It has been a great start to the season for Noel Zanocz competing in the EMX125 series. The rider from Hungary was able to secure a factory ride with Fantic for the season which adds pressure but two rounds in and so far so good. Despite picking up an injury before round one he was able to win the first round and after the second round at Arco di Trento, he still has the red plate.
We caught up with Zanocz to discuss the first two rounds of the series, big a name from himself from Hungary and more. You can listen/read/watch below:
GateDrop: Two rounds into the EMX125 championship, a big improvement on last year. You must be happy with how everything is going considering you came into round one with a little injury?
Zanocz: Yeah, also here I still have the injury but I’m looking forward now. I have two and a half weeks of rest so in the first week I think I will do the right to solve my problems and then focus for the next round in Portugal. I still hold the red plate after Riola so this was a weekend but in the first moto I had a bad luck I was dead last after the crash in the third corner in the first lap and then after I put myself into the 13th place so was not good but not so bad.
The second moto I had quite an okay start I was fifth so it was good for me and then I just finished second I tried my best but was not enough to win but we work for Portugal and coming back I think more healthy and more strong.
GateDrop: What is the goal this season? Is it to win that championship?
Zanocz: Yeah I want to win this and also the Junior World Championship.
GateDrop: What has it been like with the Fantic team? I was speaking to you at the end of last year and you had no ride panicking but you ended up with a factory team in Fantic, it must be amazing?
Zanocz: Yeah, it’s a good bike and we need to work on it because now we have the new engine. We need to make a lot of tests, we already did in the winter and now in Riola I ride with the new engine but after that we decided to here ride with the old engine because it’s just a bit less power but it’s working better. It’s 100% no problem but yeah we need to work on the new bike but this bike can also win so yeah I’m happy with it.
GateDrop: I was speaking to you last year and I think you were based in Hungary last year driving all the GP’s. This year are you living in Italy?
Zanocz: Yeah, I am.
GateDrop: What’s it like living in Italy, everything is lot closer?
Zanocz: Yeah, but I how do I say it?
GateDrop: You miss home?
Zanocz: Yes, I do.
GateDrop: What was your winter like in Italy I’m assuming Italy for the winter is a good place to be, lots of tracks and lots of riding?
Zanocz: Yeah, but you know in the winter we’ve been in Sardinia because the weather was a bit better than in Milan. In Milan, it was cold so we couldn’t train a lot but in Sardinia it was good. After that I also spent quite much time at my home because the weather was good and yeah it’s like a new lifestyle for me to live alone with only with my mechanic. I need to learn it.
GateDrop: You’ve been a privateer rider most of your career, to get this jump up the factory team is big opportunity?
Zanocz: Yeah, I take it. I think the red plate is showing this and I think it looks good. That’s my first year in a factory team.
GateDrop: Obviously coming from Hungary I think before you there’s only maybe been one Hungarian GP rider Kornel Nemeth. Now there’s you, there’s Aron Katona and Bence Pergel coming through… It’s good for the sport in Hungary for such a small country?
Zanocz: Yeah, It’s hard to say but our country is tiny and poor so it’s not the first choice for the motocross. Now we have a few guys who get the opportunity and they can work with wealth with this opportunity they take it. Yeah that’s good for me and also for them to bring the sport on a higher level in Hungary. I hope we will compete in the MX of Nations and I hope the federation will watch this video and they will make a team.
GateDrop: Just on the EMX125 championship obviously last year it was pretty much Reisulis and Valin quite far ahead of everyone else. This year there’s been lots of riders at the front so I think even though you want to probably win every round, it’s going to be important to be consistent as well…
Zanocz: Yeah, like two years ago if you remember Cas Valk won the championship and he won only three races and I don’t know but Ivano van Erp won I think five or six races and he was 100 points behind Cas. So, yeah I think to be consistent and always fighting for the podium is the main goal for me. To be consistent and make more gap every race in my championship and take the red plate every race. For the end of the season I want to take the gold medal.
GateDrop: You are a big guy, have you done any riding on the 250cc before and part of you must be looking forward to jumping up to the bigger bike next year?
Zanocz: I could jump on the 250cc also this year, I got quite a few opportunities to race the 250cc but I did one race in Hungary with my 250cc and I beat that guy who now just finished sixth in the EMX250 first race in Arco (Bence Pergel). I think also with the 250cc I can ride in with the top guys in the EMX250 class but you know I need time. I think for me it is more hard to ride with the 125cc than with the 250cc because I need to be so perfect on the ruts to make the bike just go. With the 250cc if I make some mistake it just goes but with the 125cc is not like that. Especially here with the big triple, the little guys just put another gear and I need to put down the gears to go jump only the double  (laughs). It’s difficult but in another way my weight is good because when the track is slippery I have more grip, you know. This helps me a lot so, yeah there is two sides of it. I think I can use the positive side to make my riding better.
Interview: Andy McKinstry
Image: Fantic Racing
