2021 RedBud Motocross | Post-Race Interviews

INSTAGRAM | @swapmotolive
INSTAGRAM | @swapmotolivedotcom
INSTAGRAM | @ogio_powersports

2021 REDBUD MOTOCROSS | COMPLETE COVERAGE

Want to know what riders had to say about the 2021 RedBud Motocross without watching a “How Was Your Weekend” video? We’ve transcribed our post-race chats with riders in the 250 and 450 Class after round four of the 2021 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship and added some photos of the riders in action.

MICHAEL MOSIMAN
250 CLASS | 35-15 | 21ST OVERALL

How was today?

Today was rough. The mustache did not do me any good, I shaved it last night. But yeah, just qualified okay. I felt like my speed was decent, and it was just good to be at the races in general and good to be back with the team. Everything just went not good, and it just kind of snowballed. A guy crashed in front of me in the first Moto, I went down, then had some bike issues, and DNF’d. Second Moto, oh my gosh. This is a lesson. You’re going down the start, right? You’ve got 40 guys and there’s usually a good pack in the meat of it. I was way on the outside, and someone got a better start to me on the outside and started cutting right. The guys on the right are usually a little bit ahead of us, and there’s a wave of them. So this guy was coming from the right, but there was a wave of guys that were coming left. They hit, and then I almost hit them, someone hits me, and then it was just a pileup. I rolled really good, though. I rolled out of the crash really nice. My bars were twisted up and my grip was half torn off.

Yeah, just banged up, but I regrouped and somewhere around halfway or so, started getting into a groove. I think someone said at one point I was second fastest on the track, which is crazy just considering how “meh” my day went. There are highs and lows, and it’s a long season, and today was a low.

You felt good, though. After missing High Point, you look good. It didn’t seem like there was anything physically that was holding you back, just circumstances.

Yeah. I’ve ridden four times in the last five weeks, and they were only in the last two weeks. I had some questions about my fitness. This past Tuesday, I got smoked in the Motos at Baker’s (Factory). I had some questions about my fitness, but I really took it easy the rest of the week, rested up, came out here, and was pretty good. The last lap, I passed two guys and caught them from way back. I think I had some decent consistency. Fitness was still pretty good, which is nice, and the speed was still solid. Even at the beginning, being up there, I had some good lines and some things going on. There are things to look forward to, but always rough when you’ve got what it takes, and it doesn’t go your way.

AUSTIN FORKNER
250 CLASS | 20-12 | 16TH OVERALL

How was it today?

I guess it’s not in a good way, but my highlight of the day was my crash this morning over the Leap. That was the most exciting thing that I did today, not in a good way. That’s nothing to be proud of, but I took a pretty big one today over that. I jammed my thumb up a little bit and it’s pretty sore. I just didn’t really feel comfortable with the track today. Just felt like I was sliding around quite a bit and never got a solid feel with the bike to the track. I fell a few times in the first Moto. I was riding good, but then I would just find my flow, ride good, fall. Find my flow, fall. After I fell three times the first Moto, I just brought that one home. In the second Moto, I had the 28th gate pick, so we didn’t get in a huge hurry, and I ended up missing my day pick, so I was last. I got a good start, and the best I could come out was mid-pack or whatever. I worked up to 12th. Got a little tight mid-race and lost some guys that I should have battled with, maybe gotten a few more positions, but I’ve just been up and down all year.

None of my results have been anything to be super pumped about, but I rode good at Pala, bad at Colorado, rode good at High Point, and then bad again today. It’s just been like this for me a little bit. To not sink into the hole, I’m just taking away some of the positives. My starts were better today. Second Moto, I didn’t really have a chance, but in the first Moto, I was fourth or fifth on the first lap. I had a pretty heavy one today, so I guess a positive thing is that I’m in one piece. Just taking away some positives, really small positives from how today went.

You’ve had injuries and stuff like that, but you’ve been such a dominant guy, so I have to give you props that you’re not having the meltdown that I think some people expected. You’re taking this one on the chin pretty well.

