By Jordan Roberts and Swizcore
Ryan Dungey, Red Bull KTM, Second in 450SX
Racer X: So you’ve been reeling off some wins. I know you want to win, but is it that big of a deal you let one slip away?
Ryan Dungey: I definitely want to win. Definitely got to think bigger picture, got to be smart, but at the same time every time I go out there I go out to win and hold nothing back. I think in my position I was able to let Eli [Tomac]… If he was going faster, which he was, it wasn’t a make-or-break situation. I definitely wanted to hold him off, but he was riding good today. We saw it from practice and his times and everything. We were able to get a heat race win there in on him, but we knew he was going to be tough coming into the main event. All in all we gave it a good push and second, right below the top step on the podium, isn’t bad at all. I’ll take it. As long as we’re on the podium it’s a good sign moving forward. We made ground tonight. It’s not an ideal way to make ground with Trey [Canard] getting hurt. Hopefully he’s okay there. But with the championship and everything, we got to keep our eyes on that as well. Not yet, but as we get closer.
Did seeing Trey’s deal, does that affect mindset at all for you, or do you just do what you do?
We’re in between the buildings so we have no satellite TV, so we couldn’t watch the race live. I heard word of mouth what happened—obviously wasn’t so good. It obviously affects the championship moving forward and all that, but at the same time it doesn’t change the focus. When I go to the gate it’s me and the track and getting off the gate, trying to get to the front first and riding my laps as best and as hard as I can and putting in a solid effort. If that’s a win, awesome; if it’s not, then like tonight, it’s a second. Consistent is important. It wasn’t a bad night at all. We ended up second so we’ll build on that. There’s still a lot of good racing left and opportunity to get more wins moving forward, so I’m excited.
This track had some different options through the rhythms. Was this one harder to figure out at the beginning of the day during qualifying as opposed to some other tracks?
A little bit. One of the rhythm lanes we were triple to the table-table and then there was a quad at the end we started doing. Everything was about the same. We did everything about the same all day. A good line got laid in and we were able to keep going faster and faster, especially coming into the night show when the track was smooth. But as it got to our main event it was pretty chewed up. It was tough, too. There was a lot of rhythm on this track and it was weird rhythm, like slapping one of the jumps. It was different. Hitting your marks was important. Hitting that one where I was slapping the face of that and getting over that clean, but then also not clipping the next rhythm, the table-table, then the quad… It was tricky.
That one where you’re smacking the face of the roller after the table, that looked like it could take it out of you for twenty straight laps. Was that kind of a tough one?
It starts to build and wear on you, but we train for that, so no. But it’s a little more energy, probably. –Jordan Roberts
Cole Seely, Team Honda HRC, Third in 450SX
Cole Seely: Weekend was good, really good. Unfortunately my teammate Trey got hurt tonight. But I got a heat race win again and found myself on the podium for the second weekend in a row. I feel like I’ve been riding really good and really finding my groove out there. The laps are getting easier for me when I’m running up front like that, getting a little more comfortable. The track was crazy tonight, really slick and not many of us jumped that quad before going into the main even. Kind of had to wing it out there. Nailed it six or seven times, but it was definitely scary. Made for some good racing, though.
What’s happened lately? You’re really coming on. Something change?
I got a good group of people around me. My trainer Brian Lopes, my riding coach Jeff Ward, my whole family, my girlfriend Danielle, just everyone who’s been in my corner, along with all my sponsors have just been sticking with me when I’d have a bad weekend. I just really dug deep and turned it around. I’m pretty proud of myself for that.
How was the track out there today? It looked like a bunch of people were doing all sorts of different stuff through that rhythm sections.
It was crazy. You could kind of tell on track walk, as the night went on, maybe we’ll start doing this once the track kind of breaks in. There were some big jumps out there for sure. I passed [Davi] Millsaps for third and then I could hear him catching me every lap going over that quad. I kind of just went around one lap and gave it everything I had. I went a little far actually. It was tough, though, because all the transitions were just a little soft, so coming in with so much speed and so many Gs that it wants to go sideways on you because it’s such a fast section. Was able to figure it out, and stoked to come away with a third tonight.
Some of the guys are saying there’s some slick spots on the track. How was the rest of the track?
It was good. There was some good traction here and there. It was pretty inconsistent, though. You really had to set mental markers out there. “Okay, I’m coming into this turn. It’s going to be a little slick; then I’m going to catch some grip.” It was definitely mentally draining out there, for sure. As far as mentality goes, it was definitely one of the tougher tracks. Physically it was tough, but mentally it was even tougher. –Roberts
Chad Reed, Discount Tire/TwoTwo Motorsports, Fourth in 450SX
Racer X: You looked great all day. Fourth, I know you’re not happy.
Chad Reed: That’s an understatement. It is what it is. I felt good all day; bike was good. I fought some things in the night show that was just personal—just me and my body. Little bit disappointed on that, to be honest.
Did you feel good coming in to qualifying and everything? You were first out every session.
I felt good; track felt good. I had a lot of fun on the track. Like I said, I think the riding, the bike, everything was there; I just didn’t have what it took to be competitive in the main event and that’s when they hand out the points. So I’m a little disappointed in that, but live and learn. Keep moving forward. This is my first time back to Detroit since 2008 and that wasn’t a fun experience. Obviously there’s a bigger picture at this point in the season, so try to get through. This track, it wasn’t that gnarly but it took down a lot of guys tonight. Glad I wasn’t one of them.
