“Fountain of Youth”
Interview with John Dowd
Story & Photos by Eddie Graveline
www.motopress.net
What can you say about John Dowd that
hasn’t already been said? The guy is amazing. Now in his “late” thirties,
he continues to amaze the motocross industry by staying competitive with guys
that are literally half his age or even younger. He seems to have found the
proverbial fountain of youth! John is now one year removed from his last factory
ride with Kawasaki, but he still had a very successful outdoor season aboard his
Cernics KTM 520. In yet another age-defying statement, Dowd went to the U.S.
Open and rode both the 4-stroke and the Open class. I got to talk to him for a
few minutes to see how things are looking for next year and just what the future
holds for the Junkyard Dog.
John, lets start by getting your
feelings on how the 2001 season went for you.
“I was pretty happy with the
outdoor season. I didn’t race indoors at all. I had knee surgery last year and
I was riding a new bike, so I had a lot of factors that made me not really know
what to expect. I was hoping for a top-ten finish overall in the season and I
ended up seventh, so I was pretty happy.”
Like you said, the KTM 520 is completely
different than anything you rode previously in your career. I don’t know about
the rest of the track, but that thing seemed to be pretty solid on the starts.
“Yeah, for the outdoors it’s
nice. There are longer starts and enough room to use the power. The hardest
thing is when you first take off with it, with so much power, it’s hard to
keep it under control.”
The 4-strokes are generally heavier than
the 250s. Does that demand that you’re in even better shape if you want to be
competitive?
“It’s definitely heavier. If you
start swapping or getting out of shape, it’s a little scarier. It seems like
it wants to take you with it. It handles pretty good. It’s not too bad.”
Has KTM given you the option to ride a
250, or do they specifically want you on the 4-stroke?
“They want me to ride the 520.”
What’s your program for 2002 look
like?
“I’m probably going to be doing
the same thing. I might be doing the 125 East Supercross series. I’ll be on
the 520 outdoors again.”
If you ride the Supercross series, will
you pit out of the Factory rig?
“No, I’ll be in my own truck.”
How is it to ride a big bike like the
520SX on a tight little track like the U.S. Open?
“It’s pretty tough. I don’t
know, I have a hard time with it, but I’ve never been that good on real tight
tracks. This bike is definitely not a tight track specialist. It likes to be on
straight-aways and in wide-open places. It’s alright, though. It’s got a lot
of power. You just have to go easy with it, that’s all.”
You’re 36 now and you’ll turn 37
during the outdoor series next year. I know you get asked this all the time, but
how long do you plan to keep doing this?
“Right now I’m just planning on
one more year. That’s kind of my plan, to just take it a year at a time.”
I know that you started racing later in
life than most of your competition and therefore didn’t’ have the buildup of
injuries in your younger years. While that has helped you extend your career
deep into your thirties, do you think it’s tougher in general to stay in the
condition that you need to be in at your age versus if you were in your
twenties?
“I felt fine until I hit about 31
or 32. Then I realized that it was a little tougher to bounce back from injuries
or little crashes. I definitely got a little more sore whenever I hit the ground
or something like that. You definitely have to pay a little bit more attention
to your training as you get older. I definitely feel like I have to work a
little bit harder nowadays to keep myself in the same level of fitness.”
Thanks, John. Good luck next season. All
of the vets out there want to see you keep it going?
“Yeah,
I hear that a lot. Thanks.”
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