MXP Chatter With Joey Crown

Joey Crown came into the 2015 Parts Canada TransCan in the best shape of his young life. After securing a Loretta Lynn’s title just a few weeks ago, Joey knew that the TransCan would be the perfect opportunity to continue his success as an amateur, and then race against the Pros on Sunday. Over the years Joey has had a lot of success at Walton Raceway. Since his first time there as a 65 rider in 2010, he has taken home five titles. When you add in the two titles he won last week, and the multiple TransCan titles that his dad, Matt, has won over the years, the Crown family is the most successful family to ever line up at Walton Raceway. We caught up with Joey a few hours after his very impressive second MX2 moto win on Sunday as he was sitting at his trailer still taking it all in.

MXP: Before we get going, I have to tell you that last night a few of us were talking about which riders were moving up and racing against the pros today and how they were going to do. Well, I boldly called you to win a moto today! You almost didn’t, but you got it done and you made me look like a genius. Can you take us through your day?

JC: During the start of the first moto I got a really bad jump off the gate, but I tucked to the inside through the first turn and came out not too bad. I knew I had to make some moves on the opening lap while everyone was bunched together. I made some quick passes and I think I was in fourth at the end of lap one. Then as I was passing Jeremy Medaglia before the mechanics area we came together pretty hard and he ended up putting a hole in my clutch cover, so after that I had oil all over my boot and foot peg.

Let’s stop right there and talk about that pass. Jeremy actually had the holeshot but he must’ve made some mistakes on lap one that allowed you to get by.

Yes, he made a mess of the opening lap so I’m assuming he was just mad. I passed him clean after the roller section and then as I was going through the corner before the mechanics area he just nailed me! I know it’s the pro class and they probably don’t like riders with yellow plates passing them, but he had way more on the line than me today, so it probably wasn’t the smartest move to take a shot at me that early in the race.

Yes, it did seem like a strange move to make at that point in the race, but hey it’s racing and strange things happen sometimes. Okay, so you got up to second and then what happened?

Well, as I said, when Jeremy hit me he put a hole in my clutch cover so there was oil leaking out and it went all over my boot and footpeg. For the next few laps my foot kept slipping off the footpeg and I didn’t know why. Then, as I was going into a corner my foot slipped completely off and all my weight went on the rear brake pedal and I stalled it. I got the bike started again but I was so tired from kicking it that I really couldn’t get going again and I ended up 8th in Moto 1.

Even though you finished 8th, running up front must’ve given you a lot of confidence going into Moto 2?

It’s funny you say that because the entire time in between the motos I was just sitting there knowing that my speed was good enough to challenge for the lead. I knew I just needed another good start and things would be good.

Before we talk about Moto 2, I know everyone always thinks that since you raced all week here that you had the track dialed and it’s an advantage. While part of that might be accurate, the track is always so different on Sunday that it might not be the advantage that people think it is. What are your thoughts on that?

I would agree with you that the track is prepared so much differently that it really doesn’t even feel like the same track. However, there is that feeling of being really comfortable on a track when you put a lot of laps on it over a short period of time. I think in those early laps of Moto 1 when I had to pass a group of riders quickly, that’s when racing here all week really helped me because I did know exactly where the lines would be and how the track flows. I just felt great in those opening laps, and I’m sure part of that was due to fact that I’ve had a lot of laps here over the years.

So in Moto 2 you got off to a great start and made a pass for the lead early.

Yes, I got a good start and I saw Sanayei in front. I’ve raced him a lot in the USA so I really wanted to make the pass quickly. I was able to get around him and I started to pull away. Once Benoit got into second I knew he was going to make a push to catch me and try to win the final moto of the year. We were staying about the same and then I made a big mistake and crashed after the tunnel jump. I just crossed rutted coming into the corner and hit the ground pretty hard. Benoit went by and I thought that was it, but I kept a little pressure on him and he ended up crashing and handing the lead right back to me. From there I tried to be smooth and finish off the moto strong.

It was pretty hot today. How tough were the final few laps of Moto 2?

It was very tough out there today as the track was very rough, especially for that final moto. I was actually pretty happy with my fitness today. I didn’t really get tired, I just maybe got a little tight sometimes. I’ve worked very hard this summer to prepare for moments like this so it feels good to see it all pay off.

Your dad is a former pro rider and a former TransCan Champion, and he’s been there through all of your ups and downs. How was he today?

He was great! Obviously he’s my biggest supporter and he’s been there through all of my injuries. I know he was nervous today but he did a great job of not showing it and keeping me calm.

You’ve won here many times as an amateur. While you didn’t get the overall win today, how does it feel to win a moto at Walton Raceway as a pro rider?

It feels awesome, especially to hear you say it like that. Every kid dreams of this and this is one of the few places that you can win as an amateur and then come back and win as a pro, especially the next day. I’m definitely feeling pretty good right now.

Not to mention that you join a very prestigious list of fellow Michigan riders who have won their first pro motos here. Names like Nick Wey and Josh Woods come to mind.

Michigan is a very proud motocross State and it has a long list of great riders that I look up to. To be mentioned in the sentence of Nick Wey and Josh Woods is very cool.

Well, that was a great day and congratulations. What is next for you?

From here I have a few races in Michigan in the next few weeks and then I’ll begin preparing for the Monster Cup and the Amateur All-Stars class. After that I have the Mini O’s and then I’ll probably relax for a bit. Next season I’ll be racing in the A class and I really hope to come up to Canada and race a few pro nationals in the MX2 class. I think it would be a great way to prepare for my entrance into the pro class in the USA in 2017.

Sounds like you have it all planned out Joey. Thanks for doing this and great job this week. Have a safe trip back to Michigan and please give my best to your dad.

Will do, thanks for coming over to talk with me. This is definitely a day I will never forget.