Finally! Finally! Finally! Phil Nicoletti is back in action on his Muc-Off/FXR/ClubMX Yamaha. High Point Raceway was a mess, and you can read about it with this interview from PulpMX and hear his usual dark clouds reaction to the day.
By the time Phil fielded your questions, he was in a little bit better mood. Send more questions via phil@racerxonline.com and he’ll be back next week to answer…and race RedBud!
(Note: Some questions have been lightly edited for clarity.)
Phil,
What the hell happened in practice on Saturday morning? I never even saw you out there and when I didn’t see a lap time I was afraid you were hurt. Bike problems?
Jerry S
Pennsylvania
Jerry,
Yes, we had a little bit of an issue half a lap into first practice. Wasn’t an ideal way to start the comeback journey. But, that’s the cards the team and I were dealt with and we handled them. I was just very fortunate I did NOT have to go to the LCQ, because most of the fast times came from first practice. Even with 36th gate, and way outside, I loved being back behind the gate. It’s great when you don’t think of anything but getting a start. Nothing else in the world matters. It’s crazy how the mind can tune everything out. But the issue was resolved, they know what happened and it shouldn’t have happened. Onward and upward.
[Note: That’s Phil’s take now that the team has figured everything out. You can read this PulpMX interview for a fun take on the weekend.]
Phil,
I heard you had the battle of death with Grant Harlan in moto one. How did that go and what happened in moto two?
Jake Malotta
Jake,
I was happy with the way the first moto had went. It was my first moto I did really since RedBud 2021. I rode in ninth for a little while and then [Dylan] Ferrandis and AP [Aaron Plessinger] passed me. So I kind of got shuffled back a bit. Grant passed me and I honestly just rode behind him for the whole moto! [Laughs] I didn’t have any intensity and I still was not going very fast, but Harlan was going just fast enough that I could get towed along. It felt good to be back and log the laps. I was looking forward to moto two. Had the same deal going in moto two, got into ninth but then I tossed it away pretty good. But overall I was happy with the day considering all the curveballs. I do need to make a few changes for RedBud, though.
Phil
Wow that was awesome seeing Ken Roczen rocking up front and giving Jett Lawrence a challenge. I know you were out there racing yourself, not sure you watched the race back, but if you did, where you surprised Kenny was this good off the couch?
Gary Strong
Gary,
Kenny is an unbelievable talent. You can go back and watch Kenny through the years on those rutted tracks like Unadilla and just dominated. He has next level balance. He is like Jett, but I think he is a tad better as far as balance. That’s how good Kenny is with balance! Jett is just so good at putting the whole track into play like a Moto GP. Hopping bumps, and what not. He strings it all together so well. Kenny, by default, should have gone 2-2, even with hardly any riding, battling against this current 450 line up. That’s the truth. So it doesn’t surprise me what he was able to do. Do I think Kenny could beat Jett this year in a moto this year if he was doing the whole season? Ehhh idkkk. But he could definitely give him a run for his money and then, as you know with racing, if you can stay close sometimes things bounce your way. It actually almost did in the first moto when Jett went down. Jett recovered quickly but you never know, any crash can lead to bigger problems and I’m sure if Kenny was there every week he could take advantage of something like that. Hopefully we get Chase Sexton back soon so we can see more of what we saw at Pala and High Point.
