change your training or does it hurt after a long day or anything?
It’s bothering me right now, but it’s just going to happen. My rib cage bothers me sometimes, but it’s going to happen. When you’re racing you don’t really notice it. There’s little exercises I do every day to try to loosen it up. It’s not really that it hurts; it’s just really tight. That’s why I think, I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but my style’s changed a little bit. I’m maybe a little bit stiffer upper-body-wise I think, but maybe a little looser too because I don’t have a neck brace on anymore. For me I’m stoked with everything. I’m looking forward to the rest of the season, having a good solid supercross season, get to outdoors and hopefully have the #20 up front.
You’ve always had this slow build. You did it as an amateur; then in the 250s—it was slow, steady progress. I was thinking about it this week, I’m like, “He’s really starting to do it again now in the 450s.” You’re starting to get to another level.
Everything I do during the week my motivation is to be on the podium and get that champagne. I’m getting goose bumps right now just saying the word “champagne” because I want that feeling again. There’s nothing like that, when you stand on the podium… It doesn’t compare. I know winning is better than that, but just that feeling when you’re on the podium is an on top of the world feeling. So for me that’s what I thrive off of and that’s my motivation.
