One rider with so much experience in the Motocross world is Harri Kullas having been a GP rider in the past and racing a number of National championships over the years. This year, Kullas ventured out of his comfort zone and raced the last three rounds of the AMA Nationals in America which was great to see and the perfect year to do it.
Despite only racing three rounds, Kullas impressed a lot stateside and ended up finishing twentieth in the championship standings. He will be hoping to have impressed some teams over there and who knows, perhaps race a full AMA National series in the future.
Kevin Frelaud from DailyMX caught up with Kullas to discuss his AMA National experience and much more.
Harri, to start things off, one has to wonder. You’ve raced in GP’s, in so many Des Nations events, around the whole of Europe and maybe even around half the globe. How come you had to wait this long for that AMA opportunity to show up? What happened for you to finally be able to cross the pond this year?
Kullas: 5 years ago I had it all sorted with a bike, hotel and flights but I broke my back and couldn’t practice properly so I did not want to go there not being 100%. After that I was always fighting for the title at the British and then Covid hit. But half way through this year we saw that I was not in it for the British title so my team was good with me to follow one of my dreams and I managed to do it. At this point I have to thank my team boss and whole crew Cab Screens Crescent Yamaha crew for lending me a lot of bike parts and being very supportive. Thanks to Luc Myre and Tarvo Jurima from the other side of the Atlantic to help me out. Definitely extra thanks goes to Jukka Pekkarinen, Kenomer, Valley Developments, Tim Chambers, Palms, SP Lanscapes, Korjaamo S&V Varis, Reio Engman and Ermo Veltson.
I am pretty sure you had expectations coming in, but getting a sixth in Unadilla, did you surprise yourself a little bit there? You had an amazing first round with a 7-7. How did Unadilla go from your point of view and what did you think of the track?
Kullas: Obviously the first round was a bit of pressure and stressful as it’s a new championship with new rules and I did not know how the bike would work out. So, I just tried to make everything go smoothly and then worrying about the result. Everything went well there, I managed to do press day on Friday, which helped a lot being on a new track. With 90 riders signed up the first thing you need to do is qualify to the main races. Once qualified I got great starts starting 2nd in both races. I managed to have really good flow and stay 7th in both races, I did surprise myself but I knew it is possible if everything goes right. But maybe not straight at the first round.
Your starts were absolutely amazing at Unadilla; you’ve left some engine builders scratching their heads. What kind of bike did you manage to get to race these 3 outdoors and how different was it compared to the one you do ride in England with the Cab Screens Team?
Kullas: So bike wise the biggest things I brought were the ECU and Akrapovic exhaust. Other than that I had a stock YZ450F. The bike is strong enough between factory bikes. In the UK I have little bit of a stronger engine but maybe I have to go back to stock (laughs). Pirelli tires we got from States. Then I had my shock and forks. I had some other parts with me to get the same feeling on the bike like triple clamps, RFX handlebar, ODI grips, Moto Master brake discs, DT1 air filters, levers and stickers from GP Grafix. But it was more or less a stock bike.
Obviously we have the former MX2 world champ racing in the US now, and he said he has been struggling a lot with the very little track time they have in the US during qualifying. Is it something that also challenged you during those 3 rounds?
Kullas: Actually for me was okay. Of course it did help as I managed to ride on Friday at the press days at all three rounds, so I got to ride 90% of the track before qualifying on Saturday. But the tracks are so well prepared so there’s no surprises, you can hit the jumps and corners with the speed on the second lap. I don’t think I would have done much better results if we had longer qualifying.
A 12-12 in Budds Creek gave you a 12th overall. It seems like this round was a bit more of a challenge compared to Unadilla for you. How was that round for you?
Kullas: Yes, I was mentally preparing for more of a sandy track and my bike setup was off because of it. I didn’t get so confident in those corners and did some wrong tire choices. I enjoyed my riding but yeah, the results were not as good. I was a little bit off in the starts and during the first race at the start and first corners I had something with the clutch and that’s why I dropped outside the top 20. The track was also a bit tricky, but it still solid ride and I was fighting for top 10 at the end of both moto’s.
You ended your American trip with another top 10 overall in Ironman. You’ve raced 3 rounds, ended up 20th in the championship with 67 points, same as Justin Barcia who rode the exact same rounds as you. Did any of these guys come to chat with you to learn more about the Estonian guy kicking their asses in their own championship (laughs)?
Kullas: Yeah, I did chat to a few guys over there. I got some surprised faces when they learned about my set up.
You have raced many championships, you still do some GP’s here and there, but mainly race in England as of now. How does AMA nationals level compare to the GP’s, and the domestic series in the UK?
Kullas: I think the top level is great over there and at the GP’s, maybe the mid pack is bit stronger in the GP’s. But again it is a different championship and tracks so it is not easy to compare. In the UK we have strong riders who can ride fast, especially in the UK soil.
What’s one thing that surprised you the most about racing in the US?
Kullas: How relaxed the race organization is and how they talk/listen to riders. They always want to improve and make the championship better.
GateDrop: We also have to mention you rode the GP of Lommel this year. You’ve beat a couple of factory riders, getting 11th overall. Is it safe to say you’ve been in one of the best form ever this year? Does this feel like it? You have been killing it everywhere you’ve been.
Kullas: I definitely wouldn’t say I’m in the best form. We have had a lot of work on the new bike, especially being a small team and we haven’t got all the parts that we needed. It has taken lot of time for the team and me as a rider plus it has been stressful at some points. So I’ve missed quite a bit of training and some races. I work hard all the time as I like it and I know without work it’s not possible. I’ve been able to put it all together without big issues in the races at the GP’s and AMA. But also had a bit of a issue in the first race in Lommel. I have had pretty good GP races before but sometimes doing only a few GP’s, it is not easy to get the result on the paper next to the guys who do this week in week out.
You’ve turned many heads with a solid stride in AMA this summer, while you are also killing it in England. Is a full AMA Motocross season with a better prep’ in the back of your mind now, before you consider retiring?
Kullas: I’m open to anything, yes. It would definitely be great to do outdoor championships in America before I retire.
After 3 rounds, you are 34th in SMX standing. We know Eli won’t ride it, Justin Cooper will be in 250 for SMX, so you actually only one or two spots out of a ticket for the SMX LCQ’s. If the opportunity shows up, what are the chances you could actually line up for a round of the SMX within the next few weeks?
Kullas: I did qualify, actually. Once I got an email from the AMA after Ironman we started to look at options. I asked one team from America, I spoke to the same guys we did the 3 rounds and we looked also at possibly doing it on our own with trailer and buying a bike and road tripping. But it was a bit too much money wise and I had to decide on the Friday after Ironman so I couldn’t put it all together. Hopefully next year.
Last but not least, I know the Estonian MXON Team has not been announced yet, but are you willing to line up in Ernée in October for your 13th appearance at the event ? This will be big…
Kullas: I’m obviously happy to ride at the MXoN again, for 13th time! Obviously, Tanel Leok is my teammate so it seems I’m not going to catch his record as he doesn’t seem to be stopping any time soon (laughs).
Interview: Kevin Frelaud
Main image: Nigel McKinstry
