Our man Jimmy Albertson finally announced his 2016 team plans a few weeks back, with a brand-new Suzuki 250 squad featuring himself, Kyle Cunningham, and rookies Josh Osby and Mark Worth, with Motorcycle Superstore serving as a big partner and title sponsor.
We fired three questions off to the man himself about how it came together.
1. OMG! OMG! The Suzuki factory 250 teams are here!!! Or are they? Tell us about how your team is structured and how it came to be.
Jimmy Albertson: Well, first off, there is not a factory 250 effort this season contrary to popular belief, just Suzuki support programs. Suzuki is making a push to get back in the 250 class competitively. With that being said, they look to have a factory team in the near future.
As for this team, Suzuki and Motorcycle Superstore were looking to start a relationship together and field a race team. I had been in talks with Superstore previously about a similar program that I wanted them to be a part of. Since our home base in Oklahoma is just an hour north of their new office in Dallas, it made perfect sense to base the team here so we could interact closely and create tons of great media opportunities.
We are a four rider 250 team, supercross and the Nationals. The riders and staff are located by the team’s race shop in southern Oklahoma. The race shop is located at Merge Racing Technologies, right next to the Compound 77 training facility. This allows us to test at any given time, with a full supercross and outdoor track a stone’s throw from the shop.
At the races we will have a full semi truck presence. Todd Hansen with HRT Racing is a long time friend and previous sponsor of mine. We had an awesome time working together in 2013. We worked a deal out for us to use the semi and will also have Todd come to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for the riders :). The rig is currently getting wrapped as we speak.
[Hey, video people, as Jimmy explained above, the team is hiring a full-time videographer for the 2016 race season. The position will be based in southern Oklahoma. Send a 2-3 minute clip to sponsorship@motorcycle-superstore.com if you are interested in the full-time paid position with the team.]
2. You have two rookies on your team. Explain the process behind that—were they just the riders you wanted, or are you specifically trying to establish an amateur-to-pro connection?
Albertson: We got a very late start into this. After weighing our options, we ended up choosing 17-year-old Mark Worth, and 19-year-old Josh Osby. We really like the thought of getting some young and hungry riders to work with and build into the future. This is a multi-year deal, so in the grand scheme of things, we want to be behind Josh and Mark for years to come.
[Note: Last week on the PulpMX show, Jimmy said he took note of lap times at Loretta’s and the Monster Energy Cup Amateur All-Stars race to track Osby and Worth. That’s good scouting!]
3. You and Kyle Cunningham are experienced guys. Are you ready for the 250 class again? Talk about Kyle's role as a veteran presence.
Albertson: Kyle was a great pick up for us. He's local here in the DFW area, and has proven year after year to be a top competitor in any class. Whether he’s working out of a semi truck, or out of the back of his van with Big Curt, he makes it happen. We have been using his experience to get good base settings for our rookies to start with. With Kyle and Mark riding the 250SX West Region and Josh and I racing the 250SX East Region, it will be pretty well rounded on both coasts.
As for me, I haven't been riding much at all. I've been very consumed with getting this team off the ground—not to mention writing these damn Racer X articles! I'm more focused on making sure my off the bike fitness is where I want it to be. I've come a long ways in the gym and it's nice to notice it on the bike. I rode our test bike today that Kyle has been riding and I was extremely impressed on where we are with such little development and time on our end. I guess at the end of the day if my results aren't cutting it this year with a health body and a good bike then I will fire myself into retirement. The good news is I have something to fall back on. Oh, yeah, and my lovely wife Georgia. It’s all good down here.
