By Jordan Roberts, Swizcore, and Chase Stallo
Marvin Musquin, Red Bull KTM, Second in 250SX
Racer X: So it seems like the only thing that can really stop you from getting a win is a start. Is that pretty much how you feel at this point?
Marvin Musquin: Yeah, I feel like there is some races where I could have caught up with Justin [Bogle], but today on that track I couldn’t make up time on him. We had a lot of lappers, too. I had to make different rhythm. I couldn’t make the rhythm every lap the same. I was making mistakes and Justin got the holeshot. I knew he was gone. I knew it was going to be tough. The best I could do tonight is a second place. Still pretty good. I gave away 3 points, that’s not too bad.
I saw you were taking the option where you checked up on top of that table over there and then kind of slammed the double-triple. Lots of guys were doing different stuff there. What made you decide to land on that combination?
I just stick with what I feel the most comfortable. We can do different rhythms right there. I thought it was faster what I was doing. I didn’t get a great start, and obviously the weekend before with the sticky dirt I could do more stuff on the track and today it’s pretty hard and dry. It was hard to make up time.
You seem like you’re a guy that’s pretty good with throttle control and stuff like that. Did you notice where you could maybe pull a little bit better on some slick spots than some other riders? Where were you gaining the speed from?
I actually like it better when it’s tacky and there are a lot of lines and it gets rutted so you can pick different lines. Today it was not so many lines. I like when I get power when I’m on the 350 for example. On the 250 it’s hard to adjust and use that throttle. You have to go for it. –Jordan Roberts
Joey Savatgy, Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki, Third in 250SX
Racer X: It’s got to feel good to jump on the podium.
Joey Savatgy: It feels good. We should have been here last weekend but unfortunately stuff happens. Can’t sit here and dwell on it. It was a hard pill to swallow at the time. Tempers were a little high, but the team works hard, and it’s nothing that any of us did on purpose; it’s just something that happened. To be back on the box is great. We started the season up here and it was amazing. Then we had a little bit of a dry streak, had some nagging injuries after the second round. To be back up here is good. I know that my hard work is paying off during the week. Just got to go back to the farm, work with Ricky and Jeanie a little bit, and fine-tune some things. We’re getting closer and closer to the leader. That’s always a positive and we learn from it. Go home, watch the film, and pretty much from there, just keep building on it and finish out the series strong.
It looked like this track maybe had a couple different options with some rhythms, stuff like that, maybe some better than others. Was that kind of the harder part of this track?
No, the most difficult part was the dirt underneath is very slippery, and there’s some areas where there’s ruts. So you come around and you’re sliding and sliding and fighting for traction, and then you come into some areas and you’ve got ruts. There’s a little bit of everything. Some of the bigger rhythms were hard to get. Overall the track was probably one of the more difficult ones I’d say for the year so far, but they did a good job and nothing to complain about. When you’re on the box it’s hard to point out the bad things, besides not winning. We’re up here and it could be a lot worse.
You mentioned some slick spots; obviously you’re going to get some slick stuff, flat tracking around here. Where were some other bad spots on the track? Obviously not the sand section.
No, the sand section wasn’t, but the start straight—actually up in the stands coming around we were down to plywood so you had to be careful through there for sure. A lot of it is the ruts are slippery at the base. It makes it difficult. It’s not an easy track, but we’re professionals so it’s not supposed to be easy. –Roberts
Mitchell Oldenburg, Arma Energy/MotoSport.com Yamaha, Eighth in 250SX
Racer X: Long day, a few crashes, big case. Fast though all day
Mitchell Oldenburg: It was a rough day. I cartwheeled myself in the second practice and honestly felt like hanging it up for the day. I broke down. Had the speed but I’ve been crashing my brains out. It starts taking a toll on you, but soldiered through it. Heat race, again came up short. Just accidentally shifted into first going up the face of a triple and that was the big case. I rode good after that, so I felt confident going into the LCQ. I knew I had to get the start. Got a good start. And then the main, tried to just put laps together, not worry about anybody but myself, and be smooth and smart. Honestly I feel like that’s the best I rode all year. Just putting my laps together. I knew I could go faster. I really honestly felt slow in my turns. I felt like I wasn’t going as fast as I could have, but it was smart and I made it through the night. –Swizcore
RJ Hampshire, GEICO Honda, Eleventh in 250SX
Racer X: You looked great all day, and then you got Martin Davalos. What happened?
