Wil Hahn | Star Racing’s Success & Expectations

INSTAGRAM | @starracingyamaha
INSTAGRAM | @wilhahn_

The Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha teams owns the 250 Class. That might sound a bit extreme, but it’s impossible to argue against their results (ten titles from 2014 to date plus dozens of Pro Moto/Main Event wins) and their riders (six pros in the 250 Class, three amateurs). The 2020 season was one of their most best yet, thanks to the pair of titles won Dylan Ferrandis and stellar finishes by Justin Cooper/Shane McElrath/Colt Nichols/Ty Masterpool, but they aren’t going to let the success take their attention off the future, which includes an update YZ250F and a revamped roster. 

Wil Hahn has been an important part of the progress, thanks to his transition from racer to Team Manager, and recent changes within the organization (Star now manages Yamaha’s 450 Class program) make him more responsible for the team’s continued success. The former 250 SX champion recently spoke with us about the accomplishments that came in 2020, insight about the team’s lineup, the criticism the group has received recently, and their outlook on the future.

This has been a big year for the 250 team. You guys are a powerhouse, and I think you’ve stepped into the position that’s been held by high-profile teams in the past. How has it been for you? You’re the guy that oversees it, helps develop the bike, works with the team, talks to the talent, and so on.

We’re in such a good routine and everyone is working almost in harmony. We all work together, and I think it’s starting to jell with everyone, including the riders. Dylan has been here a little longer now and he understands how things work. We got him really happy with the bike right away. There was some stuff from the 2019 season that he wasn’t that comfortable with, and I feel that we did a really good job addressing it as a team. I feel like everything went to plan. Shane came over here from another manufacturer, and even though we only had a short time with him, it was still the best season of his career to date. I know that he’d gotten second overall in Supercross before, but I don’t think that he’d gotten that close to winning, and he was very close. Justin had a really good Supercross season starting out, but Salt Lake didn’t go that well for him for crazy reasons. He got hurt before outdoors and rode himself back into shape. I think it was hard for him to be a 10th place guy; that’s not what he wants to do. Ty came back at RedBud and surprised everybody, even myself, a little bit because he hadn’t raced in so long and was superb there. We added Nate and Jarrett in the last few rounds and it was like we had new guys on the bike every week for a little bit, which was exciting. We were able to lockout qualifying every week and it seemed we’d usually have the top-three spots. It was a fairy tale year. Yeah, we wish that we could have gotten the East Coast title to really cap it off, but we had one hell of a year without being greedy.

There will be a lot of new things for the team in 2021, like a new YZ250F and some additions to the roster. How is it from your perspective?

We’re excited because there are a lot of things going on with the team. We’re retaining Justin and Colt, and Jarrett is staying on as we develop him from an amateur to a pro. He was a little late in 2020 due to injuries in the offseason, but we’re looking forward to his rookie Supercross season. Christian Craig is coming over to continue his 250 Class career, just after a great summer in the 450 Class outdoors, and Jeremy Martin is coming back to the team after a few years away. He really wants to go after two titles next year and that’s the end goal for all of us. Nate Thrasher will be making his pro debut at some point. We’re not exactly sure when, but we’re open-minded about it and so is he. Without question, he will be making his pro debut in 2021 at some point. Nick Romano and Matt LeBlanc are on our amateur squad (Levi Kitchen signed to the team after this interview). It’s pretty damn exciting to know that next year we’re in a good spot and that our future is lining up to be very good as well.

There was a lot of talk about J Mart, that other teams were interested in him. How quickly did you guys come to an agreement?

Pretty quickly. He’s been close to this team. He would talk to us on the weekends and stuff like that. I know there were plenty of rumors about “bad blood,” but I don’t think that any of us feel that way. He’s a great rider and you can’t overlook that, ever. It’s unfortunate how this came about, with GEICO Honda going away, and it’s sad because I won a championship for them. To see that happen, it’s not something you ever want in the sport, but we had to jump at the opportunity to get J Mart. He has the credentials and won the team our first outdoor title ever. We’re excited to have him back.

Talk about the plan you guys have for Thrasher because you said it can go either way.

