MXA: Let’s get right down to it. Who’s on your short list of names that might represent Team USA at the Motocross des Nations?
Roger: Soon we will have to decide, but based on what’s going on right now we definitely need to look at Blake Baggett, Justin Barcia and Eli Tomac. I’d pick two of those three, and then Ryan Dungey.
What about a more experienced 450 guy for the MX3 spot?
Like who? <-- Slecht nieuws voor Alessi
There’s a lot of talk about Mike Alessi. He’d be dying to go. What are your thoughts on him?
There are two problems there. I’m not so sure about what kind of support, equipment-wise, he’d get in Europe. Also, looking at lap times from the Nationals, there are 250 guys going almost as fast as Dungey, and Dungey is going a lot faster than anybody else that he’s racing right now. If Ryan Villopoto came back and won the last few races then we’d have to consider him. The same goes with James Stewart. However, that’s a scary proposition, because James has been so up and down. The 250 guys have been impressive this year. I definitely want to consider one of them to ride the 450. Justin Barcia rides the 450 really good, and he can ride sand. I need to talk with Mitch Payton and the AMA, but this is my opinion right now.
Did you think before the Nationals began that Dungey would be dominating at this point in the season?
I knew that Ryan would be in the hunt, but with Villopoto’s injury it changed things. Villopoto is the only rider that I thought would give Ryan a run for his money on a regular basis outdoors.
KTM had a long history of trying to succeed in U.S. racing, but they couldn’t make much headway. Then you come on board as team manager, and then Dungey makes the switch a year later. Now KTM has won the last five 450 Nationals and KTM looks well on its way to the title. Do you ever take a step back and look at what you’ve accomplished in such a short amount of time?
It feels good, but it’s the result of a lot of people putting in a big effort. It comes from the factory side in Europe, and the people that put the bike in production, and for them to let us what we need to do. We have a really good crew in the U.S., and we’re all giving it 100 percent. It has been fun to see everything come together the way that we wanted it to.
What rider has surprised you the most outdoors?
With Ryan I expected a lot from him. For me, Blake Baggett has made the biggest improvement this season for the outdoors.
Ken Roczen is so focused on winning, but he looks a bit dejected on the podium sometimes. What advice do you offer Roczen?
It’s not easy! It’s not just trying on race day, but the whole week. Both of my guys have a ways to go on preparation. It’s the first time that they have raced a full season of the Nationals. When you tell them how hot it’s going to be at some of the races they tell me that it’s also hot in Europe. Well, it’s a little bit different here. Also, the level of competition is higher.
The KTM 450SXF is probably extremely far along in terms of setup. I know that Ryan is very particular about suspension settings, especially his shock, but are you making any leaps forward in terms of development at this point in the year?
No. We’re not making big changes. There’s no reason right now to make big changes. We fine tune things a little bit, mostly with suspension. We have plenty of power, but the suspension can always get better. That’s what we focus on.
Years ago you met Ryan Dungey at Millville, and you ended up signing him to factory Suzuki. This year at Millville did you walk around the pits hoping to find another diamond in the rough?
[Laughter] That would have been nice! Guys like Dungey don’t come around very often.
Toch nog een mooie inhaalbeweging gedaan achteraf.
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