I mean, what can I really… It’s just I’m not riding that great. At some races, two out of the four, I guess, I have ridden good. The other two, I have ridden not good at all, especially Colorado. That was embarrassing. I mean, I don’t know exactly what it is. I don’t know why I’m all like this. Usually, I’m pretty consistent, so we’re just trying to figure it out. I have had a few injuries, and that’s set me back a little bit. That definitely wasn’t ever part of the plan, to catch that injury bug, but it happens and I’m trying to just work through that. Some of the injuries I’ve had lately have been a little bit more serious, especially my whole stomach thing that I had at the end of last year. As much as we like to say that doesn’t take a toll on you, it does. And at some point, I guess it’s going to take enough of a toll and maybe that’s what I’m dealing with right now. I’m just working through it. It’s tough, and I know that I should be up at the front. It’s not happening right now, so I’m just going to keep trying, I guess. Just keep trying and trying. That’s all I can do.

HUNTER LAWRENCE
250 CLASS | 3-4 | 4TH OVERALL

Another good one today. How did it go?

It was okay, nothing really to be stoked on. Riding was good. We got two pretty good, consistent top-five motos together. Looking back to High Point, it looked promising and I just pretty much pissed it away on the first lap of both Motos. So if I was to crash on the first lap of these Motos here, I really would have looked stupid. So that was priority number one, just take it, not “easy,” but just settle in a little better. We go 30 minutes plus two laps, so I was a little gung ho, still kind of in Supercross mode. You know how you don’t have as long, so you’ve got to really come out blazing.

We’re about to start a busy month. How do you feel and what are the expectations? Because you’re a consistent front-runner guy now and know you need to be there.

I’m really looking forward to it. I said before, these next few races are going to be tough. We fly home tomorrow, we’ll ride Tuesday and Wednesday or Tuesday and Thursday, and then we fly out Friday to Southwick. We’ll do that for the next three weekends. I think it’s really good because the guys that have put the work in and stuff, it’ll be the same as every year. You get to a certain point when the top three or top four guys, whatever it is, they have that next level and there’s a lot more of a gap. Hopefully, I can be in that train, and I believe I will.

I asked your brother about this. The reaction that you two are getting from people is unbelievable to see, and for 250 Class kids to get it.

It’s awesome.

Adam (Cianciarulo) got it, but not like this. This is unbelievable.

It’s awesome, man. I mean, at the end of the day, we love racing and the fans make it so much better. Think of it like if you were just doing something at home by yourself compared to if you had all your mates there hyping you up and stuff. Of course, it’s going to be way better when people are hyping you up because it creates that vibe. Dude, we love a good vibe and RedBud delivered, that’s for sure. The past few rounds have been awesome. I hope we can keep it going at every round until the series is finished. We had RedBud Fourth of July vibes, which is hard to match, but I think we can do it, so it’ll be cool.

Last question. You’ve been a Florida guy for a while now. You are fully into it.

Florida native, man.

Yeah, pretty much. You’re one alligator away-

One lifted truck away from being a native.

What do you think of it?

We love it. We’re climatized so the heat doesn’t affect us. We know how to train in it, and we love it. It’s home in America, that’s for sure. We plan on staying here long-term. It’s not like we’re going to jump back to Australia when our careers are done. We’re setting our roots in and stuff here, and we love it, dude. It’s awesome.

JETT LAWRENCE
250 CLASS | 1-6 | 3RD OVERALL

How was today? Another good finish.

It was an up and down, emotional… It definitely stresses you out, that second Moto. The first Moto, to be honest, in my eyes wasn’t as good. The bike setting wasn’t so good and the bike was just not working in my favor, so I had to really salvage that first one, just stay in my limit. I couldn’t go any faster and RJ was sending it. He was risking it for the biscuit and I could just see him, so I was like, “Please, just hold off.” First one, ended up going away with a win, which was good. Second Moto did not go my way. The start was bad, but that was my fault. The start wasn’t good. First turn, some guy stopped, he had seen a stop sign, so I almost hit the back of him, cut underneath. And then I think a few laps in, another guy makes a brain fart, goes straight in a turn when the turn kept going right. The GPS on the bike was a little wrong there. He kept going straight, and I was committed, and it ended up taking me down.

I was in a really bad spot to try and pick up the bike. Because I was on an uphill, right on the exit of a turn, I had to wait until it cleared up, so I went outside the top 30. Yeah, I had to put on one of those championship charges, and luckily, the bike was a little better in that second Moto. I felt like that’s been one of my best rides so far this year. It was good. I ended up making a lot of passes. It just got harder and harder each time because every time I got someone else, that gap just got bigger to the next one. Once I went over that finish line, I was finished. I was like, “Oh, gosh. I don’t even know what I got. I hope it’s good.” My mechanic ended up telling me what I got and how many points I lost. I only lost two from the first Moto, after nine gained, so I ain’t mad at that. It’s good. It was all-around a pretty decent weekend, even how that second Moto went. I’m happy with the results so far.

