It’s been three years since Davi Millsaps won his last supercross main event. His latest win, the third of his career, this past weekend at Anaheim 1 may have been his most impressive since it comes after nearly three years worth of injuries, hard times and two team changes.
Dirt Rider spoke with Davi after his big win to find out how it all went down.
Q: You have to be excited to get this win.
A: It was a fun race and it’s an amazing feeling to get this win. I don’t like that lap sign that hangs out over the track because I can see it every lap. I look down for a couple of laps, and then I looked at it and I saw “lap eight” and I thought, you gotta be kidding me. But it was definitely a fun race, me and Trey were there the entire time, going back and forth. I didn’t pull away, he didn’t let me. And then when he passed me, I thought, ‘dang!’ But I stuck right there and found some good lines and got him back.
Q: Usually, when a rider gets passed then they give up and let the guy go. Did you have a little extra in the tank?
A: I was riding a little tight from halfway on, just from being in the lead for that long. It’s been a while since I led a race. I was just a little nervous, especially getting the holeshot and leading most of the race. You know, I had a little more in my tank and I just had to calm myself down and find better lines.
Q: Coming into the season, you were kind of off the radar, the hype was on the other guys.
A: That’s a good thing. Coming in here, I wasn’t on anybody’s list to win, I was up there talking at the press conference, even though I was second in points last year. I wasn’t in anything. I was pushed aside, and I think that’s because everyone thinks me going to the team I’m on now (Rockstar Energy Suzuki), they think it’s a B team. I think our team is definitely an A team and is as good as any team out there, if not better.
Q: It’s been a long time since you got your last win. Talk about that period in between.
A: It’s been a rough time, getting hurt as much as I had, and I lost my kidney in 2012. In 2011, I blew my knee out a couple of times and had to have surgery two times. After that, Rockstar Energy picked me up early on in the outdoor season. They had a bike for me to ride and I just went out and rode and rode and rode. Yogi (Ezra Lusk) would send me my program every morning and I’d be pissed about it, but it’s paying off.
Q: Talk about how the day progress for you here at Anaheim.
A: You know, I just took it one step at a time. In practice I went out and rode like I can and just took my time. I wasn’t really stressing about the bike or that there were other people out there. And going out and winning my heat race was definitely a confidence booster, but also made me a little nervous. It’s like I knew I could do it. It’s been an emotional night, especially since I have never finished in the top 10 at Anaheim 1 ever in my career.
Q: You won’t be able to sneak up on anyone next week in Phoenix.
A: Yeah, backing this up is going to be the hard part, but I’m going to go back and do the same thing and just put my head down and give it all I got. This gives me more motivation to work and train harder, knowing I can win.
