Joel Rizzi has had a strong season back in the UK and in his first EMX of the season in Lommel he again showed speed with fast qualifying times in the top five. Rizzi went 14-7 in the motos with two crashes in race one but running top five for a long time in race two to show his potential at the international level is still there.
We caught up with Joel to talk about his day, his season and a tough 2023. Watch or read below:
Joel, let’s say a tough weekend in Lommel, first one of you to charge from the back and then the second one you got that good start, held on well for seventh, it’s pretty hot today as well, what are your thoughts on it?
Yeah, yeah the first race was devastating! I think I was in third and I just collided with another rider in that first turn and I actually came through really well I think I got to 12th by like halfway and then I crashed again so I had to work my way back that was the worst one you know you’re trying to not get your head down and just keep keep keep charging on and got to 14th, I was pretty disappointed with that. But no, today, holeshot which was really good the boys at the Dirt Store Kawasaki got that bike running amazing and you know even at world level it’s holeshot in races, so it’s mega. But just my riding, I’ve struggled all weekend to be honest. I think it’s people don’t really realise and I’ve underestimated it. I’ve been here before so I was kind of a bit confident with like how how it is, but it’s such a big difference – the tracks and GP’s compared to UK, it’s massive. You don’t really get a track like it, especially Lommel!
It’s just my my flow and my line choice and all that was way off compared to them boys. We know the speed was there from qualifying and even them first few laps but it was just they were just hitting their marks, every lap I’d make a mistake and it’s like my whole laps ruined. There is definitely positives to take out of it, that should have been a top five. I was a bit disappointed but is what it is, first GP back and it was EMX but I enjoyed it and it’s the most excited I’ve been for a race in a while!
You were top five on speed most of the weekend as you said last second moto there you were there for a long time.
Yeah speed’s definitely there but speed’s been there all year to be honest I just I’m just struggling at the moment to put it into into the races since it’s like since I’ve won my British race I’ve struggled a little bit to find that form I had in the race one of Canada Heights I think. I think now I’ve done that race win, it’s like every race I expect to ride how I rode in Canada Heights because I rode, I think, one of the best I’ve ever ridden in that first race of the British Championship at Canada Heights.
Like I said there’s definitely positives to take from it and you know just to be in top five and qualify is pretty cool so we’ll take that we’ll keep building keep working on everything, also the setup on the bike was you have to do so much more compared to a UK track, you know, but it’s things we’ve learned over the weekend and if we ever come back I’m sure the setup won’t be having to change as much for tracks like Lommel but it’s good.
On the move to Kawasaki so that was a big change for you this weekend as well but the season as you mentioned started out really strong, was your plan to step back to get the confidence at British level and then come back here?
Yeah that’s the plan, basically this year’s been a bit of a reset on my career like last year was such a such a messed up year I was really down but I sometimes think you need to get to that point in life sometimes to see what you really want and I realized I really want motocross to be my job. So I kind of reset, I’ve got an amazing team behind me and like you said, the start of the season’s been really good. I’ve built, built, built and I got to the where I wanted to be so fast. I think now it’s kind of like tricky because I want that every single weekend.
This weekend, it started off great with the with the free practice and the qualifying which is what I expected. The Kawasaki’s been amazing and really I was surprised by the bike as well and even on conditions like this we’ve not done any testing out and stuff it’s a great bike, it’s just if you want to fight for the wins you need that.
It’s small margins, you were right there.
Exactly, I’m sure if we if we had a week here on that suspension we had, it would be a different story but if buts and maybes, but at the same time it’s amazing.
Last season you were riding different bikes different brands and you also rode in America was last year over there you were like you were in around top 20.
Yeah, 18th I got in in Thunder Valley, that was a that was amazing experience! That’s where I want to be in the future for sure, I think they just do the sport right. I know money’s not a massive thing you know that you want to chase, but obviously it’s our job at the end of the day and I made more money at that one race of American than I did in any GP’s I did! It is what it is but that was a such a cool experience.
Last year, like you said, I started the year Yamaha then I went Honda, then I went Gas Gas and then you’re never really getting to show your true potential. My head wasn’t in in the right place what happened at the beginning of the year with the team I was set to do the wholebGP season with ending so fast and I was stuck in Holland. Then I got a fill-in ride with Jacky Martens, JM Honda, I was on someone else’s bike and I couldn’t really change stuff and stuff like that, it was just it was tricky, you know?
My head just wasn’t in it last year but this year it definitely is I’ve really focused over the winter on getting my mentality strong, my physical self strong. I think I’ve shown this weekend, I stuck in every single lap, I stuck in even that second crash yesterday in moto one, my head was down, but I kind of tried to force myself just keep going keep pushing on and in the past it would have been game over after that crash.
Did you make any contacts in America? Where they surprised at your name and results or anything because there’s a lot of quick bikes in America there’s like 16 factory riders!
Yeah, I tried to get my name out there you know tell them who I was and stuff like that and I think you need to do more that one race, it’s like this weekend you know you can’t really go off just one weekend and there’s a lot of factors in it. But yeah I want and get my name and myself good in the GPs first definitely.
And plan for the rest of the year obviously all the British races, any more EMX or are you just focussed on British from here?
Yeah definitely you know this was there was never a plan to come and do this anyway but I just wanted to do it and it didn’t go to plan if I’m being honest but I think if it went to plan definitely do more but it’s expensive. The British, it’s going good, I can still win that title so I think I’m going to focus on that and we’ll just see we’ll see how it goes. We’ve got Hawkstone this weekend which I’m really looking forward to another amazing track. I think some of the tracks in the British are a bit questionable but Hawkstone’s definitely not, so I’m looking forward to that.
And next year have you planned you in a contract here for next year or is it open?
I’m open but I’d love to stay with Dirt Store Kawasaki for sure, just the team, the Gifford brothers andGTCI GTC Dirt Store, it’s just such a good bunch of people that are willing to do everything to get me to where I need to be. Like they’ve come out (to Lommel) they didn’t need to come out here, you know? It was my plan just to come out here in my van and do this race but they’ve come out here to support. So, I definitely would like to do more GPs with them and show my true potential because I felt like I did a bit in qualifying yeah but I didn’t in the races this weekend so it’s just a bit disappointing.