The last few weeks you’ve been in some kind of championship pressure situation. The bike started smoking at High Point and I honestly didn’t know if you were going to make it, but you nursed it home really well. That was impressive. Today’s crash, you got up and salvaged it. Where you were, it’s uphill, it’s sandy, it’s difficult. You knew right then you have to go for it. There’s no, “Oh, man. I hope it comes to me.” You have to go.

Yeah, there’s no second-guessing it. You better go fast and make those points up, otherwise, you ain’t a championship… You wouldn’t earn the championship if you gave up at that point. In Australia, a kangaroo never steps backward, so I made sure I always step forward and gained those points back. I think that’s been one of my best rides this year and I’m very happy with that.

This is your first time to RedBud with the crowd. How was that? I’ve gone to a lot of races, and it is unbelievable to see how people get when you come on stage.

I think this is the best race I’ve been to with fans. High Point, that was a lot of fans and I was like, “That’s pretty cool.” I knew Red Bud was going to be pretty crazy, but this was just insane and I loved it. The fans, that’s what makes the sport great. I think without fans, this sport wouldn’t be anywhere, to be honest. It’s awesome for them to come out and support us. We’re dudes out there shredding on our dirt bikes, risking our lives basically, and those guys help us wake up, go train, put our best foot forward every day we can. That’s what makes this such a cool sport, better than most sports, I feel.

ADAM CIANCIARULO
450 CLASS | 6-23 | 13TH OVERALL

An up and down day. How was it?

Up and down? It was down, bro. Yeah, it sucked. I love this quote, it’s the screensaver on my phone. “It’s not things that upset us; it’s our opinions about those things.” Today sucked, still. It’s just I’ve talked about my arm too much. I’m so over talking about my arm. First Moto, I went backward 15 minutes in. It’s not like I don’t train. It’s been tough to deal with that, and I don’t want to harp on that too much, but we got that going on. In the second Moto, I was feeling pretty spunky, on the sight lap was feeling pretty good, then just pushed through the rut. I don’t know if they showed me on TV at all, but my fender got stuck underneath the front wheel. It was so weird.

Front-end was twisted.

Yeah, I couldn’t really reach my clutch, and yeah, it sucked. I got cleaned out again before the Leap. I went outside and kind of hooked back, and I don’t know, some guy on a Kawasaki, he didn’t mean to… And even if he did, whatever, but he cleaned me out. So I got up, and my bike was more bent up then. I’m not one to really pull off, so I tried my hardest, got 23rd. Tough, yeah, it was a tough day.

You’ve dealt with the highs and lows and stuff, and this is like… You know it’s part of it. It’s part of racing.

Yeah, I know it’s there. I know I’m capable. It’s not like it’s gone. On days like this, when it doesn’t go great, it’s easy for it to feel like it’s so far away, but in reality, it’s not. I know that. I’ve been through it before. It’s not really a self-serving mindset for me to just get super discouraged and bummed out. The only thing you really worry about when you’re not kicking and screaming, if you will, is coming across like you don’t care. And I mean, I care a lot. This is my whole life. But like I said, it’s just not self-serving for me to be like, “Oh, my life sucks. Today was terrible. Whatever.” I mean, yeah, today sucked, it is what it is, but in reality, I’m not that far off. I’ve got some things holding me back, and I’ve just got to do the best I can.

We’ve got a good, long grind of a month ahead. I think a guy like you will be ready to get into a swing of things starting at Southwick, a sand track, and then go to Spring Creek and Washougal.

Yeah, yeah, I’ve done good. I won Southwick in ’19, the last time we were there. I’m excited to just get another opportunity after a weekend like this. You just want the race to be all right, to have the chance to redeem yourself. But I’m just going to continue working on the things that I can focus on, the things I can control, and do my best. So yeah, that’s it.

BRANDON HARTRANFT
450 CLASS | 11-13 | 10TH OVERALL

That was a good one.

Yeah, it’s been a rough go all year but ever since the outdoors, I kind of told myself, “You need to get it together.” And I’ve just had steady progress ever since round one. I’ve been working really hard with Bud Man (Buddy Antunez) and the whole team, trying to make everything better and get my confidence back. Obviously Supercross was very rough, but I’m slowly getting confidence back. Not necessarily training any harder, but just making every day count. So, I’ve been working with Bud Man, and he has been working my butt off, so that’s obviously really good. But today, I didn’t expect to top-ten. I mean, I go fast, I know I can go fast, but these 450 Class guys are on another level than the 250 Class guys. The track was gnarly today, so yeah, I’m pumped, team is happy, and I’m ready to go for next weekend.

