Open Mic Measured McAdoo

Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Cameron McAdoo is the only rider now through one regular main event and one Triple Crown who has finished inside the top three in every single race of the 250SX East season to this point. Once thought of as a little more on the wild side, McAdoo appears the most in control of anyone on the 250SX East and his win in Arlington has slingshot him into a tie for the championship lead with Honda HRC’s Jett Lawrence. After a wild night of racing in which he walked away the overall winner, McAdoo spoke with the media in the post-race press conference about it all.

Cameron, we had a pretty good conversation yesterday just about your narrative and how you used to be a little looser, a little wilder, and how that has changed. You reminded me that last year for the majority of the season, that’s how it was. A couple big get-offs, but for the most part, you progressed a lot last year. This year, it seems like the next step. Wild night of racing for you, but very stable, very calm, and got the win. Congratulations.
Cameron McAdoo: Thank you. Your boy will still get loose, for sure. I’m trying to do my best to eliminate those mistakes and to be there each time. Tonight, it was very important to get three good starts and be consistent. I did my best to really lock in, especially going into the last race with the three-way tie was pretty intense. It felt good to get the job done and to have a rather uneventful night for me. It was nice.

With what you went through last year in the supercross season and of course your outdoor nationals and then the off-season. All wins seem awesome for you guys, but this seemed like a huge relief for you. Was this just a culmination of all the pressure you’ve been under?
Yeah, totally. I’ve been through a lot. All of us have. We’re dirt bike racers. We put ourselves through a lot. Towards the end of the last supercross season, obviously everyone knows that I had some pretty scary moments and some pretty big struggles. Then my first race outdoors, I tore my ACL and my meniscus and had a full knee reconstruction. So, to sit out all outdoors, I just had to work so hard to get back to this point, and it’s special. To win at this level any time is special. It felt really good tonight. These guys are riding so well. It was really special and I’m enjoying it.

How many times did you tell yourself during that third moto, “Don’t crash?”
It wasn’t don’t crash. It was basically just focus. That’s really what my pit board said every lap for the last… After I saw five minutes, all I saw was “focus.” That was helpful because that’s really what you had to do tonight with how slick it was. I had such a big lead where it’s pretty easy to start trying to settle back, but that’s really when stuff can go south. Until I crossed the mechanics area on the last lap, and I got a fist pump, and I got in a little trouble for that. I knew I had enough room to roll through the whoops and make it happen. So, I really had to focus. The track was slick, and it could get you if you didn’t focus.

You mentioned it during an earlier question, but the pit board, your mechanic, Kyle DeFoe, fantastic guy, great mechanic. You’ve been working with him for I believe two years now. Tell us a little bit about the relationship the two of you guys have shared and his impact on your career so far.
Yeah, Kyle is awesome. When I first came on to the Pro Circuit race team, he was my mechanic from the start. We have a really close relationship, actually. We have a friendship outside of just being rider and mechanic. He knows me well. He knows what I need and what I don’t need. We work together really well. I stay full-time out in California, so he’s my practice mechanic, he’s my race mechanic. He’s just as invested as I am. He knows what I need. He’ll throw a smiley face on the board when he knows he needs to. That’s what’s good about our relationship and how we work together. It takes a whole team, and I feel like I have a really good crew around me to help me succeed.

Last week we talked about a podium finish starting off on the right foot, so now you get this win tonight. You’re sharing the points lead with Jett. Obviously, it doesn’t guarantee anything, but do you have more confidence heading into Daytona, somewhere that you’ve had success before? What’s your mindset as you attack this next week?
Yeah. Obviously, winning always gives you a little more confidence and it feels good. The bike ride Monday morning is going to be a little bit easier. It’s awesome. Honestly, all these guys are going fast. Like I said, I think I said it earlier, there are six, seven of us that are really good right now on this coast, I feel. I think we have to bring our best selves each weekend to be able to be here at the press conferences and talking to you guys. So, that’s the plan. I’m going to work hard this week. There’s still areas that I can improve. I didn’t win all three mains. Jett’s riding fast. Jeremy is riding fast. Hopefully Austin [Forkner] is back. And RJ [Hampshire]. There’s a lot of guys. Got to keep working for these.

What were your thoughts obviously the triple crown with the three races? They’re all important and the starts and everything, but what was your thoughts on the right-hand first turn and did that change your game plan at all? What were your thoughts on that?
It didn’t really change my game plan a lot. It was definitely different. I think that was maybe the second right-handed turn I’ve ever raced in supercross, maybe the second or third. It was pretty hectic. A lot of guys can come underneath you because you don’t have your rear brake. Definitely you’ve got to be strategic. That was really important tonight was the start. I felt like I put myself up front fairly well on two of them, for sure. The second main, it was a little bit more chaotic back there. So, it felt good to get good starts, for sure.

Now that you’ve kind of gotten these first two rounds out of the way and you’re sitting there tied for the points lead, does that kind of give you some validation? How do you carry the momentum into the next week?
I felt like I gave myself some validation last year, honestly. This is kind of what I expected to be battling up front with these guys and what I worked for. That was the goal. It’s definitely a relief. I think we all go into the season kind of unsure where we’re going to be. We do a lot of laps at the test track. It just feels really good to get racing and to get on the plane, come to the races, and let the work pay off. The goal is just to keep working hard and keep doing my very best to execute as best as I can and see where it puts us. I think we’re going to have the same approach all the way throughout the year.

Up until this point, the last couple seasons you’ve been with Pro Circuit, you did kind of a lot of bouncing around to find your home. A lot of people would of course kill to be on Pro Circuit Kawasaki. But you entered at a weird time, in an era where the team has struggled a little bit more. Even though it’s early into the season, this has definitely been a great start for you, the team. Do you feel that the results you’re putting in right now and the consistency, can you feel it uplift the team and feel like Pro Circuit is kind of back on track? Can you tell that you’re kind of giving that gift back to the guys that all work at the shop, Mitch [Payton] and the whole crew?
Yeah, totally. They work so hard. I think everyone in our sport knows Mitch Payton and knows how much he wants to win and likes to win. It really feels good to be able to do that for the team and for myself. We all work so hard together. The mechanics, the crew chiefs, our suspension guys… It takes a big team. We’ve had our struggles, and they stick with us through it. I’ve had my struggles and the team stuck with me through it. It does feel good to give the team back what we’re working for. Hopefully we can continue on and keep climbing up and doing better. We’ve got to find a little more speed I think, too.

Watch the full 250SX post-race press conference below: