Photo: Todd Gutierrez
When the Monster Energy Supercross, an FIM World Championship, heads east to Arlington in two weeks, a whole new class of Lites riders will head to the line for the start of their 2012 Lites East Regional Championship. Within that class are only a few riders who bring previous Supercross win experience with them. Rockstar Energy/Suzuki’s Blake Wharton is one.
In 2011, Blake pulled out of the Lites East Championship just before the final round to fix a nagging shoulder injury that he had been dealing with for years. Now, Blake returns for the 2012 East Regional Lites series with new shoulders, a new bike, a new team and, seemingly, a new outlook on racing. MotoXAddicts gave Blake a call to find out how about his new bike, running the #956, how he has been doing during the long off-season and about his outlook for 2012. Here is how that conversation went.
How is it going Blake?
Doing good!
Good. How are the shoulders doing?
The shoulders are good. You know, I got surgery on both of my shoulders after Supercross last year, and they were both labrums that were torn, so I had them repaired. I’ve had no problems with my shoulders, so I’m going in feeling my shoulders will be close to 100% if not even better. I’m happy with that.
That’s a good thing. The torn labrums can be a rough injury to rehab.
Yeah, my shoulders have been worn for a while. It was one of those things where it wasn’t one injury that did it. It was over time and over many, so it was just wearing on them. They weren’t very strong, and there were some problems that I had there. You know, it’s a weird thing, but those shoulder injuries are tricky. They can be hard to find if you don’t have the right guy or if you don’t have the right stuff looking at them. They’re there! But you can’t see them necessarily that easily.
So you were dealing with it all throughout 2011?
Yeah, there were times where I was like, “I know I gotta get these things fixed.” I’d be racing a Main in 2011 and have a shoulder problem, or I crashed in 2011 before the season started, and had a shoulder problem. There’s movement, they’re sore, they’re constantly trying to slip out. It was like, “Shoot, you can never get rest with these things.” I could just tip over, not crash that hard and mess them up. There were times last year on the East Coast–like Daytona, like Jacksonville–that I would just jam them. It was always a pain and seemed like something that would never really heal fully. It was always a tissue or like a knee kind of where you have to go in and fix it.
Sounds like you did the right thing getting them fixed. When did you get back on the bike?
I got back on the bike back in October sometime, three weeks before Halloween.
You signed with the Rockstar Suzuki team for 2012 while you were down. So when were you able to get on the Suzuki?
I started riding it right away, right when I started riding. So it was a new bike, new shoulders. It was a nice refreshing new start, and I also started working with Randy Lawrence not long after I got back on the bike and headed out to California. I’ve been out here a long time.
How are you feeling on the bike now? Can you compare it to how you felt physically on the bike back in 2009 when you got your win?
Well in 2009, obviously, I was a rookie. It was a different team, different bike. I was younger, but I feel good! I feel like in 2009, my shoulders had some issues I was dealing with even then. It’s been a long process, but I feel good. I feel better than before because I have stronger shoulders. I’m really liking the team [Rockstar Energy/Suzuki], the atmosphere on this team. I feel like the Suzuki is a really good bike. I feel like the Suzuki is a good bike stock and easy to get going. When I first jumped on it, it was super easy, like, “Wow, this bike feels good.” I hadn’t rode in six months, and it was like, “This is easy.” So I know the bike’s good.
I think that was a perfect time for a bike change if you are going to make a change, because after being off a bike six months, getting back on even your old bike can be awkward.
Yeah, it was really a little weird. It was like, “Wow, I haven’t rode in six months, and now it’s a different bike.” I was just coming off my shoulders so I couldn’t really charge too hard, but it was an easy deal. It wasn’t very hard at all. It was a nice thing to do, because it made things kind of start over, kind of fresh for me.
Nice. Have you been going to all the West rounds?
I went to Anaheim 1, Phoenix. I went to Dodger. I didn’t go to Oakland, but I went to Anaheim 2, and I’m going to go to San Diego this weekend.
