Michael Mosiman, 1-39 for 8th overall in 250 Class. That’s the score card from the second round of Lucas Oil Pro Motocross, as the local boy Mosiman took off with the first 250 moto win. Mosiman is known for his incredible speed but sadly, he is also known to make mistakes. Unfortunately, his luck would run out in the second moto when a costly mistake would render his bike too banged up to finish the moto (at least high enough to score any points), crushing his chance at an overall. Still there are a lot of positives to take from his 1-39 moto scores for 8th overall. He learned a lot that first moto, he now has his first win under his belt so they should come easier from here, and his body is healthy for next weekend. Read what Mosiman had to say after the race here:
Racer X: How are you man, did you get hurt in that second moto crash?
Michael Mosiman: Just banged up. The bike was worse than I was. If the bike was in good condition, I would have kept going. I tweaked my ankle, but I tweaked my ankle this morning too.
How’d you tweak it this morning?
I was trying to let a guy by, and I was on the off-camber and just caught it not paying attention.
What happened with that crash in the second moto? Take us through it.
I’d kind of rather not. Essentially, I was just committed to the rut, and I hadn’t hit that rut yet in the race. I was really committed and just a little too committed. At the end of it the bike compressed, and I was on the single. When it unloaded, I was in the air and sideways? It wasn’t good. I hit the deck pretty good and bent my bars a bunch.
Well, all in all not a bad day though because you won that first moto. You’ve had moments in the past where you’re up front and something has happened, but you had no issues at all in this one. Was that in your mind at all or were you just riding out there?
I mean, obviously you have to manage the lead. I don’t know if it was entering my mind, but I was just putting in solutions. I’ve learned from other times and I’m trying to learn always, every weekend. I did just that, stayed focused on my race. At one point, with four or five laps to go, I was like, "You know what, If someone catches me, so be it. If I get caught, so be it," and I let go of the fear. If you have a fear of getting caught and passed, then you’re not worrying about what you need to worry about. That was huge, letting that go and letting my natural ability take over.
How’d it feel to finally get it done?
Oh, it felt great! It was cool. To do it here, my first win, it was really cool. A little bit, I was like, "Man, am I celebrating too much?"
No!
[Laughs] Just because it’s just one moto. But it’s cool and it means a lot. My mechanic Jay [Burgess] has been wrenching for something like twenty years, and that was his first moto win too.
That’s really cool that you did it together. How cool was it that you won here, at Hangtown, in front of your hometown fans?
It’s super cool. I saw a lot of childhood friends today and a lot of people who supported me. I was getting cheered on around the whole track, and that meant something to me. To do it here in front of my mom and dad, it was a really sweet moment to be able to celebrate with all my friends and see so many friendly faces. My best friend Jared was here, I haven’t seen him in a little bit. When we were ten, we were like, "Man, maybe someday I’ll be racing this thing." We’d come to this race and it’s crazy to be out here now.
They say you have to win motos before overalls, and you have to win overalls before championships. You’ve got the moto win now. Does this this have an impact moving forward? Will the next ones come easier?
Yeah, I think so. When you get that experience and confidence from knowing you’re there. I’m really stoked on the bike. I’m stoked on where we’re at and with my starts. My speed isn’t going anywhere, and neither am I, so yes, absolutely, they’re going to come easier. Just put myself in a good position each race. I did that today and some people are like, "Well it’s your hometown track." Yeah, it’s my hometown track, I have a couple lines here and there and I know how it develops.
Yeah, but it’s not the same track though, it’s different today than during a normal week.
There are a lot of things similar though, I’ll say that. [Laughs] I know how the track forms up, and not to mention, I’ve race here pro like five times too. You get a lot of experience, and you know where the lines are going to be, what to look for, and what not to look for. But I’ve got a lot of experience on the rest of the tracks too, so there’s no reason I can’t continue to crush it throughout the rest of the year. We’re on track. It’s bumpier than I’d like, but we’re in a good spot.