About six months ago, we finally had to stop being shocked at Weston Peick’s success. For years, Peick was just a privateer toiling through the ranks, just trying to make mains, make a living and get a ride. Then came more speed, better results, more support, then top fives and then podiums. Now Peick is just an accepted member of the front pack, capable of running with most anyone.
Add another notch to his belt, as the AutoTrader/Toyota/JGR Yamaha rider made it through a chaotic weekend to win the King of Bercy crown at the Bercy-Lille SX. Our man Matthes talked to him about it on Sunday night.
Racer X: You had to go the LCQ, [and had a] shitty gate pick. Halfway through that race you’re like, there’s no way I’m going to win the overall, and then things just got nutty.
Weston Peick: It was kind of a not that good of a day with going to the LCQ and having to start all the way outside on the last gate pretty much. Obviously a track like this it’s kind of impossible when you have fast guys up front and they’re checking out when I’m trying to come through the pack, bobbing and weaving through guys that are cross-jumping the shit out of you. But other than that, it’s the kind of track where if you slip up once you’re going to hit the ground. There are so many ruts and so many lines and it’s such a technical race that you can’t push as hard as you can. You have to be smart in the same sense. Bummer for Cooper [Webb] to crash. He was riding awesome all weekend, and so was [Christophe] Pourcel and so was Malcolm [Stewart] the second night. I came out, played it safe, and ended up with the King of Bercy.
Right about two laps after Webb went down you almost did the same thing.
Yeah, I saw Webb laying on the ground and I hit the same thing and almost wadded myself up. Like I said, at any moment in a second this track would just eat you up. Other than that it was an awesome weekend, King of Bercy and stoked to go home with the crown.
When you really think about it the number of riders that have won in the past and been champions here it’s really cool to add your name to that list.
Yeah, it’s awesome. It definitely puts your name on an international map of people wanting to invite you back and have a good presence here. Awesome to have a good fan base.
The heat race, what happened? Just slid out?
Yeah, I was just pushing it a little too hard trying to get into second and washed the front end. Just one of those things that you can’t control.
Overall your experience in Bulgaria and here, it’s nice to hit these overseas events. You may be going to Australia?
Yeah, it’s good to come over here and do some racing, make some good money and get some different kind of experience over here. I had fun. I’m not sure yet about Australia. It’s just kind of one of those things where it’s crunching into my prep time for next year and it just takes so much time out of my days and weeks to go over there. I’ll figure it out in the next week and see if I’m going to end up going over there.
Last race for your mechanic, Patty [Patrick Barker], who is moving on. Kind of a bummer. You guys got along. He’s a good guy. But he’s quitting. I guess that’s the bottom line.
Patty’s definitely quitting on me. I’m bummed about that. We work really well together. Obviously they didn’t come to terms with the team and everything like that and what he wanted and vice versa but that’s life and that’s what happens. You’ve got to move on and go to bigger, better things if that’s what you feel like works out [best for you]. So I’m stoked to work with him this whole last year and hope him the best.
We had fun this weekend hanging out. It was good times. Thanks for tearing off all the Pulp stickers I put on your bike, too.
It was good. You keep sliding Pulp stickers on my bike and I end up finding them eventually.
How many people did you swear at this weekend?
I’d probably say every French person on the track I swore at. That’s just kind of how I am. I’m very angry when I ride, especially when they’re cross-jumping you. Just because they don’t have the knowledge and the riding that we do in America. It’s definitely sketchy riding with those guys, but it is what it is. We come over here and that’s what we do.
Last question, the triple-quad, I saw you do it only one time all day, maybe more [but you didn’t do it much]. Was it just the track beat down?
Yeah, I think from yesterday to today they kept rolling everything out and making it smaller and smaller. The lips were pretty small and then there were actually more ruts today than there were yesterday. That kind of played a part in it with getting lift off the tops and all that stuff. But other than that the track was pretty gnarly tonight and it’s good.