Right now, we need to all train through the offseason because it will be a game-time decision that we have to make. We don’t rush people here, especially for Supercross. Outdoors is a bit different because that’s what these guys do their whole lives. But if he’s ready for Supercross, this will be something that we take note of. I don’t think that he will rush, but you’ll see him outdoors for sure.

This is another new generation of the YZ250F, and the team has started to figure out its potential. It’s not loaded with a lot of changes, but they are good changes.

Yeah, I think it is mostly about refining stuff on the bike that was already good. Yamaha always makes improvements and that’s something that’s allowed us to be so successful as well. It’s taking a bike that was already good and making it better.

There was criticism about the team as a whole in the middle of the year, from the fuel protest to signing so many riders and so on. Personally, I think this team has some of the nicest people in the pit area, and sometimes, what it takes to run a successful team is misinterpreted. There is a lot on the line and you guys do what you feel you have to do. It probably sucks to be in your position, because publicly you’re seen as the scapegoat for most of it.

Most of the stuff that gets put out is not both sides to the story. It’s easy to say that you wouldn’t do something or you don’t believe in something, but if you knew the whole story, I guarantee you that 10 out of 10 people would do the same thing. I say this with the least amount of disrespect possible, but we’re not here to make friends. We’re here to win races. That’s what pays our bills and is why we go racing. We’ll do what it takes. I’m not going to say that we’ll cheat or anything like that, but we’ll do what is within the realms to do. That’s what we have to do.

When you came to the team, they were already very good. But these last few seasons have been amazing. I have a start photo from Thunder Valley and it’s two Star Racing bikes in the front. Everything is going in the right way and Yamaha sees what you are all doing.

This is one of those times when it would be easy for us to get complacent with what we’re doing. I don’t want to sit here and say that “We’re good.” We’re not. We have to keep striving and not lose sight of the benchmark we keep grinding away at. When you let up a little bit is when people close the gap.

What will the offseason be like, considering how much shorter it is and with all that is going on?

It will be our chance to get reorganized. There’s a shorter turnaround time on things like parts that we have to be on top of, but regardless, it’s what we prepare for and what we do. It makes things a little tighter, but it’s something we can handle. It’s just less time to relax, but that’s what we signed up for [Laughs].

Did the team experience any disruption in the flow of parts this year?

There was a time, but that was right when the virus hit and everyone was unsure. A lot of our suppliers are in California, and it didn’t matter if something was a simple as goggles or gear; they were shut down. We had to be a little careful about how much we rode, but we also didn’t want to ride too much because we didn’t know exactly when the next races would be. We didn’t want to burn fuel just to burn fuel. It scared everyone and we had to be wiser with budgets.

Having Gareth Swanepoel around has become an important part of the program. A lot of people have done their part to make things more organized, like how Mitch made everyone look like a team and how GEICO Honda took on the development of an amateur program. Star Racing takes it another step further by having a guy right there for riders, pro and amateur, to rely on for training.

Swanie has been here a long time and has set himself up for this. He does a hell of a job and has to balance quite a few riders, but he’s organized and all the guys love him. Our guys are in great shape and able to do the full 35-minute motos or the Main Events for Supercross. It’s part of the team, a combined effort that everyone puts in.

Masterpool was very good at the two RedBud races with his starts and the laps led, but unfortunately, those were his only appearances this year. The team had a lot of time invested in him, so how was it to explain that it wouldn’t continue in 2021?

It’s tough. I know the family really well and for a long time because I trained at their place when I was racing. It’s never easy to let someone go. It’s the part of the job that’s not fun. But it’s one of those decisions that you have to make.

This is a good crew. Considering how intense everything is with expectations and talent, there could easily be some issues between people. But that doesn’t seem to be the case, at least from the outside looking in.

Staff-wise, we all get along really well. Yes, there are times when you’re edgy and stressed, but that’s any job that you do. I don’t have to ask anyone to do anything twice. Everyone is always willing to lend a hand and it’s refreshing to be around them.

You’ve been in this role for a few years now, so what do you see as the most rewarding or best part of the job?

The best thing is seeing guys accomplish their goals. Even though you’re a small part of the puzzle, you still get that feeling of still being relevant and part of it, even though it’s just a small part. It gives me satisfaction, and I don’t feel like I have to be the one out there. When I see them achieve what they set out to do, it feels good.