Interview
with Rusty Holland
By
Eddie Graveline
www.motopress.net
The
trend in recent years has been for Arenacross to be invaded by National race
series regulars. For many, the AX series is a place to come and shine when they
may have been overshadowed on the Supercross or National MX circuits. Names like
Antunez, Stephenson, Willoh and Gonzalez fit into this category. Now you can add
another name to that list; Rusty Holland. Rusty has been bouncing around the
national circuits for several years now. He’s always had the speed, but never
the right combination of luck, opportunity and timing. This year, Rusty was
given the chance to join Jeff Willoh on the Thor/Tuf Racing/Honda team to
compete in the National Arenacross Series. He jumped at the chance and has been
a major player in the series ever since.
Q:
Rusty, you’ve been just about everywhere. I’ve seen you running CMCs, GFIs,
Supercross, Nationals, 4-stroke Nationals. How did you end up in Arenacross?
A:
Well, my friend Sully from Pro Circuit, I was talking to him one day and he kind
of lined up the deal. I wasn’t really sure if I was going to stick with the
series the whole year. I did the first four races on kind of a performance
clause deal. I performed well enough. I figured I wanted to stick it out the
rest of the series. Luckily they brought me aboard and I’m pretty stoked that
I’ve been able to get some wins for them.
Q:
How competitive have you been and where are you in the points?
A:
I’m pretty excited because I’ve stayed in the hunt and been able to race up
front every week along with getting some wins. I try not to even look at the
points because it’s such a long series and I’m a newcomer. I focus on just
trying to get through every moto as clean as I can. Whether I finish fifth or
first, my main goal is to stay within my rhythm. It’s good. I enjoy winning
and it’s a prestigious series. I like the traveling and meeting all of the new
people in the industry. It’s a whole other realm of people that I’ve never
met before because I’ve never been involved with Arenacross before. It’s a
good atmosphere with a lot of racing.
Q:
Speaking of the atmosphere in this series, it’s always had kind of a local MX
feel to me. Everyone knows each other and seems to be pretty friendly. Guys know
that they have to race each other for 17 weekends and there’s a lot of
banging. Is that the way it really is?
A:
It is. There are a lot less people. A lot less people are traveling each week to
every race. There are about fifteen to twenty of us who are really dedicated to
the series. For the most part, everybody in this series really respects one
another and tries not to pull too many cheap shots because of the fact that
it’s a tight knit series. It seems to bring all the riders and mechanics
together.
Q:
Does it help to be teamed up with a guy like Jeff Willoh who has been around AX
for a while and knows the scene?
A:
It does and Jeff’s a good friend of mine too. I’ve been racing him since I
was on an 80. It’s good to have Jeff on my team because we’ve been real
competitive all through our racing careers and I know that if he can do it, I
can do it.
Q:
Considering the fact that you’ve raced in every major series in the U.S., how
does the Arenacross series fit in with what you’ve done?
A:
It doesn’t matter to me. The bottom line is results and if you do good
you’re having fun. It’s not just at the racetrack on Sunday, it’s all
through the week. In this sport more than any other sport, there’s no one else
to blame. There’s no twenty other football players. Everything you do in the
week reflects toward the weekend. If you’re having a bad weekend at the races,
it just seems to carry right into the week. If you’re having a positive,
snowball effect, all the better. The bottom line is that winning is the funnest
part about it.
Q:
Do you have plans for the summer yet?
A:
I’ve got a few things up my sleeve, but I don’t want to comment yet. I
don’t want to jinx myself.
Q:
Well, I’ve got a question for you. I’ve been noticing a trend and it seems
like the Canadian Nationals would be perfect for you. Have you thought about
going there?
A:
(laughs) No comment.
Q:
Going back to last summer, you ran the Western 4-stroke Nationals and were
pretty competitive. How was that experience?
A:
It was good. That’s another option I’m considering (for this summer). For
the most part, if I’m healthy and racing, that’s my main goal.
Q:
Do you plan to ride any Nationals this year?
A:
Maybe. I’d like to definitely run the first two rounds, score some points and
get a national number. I kind of feel naked with a 3-digit. I don’t even have
a 3-digit this year. I have a tough clench on my #74 from the 2000 season.
Q:
You’re 26 years old now. How are you looking at the rest of your career? Do
you still want to work your butt off and try to make it to the big time or do
you just want to find your niche and make a living while you can?
A:
I don’t think that any of them are out of the question. I definitely
wouldn’t mind going back and riding Supercross. I think this (participating in
AX) has definitely been a big role in getting better at not only Arenacross, but
Supercross as well. I’ve never been able to get on board with a team that’s
helped me in and out of the races so many weekends in a row and I really feel
like I’ve learned a lot. If I can use that to my advantage and go back to
Supercross, I’m all there. I’ll put in 100% for training. I’ll hopefully
use this as a stepping stone toward the next level. I’m always hungry for the
next step.
Q:
Since you and I are both from Fresno, CA, you know that I’m always pulling for
you. I’ll keep track of you and keep me posted on what you end up doing this
summer.
A:
Yeah, I’ll be hopefully riding somewhere if I’m able to.
[Home]
[Back]
|
