Seth Hammaker came out swinging at the opening round of the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship at Fox Raceway and has carried his impressive speed through the first three rounds. Michael Mosiman got his first ever moto win last weekend at Hangtown only to DNF the second moto. He rebounded quickly to snag the fastest lap time in qualifying at Thunder Valley, and was headed to the front in the final moto when bike problems snagged him. And finally, Ryan Dungey continues to find improvements in his return to racing.
We caught up with the three of them after Thunder Valley, here is what they had to say:
Seth Hammaker | 5-15 for 9th overall | 250 Class
Seth Hammaker: In the first moto I got off to a pretty decent start. I was sitting in fourth and got passed by Hunter [Lawrence] a little over halfway through. I ended up fifth in that one and was pretty happy with it. In the second one I had another good start and was in fourth. Unfortunately Nate Thrasher and I got together on the first lap. We both went down and I had to pull into the mechanics area and fix up the bike. I just charged as hard as I could and got back to 15th. I did what I could and I learned a lot today. It was hot and the track was brutal. We’ll keep improving.
Racer X: Is this your first time racing here?
Hammaker: First time here, yeah.
What’d you think of the track?
It was good. There were a lot of different elements out there and it was pretty rutted up. It was pretty technical and I had fun.
Can you take us through that crash a little more in the second moto?
Me and Nate, I didn’t even know who it was at first, and I was just going up the inside and he was on the outside and our lines came together. It was unfortunate and I hope he’s okay. You never like to see anyone go down. I hope he’s okay. It’s just a racing incident, nothing intentional obviously.
You’ve been doing pretty well at these first three rounds. Is there anything specific you think you’re missing that can push you forward? And if not, what’s your strength?
I’m working on a lot of things. I’d say the endurance part of it and the race pace part of it, I haven’t raced in a while. I’m learning these different tracks as well, and getting myself used to it. I want to keep improving and learning. There are a lot of positives I could take away, but I need to keep on working and improving throughout the season.
Watch the highlights from round three below:
Michael Mosiman | 13-4 for 7th overall | 250 Class
Racer X: Weird one for you today.
Michael Mosiman: Super weird day. I qualified P1, which was awesome. The team made some good adjustments to the bike and I think P1 was a first for me. I look forward to this track every year, this one’s been good to me. The first moto I didn’t get off to the best of starts, but I was making quick moves and I had some good lines. I guess I just wanted it a little too much and I made a mistake that put me at the back of the pack. I started working my way forward but my bike started cutting out and bogging. Then I started going backward, which is frustrating. It’s even more frustrating because it happened last year here too. It’s frustrating that we can have the same issue two years in a row.
Did your fuel boil?
If we knew, we’d have it fixed! But we don’t know, and that’s even more frustrating. In the second moto I had a better start and was riding great and feeling comfortable. I passed Justin Cooper and was there with Jett [Lawrence]. I think I could have challenged him. I was riding really relaxed and wasn’t pushing super hard. I had a couple lines that were better, although I did have a moment on the wall jump. The face of it was rutted and the second moto it was brutal. For three or four laps I didn’t do it and I lost quite a bit of time, so it was like, “I gotta do it.” I started sending it and made up some good time, then I had bike issues again. Cooper got back by me.
Yeah, you had some good lap times toward the end there, it looked like you were going to get Jett.
Yeah. I caught him. I was just looking for a good solid day. I wasn’t necessarily searching for the moon today, I just wanted a really good day under my feet. It’s tough.
What’d you think of that big triple they put in?
Honestly it was kind of fun. It was big. But when the bike isn’t right it was like, "I don’t know about this." So I doubled it a lot after my bike issues. It was fun though, it was just about everything you had, you were pinned. When I first saw it I didn’t know if we were going to hit it.
But you did it from the inside too!
Yeah, from the inside I was able to get it.
Moving forward, what’s the plan at this point?
To continue to grow. Every weekend my speed is there, my fitness is strong, and my bike is the best it’s been. We made adjustments to help with the mistake I made at Hangtown and really, all the pieces are there. It’s just a matter of putting them all together. I’m in a really good place right now. In some ways it’s just, stick to the plan with what we got.
Ryan Dungey | 7-7 for 6th overall | 450 Class
Ryan Dungey: Today I was pretty happy. In the first moto we got a decent start, and the pack didn’t just break away. We were all kind of right there for the first 15-20. That was encouraging to see, and even at the end of the race the gap between me and the leader is shrinking. That’s also really positive and encouraging. I made a few changes with the bike that also helped. In the second moto I didn’t get the greatest start and was trying to come up through the pack. I got up to [Shane] McElrath, wherever that was, fifth or sixth, and I just got stuck in his pace. Jason [Anderson] had gone down and he got back by me. I had nothing for McElrath and those guys just got away. I had two solid motos and had to dig deep. All in all, it was positive.
Racer X: Are you sick? You sound hoarse.
Dungey: I got sick this week and I’m just getting over it. I don’t like to talk about it honestly, it comes off as an excuse, although today it didn’t’ help. But it’s not like I got sick yesterday, I’m on the other side of it.
Are you finding these tracks to be the same, largely, or are they different than when you raced before?
The only difference in the tracks to me now, they build some steep supercross type ramps jumps.
Today was pretty big in places!
Today, and Hangtown, and Pala. These jumps are steep and ramped and it’s like supercross takeoffs. But you know what, we all have to deal with it, it’s not like I’m in the only one. It’s just a jump, right? The tracks are developing better too. They’re bringing in dirt, better dirt, and mulch. The mixture is better, I’d say. But yeah, there are some big jumps out there.
Was it weird coming back to this particular track? This is the track that ended the nationals for you back in 2016.
Yeah, it was a demon I was excited to face.
You were excited?
Yeah. When I woke up this morning, you remember those things. It was hard. But that was the past, it’s a new day, and I’m in a better head space. That was an error I made and I have to focus on myself, and live in the moment. I’m not going to ride in fear. I’m going to make decisions right then and there, and not focus on that. But yeah, that demon lasted the last six years.
Feel good to get it over with?
Yeah, it feels good. I’m internally proud of myself to have the courage and faith to keep pursuing on.
Did you take note at all, of that specific section during the day?
It was a little bit different the way it developed. Back in that day it was a really steep peak and it would pitch you differently. Today was much safer I think. But no, I didn’t think about it every time I came around, which was nice. I don’t think about it all the time, it’s part of the past. Thankfully it wasn’t worse.
You mentioned you’re making progress on the leaders. Is there any one thing you can point to that you can improve to make the leap you need?
I think it’s just all myself, really. My race craft and intensity are getting better each weak. I need to improve my starts too. Getting good starts and bringing that intensity. The couple good starts that I had gotten, the guys are revving their bikes at me and I’m moving out of the way almost. It’s like, "No, no, hold your own and race these guys. Don’t give them a free pass." The intensity and the physical fitness, which is going to come.
That’s funny, someone like you, a multi-time champ, I never would have considered intimidation would be a factor for you.
I’m not intimidated. It’s more like when those guys come up on you. I have to imagine that if the situation were reversed I’d think, “This guy’s been off five or six years, he doesn’t belong in front of me.” I want to flip that. That’s where confidence is going to build and that’s where I need to change the energy a little bit.
