RedBud 2015 and Glen Helen 2016 have a few things in common, but for Anthony Rodriguez they both held some pretty scary moments. Last season at RedBud, on one of the opening laps, Rodriguez and Dakota Alix (his training partner at the time) scrubbed different ways over the flag jump. Their rear tires touched in midair and both of them fell from the sky to the ground in a matter of seconds. Both riders were pretty beat up.
It was tough break for Rodriguez, who was just working back from a crash that wasn’t his fault—when a rider rode across the track during a mid-week practice moto.
Last weekend at Glen Helen, Rodriguez had another scary incident when he came around the top of Mount St. Helens drop off into a downed rider’s bike. He had nowhere else to go but into it and the rest was very scary to watch. Rodriguez would be okay, but his bike was totaled from cartwheeling down the hill. It could have gone a lot worse.
We caught up with A-Rod earlier in the week to get his take on what happened as well as get an update on his first season with Trader’s Kawasaki. As you’ll find out Rodriguez has given up a lot to make his dreams of being a professional motocross racer come true.
Racer X: Let’s get right down to it and talk about your scary crash at Glen Helen. How are you feeling right now?
Rodriguez: I’m feeling normal actually and luckily the crash didn’t injure me at all. It was unfortunate that it happened, but at the same time I feel lucky to get away from it okay. I didn’t have a good start and was coming through the pack. There was a downed rider in front of me in probably one of the worst places on the track. I hit the bike and it just sent me over the bars and totaled the bike unfortunately.
( MOST WATCH ) I'm ok and I thank the lord for keeping me safe pic.twitter.com/RI9fp3S1Bj
— Anthony Rodriguez (@anthonymx48) May 29, 2016
You were just in the wrong place at the wrong time coming out of that turn into a blind drop off.
It’s nobody’s fault. It was just destiny really, I guess it was just supposed to happen. Like you said, there is nothing I could do there with the blind spot, but it was just meant to happen.
You guys ride at such a quick pace that it’s probably hard to comprehend what is going on. Did you really know what was going on in that moment before you hit the bike, or was it that you came out of the turn and next thing you know you hit the ground?
A lot of thoughts went through my mind. When I think about it now I realize it was just a split second. When I was in the air I saw the bike. I landed probably three feet before it, so I thought it was a bit muddy, if I slammed on the brakes it wouldn’t do anything. I couldn’t go right or left, so my best bet was to try and hop over it and use the rebound in my suspension. When I tried to hop over it my front wheel made it, but my back wheel didn’t. It worked out a lot worse if I would have gone straight through it because I would have flown through the air instead of hitting the ground right away.
That is quite the thought process in a split second. There really isn’t anything else that could have happened in that situation. Thankfully you’re okay.
You’re totally right in that. I had a few choices I could have done and I took the one that I thought was the best choice. I stuck to it and luckily it worked out the best way that situation could have worked out.
It’s just a bummer because it seems like whenever something weird happens on the track that it’s around you, or involving you somehow. It’s like, why does this always happen to A-Rod?
I know it’s kind of unfortunate. People are laying on the track in front of me, or landing on me, a lot of stuff has happened that has been out of my hands. I try not to think about it because I know it will bring me down. I can’t think that way, so I put my head down, train, and do everything I’m supposed to do. When it comes to the race I try to do everything I can to stay safe. I race as fast as I can, but at the same time I can’t think about everybody else making a mistake that I can’t help happen. Things like this are going to happen. It seems like it’s happened to me more than other riders. I have to keep a positive mind.
Look at the incident at RedBud last year with Dakota Alix and yourself. It was a racing incident, but of course your bike goes flying into the crowd.
Yeah, I know exactly what you’re saying. My time will come and all of these struggles will make it sweeter for me when I’m there.
Let’s talk about this season and your new team, Trader’s Racing Kawasaki. How have you enjoyed your time on the team and what’s it like under the tent?
I definitely like it. The team staff over here is amazing. The bike is constantly getting better and we are always figuring out something new in testing. Getting used to the bike took me longer than I wish it would have, but once I got used to it I realized that the Kawasaki was an amazing bike. I like it a lot for outdoors and it’s a really easy bike to turn. I can’t wait to get to the race and see what I can do on a good day.
