Jason Anderson and I spoke out at the Kawasaki test track in Corona, California a month before the 2022 Monster Energy Supercross series kicked off at Angel Stadium over in nearby Orange County, California in January.
“I want to end it with a banger,” said the 2018 Monster Energy AMA Supercross champion who signed-on with the Monster Energy Kawasaki race team after a long run with Husqvarna. “I needed change. I think it’s kind of the spark that I need to kind of get back at it and kind of try and reinvent myself. I kind of want to be an older good guy, you know what I’m saying? I really want to be that guy who is going to be in his 30s and is still able to win races, you know?”
Yes, we do know. It has been a profoundly good 2022 racing season for one Jason Anderson of Edgewood, New Mexico. Seven supercross victories capped off by a run of four straight wins as well as his first-ever AMA Pro Racing outdoor national win (Hangtown on Saturday, June 4) have made it one hell of a year for the sensational veteran racer. Currently positioned in the fourth place in the brawl for the 2022 450 class championship in Pro Motocross, Anderson is by no means satisfied with where he is at, quite keen to try and score more moto wins and podium finishes before everything wraps up at Fox Raceway in California in September. On Thursday afternoon, Racer X caught up with Anderson who was just finishing up some cycling over in New Mexico before packing things up and heading towards Millville, Minnesota.
Okay Jason, so word is you’re over in your homeland of New Mexico and have been there for a little while. Not exactly a bad thing for a veteran racer such as yourself, eh?
Yeah, yeah, I’m in New Mexico. I usually do this bicycle ride by my house. My house is by a ski resort here in New Mexico, but I’d never been to the top and I just kind of wanted to check it out today. It took me a little longer than I thought it was going to.
Awesome. One of the elite supercross and motocross competitors in the sport over in New Mexico clearing his head and getting in fighting trim for this final phase of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship…
Yeah, it has been pretty mellow. You know I’ve been staying in New Mexico for the most part this summer and I’m going to head back to California after Washougal to kind of do the last part of the outdoor season out there. But yeah, it has been nice being home. It’s definitely a slower pace out here.
Right from the opening phase of your career, I always looked at you as a racer who totally has his own way of doing things. That make any sense?
Yeah, yeah, for me, even growing up, when I was little, I didn’t go to MTF (Millsaps Training Facility) or I didn’t go to the training facilities or anything like that. I always kind of enjoyed trying to do all of that at home. Right now, I’m able to be close to my family and stay on the west coast and to kind of just be at home a little bit. It has been a change from being in Florida for so many years, but I kind of needed a change at this point in my career, you know?
With a decade of racing success to your name, it all almost affords you to be in a position to do things the way you want them, huh?
Yeah, yeah, and for me, I’m just trying to keep progressing and to also get some longevity out of it. I’d like to keep racing as long as possible. I’m just trying to make that happen and I think a big thing is just trying to stay fresh in your mind. That’s what I’m trying to do.
You’re on eleven-year veteran of the sport who has performed at a championship level throughout your entire career. Before the 2022 racing season even started you talked with me about the new two year deal you had signed with Monster Energy Kawasaki as well as working at almost reinventing yourself for this later phase of your career.
Yeah, it is different. You know for me it is crazy to think that I’m on the later side of my career. I’m well past the halfway point, obviously. You get to a point to where you kind of want to enjoy it and you don’t want it to end, so I’m trying to keep it going. I’m enjoying it still.
Man, thus far in 2023 you managed to win seven main events and place second overall in the Monster Energy Supercross Series. Furthermore, you won your first AMA Pro Racing outdoor national this summer and are currently slotted-in at a fighting fourth in the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship. A hell of a 2022 for you and the season isn’t even complete.
Yeah, it has been really good. I think supercross went really well. There were times when it didn’t go well, but overall, I’m really happy with it. And outdoors, it is going well, but it is also tough. For me, trying to learn this new bike and I’ve also been injured the past two outdoor seasons, it has been fricking tough trying to get back into it. Sometimes after missing a couple of years, you kind of forget some of the tough parts of it. I’m just trying to keep my head down and to keep progressing because, like you said, I have a two-year deal with Kawasaki and for me it was really big to think about having a really good two years. I didn’t want to put too much on my plate this first year, although I had amazing success. I really wanted to learn the team and the bike and try to have everything really ready the first year and to hopefully improve and to be aware of the situation a little bit more going into the second year. I think I’m trying to make improvements to try and even be better next year. It has been good.
