Photo by: Simon Cudby
To start the 2015 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, the Troy Lee Designs/KTM team poached Mitchell Oldenburg from Jimmy Albertson’s ARMA Energy team for a four-race trial ride to start the season. For Oldenburg, who was locked in to a secure ride with the privateer team, it was a huge risk giving up the secure spot, but he wanted the shot on a factory-backed team and decided to bet on himself.
Mitchell struggled in the beginning with getting acclimated to the new KTM, but in the end, he did enough to stay with the TLD team for the whole outdoor season and was rewarded with another shot on the factory KTM for the 2016 Monster Energy Supercross 250SX Western Regional Championship. This time, though, he is only guaranteed a spot for SX and will have to earn a spot in the truck when the team heads to Hangtown for outdoors.
At this point, if they decide whether he’ll stay with the team outdoors based on speed alone, Mitchell is a lock. The #42 has shown some incredible raw speed at the first two Supercross rounds of 2016, but that speed has not equaled good results yet. At round one in Anaheim, Mitchell qualified fourth fastest and had a respectable start to the season with a ninth in the main event, but in San Diego, he qualified third fastest and finished fifteenth. In both of the main events, he was running up near the top five, but crashes have so far gotten the better of him.
For me, Mitchell’s raw speed has been one of the biggest surprises of the season. While working hard generally always produces better fitness, it’s rare when see a riders work translate into significantly more speed. Last season, Mitchell had an average qualifying position of 11.3; so far in ’16 his average in a low 3.5. After his hard crash and fifteenth place finish in San Diego, I tracked down Mitchell to talk to him about his newfound speed. The Troy Lee Designs rider was visibly disappointed in his results on the night, but he also sounded optimistic about the future.
Mitchell, another rough night tonight with a crash in the main event, but overall, you once again showed your speed, qualifying third. Is that enough to keep your head held high, or are you bummed and wanting a lot more?
No, we’re definitely looking for more right now. It’s frustrating right now knowing you can do it but not knowing what you’re doing wrong. I know I can do it; I just have to get it done. It doesn’t matter how fast I go during practice or the heat race, I have to figure out how to put fifteen laps together. Unfortunately, that’s two weekends in a row that that’s happened [crash in the main], but we’re going to go put more work in this week and we’re going to get this thing down.
After being on the top of the board for a while and qualifying in third, did you go into the night show with a lot of confidence?
Yeah, I felt good all day. It just doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter how good you qualify or how fast you can go, you have to put fifteen laps together, and I think I’m still learning that. It’s frustrating, but we’ll get there.
Can you take us through your main event a little bit and talk about the crash?
It was lap nine or ten, and I was feeling good. I was in that pack. I was feeling good. I wasn’t tired and I was ready to go. It happened real fast. I came out, spun real bad and it kicked me sideways, and I high-sided. After that, I was beat up. My bike was beat up, and I just kind of finished the main. Like I said, it’s frustrating, but we’ll get there. They’re some positives to take out of the day, so I can’t dwell on the negatives. I need to assess the negatives, though, and come out next weekend swinging.
That was a high speed get off too. Is the body okay?
Yeah, just a little beat up. I have some scrapes and bruises, but we’ll be good.
Your speed has been one of the biggest surprises for me of the 2016 season. While it hasn’t translated into good results yet, you have to think it will eventually. Has your qualifying speed surprised you, or are you one of the ones that’s not surprised?
No, I’m not surprised at all. This is what we work for, and I had a really good offseason. I’ve been having really good riding days during the week, but man, I just need to put fifteen laps together. I can’t stress that enough. Speed is there and I feel like my fitness is there, too. I just haven’t been able to show it ’cause I’ve been on the ground. We’ll go back, do more work this week. Next weekend is a new weekend. We’ll approach it like any other weekend, and we’re going to get fifteen hard laps in.
What’s crazy about when this kind of stuff is happening is you’re probably able to do fifteen hard laps all week at the test track with no issues (laughs). It’s just one of those things. I’m sure you’ll get through it.
Yeah, for sure. I’ve been doing motos with Jessy Nelson and Dean Wilson every day, and I’m hitting my marks and everything goes so smooth. It’s just frustrating coming here and having these stupid mistakes on my part.
You were a fill-in with the Troy Lee Designs/KTM team last year, but they obviously saw this speed you’re showing all of us now. When did they decide to lock you down as more than just a fill-in rider?
At the end of outdoors, I had some decent finishes towards the end and I think the team was happy with the way I was improving. I think they just wanted to give me one more shot. I’m so blessed for this opportunity. Right now, it’s for only Supercross and I have to get some good results in for them to take me outdoors, but there’s no doubt in my mind that I can do it. We’ll get some results in. Outdoors is a long ways away right now, so we’re focused on Anaheim 2 right now.
How do you like Anaheim? You obviously had the issue last week, but overall, is that a building you’re comfortable in?
Yeah, I like Anaheim. I raced Anaheim 2 last year in the 450 class on my 250F, but I like the place.
Alright, well, good luck next weekend. and hopefully our next talk is under better circumstances.
Thanks.
