Phil Nicoletti’s Muc-Off/FXR/ClubMX Yamaha team took a huge hit over the weekend when Jeremy Martin went down in a first-turn crash and got run over, resulting in some big injuries to his arm and wrist. That’s a bummer for the team, which hoped to make a big step outdoors with Jeremy. Also, Garrett Marchbanks is going up to the 450 class starting this weekend. Meanwhile Phil hopes to be back soon too, and he’s been riding to get ready.
He's also still answering questions. Send ‘em to phil@racerxonline.com
(Note: Some questions have been lightly edited for clarity.)
Man devastating weekend for your team with J-Mart going down. Have you reached out to your guy? I know you have some experience paying the toll to rock and roll.
Jim
Awful weekend for my teammate/friend/brother from another mother. Jerma is a hurting unit right now and there was some serious damage done to his arm. Of course, in our sport it just gets brushed off like it’s another injury and everyone carries on. In stick and ball sports, everyone would take a knee, delay games, and the clip would run on ESPN highlight reels until the damn cows come home. Meanwhile he’s still sitting in a trauma center, with an external fixator and an open wound because of swelling, and he’s waiting for a couple more surgeries because it’s a trauma center. Just an all-sound shitty situation. For any athlete, it’s really hard to cope with it. Some dark days are ahead for the two-time champ. But he’s one of the most mentally and physically tough dudes in the paddock. Everyone would agree on that.
Hi Phil. Do you have any big trophies or memorabilia on display at your house? Maybe that Canadian Triple Crown bike on display in the living room?????
Weege
No, Weege, I don’t have a friggin’ bike in my living room. I think everyone saves some memorabilia. I save a lot of my helmets. I have my Red Bull, Monster Energy, and Rockstar Energy helmets. I keep selective gear I like. I have my 100K Triple Crown Check. Also, my Unadilla National overall podium trophy. The rest of it is all garbage. After that you can hoard all the shit just so you can justify you’re a legend in your own mind. That’s all it’s good for. Or maybe it’s just because I haven’t won or been on the box enough times to keep shit around?
Phillip. Big fan. Through these first four motos all we’ve heard is how well Jett [Lawrence] is riding, and it looks like he’s on cruise control while leading. Do you think he’s cruising as much as it looks?
Jeremy McNulty
Wisconsin
Jett’s been on a tear. It’s looking like it will stay that way for a while. Jett at Pala versus the Jett at Hangtown were two different riders. Jett couldn’t settle at Pala. He couldn’t lay up like 1.5 second a lap like he could at Hangtown. Hangtown was a different race for him. He was managing it compared to Pala. I can guarantee you that if Chase was there at Hangtown, Jett’s average lap times would have been one second faster than if he wasn’t, if not more. With Chase out, I do feel like Jett can manage the races accordingly now. I do think the other guys will close that deficit more and more over time, but when Jett can bang out a 2.5-second faster qualifying time, it’s pretty unreal. I do feel like Chase/Eli could go toe to toe with him. Also, I can guarantee you that Jett wanted to race Eli and Chase. I know that for a fact. Jett ain’t scared. I also know Chase ain’t scared and I can assure you Eli sure ain’t scared. Woulda been a dream summer to watch.
