Words by: Dan Lamb – Interview by: Chase Yocom – Images by: Suzuki
In Toronto last year, RCH/Soaring Eagle/Jimmy Johns/Suzuki’s Broc Tickle had a gnarly crash and fractured his T-7 vertebrae. A career-ending injury for some, but Broc has somehow turned it into a positive. They say careers are built not on how a rider handles the good days, but more on what they do in the face of adversity. If that’s case, Broc looks on pace to have a great career.
Since taking nearly a full year off, Broc looks as if he may arguably have the best season in his three year 450SX career during the 2015 Monster Energy Supercross, an FIM World Championship series. So far, with the incredible depth of the 450SX class in 2015, Broc has recorded six top ten finishes, two top fives and he sits tenth in the Championship despite scoring just one point in Oakland from a crash and missing San Diego due to that crash. Take that crash and missed round out of the equation and the #20 is battling to get inside the top-five overall.
Last weekend in Atlanta, Broc came alive even more. After grabbing a top-five start, the RCH rider rode a strong twenty-laps to match his career-best finish in fourth. Broc is one of those quiet assassin types that lets his riding do his talking but is often overlooked. With impressive rides like Atlanta 2, though, everyone needs to begin to take notice.
After his fourth place finish in Atlanta, MotoXAddicts’ Chase Yocom caught up with Broc to talk about his Atlanta 2 SX. You can hear what the normally quiet Broc Tickle had to say in his “Race Rewind” Interview below.
Broc, you matched your career best in the 450SX class with the fourth tonight. How pumped are you with your main event?
I’m really stoked. It hasn’t been easy to overcome the things I’ve overcome, but I think it just makes it that much better. Like I’ve been saying, I was just getting my swag back, as you would say, last year before I got hurt and it got all taken away. I think that was my motivation to come back and try to be better than what I was. I feel like my speed is better this year and little stuff. The bike is better. The team has worked really hard. Just glad the opportunity worked out again because I feel like if I wasn’t here it wouldn’t be happening the way it is right now. So for me, just keep plugging away, keep the motivation during the week and just keep her going. It’s a long season. I don’t even know what round it is.
Yeah, it’s round nine.
Nine, yeah, so we have eight more. I’m looking forward to eight more SX races and outdoors. It’s going to be a good year. The team has done a lot of work while I was hurt and the bike is better. Everybody has been behind me. It’s bittersweet because it’s tough to stay motivated through eight, nine months of sitting on the couch.
You were fast earlier in the day and you seemed to just keep getting faster and faster. Can you take us a little through your day, practice, heat races and semi and the main?
Yeah, as soon as I went on the track, I just felt in tune with the track. I felt like I got the flow down quick. I knew it was going to be hard to pass [on the track]. I knew that starts were going to be important, and in the main, I just pulled through on the start. That’s what helped me through the whole night. I felt really loose out there and felt like I was connecting the track really well. I think that’s what it was tonight because it was so tight and the track was loose. The traction was going away as the day went on so I think riding smooth and carrying your speed everywhere was obviously the way to go.
Did winning your semi qualifier give you a lot of confidence going into the main? I mean, you got a little extra track time too, so that probably didn’t hurt.
On the start in the heat race I kind of struggled a little bit with some things, so we came back, regrouped and came up with a little plan for me on the start and it worked. In the semi, I got a second place start and passed [Phil] Nicoletti and got the win in that. I think obviously winning is winning, but it all helps.
Last week to this week, how was the dirt different? I know they threw a sand section in there rather than last weekend when they threw the tough blocks through the whoops. They seem to be changing it up. How were those changes from last week to this week?
The main thing that was better this week was the practice. I wouldn’t say the main was that much better, but I like the way they built the whoops this week. It’s kind of been weak all year, I would say, and it created some separation there. For me, it was cool to have some bigger whoops and feel like it separates guys. As you can see in practice this week, guys were separated a little bit in the front. I just want to keep it going and have another good week this week and go to Daytona and duplicate.
You had a long layoff. You came back and it seems like you haven’t even missed a beat. How were you able to do that? I mean, sometimes it takes guys a lot of time to build that confidence back up and you’ve hopped right back in there and you’re just going for it.
In the off season or as I say my off time, I cycled a lot. I feel like I built a good base and I think that’s what helped me a little bit. When I got on the bike, I actually felt like I was in better shape and felt like my first day of Supercross I was better than what I was last year. I just had good vibes, good people around me, good group of people that supported me 100% and everybody from Dr. G to my wife, my trainer Gareth Swanepoel, the whole RCH Soaring Eagle Team, everybody that has been behind me. These guys have been behind me since they started the team, so for them to give me the shot to get back at it is a blessing.
They’ve got to be pretty happy with you, and next weekend we’re heading to Daytona. Are you looking forward to that track? Last year, I believe fourth place there too?
Yeah, my best finish last year—career best before tonight—but I’m looking forward to it. Last year was fun. It separates people, and it’s kind of outdoor-ish kind of a little bit. I’m looking forward to changing it up a bit. This week maybe go ride some outdoors one day. I’m not going to Florida to ride at Ricky’s [Carmichael] or anything. I’m going back home, get back on my program and see what we can do.
Sounds good. Thanks for your time, Broc, and congrats.
Thank you.
