SHANE MCELRATH INTERVIEW: “I AM LEARNING HOW TO APPLY MYSELF AND USE MY TALENTS THE BEST I CAN”

 

 

Despite his lengthy pro career, 2025 was huge for Quad Lock Honda rider Shane McElrath. While his ninth-place finish in the series may not garner the same attention as winning the series, it was big for Shane. He was only two points behind Red Bull KTM’’s Aaron Plessinger in seventh. Shane took a solid second place in the mud at Foxborough and was in fourth place for much of the Salt Lake City Supercross finale until a crash set him back. We only need to look back to 2020 when Shane, on his Star Racing Yamaha battled eventual champ Chase Sexton for the 250 East Coast Supercross title, and later finished third in the 250 motocross series. When the year was over, Sexton got a Factory Honda 450 ride, while Shane went through multiple 450 rides. But since signing with Firepower, now Quad Lock Honda – Yarrive Konsky’s team, he has won the 250 World Supercross Series, and the Australian Supercross championship. Although he changed from a 250 to a 450, this team consistency gained him some big impacts in the 450 Supercross.

By Jim Kimball

---

SHANE, HOW DID YOU FEEL YOUR SUPERCROSS SEASON WENT? I came into Supercross this year with better momentum than I have in the past. Something good for us was not switching brands again. Coming into Anaheim 1 and racing in Australia really got to spend time on the Honda and build my confidence. That’s what that really helped me out with, and just gate drops. we had a lot of gate drops over the off-season and that was something new coming into A1. It wasn’t a lack of racing but a lack of time on the 450. So, we had a lot of work to do at the beginning of the year as far as set-up, but I think I came in the best I have ever come in as far as mentally and physically. It was still that I had about two weeks on the bike, but it was a familiar bike being a Honda.

Shane continuously got better and better throughout the entire season and even grabbed a second-place finish as things began to come to a close.

HOW BENEFICIAL WAS IT THAT YOU WON THAT WORLD SUPERCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP ON THE 250, FOR THE SAME TEAM? Absolutely it was important. And that is something for us that when we do our job well, it builds our confidence. For me it was not a lack of belief in my ability, it was the team coming together, gelling with the bike, having a good set-up, me being able to build on that foundation, and really getting to put some consistent effort in.  I have been on a bunch of different motorcycles the last couple of years and it is really hard to get to know a group of guys and get to know a motorcycle when you are always moving around.  That is probably one of the biggest things is we must grow straight away. We were still getting better now later in the season. Maybe for the first time, I see how important the comradery and team aspect and the bike aspect and everything tying together how important it is, and it is not just me going out and riding the bike.  

IT MUST BE DETRIMENTAL TO CHANGE BIKES AS OFTEN AS YOU HAD TO DO. Yes, it is. I have told a lot of people that I don’t have an issue riding bikes. I can get on a bike I have never ridden and go out and ride 80-85% within five laps no problem, but having to go and race, is the hard part. I am racing against guys that have been on the same bike for two to three years and they have a team that is fully developed, and everything is working together. My ability is good, but we are not even on the same playing field a little bit and that is one of the hardest things – being able to race a bike and knowing what the bike is going to do when you try to push the limit, which you must do every time you go out for a race. the lack of knowing what the bike is going to do is really one of the biggest things.

Getting out front early was critical for a good result in a mud race.

EVALUATING YOUR 2025 SUPERCROSS SEASON, IT SEEMS LIKE AFTER A COUPLE OF RACES IN, YOU BEGAN CLICKING MORE WITH THE BIKE, RIDING BETTER, FASTER, AND WITH BETTER RESULTS. That is spot on. It was probably after three or four rounds where I knew I could get a certain result and that is what I was focused on. But it was like “O.K. we have way more work to do” and I really stopped focusing on the result and started focusing on performance. I told the team that we have a lot of room to grow here, and we must grow for me to get these results. There has been a lot of growth and learning on my end as well as the team. Everything was new, and we go to the races. we really did not test before the season because we did not have time. Then, our testing was on the weekends, and trying to grow during the week. It started to click after three or four rounds because it was almost a different mindset. Our goal as a team has been if we are battling in the top five by the end of the year, we have done our job and that has kind of been our benchmark now.  

THERE ARE A COUPLE OF EARLY RACES WHERE YOU HAVE BEEN HOVERING IN THE TOP FIVE, AND OBVIOUSLY AT FOXBOROUGH YOU TOOK SECOND.  THAT HAD TO BE HUGE. That was honestly a perfect situation of opportunity for us. It was like everything came together at the same time. We are continuing to grow and get better and applying ourselves and the whole program is coming together and then it is like we are ready to race this weekend. Later, the rain comes, and it is like “Hey, this is an opportunity right here.”  Us being in a position to capitalize on that it was perfect timing.  

