Racer X: Joey, let’s talk about that first moto win. Obviously I didn’t get a chance to talk to you on the podium. What happened with the ankle? I saw the boot come off right away. What happened with the incident? Where is it at right now?
Joey Savatgy: Just got into it with a lapper. I’m sure anybody who watched Washougal, I came together with a lapper there as well and took him down. I felt bad, but at least lately for me they’ve been checking up and letting me kind of go by, but then they get on the gas too early and a lot of times the ruts are separate ruts but in the end they come together. It was the same here. On the left-hander before the big sky shot table top he checked up and went to let me by and kind of got going too early and made contact. I don't know if it was his fork tube or foot peg, but it actually burned a hole in the boot, top of the foot. Just a little bruise, but we’ll be all right.
Jeremy, let’s talk about that second moto. Obviously, you guys were lined up ready to go and then they gave another [storm] cell coming in. Your thought process lining up the first time and then having to go back and come back again? Talk us through the motions.
Jeremy Martin: Honestly, I was kind of like, “Man they should just run us,” because when we came back … it didn’t’ rain for a while, but, I mean hindsight’s 20/20, you know? We just sat around for a while. Most of the guys were joking around under my truck. I was just kind of by myself because I kind of knew we would moto again, and then we went back out and it was a full-on mudder. I just got a start at the right time today, guys.
I think that makes it six holeshots for the season. You’ve been pulling them consistently.
Martin: Yeah, definitely at the beginning of the season … I’ve gotten strong the last couple races. We made some setup changes and it seemed to help today.
Zach, talk us through the first moto for you. Three-five for the day. Obviously the points, the cushion is pretty good, but you can’t let your guard down with guys like this sitting next to you.
Zach Osborne: For sure. There’s no time to sleep around these guys. The first moto I struggled with the rhythm a little bit in the middle of the moto and got off to like a 10th-place start which didn’t help me. But I had a really good last two laps and made two passes to get into third. That salvaged the moto for me. The second moto … again like a 10th place start, made it to fifth and that was kind of all I could do..
We’ve seen some rough starts for you when you’re still a player in the game towards the end of the moto. Do you find that that mental switch that happens or just your physical endurance that really causes you to keep pushing towards the end?
Obsorne: More my endurance than anything. I just feel confident in my fitness and my program and speed right now. I don’t get scared of getting tired, I guess. I’m just going as hard as I possibly can for as long as I possibly can. It’s the same sort of thing at a place like Unadilla or Washougal where I threw up after the moto. I just went until I couldn’t go anymore.
Joey, not the greatest start in moto number two. You knew you had to do some quick moves. Talk us through the start and when you decided to pull the trigger?
Savatgy: Like you said, I would have loved to have gotten a good start in that second moto, but got a little bit of wheel spin when we left the gate. Probably about five or 10 feet out I was covered in mud. So I got that out of the way pretty quick, which was nice. I figured I needed to make passes. I knew if I could make them quicker or sooner than later, I’d be better off, simply because I figured as the moto went on people would figure out the lines and where to go, where not to go. So, I knew if I could make the passes early it would kind of catch people off guard a little bit and they wouldn’t have their rhythm yet. It worked out for the most part. I had a few guys go down, which helped us out. But all in all, the second moto was definitely survival and we were able to do that.
Jeremy, it seemed quite a bit different from Washougal to here. Did you guys find something on the bike? Are you feeling different?
Martin: A little bit of both. Working on some things just off the bike as well. Just trying to get a little bit more—obviously it’s the end of the season so you can’t get much more fit, but just trying to do a couple different things differently. My parents had a local race. They had like 500 riders on the weekend off. So, on Monday and then on Tuesday of this last week I tested. So, there was like three or four ruts in every corner and I was like, we’re going to tune this GEICO machine in a little bit. We were able to make little percentage gains in the fork and shock and take the edge off. I felt like it helped today. Obviously, the second moto, it was just survival, like Joey said. It was all in the start.
