Jimmy D is having a breakout year aboard his privateer Honda in ’15. Photo by: Hoppenworld
A couple of weeks ago we recorded a “Privateer Showcase” interview with the privateer ripper Jimmy Decotis. Since then, Jimmy has scored two back-to-back sixth place finishes and moved up to eighth in the 2015 Eastern Regional 250SX Championship. Jimmy has been consistently beating factory riders, so Chase Yocom wanted to catch up with him to dig a little deeper into what he’s been doing to make that happen. You can read Chase’s in-depth conversation with Jimmy in his “Inside Story” interview below.
We’re here with Jimmy D., sixth in the main. You have some momentum going, putting in some great results the past few weeks. How are you feeling after that main event?
A little bitter. I was in a position that I should have been in—fourth. I think I was seventh on lap 5, and me and [Kyle] Cunningham got into it together. I kind of did him dirty, and he did it back to me. It’s all fair game. We’re all racing, we’re not here to make friends, and it was definitely a tough deal for me because [Jordan] Smith and Cunningham got back by me. Then [Jace] Owen and [Kyle] Peters—all those guys—got by me. For me, I’m happy that I’m finishing the moto strong. Last year, it’s always been a thing. I know the teams are worried about me not having fitness, and this year I have it. I’m not putting the best lap in at the end, but I’m consistently being able to prove that I can run up there with those guys, and that’s kind of what I think a lot of the teams want to see out of me because I know that they know I’m fast. They know I can put down a lap, it’s just can I do 15 laps? This year, I’m finally starting to prove it.
Dude, how gnarly was that battle with Vince [Friese], I think Kyle Peters, Kyle Cunningham, all of them? I just finished interviewing Cunningham, and he was like, “Man, it was a blast. We had fun. Everybody was banging bars, keeping it somewhat clean.” But how awesome was that?
It was sick. I took a peek back and there were three guys on me. I took peek up and there were four guys in front of me, and this guy’s in 4th, that guy’s in 12th and we’re all battling right now. Like one mistake and you can go from 4th to 12th, and I just made sure I rode smart. I had my jump line in the whoops. I was nailing that 3-3 quad every lap. Everyone was struggling with it and I was hitting it every lap, and that was, for me, what saved me the whole race because I was hitting that every lap, reeling guys in. I’d make a pass before the triple. I’d block them so they couldn’t jump the triple. We’d both double and I’d lose time, but it was getting me forward. I’ve been sick today too, so that’s what sucked, and in practice I was way off. I laid it down when it came down to it, so I’m happy with that.
I was going to say in practice I saw you try to do the 3-3 quad and it wasn’t looking so good in practice. What did you switch? Were you just hitting a different line or what?
I just found a line that I started hitting in that main event and I was like I got that. Literally all day—that line, that rhythm messed me up all day. I couldn’t put down fast laps because of it. That rhythm flustered me, and then the fact that I did it so good and executed so good in the main event was a huge relief for me because I felt so good, and that’s actually when I would nail it.
How hard is it being in a four-person freight train? You’re trying to make passes, but you’re also trying to protect lines. How hard is that?
It’s hard because you don’t know where they’re coming in. Sometimes you can hear guys and sometimes you can’t. Like Cunningham, I didn’t even hear him. We were both braking, so we didn’t have the power on and that’s just how it goes; that’s racing. There’s a lot of us that are out there at the level where we’re at, so there’s a lot of good guys out there. I just think I need a little bit more if I want to be with [Justin] Bogle and [Marvin] Musquin and those guys. You can see that [Jeremy] Martin and them and [Joey] Savatgy are a little bit ahead of us, and I don’t know if it’s the bike or the way that I ride, but either way I need a little bit more. I think that if I continue to keep putting in these top 5, 6 results and maybe land on the podium this year that someone will give me a shot at team, at least for Supercross, because they know I can do it in Supercross. Then hopefully the momentum will lead me into the outdoors, but it’s hard in the outdoors as a privateer for sure.
How much did the track deteriorate through the night? I mean, good Lord, it looked there were a lot of ruts.
It was insane. I knew it would be like that straight out of practice when I rode the first section. It was so soft, but I made sure that on the parade lap—if you noticed—every round I charged, I raced the track, because if I get a start I want to know what I’m in for. I ended up doing the table-to-single after the finish line that I wasn’t doing all day, and then I had a jump line through the whoops that I was doing every lap and that was saving me throughout the whole race. Overall I just executed the main to my best ability, and 6th was what it was tonight.
I noticed you got a few different parts on the bike the past couple of weeks, seems to be a good change for you. How difficult is it to kind of change some of that stuff up throughout the season?
