2. Ken Roczen: Kenny is a good interview for an “elite” guy. He understands the media does want to talk to him and gives us some time, although I’m sure he doesn’t always want to. Aaron Hansel explains below that Kenny’s honesty is sometimes mistaken for excuses, so that sucks for him. Sometimes things happen, and riders explain those things because they’re being honest and telling you what really happened. That’s not an excuse, people, that’s answering the question.

3. Phil Nicoletti: Filthy is awesome. You’re going to get plenty of “I suck” and “Why does this happen to me?” after each race no matter where he finishes. He’ll also throw a dig in at a Martin brother. Nicoletti never, ever, ever shows an ego—in fact, he’s the opposite, and that’s what makes it so great to talk to him.

4. Zach Osborne: Zach is a worldly guy who, remember, almost didn’t “make it” here in America as a rider. When he went to Europe, he had to really rebuild himself to earn a spot over there. He loves off-road riding, raced the ISDE, he’s married with a child, and I think all of those perspectives give him a lot of knowledge. He gives you honest, thoughtful answers about what happened out on the track and not the same old same old.

5. Adam Cianciarulo: Adam is a pretty amazing interview who really shouldn’t be. AC is a homeschooled amateur MX prodigy and should be someone who doesn’t have a ton of personality, but he does. He’s funny, he’s ironic, and he’s been handling his up-and-down career with class and wit. Ask him a question and you’ll get something you didn’t expect. I guarantee it.

honorable mentions: Jake Weimer is right up there with the best. He’s honest about his race and what’s going on in the sport. Mitch Payton is great. He’s very candid about the riders on his team and the sport in general. He’s Mitch Payton and you’re not, you know? Jeremy Albrecht is, at times, too honest about his JGR team and what’s going on. He’ll also never duck out on the media and answers the tough questions. Justin Brayton is always generous with his time and sometimes even asks you a question in his interview.

Jason Weigandt, Racer X Online Editor

1. Chad Reed: This is the most obvious answer ever, and anyone who doesn’t put Chad at the top of this list is an idiot. Chad is the only rider who really knows how to use the media to get a message across, which is sad because athletes and coaches do this all the time in other sports. Part of Chad’s savvy comes from his love of international motorsports like MotoGP and Formula One, where the riders and drivers are much more candid than what we’re used to here. Chad uses interviews to slay rivals or teams, get in the heads of other riders, win fans or get things changed. At Anaheim 1 he told me that going back to a factory team has reintroduced him to an agonizingly slow process of getting changes made to the bike. He used the media to get this message out there! Then when he finally used all of his leverage to get the changes he wanted, he went out of his way to point out that he was right in the Glendale press conference. Yamaha people were in there listening and he knew it. I advise all riders to take notes from Chad on how to use the media to further your own personal agenda. We’ll be glad to help if you give us awesome quotes!

2. Tyler Bowers: If every rider did interviews like The Bear, this sport would be much more popular. Tyler always tells you something. He never goes with empty crap about working on things and learning stuff, he actually tells you what he’s working on and what he learned. Plus, he has a personality and he owns it. Bowers tells you that he doesn’t mind bumping other riders, and tells you he likes the drama. If anyone new to the sport hears a Bowers interview, they’ll learn something interesting about dirt bike racing. That’s what it’s all about.

3. Adam Cianciarulo: You can tell AC is a fan of this sport through and through and would geek out like the rest of us even if he never even swung a leg over a bike. The fact that he’s good enough to have raced at the highest level just gives him even more insight and access than the rest of the fans. You can interview Adam talking only about other riders and he’ll have amazing analysis, and even more impressive, his ideas are never self-serving. A guy like Reed says things based on how it helps or hurts him. AC tells you things as if he’s an outside fan without a dog in the fight. That’s a remarkable level of maturity from someone so young.

4. Justin Brayton: JB knows how to use the media. Not the way Reed does, because he doesn’t have the countless race wins and championships needed to get that kind of leverage and credibility. He’s probably not as opinionated as Chad either, because hardly anyone is! But Brayton knows that by giving you information and interesting answers, he’s going to get more attention and exposure, and that’s going to help his career. You can learn a lot about racing by talking to Justin, be it about tracks, bikes, training, anything. All of these riders have knowledge, Brayton knows how to meter out enough of it to sound interesting but not get in trouble. I have a feeling he’s one of the few guys who actually thinks about what type of persona he wants to put out there in the media. Anyone doing that kind of analysis is bound to be a good interview.

5. Davi Millsaps: I don’t know if any of us in the media truly have Davi figured out. He’s a teddy bear and a stubborn mule all at once. He’s never mean, but he has an opinion on all topics and will never, ever be argued out of it. I’m not just talking about him arguing your opinion on him. Davi has texted me during motos while I’m announcing on TV, telling me if a fact or stat I’ve just said isn’t true. Example: The Thunder Valley National isn’t the only race the riders have done at elevation because the Salt Lake City Supercross is also up in the thin air. Thanks, bro. Best thing is, he doesn’t reserve this for the media. I’ve seen Davi battle for hours with the owners of teams he has ridden for. He does not care! I don’t know if he likes us, respects us or hates us, but I know he never holds back, and that’s all we can ask for. Oh, and if he’s hurt, he’s not covering it up, he’s practically going to search you out to let you know.

Honorable mentions: For some strange reason, Blake Baggett gives me the most ridiculous interviews, but he usually throws some real opinion and info, which I appreciate. I think Cole Seely is an up-and-comer in the media game and might become a Brayton-like source of info as he gets older. Cooper Webb is going to be outspoken like Reed about five years from now. Zach Osborne is also a MX superfan and loves to talk shop. Malcolm Stewart is hilarious. Filthy Phil is Filthy Phil. Justin Hill is pretty amazing in the same mold as Cianciarulo. And we can’t have this discussion without tipping a visor to the interview GOAT, Kevin Windham. Could we just call this the Kevin Windham Memorial Best Interview Award? 

Aaron Hansel, Racer X Editor-at-Large

1. Dean Wilson: Never acts like he has someplace better to be and will always give you the info you're after, even if he just answered the same question 83 times in a row. He's also pretty honest. Remember that time he said he was "Barcia's bitch" on TV?

2. Either of the Martin brothers: Both are super nice guys, and when you're interviewing them, it often feels like more of a casual conversation. And, like with Wilson, they'll give you honest answers. I recently did a Two Tribes with Jeremy Martin and Jimmy Decotis, and when I asked who the most ridiculous person in the pits was, Martin named his old boss, Bobby Regan! 

3. Adam Cianciarulo: Always seems to be in a good mood no matter what, and he'll always give you time. He'll usually work some humor into his interviews too. I remember asking him about that huge triple at Hangtown one year when he was (I think) the only 250 guy to hit it, and he told me, “To be honest with you, I only did it because I feel like I probably gained at least ten fans just from doing it. I swear that was my mindset. I went to the outside because I thought it was faster because they smoothed the corner out, and I was like, ‘You know what? Even if I don’t win this race, people will really enjoy it if I hit this jump.’ So I did it, and the crowd went nuts, and the whole next half lap I had that stoked feeling. The crowd was into it. I had two guys behind me trying to kill me, but I didn’t care.

4. Jimmy Albertson: You might think he's a just a goof, but he's been around this sport for a while at various levels, and he's pretty smart and knows how things work. He will always, always respond to interview requests, and there's plenty to learn from Jimmy if you ask the right questions and listen to what he says. He's also a pretty funny dude. I mean, who else is going to wear red-white-and-blue cowboy boots on track walk?