Justin Hill is back behind the starting gate at Monster Energy AMA Supercross for the first time in two and a half years. Hill had initially stepped away from racing after 2020 but signed with PRMX Kawasaki heading into 2022. Unfortunately, Hill never made it back to the gate last year either and many assumed that was that, but then Team Tedder KTM announced the signing of both Justin and his brother Josh Hill to the team heading into 2023. Justin went right into the main event at Anaheim 1 and finished 15th and now followed it up this past weekend with a 13th in San Diego.
We caught up with Justin after the race to ask about his night but also how things are going as he gets back into the swing of it.
Racer X: Thirteenth tonight in San Diego. Just take me through your day and how it felt out there.
Justin Hill: It felt a lot better than the first race, obviously. With just getting a little bit more experience back, for me. Primarily bike setup and just race shape. There’s so much that you miss out on when you don’t race, and you take that amount of time off. So, I’m happy because I feel like an 18-year-old kid again. I feel great because I took two years off of the abuse. So, my body feels great, but I have all these pieces to put back together. So it’s going to take a little bit more time, but I’m really pleased. I am. I’m happy with how the team is, being there for us. As far as what I think we need to be doing, we’re on it. I’m pleased with that, so I want to give a big thanks to Matt, Kristine, and Dakota. We’ve got a pretty good thing going. A couple little tweaks and I’m there.
I think I’m going to get that next group. But they’re fast. Everybody is so fast. It’s nuts. Even in ’20, my last race season, there were a lot of fast dudes, no doubt. But we were missing six of them. We still have all the same dudes we had, but we were missing six more. Now we have got six more. They just keep coming. So, it is what it is. I’ve got to try to get there, but it’s a stacked field and I’ve got to get just a little bit more comfort. What I really need is just to get more comfortable too at that race speed. Tonight is going to help that. What I learned tonight is going to get me a lot closer. So, we’re going to come back this next weekend definitely with a better setup, with just a little bit more race conditioning under our belt. We’re always going to show up looking good in the Fasthouse, Von Zipper, Bell, Alpinestars setup, but we’ve got to show up and do it for real. We’ve got to show up and try to put it at least in the top 10 and be in the money. Try to just tick off guys one at a time, but we’re getting there. Definitely tonight was more enjoyable of a race, for sure, for me. A lot more fun. I got tight. I got kind of tired riding just with the way that my setup is and the way that I currently am, race shape-wise. There’s a lot left out there for me. I’m frustrated because I wasn’t able to push as hard as I want to, but to me that’s a good thing. When I’m able to, it’s going to be a lot better. So, really excited. Really excited for next weekend.
So, in terms of getting back into the swing of things, maybe having the weekend off with Oakland being postponed was a blessing a little bit?
No. I didn’t want that at all. Even if it was a mud race, just getting more… I feel like there’s just something about waking up, going to the track, the track walk, the procedures… When you’re an average Joe, you don’t do any of this stuff. There’s a lot to it throughout the race day. So, I need to be here. I need to race. I need to race a lot. I plan on racing a lot this year. Oakland getting canceled was like, all right, yeah, that was going to suck. State of emergency… I don't want to put fans in issues getting in and out of the stadium. It’s a dangerous thing. I didn’t want that either, but can’t we just go race in a field somewhere? That’s what I’m thinking to myself. Like, we just scrapped the weekend. Let’s just do it at my place. Come to my place! But of course, it doesn’t work like that.
So now having two under your belt and doing pretty good this time in the main event, what kind of goals are you putting on yourself moving forward? What kind of steps are you hoping to make?
I need that top 10 ASAP. I really do, just because if I’m not right there chomping with those guys, I’m still just so far from that podium pack. I understand that there’s easily eleven guys that on any given night are top five, podium, win guys. That’s not lost on me. But, by being in there and mixing it up with them, I become one of those guys, and I will. That will happen, but to be honest, I think I’m doing what I need to do right now. I think I’m taking each little step as I can and just building back up, and I’m okay with that, honestly for the first time in my life. I’ve always put myself in a certain head space about racing. Right now I’m like, hey, we’re getting there, man. It’s been a long time. I think everything is meant to be. Everything is falling together really well. Who gets to just bail from the sport, take off, do whatever, and then come back and Monster gives them a deal? I’m so blessed, man. I’m really happy. I really am. So, I’m really okay with just clicking things off one at a time and getting back there.
Looking forward to a Triple Crown then? I’m guessing maybe you’re excited to have three chances to get up there and mix it up a little bit?
The Triple Crown is always interesting. I don’t like it at Anaheim because it’s so slick. Triple Crowns at Anaheim are just so accident prone, just the track. Better than doing it at Glendale. We’re not doing it at Glendale, are we? Please tell me we’re not. I don’t think so. I like the Triple Crown format. I always thought it should just be three tens, like it was in Monster Cup back in the day. I like that format just because you could just throw away your whole program and just do tens like they were candy during the week, and I really like that type of preparation. They’re almost like boxing rounds. You do ten minutes, and then ten more. I really like that type of training. I don't know what it is. Probably to that. I’d be stoked if it was. But I don’t mind the Triple Crown. I’m looking forward to it. I’m looking forward to any and all racing. I’m just looking forward to getting better. I’m not near what I can do right now. That makes me feel good because I know there’s so, so, so much more in the tank and the ceiling is so much higher for me. I’m just barely scratching the surface right now of what I know that I can do. So, I’m really pleased, really motivated. Ready to get back and just get back after it.
