Photo by: Hoppenworld

These “Privateer Showcase” interviews presented by Race Tech Suspension at MotoXAddicts tell the stories of the guys in the trenches week in and week out trying to chase their dream of racing professional Motocross. While the riders at the front of the pack get the money, the T.V. time and the glory that goes with it, there’s a huge pack of guys just hoping to become regulars in the big show. We talk to those riders.
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Click to check out what’s new at Race Tech

This week’s “Privateer Showcase” interview is with a rider planning on going after it as a full privateer for the first time in his young career. Anthony Rodriguez came from Venezuela at just 13 years-old with the help of Colleen Millsaps’ MTF [Millsaps Training Facilty] and quickly gained attention in the amateur ranks as a possible future star in the sport. A world away from his family and friends, Anthony did what he had to do to graduate from the amateurs with a factory Yamaha deal, but his first two years as a professional did not go his way. Anthony did find himself inside the top five at a couple of Supercrosses in those first two years, but it wasn’t enough to keep him employed with a top team.

In 2016, Anthony was picked up by the Traders Racing / Kawasaki team, but he again struggled throughout the year. First Anthony struggled with a late start to Supercross training, and overall he says he struggled getting comfortable on the Kawasaki. The Traders team did not renew his contract for ’17 and now Anthony is going after the dream on a full privateer effort. This is personal to Anthony, and with the desire to get his family out of a bad situation in Venezuela, he’s heading into 2017 with more motivation than most to turn it around.

Anthony in staging at the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship. Photo by: Chase Yocom
Anthony in staging at the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship. Photo by: Chase Yocom

Anthony, how have things been going?

It’s going alright. I’m actually just working out at the moment.

 

We just found out yesterday that Traders Racing team went with Luke Renzland and Nick Gaines for 2017 and that left you out. Was that something you expected?

That was something I sort of saw coming. The vibe had changed. They would say, “We’ll tell you in two weeks.” Then two weeks would come and then they would say, “We can’t tell you right now. We’ll tell you in another two weeks.” That’s how it went, and honestly they were just fooling around with me for a little bit. Not with bad intentions, I just think they didn’t know themselves what they had going on.

 

It kind of sounds like the way just about any breakup goes. (laughs)

Yeah, it came to the point where they told me you have to go ahead and find another deal because we don’t think we’re going to have the funding to hire you. It was just a couple weeks ago I started working on my own privateer deal. Actually it’s been moving forward pretty quick, so that’s a good thing. I’m pretty excited about it. I think I can do much better with the bike I’m going to pick. That’s something I’m pretty pumped about. To be honest, I’m not happy with the way things were laid out. I felt like I was being put on hold for no reason.

 

We’ll just assume you’re picking a Yamaha for your privateer effort.

Yes, I am.

Anthony struggled early in the outdoors to find that top 5 speed. Photo by: Hoppenworld
Anthony struggled early in the outdoors to find that top 5 speed. Photo by: Hoppenworld

We know you had some real amateur success on that brand, and it’s no secret that production-wise, it’s known to be the best bike. Do you feel really comfortable on blue?

Yeah, it’s nothing to hide. I’ve ridden with Yamaha from 2009 up until this year when I jumped on the Kawasaki. The whole year I struggled with the way the bike worked compared to the Yamaha. I didn’t enjoy riding the Kawasaki too much to be honest. The 450 was another story, though. It was a much better bike, and I liked it better. Maybe the Kawasaki 250 is much better in 2017, but that’s something I don’t want to find out, so I’m going to go with the secure way. I’m going to go back to what I know and like.

 

So what’s the plan for 2017? Is Yamaha going to help you out with parts and bikes, or is all that still getting worked out?

So far there’s nothing really completely sealed. We are talking to Yamaha. We are talking to a bunch of gear companies, etc. Most of the team will be funded directly from me basically, all with basically what I’ve been able to save throughout my career. At the end of the day, I want to race. That’s what I was raised to do, so I’ll spend my money as I’m making it and living what I love to do. I’m completely committed to doing this. Whether I can find a sponsor to help me economics-wise or not, I will make this happen either way.

 

I know 2016 was a rebuilding year for you coming off some big injuries, but overall how did you think the year went for you?

