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5
MINUTES WITH TRAVIS PASTRANA
by EDDIE
GRAVELINE
MOTOPRESS
1-5-00
Q: Well, Travis, you’re about to enter your
first 250 Supercross. How are things going so far?
A: Things are going just phenomenally. I
mean, my dream my whole life has been to race with guys like Jeremy McGrath and
I’m getting the opportunity to. I’m hoping to go out there and ride a smooth
consistent race for 20 laps. I’m definitely hoping for top 5. I’d like to
get top 3, but even if I don’t, it’s going to be a good starting point.
Q: Let me backtrack for a second. Last
year you came out, won a few Supercross races, including the East/West Shootout
and then came out on top of an epic battle for the 125 National MX Championship.
Could you have possibly had a better rookie season?
A: Last year, I really couldn’t have. It
started out rough, with a lot of crashes, and everything that comes with coming
into the pros. At the same time, I realized that I had the speed to run with
those guys and that’s really what it took; a little bit of confidence.
Hopefully when I come into the 250 class, I’ll come out with that same
attitude; that I can run with these guys. Right now I think I can. We’ll see
after the first round for sure.
Q: How is your leg (He broke his leg in
September)?
A: My leg doesn’t bother me at all. It
feels 100%. I got injured on a bicycle, so, I mean, I haven’t been doing too
much BMX training for this season, but I’ve definitely been doing a lot of
training. I’m definitely looking forward to it.
Q: So has Roger (DeCoster) put you under
video surveillance to make sure you don’t operate any movable objects other
than your dirt bike?
A: (laughs) He’s got satellite coverage,
I’ll tell you.
Q: You said you want to place in the top 5
in the first round. What is your goal for the season as a whole?
A: That’s (top 5 finishes) my goal for
the first couple of races. We’ll have to go from there. I’d like to win a
few races this year. Flat out, you can never be happy with a 5th, but
coming into the first race, the only thing I wouldn’t be happy with is if I
crashed myself out. Really, my main goal is to stay consistent and smooth, find
out where my speed is, see where my weak points are and work from there.
Q: Since you and Kevin (Windham) have been
testing together, do you feel you are consistently fast enough to challenge on a
regular basis in this class?
A: Kevin is the most naturally talented,
phenomenal rider I’ve ever ridden with in my entire life and no, my speed is
not up to Kevin’s. However, I feel, no, I know I can run the whole 20 laps at
100%. I think that’s going to be a great benefit. Mike LaRocco may not even be
in the top ten out there speed wise, but he’s always in the top 3 (at the
finish). Even if I’m not quite as quick at the beginning, hopefully I can use
my endurance to help me toward the end of the race.
Q: You’re going to be running a 16 round
series this year, as opposed to half of that last year. Does that change your
approach going in at all?
A: No, it’s still the same. You have to
stay in points contention all the time. It would be nice to be leading the
points, but there’s a fine line between being consistent and being off the
pace. You have to be both on the pace, winning a few rounds and also consistent.
At the start of the season, you can’t win the championship in the first round,
but you can lose it. The goal is not to lose it.
Q: One of the highlights of last year was the
rivalry that developed between you and Stephane Roncada in the Supercross season
and then boiled during the nationals. He got the 125 East and you took the
National championship. The good spirited nature that you both kept throughout
the season really made it fun to watch. Do you see that continuing now that you
are both in the 250 class?
A: I sure hope so. Stephane’s a great
rider and a really good friend of mine. He’s just so funny. If you ever get a
chance to talk to the guy, he’s just super. I think the rivalry is going to
continue. Maybe in a few years, we might be battling for the lead. This year,
Stephane’s not really thinking about me too much and I’m not really thinking
about him too much. We’re thinking about Jeremy and…(Eddie: “You both have
bigger fish to fry”). Yes, bigger fish to fry. We’ll probably be battling
each other, but we won’t be worrying about each other.
Q: We seem to have had a changing of the
guard so to speak, with some of the older guys finally retiring and a lot of
really young talent moving into the 250 class. It seems like there might be as
many as 7 or 8 different guys who could win races this year. Besides Jeremy and
yourself, who else do you think is capable of being a player this year?
A: It’s really a tough call. There’s
so many new guys coming in. As the sport’s growing, the guys are staying in
longer. I’m 17 years old and there’s guys who are over 30, like LaRocco who
has a great chance to win it. The age range is so broad now that there’s so
many guys. Definitely look for Carmichael to be up there. He’s trimmed himself
and he’s going to be tough. Kevin Windham is a phenomenal rider. Ezra Lusk and
Vuillemin. All of those guys plus some more have a chance to win it so I think
there’s going to be some good racing.
Q: We’re going to cut this one short
because your dad’s trying to get you out of here for an appearance. We’ll
look forward to watching you and catch up with you again after a couple of
rounds.
A: Sounds good. Thanks for the interview.
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