Vince Friese got back to racing at the opening round of the WSX series at Villa Park and despite some rustiness still performed well. It even looked like he won a main event but then he got docked taking the win away from him but his starts and speed were good on his return to racing – he should only get better.
We discussed the opening WSX round of the series with Friese and more.
GateDrop: Vince, the opening round of the WSX series, I feel it went really well for you. Apart from one corner which you’ll probably be having nightmares about having crashed there 3-4 times today but aside from that the speed was good and you even won a main before getting docked…
Friese: Yeah, I am happy. That last moto we had a foot peg spring break so I couldn’t really trust that and put my foot down there. All my weight was going on my bad ankle so I was kind of just trying to ride through it. It was just throwing me off a little too much there and I made a few mistakes there. They even told me on the board that I had plenty of room but I was riding a bit over jealous. I was actually catching Dean with my foot peg messed up, it got too wobbly on me and I tipped over, got up and then tipped over again. It is what it is and it’s part of it – a little malfunction but to come away with the podium is a good start to the season.
GateDrop: Not having races under your belt this year, what is it like coming in and racing with this intensity? It must be pretty tough…
Friese: I was definitely nervy yesterday and a bit today. Some pre-race jitters, I do get worked up but I don’t usually get nervy but I was for this one. It is a long time, you know. We got here on Wednesday and just sit around until Saturday so it’s a lot of time to sit there and think about it. I got this one under my belt so we’ll now do some more work and be back in a couple of months.
GateDrop: What was it like racing that format again especially after not having many races – it’s chaotic…
Friese: Yeah, I enjoy it… The three starts, shorter races, the track still gets chewed up. You know, we still do 28 laps and the 250’s do mid 20’s as well I think so the track is chewed up just like a 450cc main event in America. It is tough, the heart rate is up and even after the break it is for the next start. The body is tired, I am feeling just like I would have Daytona Supercross right now.
GateDrop: How would you say this track compared from Cardiff and Australia last year and would you like to see them doing something different or are you happy enough with them so far?
Friese: No, the track was okay. It broke down kind of weird, the dirt was hard but then they had some rain so had to build it in increments or something like that. There were a lot of soft spots out there so it broke down pretty bad but it was also hard pack and slick. It was a tricky track to ride, the whoops were built mellow but they ended up being really tough at the end of the night. The whole track was, there wasn’t anything too difficult out there but it got hard by the end of the night.
GateDrop: Before Cardiff last year, I’m not sure if you’ve raced outside America but what is it like racing outside America in front of audiences you don’t usually get to race in front of and Supercross going global, I think is important for the sport?
Friese: I love it. Obviously dealing with jetlag and things like that are tough. I’ve done it before but we are still learning to do it based on a series and doing it week to week. I’m sure we’ll all get better with it over time and continue to bring this great sport all over the world.
GateDrop: Have you any plans between now and the next round with the long break?
Friese: I’ll try and get a little bit quicker, right? Kenny was a little bit quicker than us tonight so we’ll go look for some speed. We’ll maybe take a week off to play some golf but then we’ll be right back at it.
Interview: Andy McKinstry
Image: WSX