Overall it was a good year to learn from. There was a lot I learned being on a completely different bike. I wish I had more time to get ready for Supercross. I barely had a month to get used to the new bike. I’m 100% sure things could have gone much, much better. Then, in outdoors, that crash that everybody saw at Glen Helen was unfortunate. That was nobody’s fault, but there was nothing I could have done to escape that situation. That being said, my 250 year for outdoors wasn’t the best. I wasn’t happy with it at all. Again, that was a bike issue.

Check out Anthony’s huge crash at Glen Helen from @TomJournet_’s Instagram video below.

Talk about that Glen Helen crash because that was the scariest crash I’ve ever seen going down Mt. St. Helens hill. Anyone that’s ever ridden Glen Helen, crashing there is their worst nightmare. What went through your mind as that happened?

That would be the spot, for sure. I was in the air, and I saw Luke Clout’s bike on the ground. I just looked at it and thought, “Oh no, what can I possibly do to get out of this.” It all happened so quick. At the last second, I noticed a little breaking bump before Luke’s bike, and I tried using it to hop over the bike with the rebound from my suspension. Honestly, that’s what helped me walk away from that crash. If I wouldn’t have done that, I would have been flying over the bike instead of rolling over it. That being said, when I hit the bike, I thought in my head, “I’m done.” I thought I was breaking something and there was an ambulance coming to get me. Luckily, though, things played out my way, and I pretty much rolled and walked away from it. I even walked away from it before I was done rolling. We thought about racing the second moto, but the bike was so totaled. The only things that didn’t bend—believe it or not—were the radiator and the engine. Everything else was bent really bad.

 

Then you decided to start racing the 450 outdoors at Unadilla. You finished tenth overall at Budds Creek.

Yeah, when I made the decision to get on the 450, I only had a week to get ready, but right away I felt better than I did on the 250. Now I sit back and think, “Wow, what if I would have gotten on that 450 before the first round?” I would have actually had some time to test and everything. I think the cards would have played out much differently if that was the case.

 

When you found out you were going to have to go the privateer route, did you ever think of just going up to 450 in ’17? The purse is obviously much bigger in SX. You can make decent money if you make main events.

I totally thought about that, but we’re close to west coast starting and it would be a last minute thing. I’m not happy with the way things went last year. I don’t want to make the same mistake showing up at Anaheim 1 wondering, “Am I going to be good enough?” I’m not happy just getting a top ten. That’s not who I am. That’s not how I was raised. We all know that I have been capable in the past of competing with the guys that are winning the 250 class nowadays. This deal I’m doing in 2017 is personal. I’m going to do the East Coast, and it’s just for me to prove to myself and everybody what I’m capable of doing. Regardless of whether I make money or lose money, I just want to show up to the race and know that I’m competing for the top spot.

It's a tall order to make it back to the top as a privateer, but Anthony has real motivation. Photo by: Justin Westhead
It’s a tall order to make it back to the top as a privateer, but Anthony has real motivation. Photo by: Justin Westhead

I know you’re originally from Venezuela. Is any of your family out here now or are they still all back home?

I don’t know if everyone is aware, but Venezuela is doing terribly unfortunately. They have the world’s worst economy at the moment. My whole family is back there. I’m here completely alone. I’m doing this project with the help of Colleen Millsaps and my agent from Venezuela, who’s trying to get me help from sponsors back home. Other than that, I’m completely alone in the States.

 

Yeah, most everyone that races in the US doesn’t really knows how that is. You’re not only racing for you, but your racing to try and bring your whole family a better life. That’s real motivation.

That’s totally right. My dream is to someday get to the 450 class and make the big bucks there. Then hopefully bring my family here to the US and bring them away from that war zone. Like you said, most people don’t know about that side of it, and luckily for them, they haven’t had to go through that. Hopefully, the whole world one day will be easier for everybody.

Click to check out what's new at Race Tech
Click to check out what’s new at Race Tech

Well, good luck on everything. Is there anyone you want to really thank for helping you get this effort in place for 2017?

I would definitely like to thank Millsaps Training Facility. They are like family to me and the only group of people who have not turned their backs on me. I’m super thankful for Colleen Millsaps and everyone here. Also my girlfriend and her family. They have been super supportive up to this moment. I have to appreciate that a lot.

Author

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