When it was announced that the Monster Energy Thor Kawasaki Team was going to compete in the brand new Monster Energy Canadian AX Tour, everyone right across the Country was very excited. With the number one goal being to win a championship, the Kamloops, BC based team enlisted the services of AX specialists Chris Blose and Jacob Hayes. After a so-so night at Round 1 on Friday, Jacob Hayes came out swinging on Saturday and took home two of the three main events. We caught up with the rider from Liberty, NC moments after his Clash-for-Cash main event win.
Jacob Hayes is very happy to be in Canada for the first time, and to be given the opportunity to race for the Monster Energy Thor Kawasaki Team. photo by Danielle Berkel
MXP: First off Jacob, welcome to Canada. Have you been here before?
JH: This is actually my first time to Canada. I’m very excited to be here and from what I see so far, it’s pretty nice. I was a little worried going through customs, but Jason Hughes told me not to worry and everything was cool.
I know things didn’t go exactly how you wanted on Friday night, however tonight you were much better.
Yes, things went much better tonight. You know, even though I race Kawasakis in the USA, these Monster Energy Thor Kawasakis are a little different and the set-up is slightly different. We did some testing this week and I must say that the 2016 KX450 is the best bike I have ever ridden. It’s light, it corners really well and it’s just a blast to ride. We’re still working on getting the set-up right on the 250F, but tonight it was much better. I don’t know, I guess it’s just a new team, a new series and it’s been a while since I’ve raced this type of event. I knew it would take a night to adjust and feel comfortable.
Yes, last night you seemed to be fighting the track a little, but tonight you nailed your starts and you were very fast.
Yes, the track is a little different than I am used to, and also the program moves along very quickly so there isn’t as much down time as there is in the Amsoil Series. Everything is go, go, go and then it’s over, and I’m here talking to you and the night is over.
You’ve raced riders like Bobby Kiniry and Chris Blose quite a bit in these type of conditions. Was it just like old times out there?
JH: (laughs) We’ve definitely raced each other a lot over the years so we know what to expect from one another. I think each of us have our strengths and weaknesses, so it’s just a case of trying to stay out of trouble and not make mistakes. Last night I made too many mistakes and that’s why I went 4-2-2 in the three main events. Tonight I didn’t really make any and it was much, much better.
As always, the Monster Energy Thor Kawasaki bikes are some of the best looking machines in the pits. photo by Danielle Berkel
How do you race someone like Bobby Kiniry who just seems to always be up front off the start and is very hard to pass?
Good question, I guess the first thing is to just make sure you’re in second if he’s leading. He’s a great starter and he proved that once again tonight, he just nailed almost every start. I think it goes back to how I felt tonight. I was much sharper and I knew I had to pass him quickly and try to pull a gap. I was able to set him up in the first few laps and get by. From there I just rode smart and tried to not hit any lappers.
I know lappers are always a problem in arenacross, but tonight they seemed really tough.
They were as bad as I’ve ever seen them tonight, a few just didn’t seem to know where to go. But you know what, that’s arenacross and it happens. The lap times are short and you get into the lappers very quickly.
So you enjoyed your first weekend racing in Canada?
Very much, the racing was good and the fans are great. I’m very thankful to the Monster Energy Thor Kawasaki Team for bringing me up here to race this series. I hope I can repay them by winning a championship. I can’t wait for Sarnia in two weeks.
Hayes came into London with a lot of AX experience. After getting used to his new surroundings on Friday night, Hayes came back on Saturday night and dominated. Photo by Holeshot1 Media
Now you have a weekend off to process everything. What are you going to do to prepare for Round 3?
I’m heading back to North Carolina tomorrow so I’ll probably just relax for a day. I have an arenacross track at home and I’m bringing a motor and some suspension with me from the team, so I’m just going to pound some laps and get ready for the next race. Actually this weekend I’m doing a local race so that will be fun.
Well, thanks for doing this and I’m sure we’ll be talking again soon. Good luck going back through Customs and we look forward to seeing you in Sarnia.
Thanks! It was good to meet you, talk soon.