Did you underestimate how hard this class was going to be? You were kicking ass last year, were doing pretty good-

Well, I thought I was going to be in the 250 Class class again, and I didn’t have another opportunity. The Twisted Tea guys obviously wanted me, and I took that. And I didn’t think these guys are as gnarly as they are. Definitely been a wake-up call.

The team has been good. With what Dustin’s done in the last few years to right now-

That’s what I was just telling Max.

He’s got so much going on, and for you to put it together now, it’s all coming along really well for everybody.

They’re definitely getting more support, way more support from Suzuki, obviously since we kind of took JGR’s role. I think next year they’ll even get more support, so me and Max are trying. That’s all we can do.

All right, you’re a northeast guy. Southwick local?

No, actually, the first time I ever went to Southwick was 2019 for the National, and I got seventh overall, so it was a good day.

JUSTIN BARCIA
450 CLASS | 9-8 | 8TH OVERALL

How was today?

It was a rough day. Qualified seventh, which is not bad. I was happy, I mean, fairly happy with that. Obviously, I liked to be better. First Moto, not such a great start, two crashes, not impressive at all. I didn’t ride good and struggled a little bit. Made some changes to the bike [for the second Moto], got a better start, got pinched up in the second corner. Rode behind Cooper for a long time, finally got around him, and then the race was pretty much over. So yeah, it was a tough day. I’ll go back to California, regroup, figure some stuff out, and just keep plugging away. We want to be a lot better than we are right now, but we just got some more work to do.

You’re right there. I mean, you’re not in the thick of the battle, but everybody is close.

Yeah.

And you’ve had these high points and low points.

I think once we get everything sorted, it’ll be a big click, and we’ll be ready to go fast. I’m not super stressing, but I definitely want to be a lot better, so we’ll go back to work this week and sort it out. I like the next few races. I like RedBud, but it was gnarly today. The track was a man’s track, and yeah, I just struggled a little, but all in all, we’ll be there.

Has it been a big transition riding in California full-time now?

Yeah, California is different. The tracks are not amazing. They don’t get rough like these East Coast tracks, so it’s a little bit harder to test. You have to be more aware of certain things. All in all, it’s definitely been a big change but not a bad one. I’m around the team and still enjoying it.

Team USA is starting to get some rumblings. Is this something that you would want to go do? You’ve done the race before, this year’s a sand track in Italy, and I think it might be around during Italian Fashion Week. So this could all be good for you.

Sounds cool. I like fashion [Laughs]. Yeah, I love Motocross of Nations, representing the USA. We’ll see how the next few weeks go. I’d like to be a lot better than I am right now. Physically I feel great, mentally I’m there; I just need to be better. So, we’ll see. I mean, yeah, you hear rumbles and stuff, but I’m not really thinking about that at the moment.

You have something on your mind right now.

Absolutely. I got a lot bigger fish to fry than that, so we’ll see.

CHASE SEXTON
450 CLASS | 6-4 | 4TH OVERALL

How did today go?

I’ve been struggling the last three races now. It’s been okay, it hasn’t been horrible, but it hasn’t been great. Went down on the start in the first Moto today, came from 40th to eighth, but I actually rode pretty well. In the second Moto I got a decent start, probably around 10th, made a few passes, got to fifth or fourth, and just kind of rode from there. I didn’t really feel that great in the second Moto, just with the bike or the track. I’m looking forward to just going home and trying to get better. I’ve been working much as possible over these last few off weekends. Hopefully, we’ll get in a little bit of rhythm now that we’re racing and can get going, and try to knock off a few podiums and hopefully get one win. I’m just trying to get better. Have got to get better starts, obviously, and stay off the ground.

Does the stop-go-stop-go routine we had in those first couple of weeks throw a wrench in your plans?

Yeah, it’s not bad having the weekends off and it’s nice just not going racing every weekend. But at the same time, it’s a little bit hard to get in a rhythm. I’m more of a guy who tries to get a flow going, and when I stop and go every weekend, it’s kind of tough. Hopefully, this plays in my favor and I can get going on a roll and have some fun. We’ve got Southwick up next, which is going to be a hard race. Hopefully, it’s pretty rough. I’m looking forward to the sand.

