MXP Chatter: Josh Hill

By Danny Brault
Photos by James Lissimore

For years now, we’ve seen countless fresh-faced American teenagers traveling north, using the Canadian Nationals as a stepping-stone into the highly competitive AMA outdoor and supercross championships. While this trend continues, we are now seeing more established US racers flooding into Canada. They’re not looking to necessarily grow their speed or fitness, but instead they’re recharging their batteries and careers.

Last year it was Brett Metcalfe; this year we have the Smartop MotoConcepts duo of Mike Alessi and Vince Friese, Kyle Chisholm hired on by OTSFF Yamaha, and Josh Hill replacing Metcalfe on the Monster Energy Leading Edge Kawasaki Team. Certainly these big name riders bring a lot more exposure, speed and interest to the Canadian series and we’re glad to have them on board.

Most recently, we caught up with 24-year-old Josh Hill to get his take on his first time racing the Canadian Nationals. After four out of ten races, Hill has been on the podium twice and sits fifth in the MX1 championship. A nagging back injury prevented him from racing the final Western round in Regina, but as you’ll read below, Hill is feeling better and is excited to get things going again when the series starts back up at Gopher Dunes on Saturday, July 12^th.

MXP: Hey, Josh Hill, what’s going on?
Josh Hill: Not bad, just moving into my new house, doing some laps in the pool and now I’m just chilling.

Did you build a new house or are you just moving?
I just moved a few towns over. I was living in Newport (California) but moved to Temecula, it’s closer to all the tracks.

You’re originally from Washington, right?
I’m from Oregon, the Portland area primarily.

Do go back home very often?
I go back there as much as I can; my family and I have 120 acres up there with tracks and all kinds of stuff. I still go up there and ride when I get a chance.

What happened in Regina that you were unable to race the one and only muddy moto?
I twisted my back up, it was before Calgary. I dislocated my elbow and twisted my back two days before Calgary. I had my elbow popped back in by Dr. G. My back wasn’t giving me too much of a problem and I toughed it out in Calgary. In Regina, it was just so muddy; I could barely get around the track with all the twisting and pulling on my back … it didn’t make sense for me to be out there. I would have probably hurt myself worse for the future.

At least they only ran one moto, so you didn’t lose too many points in the championship hunt.
Well, I lost enough points that it’s going to be tough to come back and win the championship. If I start riding like I know how—and I really think I can win these things—and put a streak together, we’ll see what happens. In Regina, I just didn’t think I would be able to perform and ride in the top three or four, so it was best to sit it out. It took me five minutes to do one lap in practice. I knew there were thunderstorms on the way and it wouldn’t get any easier for me.

Would an AMA National still go off under those conditions we experienced in Regina?
Yeah, I don’t think we would have raced in the US. Especially with the conditions in the pits and not being able to get spectators in and out of the track. They weren’t even able to get an ambulance into the track, and then with lightning striking the tower at mid-moto … it was pretty gnarly. I don’t think they would keep running in those conditions in the US, but you never know with different circumstances and different regions of the world. Canadian riders and fans must be more used to a scene like that.

Back at the Morden, Manitoba national in 2007, we had a similar situation where things got so bad that riders boycotted the event, refusing to race because they felt the track was impassable.
The problem was that the track was ripped twice on Friday, while it was still down pouring and more was coming. The water had nowhere to go but turn into a swamp. When the sun came out, all it did was make the swamp thicker. Had they not ripped the track prior to the day of the event, and let the water run off, it could have been a great day of racing. It was a mistake with the weather and it turned the track into a swamp. The Canadian nationals have some of the best riders in the world, especially when it comes to riding mud, and it was taking them five minutes to get around the track.

What’s your impression of Canada and our national series this far?
The people have been awesome. Every city we go to—not just at the track—but cruising around Calgary, everybody is so nice and easy going. That’s a breath of fresh air, really. As far as racing goes, Kamloops is one of the roughest tracks I’ve ever ridden. It’s on the same caliber as a US national track, as far as roughness and prepping goes. Regina was a mud race, so I didn’t really experience that. I liked Calgary, but was riding with a little injury and didn’t do my best there.

In the past, some Americans have struggled to find their groove on the smaller, shorter Canadian tracks. Has there been a learning curve for you?
Not really. I thought the first one in Nanaimo was different. Really hard pack, rocky and had that shale with no traction. For me, the hardest thing has been the way Canadian tracks are prepped. Right before the 450 race, they will go out and flood the track. I’m super-tentative on the first couple laps when it’s like that, but the guys are used to it, they put the hammer down and then I’m stuck catching up.

It’s an ongoing thing with some of the Canadian national tracks: one side of the track is dusty; the other is a mud hole [laughs]. I think most riders just accept the conditions now.
I’m not complaining because of the way they do things; it’s just one thing I need to get used to. At every track, I’ve been in the top three lap times, so I’m not having a difficult time getting comfortable on the tracks. Like I said, it’s not bad, just different.

We’re four rounds into the Canadian Nationals, did you expect to have a moto win by now?
I don’t know. I would have thought I would have a win by now. I had some races that could have been wins. I had one where my fuel line blew; I was in seventh and came back up to dog Alessi. I felt like I was riding faster than him. I had an issue with my bike and that slowed me down. In Nanaimo, I had a good moto where I was coming through the pack and could have challenged for the lead, but a rock got stuck in my brake that caused me to stall it. I feel like I can win races in Canada, but everything hasn’t come together yet. I haven’t raced a full season of outdoors since 2008. It’s relearning how to go fast out of second gear again.

