At any point were you talking to JGR for next year? Or were they not talking to anyone because they were unsure of their plans.
Yeah, I don’t read the internet much, for obvious reasons, but things kind of got twisted there. I don’t think they had no interest there, and vice-versa, I just think they, like a lot of us, where just trying to figure out what the next step was. You don’t want to get anyone’s hopes up until you have a game plan. They were just trying to figure out what they were doing just like I was. I don’t think it was like a, “Hey, we don’t have any interest, thanks but no thanks.” We were both trying to figure out own things out, and our paths didn’t cross.

Now the JGRMX team has shut down.
Yeah and that’s a bummer. You have riders, crew chiefs, mechanics who are now out of a job. That obviously sucks. I was out for a lot of last year and I know what it feels like to have no income. It’s super unfortunate and it sucks. I hope those guys put something else together or find something else to do somewhere else.

Have you ridden this bike? Do you know anything about it?
I haven’t ridden it. The team alone is proven, they’ve won races just this year, and the KTM as a whole, they’ve won titles and races. There’s no worries about that. For the big picture for me, it probably wasn’t the smartest thing to get out there today. Maybe I shouldn’t make my very first day on the bike in front of media. But then once I saw the guys get out there, it made me want to get out there a do a couple of laps. I think for me, it’s better to take it at a slower pace. But physically, I’m good. I’ve ridden since outdoors, I just haven't ridden this bike.

So where are you going to be riding. You’ve spent many years at the GOAT Farm. I’m hearing some rumors about that place [note: a team might be renting or buying it for their exclusive use]. Do you know where you’re going to ride?
I’m actually Justin Bogle’s roommate. I’ll be living at his house now. [Laughs]

You’re an Okee now?
[Laughs] No. I’ll be in Florida, somewhere. I know that. There are a lot of things unknown right now. But I know I’ll be in Florida. I wish I had more answers for you. I know I have a blister on my finger from golfing. That’s what I’m doing now. Do you want to talk about that? Pretty much all I have going right now.

This all worked out now. There had to be some dark times for you in 2020. Had to be times you didn’t think it would work out like this.
You’re preaching to the choir. I’m sitting there at home thinking about providing for my family. The path I took to get here was stressful. My wife would be the first person to tell you I’m not a stressed out person. I don’t believe in stressing out over things I can’t change. In my gut I knew this is what I needed to do and where I needed to be. It was just one of those things that needed time to come together. I’d say dark times is a good way to put it.

Did you have another plan?
A plan B, C, and D, yeah I had those.

Like, other teams or just not even racing anymore?
More like, maybe I do it myself. I had things lined up, maybe I just go racing myself.

So you were definitely going to keep racing?
I was definitely going racing. Maybe not the way I wanted to, but I was going racing. Because I truthfully wouldn’t be okay with stepping away right now. I feel like I have a lot to prove, I can be competitive, and I can battle with the best guys. I just don’t want to be in this position ever again. I will do everything in my power to be ready and to perform to the best of my ability. Not just for me but for my wife and my little one. I don’t want to stress about putting food on the table. Most people don’t realize that when things stop going well, it’s a reality check. I would prefer to never be in this position ever again, and I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure it doesn’t happen.

Listen to the full interview with Savatgy in the latest episode of the Racer X Exhaust Podcast (the interview starts around the 41:41 mark).