Photos by: Hoppenworld

At MotoXAddicts, being a website that started as a total privateer effort, we know all too well how hard it is to make it from week to week trying to follow the professional Supercross circuit on your own dime. This year, we will be showcasing some of the true privateers of supercross and motocross in a our feature, “Privateer Showcase” presented by Race Tech Suspension. In these interviews, we’re not talking to your upper-class privateers that are sponsored by a satellite team; we’re talking to the guys that live from race to race, buy their own bikes and even clean their own air filters: the true privateers.

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After a couple of years plagued with injury, the journeyman privateer Justin Sipes is back after it in the 2015 Monster Energy Supercross, an FIM World Championship series. The #132 has always been a regular in 450SX main events in the past, but with him just recently returning from a bad knee injury and two shoulder surgeries, it’s taking the Kentucky native a minute to race himself back into shape in ’15.

With two rounds complete, Justin’s speed has been enough to make the mains, but small mistakes have kept him off the gate at the end of the night. We expect to see Justin in a few main events before the series heads east and look forward to seeing what he can do in the 250SX Eastern Regional Championship. That’s right, the more than six-foot tall country boy from Kentucky will be contesting a 250SX Regional Championship for the TiLube team when the series heads East starting in Arlington for round seven. Because of his size, Justin was never a 250 rider, but I actually think it will be a great opportunity for him to get solid results.

After the Phoenix Supercross, we caught up with Justin in the pits to ask him about traveling the circuit as a privateer, his first two super cross races back and about his future in the 250SX class. You can read what the always friendly Pooh Sipes had to say in his “Privateer Showcase” interview below.

We’re with Justin Sipes at his 2nd race back at the 2015 Phoenix Supercross. How are you feeling, Justin?

I feel a lot better this weekend. Before last weekend, I rode the bike only thirty-minutes before I went and raced it. I was rusty, because I didn’t get a lot of riding in. This week I got a lot of good riding in, and some good suspension testing in. I felt a lot better, but I struggled in the whoops bad. I think I would have had it [transfer spot to the main], but I went down in the first corner. I had a good start, but somebody on a Suzuki—I’m not sure who it was, but I think it was Matt Moss—drug a tough-block out in front of me and that was that.

 

Over the years, you always have seemed to be the guy that has that kind of random bad luck—somebody drags a tough-block or drills you from behind.

Yeah, I mean, that’s racing. I’m just hoping that one of these days I can catch a break.

 

You’re obviously a full privateer again in 2015, but looking at Ted Parks’ motorhome, which you’re traveling in, you definitely have a nice setup. Are you planning on doing all seventeen rounds in 2015?

Yeah, I’m going to be riding the 250SX class on the East coast. I’ll be on a Honda 250 on the East coast for the TiLube team.

 

To say you’re a big kid would be an understatement. (laughs) That’s going to be a little disadvantage on the small bore, but overall, how do you feel on the 250F?

I’ve only ridden one for three or four days, but it’s good. It was all last minute, but it came together. I have to do a lot of suspension testing. I have to use a different suspension guy, so we’ll be starting from square one there. I think we’ll get it, though. Just little things, like not having any race gas for my practice bike, so I’ll be running a 5-6 horsepower slower bike in practice, but we’re getting it. It’ll be good, though. We’ll make it fine.

The #132 is definitely one of the fastest true privateers in supercross. Photo by: Hoppenworld
The #132 is definitely one of the fastest true privateers in supercross. Photo by: Hoppenworld

You’re definitely dialed in on the motorhome situation, but talk a little bit about what the privateer life is like. It’s gotta be kind of fun driving from race to race.

It’s pretty much all I’ve known. I’ve been on two actual teams where I flew in and out. I was on TiLube on the 450 in 2012 and I actually did pretty good that year, finishing 20th in the points. It’s good, though. These last two weeks have been crazy hectic. I was building my race bike and riding the 250 and trying to ride the 450 on the weekend; it was just hectic. This week things got settled in some. I was getting some riding in and training in, but then Teddy Parks tore his miniscus in his knee on the first day we rode. Monday, I took him to get his blood work at the hospital which took up half the day. Tuesday I took him to pre-op and Wednesday we took him to surgery, so it’s been a hectic week. Hopefully this week everything is going to be good and we’ll settle in.

 

You talked about getting some suspension testing in this week. Who are you working with on suspension this year?

Race Tech. They came out this week at Milestone and we got a lot of testing in. We got it really good for Milestone’s track, but when we got to Phoenix we had some steep jumps. So Rob [Brown] this morning built me another shock and threw it on and it great. We just need to test a little bit more. I think it worked for this gnarly stuff. To be honest, everybody was struggling through the whoops tonight. We’re going to do some more testing this week and we’ll be on point for sure.

 

That’s cool of Rob to fly in here and get you dialed.

Yeah, he got in here at like twelve o’clock last night and I had talked to him yesterday because I rode press day at 5am on Friday. I told him I was bottoming and he’s like, “Alright, I’ll bring your other shock and build you a new one in the morning. We’ll throw it on and you can go race.”

 

Next week, the series heads back to Anaheim. What’s the plan for Anaheim 2 next week—just get the bike in the main?

Yeah, pretty much. My starts haven’t been far off. I haven’t really had a chance to practice starts, but my starts have actually been pretty good. I’m just trying to get comfortable on the bike. I had two shoulder surgeries last year, so they’re still pretty weak. That’s the first thing that goes; that’s what gets tired first, so I’m working on that and trying to ride myself into shape. I rode a lot better this week than last week so it can only go up from here.

Author

Dan Lamb is a 12+ year journalist and the owner of MotoXAddicts.