Nice. So you are very much up on whats’ going on in the West. What are your thoughts on what Eli Tomac is doing this year?
I think the racing has been pretty good, and he’s obviously doing the best because he’s in the points lead. I don’t know; I think it’s like any other coast. There are always going to be fast guys. There’s always going to be good racing, and it’s never usually a one man show, especially in the Lites class. I’ve just been trying to take it all in and see what I can learn. I’ll be racing here soon. Dallas is February 18th, and it’s coming up quick. I’ll watch as much as I can while I’m out here–just take it all in–because once I start, I’ll be going for a long time.
What is really cool about when you start is that the #956–the late Jesse Masterpool’s number–will be on the track and on a Suzuki. What led to running the #956?
I was trying to figure out my number because I’m no longer the number 21–because I didn’t get to do any of the outdoors. So I was thinking, and it’s always hard to get your original number in the outdoors. I was originally #731, but I know that a guy has that. Actually, Steve Roman has that. Well, I think he still has it. But I was like, “You know, I want to run a meaningful number, a number with purpose, because I don’t want to just run a random three digit number.” If I’m going to run a three digit number, I want it to be meaningful, and I’ve actually known the Masterpool’s for some time now. I spent some time getting to know them in 2010 during the outdoor season when they were down in Texas. They’re still down there now, and I’ve actually become pretty good friends with them. So I talked to Jerry [Masterpool], and he said it would be really cool. So I’m like, “Yeah, I’m going to run that number.”
That’s awesome. The Masterpool’s opened up their property and now have His 956 Facility, a motocross training facilty, right?
Yeah, they have a nice track. It’s always nice. They’re super nice people, and I’ve just enjoyed getting to know them. They have a place right there–pretty close to my house, actually–and it’s close to Oak Hill. It’s a nice place. I mean, he really knows how to run a track. So we go up there sometimes when we’re down in Texas.
Yeah, if not you, we would probably be seeing the #956 in the pro ranks soon if it had not been for the accident.
Yeah, I think it would be getting close. It seems like every year you get a new kid that comes into the pro ranks, and I remember when he was on 65’s or 80’s. They’re catching the classes, and you know they’ll be racing you soon–or you’ll be in the 450 class. So yeah, it would probably be about that time, and he was definitely a good enough rider to be moving up.
Alright, I’ll now hit you with the standard canned question (laughs): What are Blake Wharton’s goals for 2012?
Yeah, I’m not going to give you a standard answer, though. I’ll give you a good answer.
Okay, hit me. (Laughs)
My goals for the year–well, everyone else of course is going to say the normal bologna: “I gotta win races,” which is true. That is the point of racing. You go to win the race. You never line up where you’re shooting to go get tenth. But at the same time, I want to be consistent. I feel like my consistency has been a little bit off throughout the years, just because of a couple reasons, whether it was my shoulders or this or that. I want to be consistent, and I want to line up at the race to win. I want to put 100% effort out there. That’s really all you can do. There are times I’ve seen in the 450 class with guys that are clearly the fastest guys and they have a rough night. I think how they handle that rough night is what you have to watch for. I want to show up with a 100% no matter what and go and get the holeshot all the time, but it takes more than just raw speed to win a Championship. I want consistency.
One last thing before I let you go. I’ve gotten some questions about your brother lately. How is Tyler doing?
Yeah, my brother is no longer racing. He has Crohn’s disease. He’s had it for a while. He had it when he turned pro. I was seventeen, and he was eighteen. He had it right when he turned pro at Millville. It was one of those things where it takes a while to find out what it is, and it takes a while to figure it out. He’s had his apendix removed, colonoscopies, all to try and figure it out. It’s just gnarly. It’s not something they know much about let alone have a cure for it. So he kind of got the shaft on that. He’s working with my dad now down in Texas. He’s happy, and he’ll actually be going to most of the East rounds. I expect to see him on a bike one of these days just for fun, maybe at Loretta’s or something.
Well, I’m sure everyone would love to see him back out there. I really appreciate you talking with us, and good luck throughout 2012.
No problem.
