“Tennessee
Thumper”
Interview:
Nathan Ramsey
Story
& Photos by Eddie Graveline
www.motopress.net
Q: Nate, let’s talk for just a minute about the Supercross season. Obviously,
Yamaha Motor Company and Yamaha of Troy have to be pleased with the debut of the
YZ250F. It won the 125cc West and you came in second on the bike in the 125cc
East. Then you won the East/West Shootout in Las Vegas. Are you satisfied with
the season or was it disappointing to you to finish second in the points?
A:
Well, you know, my goal was to win. I had some good races along the way, but
kind of gave it away at times a little bit. Yamaha put me on that bike and the
bike was great. I definitely had the equipment to do it. I’m thankful for the
way it went. Second place isn’t bad. Just one guy was a little bit better.
Ernie (Ernesto Fonseca) won on the West Coast, so everything went really good. I
think we finished out strong with the shootout win. There’s only one way it
could have been better and that was to have won the championship. I’m just
looking toward the future.
Q:
Do you feel that the competition, at least among the top few riders, was tougher
on the East Coast this year?
A:
Um, it’s hard to say. There’s definitely fast guys there and on the West
Coast. It’s a tough one. Unless you’re in every race of every series, it’s
hard to say, so I wouldn’t really want to say. The Shootout, you know, there
was guys from both sides there. Both coasts are really strong.
Q:
You rode the YZ426F in a few 250cc Supercrosses at the beginning of the year and
then the YZ250F for the remainder of the season. Are you a dyed in the wool
4-stroke man now?
A:
I like the 4-stroke. I like the way the power delivery is and everything. But
next year I’m hoping to move into the 250 class and I’m not sure what I’m
going to be on.
Q:
As far as the 125cc Nationals go, a lot of people consider the bike to be an
advantage on slippery, hard-packed tracks. What about when you get to the East
Coast and some of the muddier races? How do you think the bike will do in those
conditions?
A:
I think that on the slippery, hard-packed tracks, you have to learn to ride the
bike. I thought it was going to be something where you could just jump on the
bike and go, but it’s a little bit tougher than that. It’s a different
technique to riding it on the slippery hard, and in the mud and the loamy stuff.
It’s good in both as long as you do it right.
Q:
Have you guys gotten past the troubles of kick starting the bike hot if you
stall it during a race?
A:
(chuckles) Yeah, we’ve got it down now.
Q:
The 125cc National series looks like it might be one of the best. There’s
almost too many great riders to list. You have guys coming from Europe, guys
like Pastrana, you and Fonseca who have been successful here already and some
veterans like Larry Ward, Damon Huffman and Steve Lamson who could also be a big
factor. Do you feel that the 125cc class is reaching premier status and might be
a place where guys can make a home, rather than just being a stepping stone to
the 250cc class?
A:
I think that if you wanted to, you could for sure. Definitely, the level of
competition is there and people have respect for the class. It’s real exciting
to watch because everybody’s close. I mean, you can’t even name all of the
guys that could go out there and win a moto or something. It’s definitely a
lot of strong competition, so, if you wanted to (make a career out of racing the
class), you could. I think everybody still looks to the 250cc class to get there
one day because that’s the way it’s designed, you know, the whole sport.
Q:
Is the money gap between the 125cc and 250cc classes closing or do 250cc riders
still earn a lot more?
A:
There’s definitely gotten to be more money in the 125cc class, but then
there’s extremely more in the 250cc class. It’s still proportionally the
same gap.
Q:
I don’t know if you consider yourself more of a Supercross rider than an
outdoor rider, but you’ve definitely had better results in Supercross up to
this point in your career. How do you look at it?
A:
Well, that’s true and I bring that up a lot. I really want to prove myself
outdoors. I like them both, but for some reason, maybe just the style and how I
grew up—we had a Supercross track outside my parents’ house so maybe that
had something to do with it—it’s taken me longer to get comfortable and up
to speed on the outdoor tracks. It’s true. I’m still working on that. I
guess maybe I am a little more adapted to Supercross, but hopefully I can turn
that around and be really well rounded.
Q:
That being said, what type of goals have you set for yourself in the Nationals
this year?
A:
Well, first of all, I’ve got to get up there and win one. After that, I want
to go for the championship. I want to set my goals high because if you don’t,
you’ll never know what you could achieve. Somehow, hopefully I can win a
couple of them and then just let it go on from there, just let it snowball.
Q:
I know you plan to be right in the middle of the championship battle, but who
would you say are the other top three to five riders in the class?
A:
I think (Grant Langston, Mike Brown and Travis Pastrana) are going to be really
tough. And then there are so many guys that could just get in there at any time,
really. It’s what makes the outdoor series different. You can strategize
because there’s so many guys that can get up there.
Q:
How about some of the old farts in the class, guys like Tallon Vohland and Steve
Lamson? Are they guys to watch out for?
A:
Yeah, they’re going to be fast. You know, we’ve raced these tracks for a
while now. You can be the home guy and get pumped up a little bit, but still,
you’ve got to be fast that day.
Q:
What are your predictions for the 250cc National championship?
A:
I don’t know, I’d like to see Red Dog (Tim Ferry) continue to win. I think
he deserves it. It’s been a while and he rides that YZ426F really good. It’s
going to be tough. The series is long and it’s going to be one of those tough
ones, so you have to be strong.
Q:
Good luck Nate. We’ll be watching for your first National win.
A:
Okay, thanks.
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