CHANCE HYMAS INTERVIEW: DOES IT GET MUCH BETTER THAN THAT?

 

Similar to several weekends ago, the national motocross 250 championship has welcomed another first-timer to the club. At High Point, it was Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki’s Ty Masterpool taking his first-ever pro motocross overall win. Now at Red Bud, it was Chance Hymas on his HRC Factory Honda doing the deed! We caught up with the recently turned 19-year-old from Idaho just after the press conference.

 

BY JIM KIMBALL

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CHANCE, YOUR FIRST MOTOCROSS OVERALL AND AT RED BUD, DOES IT GET ANY BETTER? No, I don’t think it gets any better than this.  A bucket list win for me, and a lot of Americans in the sport. I had a good race.  Joe pushed me to my limits and it was really good.  I am obviously still kind of speechless right now but I am super happy.  

Chance Hymas grabbed his first overall win at Red Bud!

YOU WERE ANGRY COMING INTO MOTO TWO AND I NOTICED AS YOU HOLESSHOT MOTO TWO AND CROSSED THE WHITE LINE THAT YOU DID A SPITE WHEELIE. Yes, that wheelie was on purpose (laughing).  I was fired up after dropping some positions in Moto One. I was going to throw up a number one since I pretty much holeshot both motos.  It was close with Ty Masterpool right there. I knew I had a big start, so I was like “Yeah, I need to do something, so I will just ride a wheelie down the start.” As I said, I was mad about losing a podium spot in the first moto.

AS MOTO TWO YOUR LEAD GREW AND GREW! BUT AT MAYBE THREE-QUARTERS IN, YOUR TEAMMATE JO SHIMODA CAUGHT UP. I found some great lines, and that first moto anger also helped propel me. But you are right, at the end, Joe was on me and pushed me to pick up my pace. Obviously, I wanted to win, but even if Jo had passed me, I would have been happy for Honda.

Though he won the overall he was docked points and purse money due to jumping on the Red Cross flag, leaving him just one point above Tom Vialle in the standings.

HAIDEN DEEGAN STILL HAS A DECENT POINTS LEAD.  ARE YOU THINKING ABOUT POINTS AT ALL RIGHT NOW? Not really.  Haiden is doing good, and he is consistent. Unless he has some major flaws happen in the next few rounds, it is going to be hard to knock down a forty-point lead.  Honestly, right now, I am just trying to get into range for second in points. I feel like if I get to the end of the season and I am second in points, I am happy with that.  Obviously, I am not settling for anything.  I am going to go for it, and I am not going to quit till the end.  I am going to try to give him a race for his money every weekend, but Deegan is too good right now to mess with a forty-point lead unless something catastrophic happens. Right now, I just keep doing my own thing and continue making improvements like I am. 

With the confidence from his first win, we expect to see Chance on the top step of the podium more often.

WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE UPCOMING RACES; ANY THAT YOU LOOK FORWARD TO? I have never been to Millville, so I am excited to go there.  I grew up racing Washougal quite a bit to qualify for Loretta’s, I am excited to go there.  Unadilla is a cool one with the elevation change, so I am excited about that, and the same with Budd’s Creek. I’m truly just excited about racing my dirt bike and just looking forward to it.