America just won the 2005 Motocross des Nations, the biggest and baddest professional outdoor motocross event of the year. This win brought the USA to an all-time tie with Great Britain for the most wins in MXdN history. This event has more hype, more controversy, more stress, and a bigger audience than anything else on the schedule. Was it worth it for Team USA? What was it like? Is there parity between the U.S. and Europe?
    Ivan Tedesco said it was “one of the coolest experiences I’ve ever had.” Kevin Windham said “I honestly had one of the best times of my life.” Ricky Carmichael, who has raced for the USA at the MXdN the most, just said that even when he is retired from SXMX full time, he wants to come back with Team USA as long as he can.
    After they lifted the Chamberlain trophy up for a crowd that looked like Woodstock and did the press conference, we worked the team trucks to find out what America’s MX heroes thought.

Motocross des Nations to air on U.S. TV:

February 28, 2006, at 2:00 p.m. (EST) on Speed TV. Subject to Change.

 

Ivan Tedesco

Team USA 2005: Ricky Carmichael, Ivan Tedesco, and Kevin Windham

Racer X: Ivan, we know the overall results of the des Nations: USA won! Could you recap both of your motos?
Ivan Tedesco: In the first moto I came out pretty decent. I was with the 450s, so I was about 10th or so. I picked a few guys off, and I think I rode really well that first moto. I was the first 125 in the race. I think I rode a solid race and ended up sixth. In the second moto, I got a decent start and I was working my way through and tried to pass someone on the inside where no one had ridden all day, and it was kind of muddy. I lost the front end and fell into a bank. I caught back up to [Sebastien] Tortelli, and then we had our own little battle going on. We started getting a little aggressive. We came up this hill into a right-hander, and we both were not going to shut down and went into the same rut. We both went down and his foot got caught in my rear wheel. I had to help him pull it out. It took a little bit. By the time I got going, I was pretty far back. I just charged back the best I could and ended up, like, 17th.

Did you have any Glen Helen flashbacks?
[Laughs] A little bit. Right then.

Was he standing on your wheel?
No, he was cool. When I was lying on the ground, I was thinking I was going to blow it for the team. But those guys rode really well in that last moto and pulled it out. We did what we had to do to win.

What did you think about this crowd, the atmosphere, the overall event?
This is the craziest thing I have even been to. You have to be here to even understand it. There are so many fans, and they just love it. They get into it. They like us Americans here. They were cheering us around the whole weekend, in practice, in the race, the whole time. Whether we were battling with the French guys or whatever, they cheered us on the whole way. It was one of the coolest experiences I’ve ever had.

Is it what you expected or better?
Better. It’s totally different. The fans are way crazier. There is a lot of pressure and you feel like you have all of the USA on your back when you’re riding around. It’s a lot of pressure, and I think we all dealt with it pretty well. We pulled it off.

You guys won, but do you think the Europeans proved themselves worthy opponents?
I think so. Those guys are quick. They surprised me. I didn’t know what to expect when I came over here. A lot of people were saying that the Europeans were going to smoke me, too, so I think I showed them that I have the speed and I can hold my own on their turf. I think we had a good day.

Congratulations, and I’ll let you get back to celebrating.
Thanks a lot, Steve.

Kevin Windham

K-Dub's free time: Sign, take a few steps, sign, take a few more steps....

Racer X: Kevin, congratulations. Do you feel like you are part-“King of the World” right now?
Kevin Windham: Yeah, that would be “Kings.” I really appreciate our team and everyone that came together. Ricky obviously rode the strongest, but he gives credit to the other two guys, and I will do the same. We all had a struggle at some point in the day. He had it with Townley in the second moto, and I had it with Pichon, and with Townley as well. After I crashed, I had Belgium on me, and that was a really important position that I kept. It was a tough day, but we came out victorious. The feeling is unbelievable.

What happened to you in that second moto, the first moto you were in? You were checking out, then what?
A lapper was going up the big hill in the middle. I thought he was going to give way, and I had a lot of entry speed into that corner and he didn’t. I had to back it down, and I leaned way over on the inside and there was a rut, and I clipped the inside stake and it grabbed my front brake really hard. I almost saved it, then I hit a rock after that and I went down. Man, I bent everything, my sub-frame, my front end, and I think my rotor. The first time after that I got any major air was that big tabletop in the middle, and my front wheel stopped, and when it did, the front end of my bike just dropped and I almost busted my ass. I was able to save it, and I rode as hard as I could, but I was scared to catch a lot of air like that.

