Makita Suzuki - New Faces New Places

Ivan Tedesco Red Bull HondaIt's going really good. I changed up my whole program for the '08 season. I came over to Honda, and Red Bull jumped on board, I switched my gear to Fox and I just moved to Tallahassee, Florida. I got a whole new program going. The off-season went great and I'm looking forward to a great year.Right now the biggest thing that stands out about being on the Honda team is the bike. They work so hard to have the best bike and I do believe they have it. We do a lot of testing and they really do work hard.I'm going year by year. I'm 26 right now and I'd like to say that I'll race until I'm 30, but you never know. I got a great, fresh start here at Honda, and I'm really motivated to go out there, be at the front of the pack and hopefully win some races.

Mike Alessi Rockstar Makita SuzukiIt's a professional team. They have the attitude of winning. They're a lot like me, you know; they're focused, they want to do the best they can, they want to win. It's good for me to be in the atmosphere of a winning team like that.I feel so much more confident on the bike and I'm confident that I can go into a big set of whoops and know that nothing bad is going to happen.KTM was great, a little bit more fun atmosphere and more laid-back, but the future is Suzuki and I'm looking forward now.I actually haven't worked on my podium speech. That's a good question. I need to start memorizing it 'cause there's a good chance I'll probably be on the podium sometime in the future on the Suzuki.

Tommy Hahn Xtreme Team GreenI was frustrated after last year. I kinda changed up everything-new team, new trainer, new everything, so I feel more physically and mentally prepared than I've ever been in my life.My corner speed has improved a lot from last year, and I think that's a lot of the race and also my starts have improved. I've been doing a lot of agility training, a lot of cardio training. It's made my reflexes better. Everything's good, I feel strong.I think people made it seem like there was more pressure than there really was at Honda. But they were awesome. They just told me to go out there and give it 120 percent and not to give up, and that's what I did at every race.I got my new sponsors down. I was actually thinking about that the other day because I've been saying "Honda" for 11 years, so I hope I don't slip.

Chris GosselaarTroy Lee DesignsRed Bull HondaThe pressure here's not as gnarly as it's been in years past. I feel better as a rider without all the pressure. They're just out there to have a good time and want me to do the best I can.On Christmas Eve I crashed pretty good, got my bell rung, separated my shoulder, broke my hand and jacked up my back. I haven't ridden since Christmas Eve. This is a West Coast team and they're only doing West Coast. There's no option to race East Coast, that's why I've got to gut it out and just do what I gotta do.

Gavin GracykTroy Lee Designs Red Bull HondaOn New Year's Eve a year ago I drove myself down to Georgia to an empty apartment where me and my fiance had resided before she passed away. I didn't have a bike, didn't have anything, didn't have any direction. Now here we are in 2008 and I'm at Anaheim 1 getting ready to do my first big supercross.Last season I was just a privateer with people who believed in him and Dave Derosier (mechanic) putting in the hard work. Now being with the Troy Lee Red Bull Honda team, things have come together. Everyone's got a smile on their face and that's a beautiful thing.My goal is to make each lap count. Learn as much as I can and build off of it from week to week.

Charles SummeyToyota Gibbs Racing Yamaha It's just amazing the way my bike feels. I feel like I can place it where I want to in the turns, on the jumps; overall it feels like a better package for me.Moto XXX was great for me. I'm going to miss those guys, but at least MX and SX is kinda like a family; I'll see those guys each weekend.We went to a little class for the podium stuff and interviews in general over at Joe Gibbs Racing. They have a guy there who specifically works on interviews.I feel like I've worked hard all my life to get to a certain point. I feel healthy and I believe that I belong up front in the premier class. I'm not saying I'm going to be a certain place each weekend, but when you guys see me up in the front of the pack I'll feel like I belong there.I can't wait to drop the gate on Saturday night and go after what we've been working so hard for.

Troy Adams Hart and Huntington Rockstar HondaI think this year, being on the Rockstar/Hart and Huntington team, the coolest part is working with Carey Hart. He's the owner but at the same time he's a rider. He sees the team from a rider's perspective and a team manager's perspective.Having more riders on the team makes it a lot easier. Everyone is driven to get things done. At the same time, being a first-year team, there's no pressure. They want you to go out, give it your best, and as long as you've tried your hardest, they have no problems. That, to me, is the biggest thing. I don't have anyone telling me to win or that I have to get a top five. Here, if I put in a 100 percent effort, they're happy.All bikes have room to go. This year we hooked up with Jim Lewis at Merge Racing Technologies. He's a real smart guy, he's a full-on engineer. As far as suspension, motors and all the intricate parts like ignitions, well, it took me three days to test my bike and get it where I wanted it. To me, I think we have just as good a bike as any almost-factory team.Hart and the guys have big plans for the team. Carey's love for the sport is making him want to stay in it for a long time, even down the road into the amateur scenes, helping up-and-comers with a stepping stone program. I've been on a different team every year since I turned pro, so it would be awesome to stay, watch this team grow and to grow with them.I feel that this year I found the fun in everything again. I sort of lost that. With these guys, that's all they do. They crack jokes and put the fun back into racing.

Adam Chatfield Jayco Richardson's Racing SuzukiEverything was good right away on the new bike. I was off the bike for two-and-a-half months after shoulder surgery, and I think it may have done me good because I really want to ride, I'm really into it.I got my own posters made this year, I was pumped on that. I always wanted one of them.The Richardson guys all ride; the owner's got his own track. They just love racing. All the boys are out here today to support us. I always wanted my team and sponsors to have a big rig, and Jayco actually makes the rigs so it worked out perfectly.

Austin StroupeMonster Energy Pro Circuit KawasakiSo far I haven't really gauged myself off of any other riders besides Brett Metcalfe because I haven't gotten to see anybody else ride.It was a little shocker for a while if I was running East or West because I got hurt. Mitch wouldn't let me know which coast I was racing. It was a little nerve-racking. I'm ready to go. I've been training hard and I'm just ready to go out there and ride and see what it's all about.

Andrew McFarlaneXtreme Team Green Last year was pretty much a disaster year for me. It was such a roller-coaster ride-being injured for four months and then I came back too early with pressure from the team at Daytona and then crashed and hurt my back. It was really a season and a time in my career to forget. I think the next two years are going to be good for me.We took the right steps at the beginning on the new bike. It was one of those things where you can push the limit and the bike's not ready or the bike's ready and you're not ready. We had a good, full two months, and I think I spent my time wisely at the Kawasaki test track and spent a fair bit of time at the Mike Alessi camp in the high desert.

Dan ReardonTorco Racing Fuels HondaPurely one of the reasons I chose this team was because of the people surrounding it. That was more important to me than a big paycheck straight up.It was only this time last year that I was watching these guys on TV. As weird as it may sound to say this, it doesn't feel that much different. For me, I just want to think of it as another race; that way I can stay confident and comfortable.I got the tattoo about a year-and-a-half ago. I suppose it's a reminder to me to believe in myself, believe in my goals, in what I'm trying to do. I believe in God, too. "Believe" is just one of those really strong words that people can take in so many different ways.I'm pumped, I'm here, I'm ready and I'm giving it 100 percent no matter what. I'm not backing down.

Zach Osborne Boost Mobile Yamaha of TroyZach Osborne and his new Boost Mobile/Yamaha of Troy ride were completely speechless in the pits of Anaheim. After the girls left, he managed to whisper a barely audible version of "I'm really happy on the new team. I'll do my talking on the track. I need to hydrate."