Pro racer and Racer X columnist Phil Nicoletti had a rough go at the Southwick National (which he gets into below), but fortunately he recovered enough to answer your questions. Enjoy!
Hopefully Phil has better luck this weekend at the Spring Creek National. And remember, if you have a question you would like Phil to answer, send them to phil@racerxonline.com.
Hey Phil,
Congrats on the results as of late. Give us regular Joes a taste of what Southwick is really like. The track—how do elite riders handle it, and what would it be like for a regular rider and such? Was this ‘Wick worse than others? What do you do to recover? Drink Coke? How bloody would this race be if it were the first race of the season? Lastly, what happened to you in the second moto?
Thanks,
Scott
Scott,
The ‘Wick was something else this year. Or, it just felt worse because I’m still not as strong as I should be yet. Track was rough, weather was hot. Southwick is in a hell pit. LITERALLY. It’s in a hole, where the heat from hell comes out. No wind, or airflow. I have a hard time processing the term "elite" now. I know the top 10 are gnarly dudes, and badass athletes, but there’s a difference from the way Jett Lawrence, Aaron Plessinger, and myself go about Southwick. Three different speeds, and three different techniques. Jett looks like a God, AP looks like pro, and I look like I’m just surviving the quicksand. There was a huge emphasis on recovery Saturday and the days after. A lot of electrolytes, correct food, etc. It’s hard though because you have to be careful with the electrolytes and gut rut, especially when you have an extreme amount of exertion. After the second moto I did have a Coke-and-a-half. Second moto was going very well for me. Somehow with a lap to go, I hit neutral and fell over. I literally gave everything I had. I stood up, and my legs had nothing left. As usual, when you’re riding you can manage it, even when you're extremely tired. But when you tip over, it all just F$&@?!% HITS YOU! So, it should have been an 11-9 on the day, but I got greedy trying to go for eighth when I wasn’t strong enough. I paid the price and killed myself for nothing. That hurts more than anything. To give it everything and get nothing.
Mr.Phil,
It seems that I hardly ever hear of food poisoning outside of moto. You are up on all things nutrition, why is it that these young guys get it more than others? Is optimal nutrition risky? Another thought, the costly yet somewhat rare Achilles injury: should boots have a bit more reinforcement to prevent that injury? Just wondering.
Thanks for the column,
Huffhaul
Huffhaul,
I’ve gotten food poisoning twice in my career. It is a thing. Gotta think, with how much we actually eat out at restaurants—Thursday to Sunday, breakfast, lunch, and dinner—there is a high chance of this happening to someone in the paddock. Ideally, if we made enough money, we could all have a motorhome and control our food better. But it’s just not feasible. But me myself, I try and keep everything as consistent as possible. Eating the same thing on weekends, knowing what works and what doesn’t.
The boots is a tricky deal. You can’t take away too much movement. We have to be able to still be flexible. Some boots do have more protection and more/less extension than others. When you’re on a team, especially a 250 team, you don’t have a choice to pick what boots you wear. For me, that’s a big thing since I have a heel/ankle that got destroyed. But boots still need flex and feel. You can add material and make them stiffer, but then we can’t feel anything. It’s a double-edged sword. Your ankles do need flex to ride a dirt bike. They are a huge pivot point on a dirt bike.
Phil,
Fantastic to see you fighting in the top ten again at RedBud and Southwick. Hope the wrist is getting there and this result builds from here and we all see another 3-5 (or 5-7, 4-5, 6-5) at Unadilla. Plenty of gate drops before that race. Now my question: do you think Matthes was cheering on Team Wildcat or Team Phil when you and Jose Butron were in two great battles for a couple of top 10s?
See you at Unadilla,
Jim Mahan
Jim,
I hope to maybe get back to the results sometime again, but I don’t know if I will be able to anymore. But I’m enjoying the grind to get back to those results. My intensity and race craft are coming back. I haven’t done nationals in two years, so it’s a lot on me. I’m not 27 anymore. But I do feel in my gut I can get there again. Maybe I’m stupid, but if I don’t, I just want to be competitive in the top 10 like I am.
As far as Steve, I know deep down he wants me to do well. But at RedBud, he wanted that PulpMX shroud to beat every possible bike and rider out there. So at least all his guys didn’t beat me. But Steve makes so much money right now, he can use it as a write off for marketing and shit. So, there’s always an angle. To say he did it out of the goodness of his heart is bullshit. Okay, that might be a lie. But it’s cool, someone in the sport can help. I’m sure the WildCat team got more help because of it, which is awesome. Any little bit always helps with teams at that level. Also helps when those riders are doing very well too!