It’s easy to smile after a technical race when you find yourself on the podium.

I DON’T KNOW THAT YOU AS A MUD RIDER. Well, I am not compared to some of the other guys in the industry but for me, I grew up in the mud.  I have always been a good mud rider and I have always done decent in the mud.  

YOU BEGAN LOOKING EVEN STRONGER AFTER THAT RACE! That has been my plan. Last weekend was good. The turning point was when I got eighth place which was not bad, but I was disappointed in the way that I rode. we go to that level now where I don’t care about the 8^th place. I got a podium before, but it was like I want to do that in the dry and that is what I have been working towards. Last weekend, it was like I am going to get two good starts and see what happens after that and this weekend, it is the same goal.  I am going to continue to put myself in that position so that I can continue to learn.  It is becoming more and more comfortable and that is the good part about it and you have to be able to put yourself there and the more that you do that the more you learn.

HOW DO YOU KEEP THAT BALL ROLLING? It can be several different things for me. I am a glass-half-full kind of guy. I believe God has me here for a reason and that is where I am learning how to apply myself and use my talents the best I can and that is where it is. We are starting to see the fruit of our labors and it is encouraging, it is confirmation of let’s keep going.  It is tiresome but at the same time we must keep showing up for work because whenever that opportunity comes, we want to be ready for that opportunity. I am not doing outdoors this year. I am not contracted for it. I was a late addition to Supercross, so I am pretty content with not doing outdoors but we may do a few depending on SMX points towards the end of the season but that is really all we are looking at right now.  

Staying with the same team we will see Shane back at the races next year for Supercross.

DO YOU HAVE A CONTRACT FOR NEXT YEAR? I do, it is not official yet, but we are working. This year it has been a moving target a little bit, but the team is fully invested. We are fully invested for next year. it is ultimately a two-year deal right now and hopefully long-term, but yeah, as far as actually getting it locked in, that is still a little bit of a moving target because I was added on this year.  The team had already made their commitments to other guys and so them making a spot for me for Supercross was a big deal for me. We have a good relationship to where we are trying to do something long-term even beyond that but even for the sake of contracts, that is kind of our benchmark right now. 

IT IS INTERESTING THAT YOU ARE A LAST-MINUTE ADDITION TO THE QUAD LOCK/FIREPOWER HONDA TEAM, AS YOU HAVE BEEN THE BEST RIDER ON THE TEAM. It was honestly like how last year went for me. I ended up here; I don’t want to say by accident, but it was because they needed help because Carson Mumford got hurt in Dallas last year.  He was supposed to go do Australia and WSX for them. He got hurt and they needed a guy. We looked at the schedule, looked at some numbers and it was like “Well, we can do that.” we were not supposed to be doing that originally but then we ended up doing it and now it is like we built a great relationship off it. Now both sides are working asking “How can we continue this relationship because we are both working well together.”

Shane was very dominant on Star Racing Yamaha but did have some bad luck and was left without a ride for 450’s.

I HAVE ALWAYS LIKED YOU AND YOUR ATTITUDE.  I FELT YOU WERE OVERLOOKED WHEN YOU WERE ON STAR YAMAHA FOR YOUR LAST YEAR ON A 250. YOU JUST MISSED THE 250 SUPERCROSS TITLE, AND DID SO WELL IN 250 MOTOCROSS, BUT WERE LEFT WITHOUT A FACTORY 450 RIDE. I don’t disagree with you, and what we have learned in this industry, especially as far as factory contracts go is that it is all about timing, and about results.  If I would have won that year, I would have had a spot. We were all in and it was the end of the COVID year. It was late October when we finished racing and nobody really knew what to do or what we could do, so it was just bad timing. I told Star Yamaha that I was happy with where we are at, the things we had to learn and the things we had to go through. Going through them is obviously tough but now on the backside, we are perfectly fine, and really, I told the people, the only difference between if I would have won the championship and where we are now is probably just the difference in money. That is really about it.  I am not too worried about that.  

LET’S FINISH UP WITH THIS; AFTER YOUR PODIUM IN FOXBOROUGH, YOU HAD A LOT OF PEOPLE REACHING OUT TO YOU TO CONGRATULATE YOU – EVEN YOUR COMPETITORS. Yes, and it was cool. It felt just like it did in the 250 class and that is when it was like A.P. (Aaron Plessinger) won, I got second. We have been racing against each other for a long time and the same with Cooper Webb.  I grew up racing both of those guys for a lot of my amateur career.  It was not unfamiliar being on the podium – it just felt like it always has.  It was cool and there were a lot of people of that were excited about it. That podium was a confirmation of what we have been doing and the opportunity was there, and I want to continue to capitalize on that.