Is this a race where these crazy things happen, like, due to the pressure? It seems so much happens that no one wants to win it.
In Brazil when we went, we almost had a chance, then we had some really bad luck. This time, at the beginning of the day when it was raining, he told me, “We don’t have to worry about you, you never fall.” And sure enough, I’m down on my head. It was an easy fall, and to get the damage that I had to my bike was unbelievable. So yeah, crazy things happen. Pichon went down. It’s a crazy race, and all the emphasis is on just one day. In one day, we decide which is the best country.

The fans couldn't wait to get a look at the American team

What did you think about the atmosphere, the crowd, the noise? Have you ever experienced anything like this?
It’s incredible. It’s a great opportunity and an honor to come and support your country. You get over here and you feel like it’s the U.S. against the world. You get on the track and hear the number of American fans that are over here, the French, and all of Europe…. Our autograph lines were huge. People were all over wanting to see us.

You felt like a rock star?
Yeah, it’s nuts. They like what we’re doing and appreciate us being here, and that makes it that much more worthwhile.

The American fans are down on the GPs sometimes, since a lot of their top guys come to America. Do you think the Europeans you raced earned the respect of the American fans? Was the competition that good?
That’s the one thing about the political side of racing. If you’re here, you’re the best in your country, and there is something to be said for that. France was tough today, and Townley was tough, and Belgium. There are some great riders that were here today. I’m not going to take anything away from them or any of us. I think ultimately everyone tries to go to America. We have some great series, and I love that part of my job. But it was really fun here today. The fans were great. The competition was great.

On a scale of 1 to 10, the chances that you will be on this team one year from now in England are…?
Oh, man, there are a lot of races between now and then. I had a great time. I think there are some up-and-coming riders that may or not be wanting to go. If I’m picked, then it’s more than likely that I will go. There is a lot of stuff between now and then. It’s unfortunate that my kids are too young to travel with me. I was supposed to go straight from here to California for supercross testing, but now I’m going to wait a week. The way we race, there’s no idea how you are going to feel when that day comes.

I honestly had one of the best times of my life here. If that is any indication, I would love to have the opportunity to go again and will seriously consider it. We will cross that bridge when we get there. This was kind of the win of all wins for my career so far. I’ve had a lot of them. A lot are memorable. I think about several of them over again. One was the GP in America when I was racing this same bunch of guys. This one ranks up there on the list.

Kevin, thanks for the time, and enjoy the celebration.
Thanks!

Ricky Carmichael

How do you feel about leaving this race today, compared to a couple of years ago in Zolder when you beat Everts but Belgium won?
I feel way better. The end result was, we won the race and won the trophy as a team. Obviously, the feeling is great. It’s a team and country feeling, and not just a personal feeling.

Is this the loudest, wildest thing you have been to?
Yeah, this is the gnarliest crowd I have ever raced for. You couldn’t go anywhere or do anything.

Did you live like a rock star?
You just couldn’t go anywhere. That’s the easiest way to say it. It was unbelievable.

When you sat down to lunch Saturday inside a hospitality room, there must have been 20 faces pressed against the glass. Cameras were going off.
Yeah, it was! It was amazing. I honestly believe three-fourths of the crowd was here to see Team USA. That’s a great feeling.

Overall, did the Europeans prove themselves this weekend?
As far as raw speed and talent, I think we dominated. What people lose sight of is, we are coming over here, so we have a handicap to start with. To do what we did is amazing.

How about the overall organization and presentation? What did you think?
The details are good, that’s for sure. It’s embarrassing to have a European guy come over and see our deal. Not to discredit any of our promoters or anything, but I think it’s just embarrassing. They do it right. It’s a show. Everything from the way the track is put together…. It was nice to see a track that wasn’t covered in Parts Unlimited banners and Thor banners. That was really nice.

Spoken like a true Fox Racing rider!
[Smiles] It was something different and nice.

Will next year be your last MXdN?
No, absolutely not. This is an event that I can do for a long time. I will make it a point to go, for sure.

Even if you aren’t contracted to race all year anymore?
I will still do it if I can, yeah. This is an event that I think I can be competitive at for a long time. I will be in all the time.

What can you say to the rest of the motocross industry in the States that backs away from this event?
We’re beating a dead horse there. I’ll just say the feeling I got was great. I’m happy for the guys that got that feeling up on the podium. The best way to put it is, the other guys missed out. When their career is done and they don’t have a Motocross des Nations, that will be a regret that they have.

Did you ride like you want people to remember this day for a long time?
Absolutely. I rode my heart out. That was for sure.

Thanks, and see you on press day at the U.S. Open.
No problem. See you there, Steve.

Reprinted from www.racerxill.com