What was the hardest thing to get used to on the Kawasaki after riding a Yamaha for so many years?
Going into the season I hadn’t ridden a bike for about two months, so I was a little rusty. On top of that it was a different bike, so that made it a little harder, and on top of that I went straight to supercross. The thing that was the most difficult was the way that you would lean the bike. You can’t lean it like a Yamaha because you would be over-leaning it in the turns. The Kawasaki is an easier bike to turn and you don’t have to put much effort into the turn. It’s also a skinnier bike and I had to alter my riding style to make sure I was squeezing it the entire time I ride.
What are the differences between Star Racing and Trader’s Kawasaki as far as the atmosphere goes?
They both handle things differently. At Trader’s it’s cool because when it’s time to work it’s time to work and when it’s time to be family then we’re a family. They know how to get the best out of me when it comes to riding. They can push me to my hardest without making me feel bad about it. It’s all working for me at this moment.
Are things going the way you thought they would go so far this season…minus the Glen Helen incident?
Yeah, things are flowing for me. I wish supercross had gone a little better for me, but things happen. There are a few things I wish would have gone better for me. The best finish that I had this year was a sixth place and last year I had two fifths. Coming into outdoors I’m thankful for a lot because I feel really great on this bike. I’m just looking forward to showing people that I still have the speed for the entire moto.
At the end of the season where would you be happy to say you finished?
I just want to go one step at a time and I want to be consistently in the top ten. Being there would give me the confidence to get closer to the top five. With me you just never know. The next race in Colorado I could show up and get a top five, it’s happened before, so for me I just need to line up and give it my best. I just know that I have the skills to be with the best and have endurance for the moto. I just have to do what I know how to do.
It seems like this season in the 250 class that consistency is going to be a problem for a lot of riders.
It definitely will be. When I crashed at Glen Helen I just sat and watched the whole race. The 250 class is stacked this year. In the past it wasn’t super difficult to get like a top fourteen, but this season I feel like it’s just as difficult to get a fifteenth, as it is a ninth. That’s how stacked the class is this year.
It seems like you’re underrated at times. When I watch you it seems like you could be a threat to the podium if you get a good start. You can’t teach speed and you’re one of those guys that has a lot of it.
It’s one of those things where I’ve felt like an underdog the entire time. I’m in the shadows and I really don’t mind it at all. It doesn’t add any pressure on me. I try to make a positive thing out of everything and a positive thing out of being an underdog is that everyone is definitely not pressuring you.
That’s true and a lot of riders have better results when they aren’t pressured. You can go out and ride the bike like you know how.
I’ve had that pressure coming into amateur nationals with all of my sponsors around me telling me to win and I deal with it really well. I grew up in Venezuela with a lot of good competition. I can ride 35 minutes with someone trying to pass me and I won’t look back. That is something that I like about my riding. It’s a positive stat that I think completes a whole package as a rider.
What was the toughest transition in coming to the USA to live when you moved?
I had to give up my family and friends at home and it was a hard transition. I’m all in until the end. When I moved here I was only thirteen. My dad was here for maybe two months but then he left. Here I was at just thirteen and I didn’t know a word of English. Luckily there were a few people that spoke Spanish at MTF, so I learned my English pretty quickly. Within six months I knew how to explain myself and within a year and a half I knew the majority of the English language. It made me mature a lot faster than a lot of other kids had to, but I learned a lot from it. It was mainly that I had to value everything I have at this moment. It wasn’t the easiest, but with the dedication that I had for this sport that made it easier for sure.
Do you have anything else you’d like to add that I might have missed?
I just want to thank the Trader’s Kawasaki team for making me feel at home and continuously helping me. I also want to thank the MTF staff. I have one more week out here in California and then I head back to MTF to keep the training going. Thank you, too, for this interview.
No problem man! I have one last question: Do you get to eat at Trader’s Restaurant for free whenever you want?
I have never been there, but I heard that when we go to Budd’s Creek we would. I’m pumped about that and I’m looking forward to the good food!
You’ll probably be treated like royalty there!
(Laughs) Oh yeah, we’ll be eating crab!
