Senior KX Rider

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Nov 9, 1999
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racerx

Kevin Windham on the 2003 Motocross des Nations


Tony Scavo photo


With the outdoor national season just over (somewhat prematurely), Racer X is already looking ahead to the next big race on the schedule, the 2003 FIM Motocross des Nations in Zolder, Belgium, on October 5. On that day, Team USA's Ricky Carmichael, Tim Ferry and Ryan Hughes will try to win back the Chamberlain Trophy, which Team USA won the last time they participated in the race, in 2000. RC, Red Dog and Ryno are a formidable team, but where's Kevin Windham? After sitting out almost a full year due to a broken leg, K-Dub returned this summer and became the only man to take an overall motocross win from Carmichael in the last two years. We decided to call the man and ask him ourselves.

"Originally, I did want to go to the Motocross des Nations. It sounded like a great idea. But as things got closer, I found myself in a position that I did not have a ride lined up yet for the 2004 season," said Windham from his home in Mississippi on Monday evening. "I was in the midst of deep negotiations, and reality was beginning to set it. Once there was a shadow of doubt about 2004, things began to compound. I had not raced a supercross in two years, and the other reality was that I was going to be racing supercross with a 450 and not a two-stroke 250. Then there is our new baby, who has been on the road a lot. For my family and me, I felt it was better to spend time at home. I wanted the baby to get adjusted to home, I wanted to get to work on my supercross track, and to also begin getting prepared to test in California. In all seriousness, it's my job to be prepared for the first supercross of the season at Anaheim in early January. I want to be ready. I had a real successful year in 2003, and through testing and training, I want to keep that up. I'm not ruling the Motocross des Nations out in the future, I just need to get some things finalized and settled here and be ready for supercross. I hope the team can go over there and do what I know they can do: win."

Windham will be back with Factory Connection and Honda in 2004, doing his own team again, but in supercross as well as outdoors.
 

marcusgunby

LIFETIME SPONSOR
Jan 9, 2000
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I find it hard to see how a race in a few weeks will affect his training for january-isnt it the same for the majority of the riders?
 

WhKnuckle

Member
May 14, 2003
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Well, there's a lot of guys skipping it for the same reason, so at least they think it'll be a problem or at least a complication. If they only rode one series like the Euro's do, it may not be a big issue, but with the season being extended by almost a month with the Euro SX's, it's now stretched to 31 races counting the US Open and that's a bit much. Throw in a transatlantic race and you subtract about another week (or two) from the recovery process and there's not a lot of time to build training base. The MXDN has a great history, but somewhere along the line something has to get cut out of the schedule, and if riders are going to pick between the MXDN and the US Open, the money'll talk and the riders'll walk.
 

2smoke

Member
Sep 21, 2001
570
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Despite what Joe Public may want or think if Windham's heart and head are not into it he shouldn't go. He has other pressures that are more important to him at the moment. He has made his priorities and he is pursuing them. There is nothing wrong with that.
 

Okiewan

Admin
Dec 31, 1969
29,555
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No doubt we'd all (Americans) like to see K-Dub on Team USA.... he's got his priorities set, what can you say?
 

ScottYZ250

LIFETIME SPONSOR
Jul 24, 1999
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I admire him for putting family life as high on his list as his career. Lots of guys aren't that way...

Good for KW!

I also agree about "if his heart isn't into it..."
 

BEEF706

Sponsoring Member
Jan 24, 2002
1,566
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Sad for me as a fan, I would love to see him ride, but if I were him I would probably do the exact same thing, after all it's not like we really NEED him just to beat the Euros :p
 

karterron

~SPONSOR~
Mar 24, 2002
684
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Originally posted by georgieboy
And then ofcourse racing against Stefan Evert and Joel Smets. That is not very pleasent. hi hi hi

 

 

Yea, that must be why he backed out. 

 

He remembers how bad he made them look at the USGP a few years ago and didn't want to humiliate them any further than RC already will.  
 

portish

Member
Jan 5, 2003
57
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i dont think kw is gonna be much of a loss for team usa as he aint the quickest sand rider around. rc ill eat kw in the sand and ferry will be a similar pace to kw if not faster so i dont think kw would have been a good pick any ways. hell the junkyard dog would a been my second pick hes good in da sand ya
 
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