The biggest thing that I’m surprised about at this point is with the black flag and all, you’re fifth in points.
The goal is obviously be top three in the points and see what happens. For me, top three is the aim. I just need a little bit more out of myself. I think the pieces of the puzzle are there. I’m just not putting it together when they hand out the points unfortunately. Just keep working on myself. –Swizcore
Nick Wey, Mafia Moto, Twelfth in 450SX
Racer X: How about the outside gate pick in the main?
Nick Wey: All the gates were pretty hammered, so I went to the one that was not so hammered, but it didn’t really work out that good. I could have went to the gate just inside of Millsaps. From what I understand he got a good start. I just thought that that was so far inside that wasn’t going to work, but I should have done that in hindsight.
Let’s just talk about your Detroit this year then. Everybody’s talking like it’s your last one. What do you got to say about it?
Definitely, I want to be able to compete closer to the front and not be 15th–20th. Tonight was a step forward, but unfortunately there were a couple good guys who got injured, with Jake [Weimer] and Trey [Canard] getting hurt. I hope they’re doing okay. I know they’re pretty banged up. That’s unfortunate. I want to just be here.
Go out like a shot, not gracefully.
I think I’m too late to be going out gracefully. It’s not really my move to be like twentieth in the points. Typically I’m a perennial top-ten guy in my mind, so being twentieth in the points or nineteenth—whatever I’m at now—is not necessarily where I want to be. Unless I can make some pretty big advances here in the next five races, this will probably be it. –Swizcore
Phil Nicoletti, AutoTrader.com/Toyota/JGR Yamaha, Fifteenth in 450SX
Racer X: How was it today? You got a couple holeshots; unfortunately one was on a red-flag restart.
Phil Nicoletti: Red flag was a bummer, but obviously you got to make sure the downed riders were okay. It was a real crash and it was a bad crash, so the red flag was much needed. Our bikes are awesome. They’re really good off the gate. Grabbed two back-to-back holeshots in the semi, was able to get the win. The main event was okay—probably seventh or eighth in the second corner and someone slammed me. I think it might have been Seely or something. My leg was stuck in between my tire and my pipe, and I couldn’t get up. By the time an official or a track guy got to me I was already forty-five seconds down, so that part was a bummer. Just haven’t been feeling good the past few weeks. Go get some stuff checked out on Tuesday. I’m in for St. Louis, which is good. I’m pumped. Obviously I love being at the races with the guys. We get better as the night program goes on. Practice is always a struggle and I hate it, and I hate that it bugs me. We’ll figure it out and come back swinging next week.
This track seemed like it might have taken a little longer to figure out than maybe some of the other tracks, just with some of those options. What was that like?
The track was gnarly tonight. It’s getting late in the year. People are starting to get burnt-out, I think, and people start crashing more. Supercross is gnarly. That’s why you got to give it up to the guys that can go year after year and be on top. People don’t understand that. Especially Dungey and [Ryan] Villopoto, it’s gnarly. For me, I’m racing more than I thought I would. I’m happy to be here and obviously I got fifteenth tonight coming from way dead last, so we’ll keep plugging away. Hopefully St. Louis will be better; the dirt will be a little bit better. Try and have some fun. –Roberts
Weston Peick, AutoTrader.com/Toyota/JGR Yamaha, Twenty-Second in 450SX
Racer X: What happened out there in the main event?
Weston Peick: Got off to a decent start—I think about sixth place. I passed Reed and then I got behind Millsaps. I was trying to make a pass on him and we came around the sweeper turn, and I was thinking he was going to go over-table like he did the lap before and he didn’t. He went on and I went over. I just caught up to him really quick, and when he stepped off, he kind of stepped off left while I was already left. Instead of landing on him in the next jump I swerved left to avoid him and landing on him, and then I OJ’d left and then OJ’d back right. Almost cleaned him out in the turn and just smashed my face. I hit my nose super hard and kind of got dizzy from that. It was just kind of a bummer night. Other than that it’s been a solid day. We’re making really good ground on the bike and getting more comfortable every weekend. It’s just a bummer thing that happened.
We kind of saw the same situation with Trey and Jake and that terrible deal. Was this something that the track kind of led to more than other tracks, or is it just two random strange occurrences?
In a way the track was pretty jumpy and pretty gnarly, considering the different options that run into yourself. If you hit one jump one way and somebody hit it the other way like in my instance, you could almost land on somebody and get hurt. The transitions of the jumps and how they were, were kind of a little bit dangerous, but the track layout itself wasn’t bad; it was just the options that they allowed them to have to be dangerous.
I was talking to Pat [Barker, Weston’s mechanic]. He was saying you came back and just tons of blood were covering your face. You good to go now?
I’m fine. I just busted blood vessels up in my nose. I was just gushing blood out of both nostrils. Other than that I think everything’s good. Next race good to go.
How were you feeling before all that happened?
I’ve been feeling good all day. We’ve been just building and getting the bike better. Had fun; we’re confident. Back at home getting more time under me. Just been feeling good. I was really looking forward to tonight. My confidence and speed and fitness is back up there. I thought it was definitely going to be a podium night tonight. I was right there running in the mix the first couple laps until that happened. I think it’ll be good the next few weekends. –Roberts