All this summer you’ve had Eli Tomac and Chase Sexton and Ken Roczen and Ryan Dungey and Antonio Cairoli and many others out there you’ve had to fight with. And to race against these guys and to try and beat them in two 30-minute motos takes an extraordinary effort. Where I’m going with this is that you really have to be all-in to try and win a national, don’t you? Man, it takes everything.
Yeah, it really does take everything out of you. The outdoors are just crazy. This last weekend at Southwick it was as rough as can be and then you go to High Point, and you’ve got hardpack and dry and slick stuff. You definitely have to be ready for everything the outdoors throws at you. You’ve got these guys that ae racing right now and Sexton, he’s the young gun and he’s strong. You’ve got Eli Tomac and he’s a beat. And then you’ve got Ryan Dungey in here this year, and you’ve got Ken Roczen. It’s a pretty colorful lineup, to be honest. It is kind of cool.
And a number of you guys currently lining up in the 450cc classification are now into your late 20s or even early 30s.
Yeah, obviously you have Dungey and he’s in his 30s. Even guys like Barcia and stuff like that, too. Yeah, next year when I hit the outdoors, I’ll be 32 years old. It’s going to be crazy, but hopefully we can keep this older trend going.
You’re currently fourth in points in the Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship point standings with Millville, Washougal, Unadilla, Budds Creek, the Ironman and Pala yet still to be run. How have you felt about your outdoor campaign and how do you feel about these six races and 12 motos yet to be run?
Yeah, I feel good. I’ve felt like I’ve had really good flashes of good stuff. I just haven’t been able to seal the deal on a lot of these races. There have been a few little mistakes coming from my end. Realistically, this is one of my better outdoor seasons. You know I’ve never fished better than fourth in points ever in outdoors. It would be nice to hopefully be able to crack into that top three in points and get some more podiums and maybe a couple more wins. That would be awesome. Yeah, I’m just trying to finish up strong and to keep progressing. That’s my biggest thing. But as a racer, you always want to be a little bit greedy and try and take as many wins and podiums as you can.
Okay, the Spring Creek National will run at Millville, Minnesota this coming Saturday afternoon. What are you hoping for in the two motos in what will mark the seventh national of the summer.
Millville… Millville is always a good one. It is where I got one of my first outdoor podiums. Hopefully, I can get another win there or just be in a good battle for one of those podium spots. That’s a good goal of mine and I just want to start trending my results more towards the front and go from there.
What do you think? Can you still make a run at this outdoor title?
It’s tough to say right now. if you look at the past history of the sport, if I made a run at this title, I’m pretty sure that would be one of the craziest upsets ever, but you never know. It’s dirt bikes and anything can happen. Yeah, luckily, I feel like I have a good bike and everything underneath me to be able to get some wins. I think I’m going to try and take it one race at a time and see where we go from there. I’ve really been enjoying Kawasaki. I think the team aspect there is really amazing and as far as the motorcycle, I’ve been loving it ever since I hopped on it. It’s been really refreshing. It’s always positive and the whole team is always progressing, and it is a real good group and environment to work in.
How about the approaching Motocross of Nations? Has anybody talked with you about lining up for Team USA over at RedBud on September 25, 2022?
Yeah, I’ve heard a lot about it. I’m kind of playing it by ear because I don’t know what their plan is and stuff like that, but, man, I would love to do it and I think this a good year to be able to take the W on home soil, so that would be cool.
Hey, how’s your Team Fried stuff going? Have you and your buddies still been messing around and being creative with that stuff?
Yeah, yeah, we’re still making T-shirts and stuff like that, and we’ll make the occasional video. Nothing too crazy, but still running our full production out of the garage. It’s kind of funny, but I really enjoy it.
