After making the bold decision to leave the familiar surroundings of the MXGP paddock for a new adventure in the United States, Danish rider Mikkel Haarup has experienced a season full of learning, growth, and fresh challenges. Staying with Triumph, Haarup quickly adapted to the American lifestyle and racing format, going up against the best in America in their home country and tracks.
We caught up with Haarup to reflect on his move to America – from adjusting to the unique training culture and track conditions to riding Supercross. He also opens up about the differences between racing in Europe and the U.S., his impressions of riders like Haiden Deegan and Jett Lawrence, and what the future might hold for him.
GateDrop: So, Mikkel Haarup, we miss you, we miss you in Europe, but first of all just talk to me about America, how everything’s going in America, different lifestyle, everything’s pretty different over here, but are you enjoying it?
Haarup: I’m enjoying it as much as I miss you guys as well. I think the decision I made when they called me and asked if I wanted to be a replacement, I think was the right decision. I got a lot of great experience over here and I’ve been enjoying my time. I’ve been learning a lot and just in the situation that I was in, which I think overall was pretty good, I think this turned out to be even better. So, I’m very pleased with the decision and obviously happy that Triumph gave me this opportunity to come over here and show sort of my worth, right?
GateDrop: What was the off-season like in America? Because obviously in Europe, you know, you can go to a lot of different countries and ride a lot of different tracks, a lot of different conditions. What was it like being in America? And obviously, I don’t think it went too well when you went to Supercross, I think you broke your wrist, but apart from that, what was it like?
Haarup: There’s some challenges to that, I mean, obviously people tend to stay at their own compound most of the time, you don’t get too much variety in tracks, but then again, I don’t feel like the tracks over here are a huge variety either. Most of the dirt is about the same except from Southwark, pretty much. So, it works, you can obviously see it works and we do make some switch-ups on the tracks and bring in some sand and stuff like that, but it’s not like Europe. We don’t drive around, travel around, you know. Sometimes last year, I’d go to France during the week before a GP where we don’t do this over here. There’s a couple times I’ve been up to Monster Mountain and around a little bit, but not a whole lot, you know, it’s a very different type of atmosphere and also some of the things is cool. I mean, I live at the compound so the track is right in my backyard. I walk across to the workshop and I put my gear on and go ride, so you don’t spend that time commuting back and forth from the track. It’s the same with the mechanics, they’ve got the workshop right there, if you’ve got to make an engine swap or suspension swap, everything is there, all the tools, not having to worry about packing it in the van and stuff like that. There’s a lot of changes to it and in this case, I think it’s a lot of a benefit because you can have the track right in the backyard.
I was thinking, let’s bring this to Europe, but how are you going to do that, right? In Belgium, you’ve got Lommel for some teams you’ve got that in the back garden, but other than that, you don’t really have that opportunity there.
GateDrop: Your first AMA National was Pala, I mean, going to Pala and what was that like, you know, new competition, new track for you, you had no idea where you were going to stack up, obviously, you know yourself, you’re pretty fast, but you never know until you race these guys, just what was that first round like?
Haarup: I couldn’t remember half of the stuff that happened that weekend because you meet so many new people and it’s not so much on track, I mean, I remember most of that, but just off track as well. The routines of everything, you’ve done this for, I don’t know, 10 years, so to all of a sudden have to switch up everything is a lot. There’s new people and like you say, new riders, I mean, so there’s a lot of things to it, but I think that’s a part of it, right? You have just got to learn and it was my first real race in the States, so there was a lot for me to learn and I wasn’t stressing too much with whatever result I got. I think I was like 15th but I wasn’t stressing at all because I knew that there was more potential, I just needed to sort of get used to everything.
GateDrop: Just on Pala, I was quite surprised actually when they interviewed you and you said that was pretty much your first time at that track, because Pala, the Americans ride there all the time, you think maybe next year before it you’ll do a few more laps around Pala before you get there? I was surprised you haven’t been there before to be honest…
Haarup: Yeah, I haven’t been there as far as I remember, I mean, when I was young, I think when I was like 11 or 12, I had a couple of trips over here on the 85s, but I don’t think it was one of the tracks that I rode. It was completely different. When I showed up there and I saw the track, it was actually a big track, on TV it doesn’t look too big, but it’s a big track, but it was way more technical than I anticipated as well. It’s quite tight, slippery and me being a little nervous with the track and the bike and everything, it was a technically tough weekend. I think from there on out it just got easier and easier.
GateDrop: Just on the bike, obviously you have experience racing a Triumph, you obviously give them their first podium at their first attempt in Argentina, but how was it going from the GP bike to the AMA bike, was there any major differences with the feeling and stuff, is there much of a difference?