It’s hard. After the first round, I was kind of scratching my head, like, “Wow, I just straight up got 16th. Holy shit, I’m way off.” That first round for me was so tough, the first two rounds, because literally, I tell you this year I put in so much work to get ready for this season, and I was like, “Man, this is the first year that I’m fit and I’m ready, and then I go out and I blow iy.” I’m like maybe I need to start slacking off again or something—at least I get in the top 10. I just stuck to my guns and I didn’t go back to what I used to do. I just relaxed a little bit before the second Atlanta and I just got into the mindset I used to be in, but I kept the training that I do now and it’s starting to work. I need a little bit stronger mindset to run with the front guys, but I think by the end of this year and hopefully into next year I can be one of the main guys in the hunt for the championship.
It’s got to be pretty sick, though. You have been one of the top privateers the past three weekends I believe. Well, Cunningham might have got you this weekend, but one of the top privateers the past three weekends. That’s got to feel good running up there, beating some guys that have those rides.
It does, because there are certain guys that have some ride over me this year that I was kind of bummed about and you definitely have to eat it a little bit and kind of just keep moving forward with what you got. You know, it’s me out of my van, but I have such a good team. I call it a team because of the people that support me. We’re all a team, and it’s definitely nice to pass some guys that are on bikes that I asked to be on and told them I’d ride for free and they still didn’t pick me over these guys. It’s about results, and I didn’t really have it as much as some guys. I think I’m a lot more talented than a lot of the guys out there, but I just have to have a strong head and have good fitness.
How much fun do you guys have, though, doing the box van or the moto van I guess you want to call it? You just seem like you have a blast doing this. It’s got to be fun. Your crew, you put it together—it’s got to be sick.
Exactly. It’s sick…… (laughs) For sure. It’s sick like tomorrow morning I’m not getting on a flight—I’m driving back to South of the Border, 12-hour drive. (laughs) That’s the stuff that I need. If I can get on a team and have a good salary and be able to pay – like for instance this weekend, I didn’t have Gary Bailey here this weekend because I didn’t have the funds to pay for him and that’s the stuff that makes it hard for me. Where if you’re on a team, you show up and all you have to worry about is riding that bike. I have to call people. I have to book plane tickets. I have to pay out of my own pocket. I have to make sure Keith’s happy. I have to make sure that everyone that’s involved with me is happy. My girlfriend Jamie helps me out with everything too, with my emails. It’s hard, but also when you’re racing, it gives you that much more motivation. These dudes, all they got to worry about is riding the bike. I’m like Chad Reed over there, doing everything, calling everyone, doing everything, getting myself there, and I worked hard this year to get money and get sponsors. Without my sponsors I for sure wouldn’t even race this year, so I’m just really thankful.
Plus losing time and stuff through the week. You’re driving a lot, and those other guys on the factory rides are getting extra days at the track. I think what you’re doing is really cool and South of the Border is a sick place too. How is everything going there? You’ve been there pretty much all year?
Yeah, I was in Florida for the last couple of weeks just because it was better. The weather was a little rainy there. I’m going back there this week. I’m looking to put in work. I’ve been sick this week. It was really hot in Florida, so I couldn’t ride as much as I wanted to, and I don’t really have a base in Florida so I’ve got to drive 2 hours and it takes a lot doing all the driving stuff. I think next year I’m going to get myself a track and be able to live there or have a 10-minute drive there and be able to put in the correct work and not be so stressed out. I think I can be a podium guy every weekend if I have the right tools to succeed.
I heard you’ve been training at Ryan Villopoto’s old place in Florida: “The Nest”. You’ve been getting some good time in with guys like Trey Canard. Were you out there when Jason Lawerence was there? (laughs)
Yeah, I didn’t make it for J-Law. I heard it was pretty wild. (laughs) Nah, me, RJ [Hampshire], Eric [Grondahl], we all go out there, and Trey, and it’s so cool. I’m so thankful that Eric lets me ride there. We’re both from New England, but he has that awesome compound. If I was him I wouldn’t just let anyone come to my place. I’m so thankful that he lets me go there and ride, and it’s nice to ride with RJ. Sometimes we don’t do the motos together with the timing if I show up later because I’m driving in. Me and Eric used do some motos together, and I noticed it helps him because when he sees RJ jumping three-in or something, he’s like, “Oh, he’s on a factory bike,” but when he sees me doing it, we have the same engine guy he knows. The first day I went there he started tripling stuff that he wasn’t doing all year, and him and his dad were like, “Alright, wow.” It’s good to see someone on his level that’s doing the stuff on his bike and then he’s like, “Alright, I can do this.” It helps both of us being there, and then Trey is out there helping us. I’m watching a video on my phone and Trey’s like, “Give me that. Do this. Do that.” And within like a whole day I lost a second off my time. I always tell Trey every time I see him, “Dude, thank you.” Just the little stuff that I’m starting to learn is that picking these people’s brains—the top guys—to see what they do because why wouldn’t you want to copy what Trey Canard does or what Eli Tomac does? They’re the best guys.
Thanks for your time. I always enjoy chatting it up with you. Congratulations again, and keep it up dude.
Thank you.
