After recovering from injury during the off-season, and a rough start to the series (remember the crazy crash where he hit the bridge in Houston!), Coty Schock is making progress. Even since his start in Monster Energy AMA Supercross only a few years ago, the Delaware native has shown significant improvements.
So far through six rounds in 2023, a pair of eighths in Daytona and Detroit are his season bests. He finished third in his heat race and then bested his teammate Cullin Park after they battled to the checkered flag, Schock earning a season-best and Park earning a new career best. We caught up with the Phoenix Racing Honda rider in Detroit, and he seems pleased with the progress he has been making so far. The likeable #285 was all smiles as he said he is really enjoying the racing so far this year.
Racer X Online: Take us through your race today.
Coty Schock: Today was awesome. I kind of adapted pretty quick to the track through qualifying. I had a pretty good time and kind of just carried that momentum into the night show. Got third in my heat. That was pretty cool. I’ve only done that once, so it was nice to back that up again today. Then I ran seventh for quite a while, and then Cullin [Park] got me and kind of just tried to pace with him the rest of the main. I say rest, it’s like the last five minutes and we’re just dead. [Laughs] Career best for him. Then my eighth was nice. I got eighth at Daytona, so I matched my best for this season. All positives. I’m just happy that the Phoenix Racing boys were up there and putting Phoenix up in the top ten. Trying to make David Eller proud.
I did not get to see it, but Tom [Journet] said you and Cullin had a hug afterwards. What was that like, battling with your teammate and being excited for both of you guys? Take us through that moment at the end of the race when you guys are just like, “Dude, we made it. We got through that one!”
It’s cool. When you both work so hard throughout the week and we’re always trying to pace each other, one guy might be a little better on practice day and the other guy might be better. It’s cool. I see the hard work he puts in and I’m just trying to catch up to where they are, because I didn’t really have an off-season [due to injuries]. Just for both of us to battle, and it was a clean battle, and we put in solid laps and our pace was fast. It’s all good stuff. I’m just enjoying all this.
It looks like you’re enjoying it. You’ve really come a long way in your supercross in the last couple years. With 2020, the COVID-19 year, you were maybe an LCQ guy, bubble guy in the main. You’ve come a long way. Third in your heat, that was huge. You were running second or third in Daytona a couple years ago. You’ve come a really long way. So, it’s got to feel good for you mentally. You had a strong showing in the heat race. That was an awesome ride out there.
Yeah. The whole supercross thing, I kind of just got thrown into it in 2019. I’m not afraid to send it. [Laughs] I’ve just got to critique it. We’re still trying to do that today, but honestly, I just tried to smooth out and be smarter. Just try to be a better rider and not rush things. Outdoors you can rush things and send it and get away with it, but when it comes to supercross you can’t do that. You’ve got to be methodical. I’m just trying to build every weekend and just be smart. It’s a long series.
You mentioned outdoors. We know you’re not afraid to send it there. You have pretty good results out in Pro Motocross. The next couple weeks with a break, are you going to train for Pro Motocross? What does it look like for you?
We’re getting on some outdoors. [Laughs] I am excited. I’m excited just to hear that Phoenix bike bark. It’s going to be awesome. We’re probably going to ride a few little sand pit tracks around the shop and then I’ll go down to Club[MX] and ride with J-Mart [Jeremy Martin].
He said he’s ready for outdoors.
Hopefully he don’t run laps around me. [Laughs] It’s going to be fun. I’m looking forward to these next few weeks, and then back on supercross and Atlanta in a month. So, it will be good.
Are you going to be in 250 outdoors or 450? Do you know yet?
Two-fifty. I thought I was going to be 450 and then Heath [Harrison] calls me and says, “I got the approval to do 250.” I said, “Uh… Okay.” [Laughs] So, I’m going to do it. Last time I rode 250 outdoor was 2017 and I did four rounds, as a privateer with my mom and dad. I’ve never really done it, I guess you could say, at this level. So, I’m looking forward to it. Mix it up. Why not, right?
You’ve put in strong results in the 450 Class, so you’ve got to be kind of excited for the SuperMotocross World Championship as a whole, if you’re going to race the motocross finale at the end. You’ve got to be excited about that. You can put in strong results in outdoors, supercross you’ve come a long way.
Yeah. Honestly, doing the final three rounds for the SuperMotocross finale thing, that was a big game changer for me, doing the 250 outdoors. Obviously, I want to be top 20 in points overall, so that I don’t have to go to an LCQ.
That way you can stack points in one class in both supercross and Pro Motocross.
Yeah. And honestly, I need to be in the 250 Class. Yeah, I ride a 450 well. I proved that, but I also haven’t proved that I can ride a 250 yet. So that’s my goal for this year. Just keep building.
