2018 Team Honda HRC – Video
Ken Roczen
“Earlier, I said if I win, get third, or fifth, it doesn’t matter and I’ll be happy, but when I came off the track, it did matter to me. I really wanted to win. I was bummed because halfway through, I had the speed and was catching those guys, but I made a mistake where I scrubbed and dragged my boot on the ground and almost crashed. I was riding a little tight and tried to shake it off, but towards the end I tried to just keep it smart. I didn’t want to do anything stupid because there’s a lot of racing left. The more I think about it, fourth place isn’t too bad. We could’ve had a way worse night, and I really think without that mistake I would’ve been on the podium. There were some nerves on the line just due to lack of experience starting with 20 riders. I kind of messed up both times and just dumped the clutch, so I was pretty far back in the main event, which was a little sketchy. I think if I had gotten a better start, my night would’ve been even better. I’m happy to be here and excited to keep racing.”
Cole Seely
“It’s a typical thing to say after Anaheim 1, but it’s good to get the first one out of the way. I think nerves got the best of some of us. I wasn’t really stoked on how I rode. My bike felt good but I was pretty tight. I kind of let other riders dictate my pace, so I was kind of bummed. With it being the first one, I can take all these things in, learn from them, and move on to the next one.”
Erik Kehoe: Team Manager
“Tonight was a good start to the season. It’s nice to get this first one out of the way and have everyone leaving safe with good, solid finishes. This first round, nobody really knows what to expect, especially Kenny after being off for such a long time, but he was impressive. A fourth is something he can build on to get some more confidence in a normal race situation. Cole learned some stuff and has a few things to work on. His fitness is at a different level this year, so he has the strength and speed but he still needs to work on his aggressiveness during the middle and end of the race.”
Oscar Wirdeman: Mechanic (Ken Roczen)
“Tonight was awesome and a great start to the season. Before this we didn’t even know where we stood. Kenny followed the plan of staying out of trouble and I think he was just one mistake away from being on the podium. His starts weren’t good but that can almost be expected after not racing for almost a year. If someone would’ve said 11 months ago that he would be fourth today, we would’ve been super-stoked. We kind of lost track of how far he’s actually come though, after he qualified first in timed practice, and almost went back to our normal expectations! We changed the suspension throughout the day, and we still have some work to do with the settings, but overall I’m really happy.”
Rich Simmons: Mechanic (Cole Seely)
“Overall, tonight wasn’t bad. I just think there were a lot of nerves with it being the first race. I’ve seen Cole like this before but I’ve also seen him do really well here, so it’s just a mental thing that he needs to work on. He was aggressive in the heat race, which was good, and he rode well during the main, but if he was a few tenths-a-lap better, he probably would’ve gotten in front of [Weston] Peick and been with Kenny. He needs to just work on not falling into line with guys and either get around them quicker or move them out of the way—not by taking anyone out or crashing himself, but if he has to be a little more aggressive to get around them, then that’s what it takes. In terms of setup, we kind of chased bike balance all day. We made some adjustments again after the heat races and he said it was good in the main. I don’t take too much from here because with the nerves, everything feels a little different.”