JUN 19–NICK WEY’S ON THE ROAD TO RECOVERY

On Jun 19, 2002

Nick Wey began his professional career in 1998 under the powerhouse of Pro Circuit (and more importantly the guidance of Mitch Payton). As with any rookie you have rookie mistakes (look at James Stewart and Ricky Carmichael), but Nick’s first mistake took on more of a Grant Langston type spin (remember Dallas SX last year?). In Wey’s first career Supercross race, he crashed in practice doing a whip and sat out several rounds due to injury. Since then, Nick has wised up and learned to concentrate instead on what he was paid to do, race motorcycles and leave the showboating to the freestylers.

The highlight of Nick’s career so far has been the 1999 125 Nationals where he fiinished fourth overall and won the round at Millville. Thought to be the first in a long line of great finishes things haven’t gone quite as planned. After finishing the 2000 season with Pro Circuit Nick was picked up by Yamaha of Troy for a one year deal. Wey knew that he would point out under the new 125 point system the AMA had enacted, so he prepared for his future by racing several 250 Supercrosses before he switched to the 125s for the East Coast. During those early outings Nick showed promise, beating some factory riders and his Yamaha of Troy teammate at the time Nathan Ramsey. As the story continues, however, he struggled during the 125 East Coast Supercross series and ended the 125 Nationals with a disappointing 12th place in the points standings. Not quite the promising results that the factories were looking for, Nick found himself in no man’s land. Since he had pointed out of the 125 class, he could no longer ride for Yamaha of Troy (as they only field a 125 team) and his finishes in 2001 didn’t warrant a full blown factory ride. Factories are willing to take a chance on a rider that shows flashes of brilliance, but not on a rider that just grinds out top ten finishes and unfortunately Nick belongs to the later category.

Things suddenly began to look up for Wey just as the 2002 Supercross season was about to get started when, Jeremy McGrath was looking to sign another rider for his Yamaha backed team. It was not to be as McGrath decided not to sign with Sobe beverages (where two riders would need to be signed) and instead signed with Bud Light. It was a letdown for Nick as he had hoped teaming up with McGrath would elevate his riding abilities.

Just when it looked like Wey would have to do the Supercross series out of his own motor home, he signed a deal with the Moto X3 team. Wey realized that while being a privateer he might not be on the best equipment, he could still show the factories that he had what it takes to be the best. Nick’s Supercross performances had a few eyebrows raised, but the factory deals wouldn’t be on his lap until after the Nationals had gotten underway or at least that’s what he thought.

As luck or bad luck would have it both of Suzuki’s factory riders were forced to quit the Supercross series near the midway point (Windham femur and Pastrana miscellaneous problems). Rather than have the semi sit at home team manager Roger DeCoster put in a call to Nick to see if he would be interested in filling in one of the openings until the Nationals rolled around. In the end Nick went out and tested the works Suzuki’s, but because he was bound to his Moto X3 contract he declined the offer and stayed loyal to his employer. It was quite a strange move, since riders characteristically don’t turn down factory rides. By the time the 2002 Supercross series had concluded Nick finished an average of 10th place, and eighth overall for the series.

As fate would have it just after the final Supercross round Nick crashed and re-injured his knee (he hurt it at the New Orleans Supercross), and this time it required surgery. With his hopes for a factory ride heavily dependent on his outdoor finishes Nick was forced to sit on the sidelines and watch, something that is uncomfortable for any racer, but really devastating to a guy who knows his next year’s salary is depending moto finishes.

Luckily the recuperation time for his knee injury was faster than expected. While he was originally going to miss most of the Nationals Nick was able to return at Southwick. Even though Nick will be forced to ride himself into shape as the National series rolls around it beats sitting home on the couch listening to the Internet coverage of the race. We had a chance to talk with Nick recently, and asked him what he sees in his motocross future.

MXA

: Hey Nick, how are you feeling?

Nick Wey

: Well, I’ve been getting better and better day by day. After Las Vegas I injured my knee and have been playing catch up with bike testing ever since. I chose to ride Southwick and Budds Creek in order to regain some endurance and please my sponsors. I wasn’t 100% at those races, but it helped me work on some things with the bike.

MXA

: How much have you been riding since returning to racing?

: Since Southwick, I’ve been riding quite a bit. The only problem is that I’m having lots of trouble with my practice bike. It feels like I work on it almost as much as I practice! Riding in the sand really wears on the bike, so that’s a problem right now. I’m also working on a spare motor to take to each race just in case.

MXA

: Now that you are back racing, what are you planning to accomplish for the rest of the Nationals?

: As always, I’m looking to finish inside the top ten for series points. It’s going to be hard since I’ve missed three rounds and the other two rounds I was mediocre from recovering because of surgery. I know I can go as fast as the guys who are currently in the top ten. As for the top five guys, I can go as fast as them for a couple of laps, but my endurance just isn’t there yet. Towards the end of the series though, I plan on getting some top five finishes.

MXA

: How do you like your team this year?

: It’s a pretty good team. I mean, it’s a lot of work on my behalf, but the bikes are pretty good. Thankfully, Pro Circuit has helped me a lot with suspension and I’m still working on fine tuning everything with the bike.

MXA

: Do you have anything lined up for next year?

: As of right now, no.

MXA

: How about any offers?

: Yeah, I’ve got a couple of offers on the table. The ultimate goal is to get a factory ride of course, but I just want really good equipment and to ride the best I can.

MXA

: Alright, Nick. Thank you very much and good luck with the rest of the Nationals!

: Thank you, good talking to you.