Jett Reynolds (Monster Energy/Team Green Kawasaki) has complied one of the all-time best records as a minicycle racer, and now he’s added the Monster Energy Cup Supermini crown to his collection. It wasn’t easy, though! He crashed while leading race one, and then overcame another bobble in race two, catching Jace Kessler in a side-by-side battle for the win as they came across the finish. His 1-2 was enough for the overall, but it was wild.
The Supermini race is always wild, really, and crashes and inconsistency usually dominate the day. As proof, Kaeden Amerine and Jeremy Ryan made the podium overall, but didn’t actually get a top-three in either race! Amerine went 4-5 for second overall and Ryan 6-4 for third. Moto podium finishers included Kessler, who won the second moto, Matt LeBlanc (2-11), Preston Killroy (3-18), and Alex Vestal (9-3).
Yup, scores all over the map in this class. Here’s the top three from the post-race press conference.
Racer X: Jeremy, big night tonight racing in front of this huge crowd. Obviously, probably a lot of nerves, a lot of excitement. Tell me how important it is for you to have your dad here, who’s a former supercross winner himself, and for you guys to be here as a team and to land yourself on the podium.
Jeremy Ryan: It’s really important. I did okay tonight. I wish I would have did a little bit better, but it’s okay.
Kaeden, you came away with second overall tonight. Two solid main events. Tell me about this experience and what it felt to race under the lights with that loud of a crowd and with all your competition, who are also your friends. Take us through that experience.
Kaeden Amerine: Yeah, it’s an awesome experience to be here. It’s one in a million to be here. The competition was tough tonight and we had to be on our A game. It was a crazy main event.
Congratulations, Jett. You had a tough night tonight even though you were able to get the win. A couple little mistakes here and there, but you were able to fight back through it and get yourself in positon to win this overall. Tell us about the experience and the preparation that you put in and how good it feels to be sitting here at the podium with everybody watching you knowing that you’re the Monster Cup champion this year.
Jett Reynolds: Yeah, I came in to the first practice today, I felt really good. I set the fastest time. Went into the first moto, had a big mistake. Went off the track and dropped back to fourth and made my way up to the lead. I won that race. The second moto I got a bad start. Fell down, had a little tip-over. Almost won the second moto, but I went 1-2 for the overall.
There was a lot of money on the line tonight and a lot of people were watching that race, but you guys I think put on one of the tightest races. The press box was raging and watching that tight race. What was that like handlebar to handlebar coming down and putting on one of the best shows of the night?
Reynolds: It was really crazy. I think we had the most interesting race of the night. It was really close racing. I like it.
For all three of you guys, especially in that second race it was pretty tense. At one point it seemed like anybody could win. What did you do to stay focused in that? As a kid with all that pressure, that’s not easy.
Ryan: Just tried to stay calm and get a good start.
Reynolds: You had to stay focused. Not try to make any mistakes. Keep it real smooth. Whenever they make a little mistake, charge hard and try to capitalize on what they did. Passed them next lap right there. Get them where their weak spot is around the track and make the move.
Amerine: Yeah, it was a crazy main event tonight. Kids were falling everywhere and we were just trying to stay up and stay focused and stay calm. Just try to ride your own race. It was good.
Jett, on press day I saw you and Lance [Kobusch] doing a little bit of a tug-of-war with the Monster Million up there. Can you picture yourself winning that someday out here?
Reynolds: Hopefully. That’s kind of far in the future for me. I’m only 13. I got a few years. I’m not even on 250 yet, still on supermini.
Jett, do you know how much a million dollars is?
Reynolds: I do!
Jeremy, on those little bikes, that rhythm section and the finish line down-siding it seemed pretty gnarly. What was the toughest part of the track for you guys?
Ryan: I would say the rhythm section. The last double was pretty hard for me. I never really got that down. The finish line was pretty easy once you get it down, but that rhythm section was pretty hard.
Jett, at one point in the middle of the second race, you almost collided with [Preston] Killroy who was in the lead. Can you kind of just walk us through what was going through your mind when you kind of had to stop there?
Reynolds: Yeah, Killroy got a really good start and I was waiting it, killing it. He had a big old crash right in the rhythm section that Jeremy was just talking about. Yeah. I actually hit him right in the arm. It was really crazy. Close racing.
Jett, take us through that last lap. That was a really good push. You went for the win and it was pretty much dead-even when you guys crossed that finish line. At that point, you really didn’t have to do that to get the win, but you just wanted to prove a point?
Reynolds: Yeah, second to last corner I came in and we all missed the double, double, double and came into the corner and kind of tried to make the pass. We both had to roll the first one and go single, double, double. I didn’t know I was going to be that close when it came down to the finish. If I would have hit that corner just a little bit better I think I could have got it. But 1-2 for the overall is pretty good for me.
In the first race when you won, but before that you jumped off the side of the track and were riding along the side in all the marbles and hoses, all kinds of stuff down there, what was that like? You had guys coming and I saw you trying everything you could to get back on the track, but there was a lot of stuff in the way.
Reynolds: Yeah, same rhythm section that everybody kept crashing on, that third double I just cased it, kind of endoed off of it and jumped off the side of the track. There were big old boulders! [Laughs] I was just riding over them. Can’t believe I didn’t crash or throw it away. I’m just glad to be up here.
