MXP Chatter: Nathan Bles

A week before the Gopher Dunes National, Ontario privateer Nathan Bles had no intention of lining up in the MX1 class. However, after some careful thought and the okay from his 9-5 boss, Nathan decided to give it a go, now he’s glad he did. With a very impressive ninth overall on Saturday, Nathan turned a lot of heads with his speed and endurance. The person least surprised with the results at round five was Nathan himself who knows deep down what he’s always been capable of. Now armed with the confidence thanks to his top ten finish, Nathan has decided that he will race the remaining rounds of the 2014 Rockstar Energy Drink Motocross Nationals, beginning this weekend at Sand Del Lee. We were able to grab a few minutes of Nathan’s time after his great day at Gopher Dunes.

MXP: Hey Nathan, I know it’s hard to talk when you have a big smile on your face but can we chat?

Nathan: Haha, for sure. I can smile and talk, no problem.

So, how did you feel out there? You must have come in prepared because at this track it’s pretty hard to fake it.

Actually, I wasn’t very well prepared at all. I haven’t really ridden much in the last month and I didn’t even decide to race today until last week. Things have been busy lately with work and I just haven’t had time to ride. Then last week Tim from Tech Care suggested that I try and ride all the rounds in east. I told him it wasn’t in the budget at all for me. Well, he said, no worries…let’s go racing. So here we are!

So you’re going to race the remaining five rounds in the MX1 class?

Right now yes I am, except for maybe Moncton. I have to figure out something for that round because it’s so far.

Did you come into today with any expectations or were you just going to wing it?

I came into today not knowing how I would do. Obviously with not being part of the series for the first four rounds I didn’t know where I’d fit in. So today was very relaxed; if I finished 20th then no worries, if I got near the top ten then it would be a bonus.

Well, you did better than that. What was it like to be battling with the top riders again?

It was so awesome. I have never raced the 450 with these guys so it’s definitely different than the MX2 class last year. I was surprised with how some of these guys ride the 450s, guys like Bobby K and Teddy, they ride these bikes using a very high RPM. For a little bit out there I started to think that maybe I should be doing the same, but I can’t ride like that so I just kept riding smooth and trying to flow.

Were you surprised that you were running with those guys today?

Honestly, not really because I’ve always been fast here and, after practice I knew I still had the speed. What surprised me was staying up there for the entire moto. With my limited preparation I figured that I would fade pretty quickly. However, I stayed strong and now it’s time to bust my butt this week so I can keep this going. I don’t want to be one of those one weekend wonders.

 How did you feel during the motos today? Were there times where you had to dig deep?

In moto one I felt great; I was going after Brown for 6th and fell. When I got up I had a great race with Tremblay and finished 8th. In moto two I got another great start and then about halfway I hit the wall; the lack of preparation caught up with me. But, I stayed strong and finished pretty decent. I don’t think I was the only one out there who got tired in moto two, that’s for sure.

I would agree with you on that one, it was definitely a tough day for everyone. Well Nathan, I’ve always been one of your biggest fans so congratulations on your result today. Have a good week and we’ll see you at SDL.

For sure, thank you for taking the time to come over and talk to me.