Camden McLellan delivered a standout performance with a memorable first MX2 moto win in Arco di Trento which was Triumph’s first MX2 moto win – then followed it up with a dramatic crash that had everyone holding their breath in race two. We caught up with the Triumph rider to discuss the highs and lows of the weekend, his progress this season, the motivation that’s fuelling him, and what the future might hold as a contract year looms.
GateDrop: Camden, from hero to zero a little bit. First of all, are you okay? It looked quite nasty when you got up, but it looks like you’re okay?
McLellan: Yeah, for now okay. I think I’ll be a bit sore tomorrow, but initially my ankle and my knee were… I had a bit of stress let’s say. I didn’t think they were going to be okay, but after some time it got better and then I could finish the moto and now I’m all right, just a bit of pain in the knee, but nothing serious.
GateDrop: Can you just talk me through the crash? It all seemed to happen pretty quickly, to be fair…
McLellan: Yeah, I wanted to shift from second to third on the take off and I mis-clicked it. IÂ only clicked it halfway, so it went into false neutral, let’s say. So I kind of got thrown forward and then actually not a false neutral, I clicked it basically into neutral, so in the air I couldn’t necessarily save it or anything. When I landed the bike was still in neutral, so I think if it was out of neutral I could have saved it, but the first impact went to my leg because I was kind of leaning to scrub. But yeah, almost saved it, but just…yeah.
GateDrop: The first moto, where did that holeshot come from? The starts of this season have been your weak point, so you got one holeshot and one moto win…
McLellan: Yeah, and the second moto was also pretty good. But we’ve been working hard during the week, we figured some things out on the bike, and they definitely helped a lot this weekend. Then I’ve just been grinding out starts all off-season, all season, and it’s slowly coming together. I have a pretty good routine, really consistent, so it’s not a surprise to me.
I have a really strong bike under me as well, so it wasn’t really a surprise to me. It was just really… It’s incredible how much the start helps, it’s crazy.
GateDrop: It’s hard to believe, but that’s your first moto win in MX2… I mean, you made it look easy. How good did you feel in that moto? You must have felt pretty awesome.
McLellan: Yeah, I mean, I sprinted in the beginning, and then I kind of gauged who was behind me, and I think the whole moto was sitting around four seconds, and I had my point where I could see the guys coming behind, and then Adamo got into second and made a push, and I picked the pace up. I had an answer for everything, I was never stressed or never out of control, no mistakes. Yeah, like you say, it was my first moto win, but it didn’t feel like it or look like it, I think.
GateDrop: Yeah, you looked really calm, and also I think you did your best lap of the whole race, lap 14 possibly, so towards the end, so you were able to pick the pace up when you needed to. What was going through your head the last four or five laps? Were you calm inside?
McLellan: Yeah, I mean, I was not even… Like, there came the thought, oh, this could be my first one, but then I quickly shut it down, you know, and Adamo was still close, and you never know when he can pick it up, and he did. So when he picked it up, I picked it up. Then I was really just in the moment trying to hit my lines, be as fast as I can, and it worked. The last lap, I could slack off a bit and then bring it home, but really from lap one until the second last lap, I was locked in.
GateDrop: In the press conference after Riola, you said you were angry from France. What made you angry, and are you still angry? Because if you ride like this all the time, don’t ever be happy (laughs)…
McLellan: Yeah, no, I’ve been struggling with the bike, and the potential’s been there, and I haven’t really been able to show it, you know. Everything’s been there, and I knew it, so that was frustrating. Then the weekend in Riola, what actually pissed me off was that I made a mistake during the moto and Adamo was behind me revving the whole moto, I was like, dude, come on, shut up, so that got me going. Then I made the mistake, he passed me, and then I was just even more pissed off, and then I really started to ride well, caught Kay at the end. The second moto also, I came in super confident physically, I think I’m really good right now, and also I felt like I had a point to prove, you know. I think people, especially the guys I’m racing against, they count me out a lot, they see the number eight, and they think, ah, you know, it’s Camden, it’s no problem, but, and I feel it also, and that’s been pissing me off also this weekend.
After Riola, Adamo said in the press conference, Camden joins the party when it’s a sand race, I was like, buddy, we’ll see about that, and then first moto, I saw him behind me, I was like, this man is not passing me, there ain’t no way, and he didn’t come close. So hard pack, sand, slick, dry, whatever it is, I’m there and I join a party anywhere. That’s what pissed me off that weekend, that they were thinking I’m only there for the sand.
GateDrop: Just on Triumph, obviously last year on paper, you were probably the number two rider behind Mikkel Haarup, this year it’s quite clear you’re the number one rider, and it’s a contract year, do you feel any pressure? It doesn’t look like it…
McLellan: Not from the team, I put a lot of pressure on myself, it’s contract year, no doubt you’re thinking of that, especially when I went down, I was like, that’s my season gone, and it’s contract year. So it’s there, it’s lingering in the back, but mainly I just want to do good, I want to be up front, and I know I can be, and like I said, at the moment I know I have everything, I know I emphasize the fitness, the bike to be there, I just haven’t been able to put it all together. But now this weekend, we didn’t make a single change on the bike, where if you compare to France or Cozar, what we started with, to the end of the weekend, the amount of changes we made has been, it’s been crazy. So, now that we’ve figured the package out, everything’s there, I’m feeling confident, I walked the line, I think, you know, f**k these guys, I’m there to win, get bonus money, and go home. That’s kind of been driving me, and for sure, I need a contract next year, I want a contract, where, I don’t know, but if I get the results, options are there, you know.
GateDrop: Have Triumph spoke to you or anything for next year yet, or are you still completely open for next year?
McLellan: I’m still completely open, nothing’s certain… Yeah, I am free at the moment.