Zach, talk about being captain of Team USA … a track you’re familiar with and like. Tell me how you feel about Motocross of Nations pick for you?
Osborne: It’s something I’ve dreamed of since I was a little kid and to be named team captain is a huge honor. I’ve asked Roger [DeCoster] pretty much every year since I started in Europe. Finally, this year I’m able to have the opportunity to go. So I’m very grateful for the selection and really looking forward to it. Like you said, I used to live really close to the track. I feel like I have a lot to offer as a team player as well. I’m really looking forward to it.
Jeremy, how much does it help to get back on track after a race didn’t go your way? I know it was the start, and it was a mud race, but is this a big boost to be like, okay, I’m back on track?
Martin: I mean, yeah, it’s nice. I don’t really dictate off the second moto. I dictate off the first moto. I locked bars with RJ [Hampshire] and my teammate Chase [Sexton] and we all stayed in it. Then I was able to kind of get through and not go down and work my way forward and had a good battle with the guys. Joey was out front doing his deal. I tried to reel him in, but he was just doing what he needed to do to get the win. I didn’t know where Zach was and then he got third. The guy’s on it this year. He’s gotten bad starts. We’ve all had the same issues and he’s overcome them and that’s massive. That’s a big thing in this series. The boys are riding good.
Joey, I know you didn’t get the win today, but the races were really good these last couple, including first moto win. What’s the attitude like even during the week? Just that much easier for the work now that you know it’s going the right direction? You definitely had your ups and downs this year.
Savatgy: For sure. Honestly, it’s almost worse during the week when you have a good weekend because you don’t want to take anything for granted and you don’t want to slack off just because you had a good weekend. A lot of the times it’s not harder necessarily because you know it’s always good. You’re in a good mood and everything is positive, but you’re always thinking about what could be better and trying to improve. You don’t necessarily come out of the weekend like, “We won, sweet. We’ll just ride this week.” A lot of times it’s, where was I slow? Where could I have been better? It’s definitely been easier for sure. Having good races is beneficial and it makes it worth it, but I wouldn’t say anything has really changed during the week. Still trying to figure out, fine tune, where we can we be better and what I need to work on.
Zach, you actually did race des Nations once before for a different country.
Osborne: Three times.
Just like Alex Martin last year. Tell me about your experience previously for a team Puerto Rico.
Osborne: Yeah. The first year was in England. I got lucky and they didn’t have enough money to send a third person and I was already there. They were renting bikes from the team. They were like, “Hey, would you want to do this?” So, I did that. I also did the one in Colorado which was really cool because it was at home. Then Lommel as well which we didn’t make the A main but it was okay. Team USA is always the dream for everyone I think. I think the first des Nations I ever watched was 2000 at Saint Jean with Ricky [Carmichael], [Travis] Pastrana, and Ryno [Ryan Hughes]. Since then I’ve wanted to go. For me, it’s almost more special that it’s there at Matterley [Basin] than it would be here next year at RedBud or wherever it’s going to be. So, I’m super happy with the selection.
Do you have any insight to [Thomas] Covington who’s normally a 250 guy? You’re kind of teammates in a way because you’re both on Husqvarna. Do you know anything about his 450 skills and how that should go?
Osborne: I don't know anything about it. I was actually kind of surprised that they didn’t switch me to the 450, but Roger was adamant that he wanted me on the 250 because I’ve overcome some bad starts and it’s hard to get a good start against the 450s. He was adamant that he wanted me on the 250 and I said okay.
Jeremy, we heard you might be staying in the 250 Class now. I think at one point you were going to go 450 next year. Are you sure what your plans for the future are yet?
Martin: No. I’m contracted to go 450. I could go if I wanted to. There’s been some talks. I definitely haven’t had the best year. I’m not going to lie. I’ve been pretty disappointed in my year, in supercross. I just have struggled a little bit outdoors so far. So, we’ll see. I’ll make a decision when the season ends and I’ll make a smart decision that’s for the best for me and for Honda.