Team USA is going to the Motocross of Nations, and you’re one of the guys that I have on my short list of possibilities. It’s a sand track in Italy, so you would be good.

Yeah.

If you got the opportunity, is that something you would like to take on?

100-percent. Adam and I have talked a little bit and we both, I think, want to go. I want to go and put a really good effort in. We haven’t done the greatest, not because the riders haven’t been good, but we just haven’t had the best luck the last few years, and I want to change that. Go over there and put in some work after the Outdoors… I’d go straight over there and try and get some motos in. And yeah, I’d come out and put USA on top if I get picked. For sure, I’d want to go; it would be a dream come true. I raced the Junior World Championship when I was like 12, and it was awesome going over there. Yeah, if I get picked, I’d be really stoked to race for USA.

KEN ROCZEN
450 CLASS | 2-6 | 4TH OVERALL

How was the day?

It was a bit of a rough day at the office, not going to lie. The first Moto was pretty good and I ended up second. I was looking forward to the second one and settled into third there for a little bit. I had a really good case on the Leap, which was not fun It did not feel good on my wrist. I think I kind of crossed over behind AP and the roost made me ride like… First, we had a little bit of headwind, and it was really tough to do in general. The roost made it like I was riding on Velcro, so I was already committed and I just cased it so bad. I thought my hands were going to rip off and I was going to go flying, but that didn’t happen until a few laps later.

I tucked the front and folded myself up there and that pretty much, not ended the race, but it was tough to kind of get going again and get a good rhythm on the track. I just stayed where I was at and finished, I don’t even know, maybe sixth or something like that. No idea, it was a bit rough, but at least we can get out of here pretty healthy.

These last two weeks have been unbelievable, and when you’ve hit the afterburners, it’s pretty incredible to watch. When these laps are going on, and you’re in these battles, especially Moto One, how is now to be right there? Because let’s be honest, a lot of people after Supercross were a little bit skeptical, but you’re doing it and you’re riding, I think honestly, the best you have in a long, long time.

Yeah, I agree. I’m honestly just enjoying it. I shouldn’t say I put the ego down, I just tried my ass off throughout Supercross and everything, and it didn’t work out. But now I’m kind of just trying to hit my strides and enjoy the battles. That’s I think what’s been the most fun. We’ve all been pretty close, and the passes have been fun, and I think for the fans, it’s really good to watch. I’m kind of just taking it weekend by weekend, checking this off the list right now, looking forward to next weekend, and just kind of bringing my A-game every weekend. I just want to try hard and whatever happens, happens.

You and Dylan, your paths never really crossed when you were in the GPs, but he’s spoken highly of you in the times I’ve talked to him this year. What’s it like to battle with him? You guys have two of the raddest looking riding styles and it’s cool to see how it plays over here.

It’s awesome. I think a lot of people didn’t expect him to be as good, but he’s a good rider and strong, so in the end, I couldn’t ask for a better guy to battle. We have good battles. The passes have been awesome and he’s a tough competitor. It’s all the more fun and if you do get the win, it makes you feel it that much more. I’m just enjoying the battles that we have right now, whether it’s with Dylan or anybody else. Just trying to enjoy riding, trying to be creative on the track, and make some moves happen.

AARON PLESSINGER
450 CLASS | 3-3 | 3RD OVERALL

How was the RedBud experience for AP?

[Laughs] Dude, yeah, I mean, I always love coming to this race. This race is my favorite of the year by far, and to have the fans back to 100-percent, it was unreal. I didn’t do really good in 2019, so I’m going to scratch that one off the list and say my last time here was 2018, so just to feel that again and get back up on the podium and see all these fans… Man it was awesome. And I think they definitely love the mullet, they love the mustache, and they love the Champagne being sprayed on them. It was an awesome weekend. I rode really good, got third overall, almost had Eli, made a last-ditch effort and kind of beat her down at the end, but I’m riding good. I’m happy with my riding. For not racing outdoors last year to coming out and being third in the points is unreal. I’m speechless on it. And I can’t wait for the rest of the season.

You’ll be the guy who will have the best comparison: how was this track? We’ve seen some hard-packed tracks lately when they’re a little bit smoother and a little bit firmer. But this place is like a bottomless pit in some spots, so how was it today, to you, compared to past years?

Yeah, I actually think it was a little bit harder than years past. It was not as deep in places, and it made for some really good racing. But you know me, I always like a messed up, gnarly, rutted, rough track. It got really gnarly out there, but not as gnarly as I’ve seen it. But we were going so fast. That was the fastest I think I’ve ever gone on a bike.

