Smith called it a day after...
Smith called it a day after his crash, then went straight to bench racing with Jeff Kent. The two told stories and talked about how each of them are really, really good at what they do.
Los Angeles Dodgers second baseman Jeff Kent is a huge off-road motorcycling fan. We spotted him hanging out under the Suzuki tent at the GNCC opener in Florida with his friend and favorite rider Rodney Smith. We got a chance to sit down with Kent, and talked to him about riding, bikes and balancing it all with baseball.
Hey Jeff, I heard a rumor from Rodney Smith's mechanic that you always come out here to the opening GNCC round and hang with the Team Suzuki Off-Road guys. How did that work out and what brought you out today?
Spring Training is about two-and-a-half hours south of here and I've been a big fan of Rodney's for quite a while. He and I used to ride together when I was playing for San Francisco.
Are you strictly a fan or do you ever get in there and race?
A couple years ago the opening round was in Texas and I got to race in that one since spring training hadn't started. But since we've got spring training going on already I just have to come out here and watch. But I love it out here, it's cool.
Kent and Smith on the starting...
Kent and Smith on the starting line of the Orange Crush GNCC.
Photo by Kinney Jones
What's your riding season like when you have spring training starting this early and a professional baseball schedule that lasts so long?
Well, if we're not in contention (for league championships) then I'm looking for October 1st. My bike's already clean and ready to go. I ride from October to the middle of January, maybe February. I've got a motocross track, a half-supercross track and a cool 50 track at my ranch in Texas. So, me and the kids, we have a good time riding.
Where are some of your favorite places to ride?
I grew up old school so Saddleback, Indian Dunes and Carlsbad were my favorites. It's a bummer those aren't around. (As far as) the new tracks there's Glen Helenmy dad raced there and I've raced thereand I've heard a lot about the I-5 track but haven't been out there yet. The others like Perris and Lake Elsinore, I've been too a few of those from time to time as well, but during the season, I keep it quiet when I'm riding. I might get out there, but I don't do anything heavy.
When Smith came in after a...
When Smith came in after a nasty get-off, Kent was ready to help out and get his hands dirty.
I've seen you stir up the press in LA about reading motocross magazines in the locker room. Any truth to that?
Yeah, I wear the motorcycle magazines out. I read you guys every month for six months.
What kind of bike or bikes do you have right now?
Right now, I've got two Suzukis at home. A 250 and a 125. I don't really wear them out because I only ride a couple months out of the year. But, I'm fixing to get some four strokes. Probably a Yamaha because I'm partial to blue. At my level of riding, you don't really have to worry about the quality or performance of the bike. It's kind of like, "What color do you want?" Do you want red do you want blue or do you want yellow? So I'm going with blue.
That's true. Well, thanks Jeff. We'll let you get back to the team and hopefully we'll see you at more of these events and maybe get to go on a ride with you someday.
Oh, you bet. I'll be out here more and more. The older I get, the more time I'll have so I'll be around.