After winning the 2014 AMA 250 West Supercross title, Jason Anderson stepped up to the 450 class in 2015. Remaining with Rockstar Energy, but with the team switching from KTM to factory Husqvarna backing, the 23-year-old quickly impressed with a second place finish at Anaheim 1. One year later, Anderson did one better at the Anaheim opener, winning in convincing fashion, and getting a second “W” last week in Detroit. We tracked down the always relaxed and confident Jason Anderson at the races to get his thoughts on his season, working with Aldon Baker, and whether he’s too aggressive on the track.

By Jim Kimball

Jason, how big of a change was the 2016 Husqvarna FC450 from the previous year’s race bike?
We made the switch over to the new bike right after outdoors ended last summer. Ever since then my results have been top five more often than not. I definitely think that the new bike is great. I’m much more used to it now, so we just have to keep it going. I have a long-term contract with the team, and a strong belief that we have a bright future.

What was it like to win the Anaheim opener? I heard from lots of people about how cool that win was for Husqvarna. It was cool for me to win, but honestly with all the work that myself and the team put into it, we expect to win. My end goal is to win a lot of races and a championship. If I won a championship, while not winning any races during my entire career, then I would be completely cool with it! Race wins are nice, as they don’t come around often, but I want a championship.

You are now into your second season working with Aldon Baker. How has he helped you? Everyone always thinks that there is something crazy that we do, but we just ride our road bikes a lot and do motos. It’s very structured, and that structure keeps you on it every week. We have a good group there, and we all push each other. If you look at Detroit, we qualified first, second and third. Then the three of us finished on the podium in the main event. It’s been cool, because we all race one another during the week. Then we usually finish top-five at every race. It was especially very cool for us all to be on the podium at Detroit.

Are there any disadvantages to training with a couple of your main competitors? No, I don’t think there are any disadvantages. At the end of the day it’s up to us individually to beat each other and rise above any other stuff. If I get beat by them then it’s on me. At the same time, if they are waxing me every week, then it can suck. At the end of the day my goal is to win, no matter what situation I am in. You just need to keep pushing and try to be the better guy.

This year in the 450 Supercross series you have passed more riders than anyone else on the track. On one hand that is awesome, but on the other it says your starts are off. Yeah, everyone tells me about my starts. I hear about it every day. I try to get good starts, and I just need to keep trying. Obviously I am practicing starts during the week. I am trying to improve my starts, but at the same time we work on every aspect of racing, and turn everyday into the best day possible. At least I have been able to make some passes and get to the front.

Can you still win this championship? Yes, there is still time for me to win this championship, but I’m also thinking two, three, and four years down the road. I want to be a top-three guy every year. As far as this year, realistically Dungey is so far ahead, but it’s not like I am going to give up. Right now I am looking at taking some race wins. I could give a you-know-what if I win the championship this year. Dungey is a bad dude, and I doubt I can make up all those points to overtake him. For me, the more realistic goal is to catch Kenny [Roczen] in points and take second. That is a realistic goal that is foreseeable. I just need to keep having some good races and try to catch him. As far as winning the championship this year, Dungey would really have to mess up in order for me to catch him.

How is it being teammates with Christophe Pourcel? I like it. Christophe is a cool dude, and we have become buddies. He is someone to hang out with in the rig. If he beats me then he beats me; if he doesn’t then he doesn’t. He is a friend, and I want to see him do well. I get stoked for him if he beats me.

Some of your competitors feel you are too aggressive on the track. And they are not too happy with me, right? At the end of the day, the only guy that I really put on the ground is Cole Seely. I am just trying to get through the pack as quickly as I can–it’s not to put anyone on the ground. If they are in front of me, and I feel like I am faster than them, I’m not just going to follow them around. We get paid a lot of money to be up front, and if we get on the podium we also make some decent money. There can be a big difference between getting a fourth and getting a third. I’m not going to just follow people around and let them cash the bonus checks.

JASON ANDERSON PHOTO GALLERY