Since you haven’t been racing outdoors much since 2008, what’s your fitness like? Getting better every race?
What’s funny is that I don’t really get tired. Even if I haven’t been able to ride a lot in the previous weeks … I guess even coming off the couch I don’t really get tired. I seem to deal with it. I never get arm pump. I trained so much when I was younger and growing up, even with all the injuries, I still have a base where 20 to 30 minute motos don’t get to me. There are days where you have less energy or drive, but I feel fine endurance and fitness wise. I just haven’t had the whole combination—holeshot, getting up front and taking off to secure a win yet.

Have you been surprised at the speed of Canadian racers? Slower or faster than you expected?
I’ve always known Colt (Facciotti) was fast; I’ve watched the Canadian races on TV and knew these guys are fast. No one really surprised me; I actually surprised myself with how well I rode at the first two weekends. I haven’t’ raced nationals for so long. I want to say I can win this, because I believe my caliber as a dirt bike rider is good enough to win, but I haven’t been racing enough outdoor motocross to go to the line, knowing for a fact that I can win this. For me to come out at the first two weekends and get a second and third, that was a nice surprise for me. I am bummed that I made a mistake while practicing (before Calgary), where I didn’t go down but over scrubbed a jump, hit my foot and twisted my body up. I have three weeks off now and expect to show up at the next round, fully healed up and ready to go after some wins.

Four out of the next six races are at sand tracks. Are you a sand rider?
I have always loved sand, but the problem is I haven’t been able to practice on sand lately. In Southern California, the only places that are sandy don’t get any water to them. They are up on the hills and it’s really hard on your bike. I haven’t ridden sand in a while, but I’ve done well at Southwick and other sand tracks before.

Depending on how things finish this year and what happens next year with Supercross, could we see Josh Hill back in Canada next year or in the future?
Supercross has always been my forte. Everyone thinks I’m more of a supercross rider. That’s my main focus and getting onto a solid team for that, but if I run into a situation again where I have the summer off, I would definitely consider coming back to Canada. It’s been fun and it has given me something to do over the summer, keeps me fit and gives me a goal to go after. It’s better than hanging around the pool and chasing girls [laughs].

Your decision to race in Canada and sign on with the Monster Energy Leading Edge Kawasaki Team didn’t happen until the last minute. That obviously limited time in developing your KX450F before round one in Nanaimo. Are you still figuring out the bike as the series moves along?
It was a real short time frame. The Leading Edge deal didn’t come together until after Las Vegas Supercross, so I couldn’t even ride the bike until after then. I flew straight from Vegas to Milestone that day and did our photo shoot. We did a lot of media stuff right away, and had to get used to the bike and the team. We didn’t have a lot of testing time and I still think we could make the bike better for me. I have been getting faster and pushing the limits of the bike. There are some things to revisit with the motorcycle, but everything keeps getting better. We really only had two weeks on the bike before Nanaimo. I had no outdoor setup at RCH; it was strictly supercross.

What’s your impression of the Leading Edge team?
Those guys are awesome! The team is so cool and we all get along so well. I worked with “ Frenchie” Luc Caouette before at Yamaha of Troy and Factory Yamaha. Hoodie, Politelli’s mechanic, I’ve know him for years from DT1 Filters. Jason Hughes, the team manager, I’ve gotten to know him over the course of the season and he seems to love racing and wants to do the best we can. Graham, who is building our suspension, he’s a great guy. It’s a great environment.

I heard in one of your interviews how much you appreciate the relaxed atmosphere at the Canadian Nationals. For instance, there is no scheduled autograph session and fans can come see the riders at anytime during a National.
It’s fun! It is a bit more laid back with the schedule, autographs and crowds. At the US races, they have to funnel fans in like cattle to get autographs for an hour. It seems like a good program to let everyone hang out and anytime someone comes up, give them an autograph, poster or take a picture. The people in Canada have been so welcoming and great to be around. Again, it’s a breath of fresh air.

It’s interesting how you haven’t had a win yet in Canada, but if we go down to the States next weekend, the results would flip and you’d be five spots ahead of the Canadian competition. Things certainly change depending on which country we’re racing in.
I think Colton would do just fine in the States. He seems to be pretty solid. I’ve gotten to race around with him a bunch and he has really good style. He seems smooth and confident; I think he would gel just fine in the US. A few years ago he did well at Southwick, and Medaglia would do well down there too.

Yes, Colt and the Medaglia brothers have all had some respectable results in the US. I guess as a Canadian fan, we get upset when our riders don’t make more attempts at racing AMA motocross or supercross. We love to see them up against the world’s best and see how they stack up.
It’s different tracks and a different style of racing. Things down south are like more a sprint; you just take off, the tracks are dialed in when you leave the gate. Canada reminds me of what it’s like growing up riding. You don’t know what the track is going to be like; you just adapt. It’s been a great experience and training for me. If there weren’t an opportunity for me to race the US nationals next summer, I would seriously consider coming to Canada again.