Justin Brayton is ready for the Outdoors. The Factory KTM racer has made a name for himself on KTM's 250f motocrosser through hard work and some great finishes. Not to mention he flat rips on a 450! Remember the X-games last year? Yeah, he's the real deal. We caught up to Brayton (not on a bike) at Glen Helen as he put some last minute prep time in for this weekend's Outdoor national.
How's the transition from Supercross to the Outdoors going?
JB: I chose to race the 450 at a couple Supercross races this year and focus all my attention to Supercross, so I haven't done anything prior to right after Vegas as far as Outdoor prep goes. We rested for a couple days and now we're right back after it. There is no downtime for me, really.
JZ: What are you looking forward to this Outdoor season?
JB: I think the Outdoors is the grassroots of the sport. All of the fans can get roosted in any of the turns in the outdoors since they're up so close to the fence and I think it's really cool for them to actually see how fast we're going and how big the ruts and/or braking bumps are. In Supercross, from the stands, the whoops and even the triples can look small even though they're huge. I think that's what is truly unique about the Outdoors.
JZ: Do the fans have more of an influence in the Outdoors?Oh yeah, when you get in a good battle up towards the front it's always fun to hear the fans. You can hear them all the way around the track. It's pretty awesome when you come around and you can hear them.
JZ: What do you change in your program most to tackle the Outdoors?
JB: I think it's similar but you've got to change your training for more endurance, of course. The Outdoors is made up of a lot of long days in general. There is a lot of downtime in between motos and I think just being prepared for Saturday is what's important.
JZ: What do you like least? The heat or the rough tracks in the Outdoors?
JB: I actually think both of those things play in my favor. Once it gets tough and really hot is where my training pays off. When it's cool and smooth I think everyone can go fast.