RJ Hampshire: I don’t know what happened with him. I guess he got a little sketchy. It’s racing. Like you said, I felt great all day. I felt like I had another podium in me. Crap happens. Now that I feel great I have bad luck. Usually it’s been I feel like crap and good luck. It happens. I was trying to charge back into the top ten, but [ended up] eleventh. Gained some points—that was the main thing. Just trying to salvage it on a night that was going good and just had a little bad luck.
Those injuries not hindering you at all anymore then?
Not really. I still got minor things, but nothing as serious as it was. I’m actually getting to ride during the week now, so that’s huge. My trainer’s been working great with me. We’re getting it. I’m pumped on the progress we’re making. –Swizcore
Jordon Smith, GEICO Honda, Twenty-First in 250SX
Jordon Smith: Practice started out pretty rough. Had a gnarly crash there in the free practice. Rebounded and qualified eighth so I was pretty happy with that. Got a really good start in the heat race, out there with RJ. We were just clicking off some laps up front. Ended up going down—kind of a stupid little crash. I don’t even really know what happened, what made me crash. Went down and barley qualified, got ninth. So I had a bad gate pick and just got shuffled to the outside a little bit on the start in the main, and ripped my rear brake pedal back to my foot peg. It was a tough night but I brought a lot of positives out of it.
Things seem to be clicking for you now. Is it just learning? What’s the difference for you?
Learning a lot every weekend and just trying to work on those things back at MTF during the week. Also, I’m getting a lot healthier. I came into the season injured and knew that I wasn’t 100 percent, but just wanted to come and get some experience, and that’s what I’m doing. I’m just trying to get the laps in right now and just learn so next year it’ll be a lot easier.
So it’s not really an expectations thing for you this year; it’s more of just wanting to get some laps in and whatever happens happens?
Yeah, for sure. Definitely really no expectations. Now with my good heat race tonight, I think that I can be up there and run in the top five every weekend. That’s where I want to be now. But really, like I said, just the laps and running up front. I want to get some up front time and get used to that.
Are you able to take anything from the heat race? Is it just good to be up there, even if it is just a heat race?
Yeah, for sure. Just a heat race, it’s good just to be up there in front of all the fans and running up front—just getting used to that. I started in second last week and got a little tight and shuffled back pretty far. I made some mistakes in the heat race. This weekend was a lot better, and I felt like I could have done the same thing in the main event. Those guys are fast, but I felt like if I got a good start to see their speed and see where they are… I know they’re faster than me right now—a couple of those guys—but to see where they’re faster and learn from them and then come back next weekend and hopefully capitalize on the things that I learned.
How’s the hand?
The hand’s pretty good. It’s still really sore and still not healed all the way really. It’s taking a long time to heal since I’m riding, but it’s getting good. I don’t really notice it too much out there. Just whenever I make a mistake it really bothers me. It’s still weak so it’ll kind of come off the bars sometimes. Just have to be careful with that. It’s pretty good.
Is it just a fracture? What exactly happened?
I snapped the fifth metacarpal bone, so it’s basically a boxer’s fracture. I had surgery on it and I was hoping to maybe make it back for Dallas, but it was just way too sore and didn’t have mobility back in it. I started riding the week after Dallas a little bit—just eased back into it—and then came out for Atlanta 2 and really just wasn’t 100 percent, wasn’t really ready. And obviously I didn’t make the main there. But I learned a lot and that’s what I came out to do. I was obviously out of any points race at that point, so just wanted to learn and try and get some good finishes. –Chase Stallo