Haarup: Everything is different, yes. I mean you’ve got a Triumph base but everything’s different. In Europe we do a lot of the test and development for the factory bike in the coming years. You’ve got the fuel difference for the engine, you’ve got suspension regulations so you can run full A-kit KYB, so I mean, a lot of differences. My overall setup, my handlebar, clamps, all these things are about the same, same goes for the subframe. We ran a carbon subframe last year on the 250, over here we can’t do that because of the regulations, so there’s so many things to it, so it’s two different bikes. I had to not start all over again because obviously I have some comfort with the Triumph and the fuel and that doesn’t really change, but the overall package… finding exactly what directions to go in to make it work on the tracks is a lot of work and it was a lot of work.
GateDrop: Well, you got better and better as the season went on, I don’t think you got a podium, but you were very close, I think fourth maybe was the best?
Haarup: I finished fourth two weekends in a row.
GateDrop: Were you happy with your progress that you showed from the first round?
Haarup: Yeah, I can’t complain about that, obviously there’s things when you look back on that you can improve on. I think I gave a pretty good effort and I made improvements every weekend, finished sixth overall in the championship and if I look back at the first round in Pala where I was 5th, it’s quite a lot of improvement in a very short time. It’s just things like that, every weekend there was the same challenge all over again, learning the track, but you get more comfortable with the people and the bike and stuff like that, so it got better and better but obviously I reached sort of a limit because it was your first season, right?
GateDrop: If you had to pick one thing, what would you say the biggest challenge was from you having to adapt to racing in America or maybe the biggest surprise? You have to ride very aggressive, but that probably didn’t surprise you because you would have expected that…
Haarup: No, it didn’t surprise me, but then again, when you’re here, it surprises you regardless, right? So the first couple rounds I thought because I’m a pretty good starter generally and I’d get a good start inside the top five… I thought I can tuck this inside and I’ll be good for a lap or two until I found my flow and I’ll settle down, but no, you can’t do that because the tracks allow you to go outsides, insides, so that was definitely a thing. I knew that coming in already, I don’t know if there’s a lot that surprised me because obviously I tried to do my research before I showed up. It was not like I just went in blind, but there was a lot of small challenges on the way that I had to try to figure out and how to solve with the team. I think we did a pretty good job generally.
GateDrop: In the paddock, was it tough not being American or is the paddock actually quite friendly?
Haarup: They’re very friendly. I have no complaints in regards to that, people were very friendly. Just in general, everybody is. I mean, even the fans that came around, they were so positive and supportive. I couldn’t put a finger on it but I love the fact that people like talking over here because I love it as well. People are not afraid of stating their opinion, even online, I don’t mind it. I think it’s fun. People are straight up, no bullshit. But no, they were very polite, came up and said how they thought I did a great job and they were excited that I was here and actually I met nobody with any negatives comments, so I was really pleased and I could not complain about that at all.
GateDrop: Is there anything in Europe that you miss?
Haarup: A lot of things, actually. The people and the food. There’s a lot of things I miss, but there’s also things now when I come back, I’m going to be like, I need to try and bring this from America back to Europe. But I think there’s always going to be that, you know, that’s just how it is.
GateDrop: You didn’t race Supercross, but what was it like riding Supercross? Totally different?
Haarup: It’s totally different. You have got to respect it. I mean, I caught on to it pretty well. Like you said early, I had an injury early on but not because of a mistake. I didn’t crash or anything. I made a mistake, yes, but I didn’t crash. Just with Supercross, you just need to get into the mentality and you’ve got to spend a lot of time on it and I didn’t have to take that time. I did more it as a challenge for myself to try and learn that. So I did the thing I was planning on riding there. I had the accident and obviously got injured with the collarbone but I’ve been really happy with the decisions we’ve made and the overall feeling I’ve had over here. In the end, the only thing I came here for was to race the outdoors. That little bit of Supercross that I did was just for my own entertainment.
GateDrop: Two riders I’d like to ask you about, Haiden Deegan, you battled with him a little bit, he looks to ride very aggressive. I would say he rides very much like an American always on the throttle. The other rider, Jett Lawrence, to me, he rides more like a European style, very smooth and controlled. Just what are your thoughts on those two riders?
Haarup: To me, Deegan’s not that aggressive on track. Of course he just does his thing like anybody. Obviously, he was fast – typically, he would come and pass me. If I did a good start, he would probably come and pass me most of the time. But no, I wouldn’t say he was aggressive, not at all. I think we’ve got just as aggressive riders in Europe. If it comes down to it, anybody can be aggressive if they have to but he didn’t have to.
If you’re trying to compare the techniques and stuff, I mean, Jett’s technique is like nobody else’s. I think the commitment from Deegan is really strong, I think he commit and there’s some heart behind it but I like that. It’s two different riders and two different approaches as well to the weekend, they approach it very differently. I think they’re two really good riders. I enjoyed racing Deegan and it’s been fun racing him.
GateDrop: For the future? Short term, where do you see it? Back in GPs or AMA?
Haarup: Short term, I’m with Triumph. That’s all I can say.
GateDrop: Do you see yourself racing Supercross or would it be motocross only if you were to stay in America?
Haarup: No, I won’t race Supercross, maybe just for fun.
GateDrop: Do you see yourself back in the GP’s in the future or not?
Haarup: Yeah, I do.
