Team BBMX’s Benny Bloss has really been riding well lately. Bloss has always been fast but does have issues being consistent. He’s turned that around recently with 11-13-11-14-10-10-9-10-9-9 finishes since High Point. That’s six straight motos inside the top ten in the 450MX class and in the process, he’s been beating some of the factory guys. We caught up to him after another good day at Washougal.
Racer X Online: You are transforming yourself into fast but inconsistent Benny Bloss, to fast and consistent Benny Bloss. This is think eight motos in a row that you’ve done really well. Today you ran up front for a little bit. Another good day for you, man.
Benny Bloss: Thank you. It’s like it’s all coming around. I go 9-9 today and I had crashes in both motos. Can’t really ask for… I mean, I could ask for a little better, but compared to what I’ve been at the beginning of the year to these past couple races, is just a really huge difference. Everything is clicking and coming along. I’ve been working on starts like a crazy amount. I put in a gate at my house and I’ve been really focusing on the starts. Today I pulled two third or fourth place starts. I’ve never done that. I don't know if I’ve ever had two, top-five starts in a year, and I just did two in a day. So, I’m on a high right now.
It also makes you feel good about your equipment, right? It has to make you feel good about everything about your bike underneath you.
Yeah, definitely. The bike was working really good today. The power was good. Twisted Development engine is great. The Powerband suspension was also working really good. Just everything is working solid. I’m super happy right now. We get to go into a break, and I’ve got a lot of momentum going into this break. Just feeling good.
Even with Jericho (crew chief Derek Rankin), things are still rolling, even with the amount that he brings the team down, but he’s not affecting this roll either. Four races ago, I started calling him vibe killer. I guess three races ago…he actually told me at Southwick in the morning that RedBud was the worst race of my career that he’s been a part of. He said that, and I’ve been on a string of really good races since then. So, I really don’t think that that’s why, but I know that he’s going to think that helped.
It’s working out really nice. We know your speed. We’ve seen you qualify top ten, top five. We know you have speed. It’s just a matter of putting it together. Today, I didn’t realize you crashed both motos, so still a little stuff to work on, but you have been more consistent than you have been. Is it just because you’re kind of on a roll?
I think it’s that, but also I haven’t really been qualifying that great at the past couple races, but then the motos have been good.
JT’s theory maybe holds up? (Note: Jason Thomas’ theory is that when Bloss qualifies well he tries maybe a bit too hard in the motos and therefore makes mistakes).
I don't want to say that his theory holds up, but he’s not far off, I would say. At the beginning of the season, I was in California. I don’t really vibe with that place that well. I was away from my family, and then I moved back home and it’s like, my home life is really, really good right now. I’m really, really happy where I’m at. I’ve been able to ride, because I had some things that were going on in the beginning of the year that I wasn’t able to ride. Now practice is going good and it translates to the races.
I always wonder about a guy by yourself in Kansas doing thirties on your own track that you know very well, how you need to push yourself. That’s not easy, either. I feel like these guys at these facilities have a leg up on guys like you and other people that ride alone.
Yeah. That was kind of a worry for me. I was kind of trying to find some people to come ride with me, but it just really wasn’t working out. This is what I’ve got, so I’ve got to give it everything I have for it. Davi (Millsaps), my trainer, came a couple weeks ago to my house, and I got to ride one day, and he got to see the track.
Davi went all the way to your place?
Came all the way! He was able to see all the sections of the track, obviously. So, the next day, we tweaked the track to make it where everywhere on the track I’m having to work. I’m tired after motos. If anyone wants to come ride, if you’re listening to this and you’re really fast and you want to come ride with me, hit me up because you can come out.