For real?

Yeah, I think so. The way we were riding this track, it probably didn’t look as rough as it was, but man, we were hitting the bumps with so much speed that it was insane. It was insane.

I was told yesterday that Team USA is a go and as soon as I heard, you were the first person that came to mind. I’ve been to Mantova before and it’s an Italian sand track, kind of like Southwick, not as sandy, but it’s small. You like rough and rutted, and I have to think you would like some payback after what happened here a couple years ago.

Oh yeah.

If you got the invite, would you go?

I mean, you know me, I’m all for it. I’m all for it. But I know the team is moving shop to Florida after the season, so it’ll be a toss-up. But you know me, I’m always down to go and if they give it a go, I’m going for sure.

DYLAN FERRANDIS
450 CLASS | 1-3 | 1ST OVERALL

How was your day?

It was a really good day, winning RedBud in the 450 class. It’s quite something. I never expect to do that here and it’s really amazing. It’s crazy, because I said it in the past, but when you get your first win, you’re so stoked and it’s amazing. And then you get the second, and you’re like, “Yeah it’s good,” but you always want more. I feel like today I really wanted to do that. When I saw the speed in Moto One, I really wanted to do a 1-1. That would have been a perfect day, so I tried, but I failed. Eli was riding amazingly in Moto Two. But I give it a try, and winning the overall is really amazing. You get in a mindset where you just want to think that there is a championship on the line, so the goal is always to win the championship. So now I am thinking about this.

These races have been unbelievable. The first Moto, to see a battle like that was great. That second one, for you to charge all the way up to the last lap, was also unreal. Like I said to you after High Point, you expect it because you’ve done it for so long, but how is it every single week to ramp yourself up and know, “We’re going to go do this again. We’re getting ready to send it right now.”

Yeah, like you said, every weekend you know it’s going to be a war. I kind of show up every weekend thinking I’m not going to win and I’m just going to try the best I can, and we’ll see at the end of the day. But that’s why I’m a little bit surprised to win back-to-back, to win High Point and today at RedBud, because I never show up to the race like, “Oh, I’m the best. I’m going to win.” No, I’m like, “There is so much competition, the guys are riding so good, it’s going to be a war, and the better are going to win. So yeah, I was really stoked about the day, and to win RedBud is a great moment in my career.

Everything you’re doing right now is to be at the front of the class, from moving to Florida, to you and Nastasia not really doing anything on your weekends off. It’s just “relax, Moto, train.” These results have got to make that all worthwhile.

It’s my job, I’m dedicated to that and I like it also. I like to put in the work. This championship is what I dream of since I was a kid. Watching Ricky Carmichael win so my championships, I was always like, “Yeah, that’s what I want to do.” So doing it today, it’s a privilege. I feel blessed and I don’t know what to say. I mean, it doesn’t happen like this; it’s hours of work, a 24/7 job, and a lot of dedication, sacrifice. That’s what I’m doing right now.

I’ve had this thought for a couple years, ever since I first met you at the Motocross of Nations in 2014. France has really come on these last few years. You guys have always been an amazing motorcycle country, and it’s very prominent there, but these last seven years have been unreal for the FFM talent and the guys that are coming out. You, Tom Vialle, Gautier Paulin, and Fabio Quatararo. What is it about France that is making you guys so fast? Is it because you have support from the Federation?

No, not really. The support of the Federation is good, but it comes when you reach a certain point, when you start riding in front and doing the French Championship and stuff, it’s only up in there. I think what make us so great at motorsports is just the passion we have for two wheels and four wheels even because you see in Formula One there are many French drivers. I think it’s just we are a country of really passionate people, and I think it comes from the generation of the parents.

My parents were just so much passionate about the motocross sport that I was born in this passion, and that’s why. I mean, that’s why I become a professional rider. And I always rode because I like it, and not because I had to do it. I think, yeah, we’re kind of educated this way over there. And I’m sure it’s the same for, like I said, for Fabio in MotoGP and even the Formula One drivers. We started young and we had this goal of being pro one day. For me it’s almost, like I said, I was watching on TV when I was a kid, watching Carmichael winning the motocross championship and I was like, “Oh, I want to race this track.” And I show up here in the US, then I had my first podium, and now I’m winning, so it’s really like the passion of the sport, the passion of the track. Like today, RedBud, the track was amazing. It’s really a great place to have racing. Yeah, I like what I do right now.