Rocky Mountain ATV/MC Rides Unlimited Racing KTM rider Jack Chambers has been fast all season in Monster Energy AMA Supercross, but the second-year supercross rider doesn’t have the main events to show for it. He’s routinely around the top 15 in lap times, but only made the main event in Daytona. In Detroit there was more trouble, when he bent a shifter in qualifying and barely got a good lap in. Later in the night, he appeared to have another main event spot on lock in the Last Chance Qualifier, but then Jordon Smith launched an incredible charge to try to get Chambers on the final lap.
Chambers takes us through it all right here.
Racer X Online: Talk us through your night tonight in Detroit.
Jack Chambers: The night was all right. During the day I had a hectic qualifying two. I broke my shifter off first lap. Came back, had to get the shifter changed. My bike ended up leaving the track, which I guess is not allowed during the night show. So, it was a hectic afternoon talking with the AMA and stuff. We ended up getting it figured it out and they gave me my laps back that I came back on the track and threw down and basically risked my life to get a fast lap. [Laughs] Missing those laps in the beginning when the whoops were smooth…yeah, I could have qualified a little better, but I was happy to get into the night show again. The goal was the main event again tonight. The goals at the beginning of the season were a top 15, work into the top 12, with how the off-season went. But the night, I had to go to the LCQ which is never fun. So, I was sitting fourth in that and everybody kind of saw what happened there on the last corner. I heard his [Smith’s] bike. Clearly, you can hear the Star bike from almost anywhere on the track, but I knew he was close. Then coming into the last corner, I knew he was really, really close then. I just kind of did what anybody would do and protected the line on the inside. He went outside, which in my opinion was kind of a mistake by his part. But I did what I needed to do to manage that last chance spot to get in the main.
You’re kind of a younger rider compared to somebody like Jordon Smith. Were you a little nervous? What were you anticipating going into that last turn? How difficult was it for you to manage what he was going to do and react to it and just be open to whatever could happen?
I kind of just held my composure, which I was pretty happy with. Two corners before the finish line, I felt the pressure come on. I knew I had to start sending some stuff to get a little bit of a gap. Not a gap, but he was coming quickly. So, I thought he was going to dip underneath me and set me up, like any last turn would, but he kind of went to the outside. I saw the option to block him. Never to intentionally put somebody on the ground like that, but I honestly don’t even know if I touched him. I just kind of held the line and blocked his and it happened.
A little bit of a break in the East Region series here. What’s the next couple of weeks look like for you? Riding outdoors?
Yeah, I’ll start with Zach [Osborne] training. He broke his elbow recently, so he’s back riding this week. So, we’ll be riding together so that will be fun. A couple different options coming up soon maybe but work towards outdoors and hopefully finish off the season strong here in supercross.
What’s it like being able to train with Zach Osborne? He’s a former champion. He’s an experienced guy. He’s ridden so many different terrains and different series and championships and everything. He probably brings a lot to the table when you ride with him on any given day.
Yeah, definitely. It’s fun. Last year whenever he basically retired and everything, it was fun because I could sometimes beat him, give him the smoke every once in a while. [Laughs] He’s been working really hard with me and together to accomplish his goals in the GNCC series. That was actually one of my passions growing up. I raced woods and GNCC from the time I was two, three years old until I was 12 or 13 and then kind of my turning point was when I went to Monster Cup at 15. So, kind of late to starting in the supercross and motocross stuff, but I’ve kind of found out how to turn the switch whenever you need to sprint and stuff like that. That was kind of one of the struggles because in the woods race, you’ve got two hours, three hours to do it, and here you’re got six minutes and then 15 for the main.
Anything else you’d like to add about the weekend?
I’m just happy to be walking out of here. I got four more weeks to build and get better.
