Your Subtitle text
2WheelTimes Exclusive Interview with Destry Abbott
Interview with Destry Abbott: 2WheelTimes.com Exclusive
By Doug Byers & Michael Hannas
Photos courtesy of Desert Image Collection Photography
Monster Kawasaki's Destry Abbott is gunning for his sixth AMA Hare and Hound Championship this season, which would break the record of five titles he currently shares with desert legends Dan Smith and the late Danny Hamel, while also going for his first WORCS title and competing in the full Endurocross series too. I would say he's on the gas.
Last season he did all three series, winning the Hare and Hound title, as well as competed for the US Trophy Team in the ISDE Six Day Enduro in Greece. Abbott, one of the more well-rounded off-road riders in the country, has also qualified for AMA Motocross Nationals in the 450 class and finished in the top five in a GNCC race in his spare time over the past few seasons. If you get the feeling that Destry just pretty much loves to ride, you would be correct.
2WheelTimes caught up to Abbott long enough to ask him a little about the various types of off-road racing he does, and find out what has enabled him to compete at such a high level for so many years.
2WT: Do you miss the KX500?
DA: I get this question quite a bit and honestly it’s very rare that I miss it. The only time is when we have the dead engine starts and it’s fast at the beginning of the race. The new KX450FI is really good and handles so much better than the 500 did. I don’t get the top speed like I did on my 500, but everywhere else is really close.
2WT: I'm sure you still have one at the house. Do you still pull it out every once in awhile to fire it up and take it for a rip?
DA: Yeah, I kept one of my championship race bikes. I still like looking at it, but it’s been years since she’s been running. But it does look good!
2WT: What are the main differences between the old 500 two-stroke and the new 450 four-stroke?
DA: I really loved the 500 motor, but the rest of the bike was starting to get outdated. It was definitely a great desert bike, but the handling wasn’t what the new 450’s are. These days I can go across the rough desert a lot faster on my 450 then I ever could on the 500. The 450 is a lot easier to ride just about everywhere.
2WT: What was your first bike, and what age did you start riding and racing?
DA: I had a little PW50 when I was around 8, but my first race wasn’t until I was 11 (on a Yamaha 80).
2WT: Now last season you tied the late Danny Hamel (man we miss that guy, R.I.P.) and Dan Smith with your fifth AMA Hare and Hound title. What would it mean for you to break that record this season?
DA: It would be huge! I never thought I would be in the same company as Danny and Dan. I’m sure Danny would’ve had 15 championships by now if it wasn’t for his tragic accident. If I can win this year, or even next, and break the record that would be a huge accomplishment for me!
2WT: Would it mean more to you to win a WORCS title?
DA: When the WORCS series started out I was really close to winning a Championship, but had some injuries that put me back. I really enjoy doing the WORCS series, but a lot of them are a lot more MX then off- road races. I like the ones when we go up to the northwest and get more technical. Mainly I just try and get top 5’s and focus on the H&Hs series. I’ll leave the WORCS thing to the young kids coming up.
2WT: You also ripped in Greece last year at the ISDE, which may have surprised a few people who thought you were just a desert guy. How come you've never tried more GNCC's or National Enduros?
DA: HAHA! I’ve done a few GNCC’s (4th overall at the opening Florida round a while back), but it’s really hard to go do a lot of other races with my schedule. I really enjoy the GNCC’s, but those guys have that stuff dialed and it’s tough to just show up and try to compete with them. As far as the Enduro’s, I would love to do more of them since they changed the format (more like Europe). It’s a lot like the ISDE type of racing, but tighter terrain. Hopefully I can do that in the next year or two.
2WT: I heard you are pretty quick at moto too; you train with Ryan Clark sometimes, right? Any plans to try an AMA Motocross this season?
DA: I love MX and ride that more than anything. I raced a few outdoors in 2007 and qualified for two of them (in the MX class). I didn’t earn any points and definitely didn’t ride as well as I could’ve, but I did have a great time doing it. Ryan and I do ride together, but since SX started I haven’t spent much time on the bike with him. I’ll go play around on the SX track, but I’m not going to try and do laps with him, otherwise I’ll be making a trip to the hospital!
2WT: What do you think about the trend of washed-up MX guys coming over and racing off-road? It seems like they have the speed, but it ends up being a lot tougher than they anticipated, would you agree?
DA: HAHA! I’m not sure if they would want to be called washed up, but you’re right about a lot of the MX guys making the switch to off-road. I actually really like the fact that so many MX riders are giving it a try. Some of the guys that can finish top 10 in the outdoors have a tough time breaking the top 10 in the WORCS series. It just shows how deep and hard our series is! Some of the WORCS races have a lot of MX in them, and then when we go to the Northwest it’s a totally different ball game (more like GNCC’s) and that’s where I do a lot better.
2WT: But man, they can do some impressive stuff on an Endurocross course though! Do you ever watch your teammate Damon Huffman hit a section and wonder how he makes it look so easy and smooth?
DA: Damon is awesome at EX races. He’s really smooth and a very talented rider. I’ve seen a lot of MX riders try it and they really struggle. You can’t ride the tracks like a MX race and you have to pick good lines and have great balance (which Damon does).
2WT: Do you have an Endurocross course set up at your house to practice?
DA: I don’t have enough land to have one in my yard, but I do have a few obstacles in my backyard that I play around on my trials bike. There’s an EX track we practice at here, in Phoenix, and then I also make the trip over to California and practice there too.
2WT: What do you do for training during the week?
DA: It really varies from week to week. It depends on if it was right after a race or before one. I usually spend time on my road bike, the gym, and some classes at the gym. The biggest thing is spending time on the motorcycle working on techniques (corners, being smooth, standing up, etc.). A lot of the time I head to the local MX tracks.
2WT: Do you ever ride in Baja?
DA: I love going down there and riding around. There are some great trails and it’s just a great place to go and relax.
2WT: Would you ever want to race the Baja 1000?
DA: I would love to race a truck down there! I’ve tried to go down there and race a bike, but things just haven’t worked out. Since Kawasaki has pulled out (a long time ago) I’ve never had the chance to race the 1000. It would be cool to try and add a Baja 1000 victory to the resume.
2WT: Kawasaki has some history in Baja. Now that Robby Bell is on a Kawi, I'd think with you, him, and Ricky Dietrich maybe, or Jamie Lanza or even Josh Morros, you guys could put together a team that would have a good shot to retake the crown from Honda. Have you guys been thinking about this? Any plans you can tell us about?
DA: There’s no doubt in my mind we could put a winning team together, but there’s a lot more that goes into it. I know when Kawasaki went down there to race, they were unstoppable and no one could beat them. If we had the same support I believe we would get the same results again. Monster Kawasaki is involved in so many different types of racing (H&H, WORCS, Enduro’s, GNCC’s, Endurocross’s, etc.) that it would be tough to try and add Baja to the mix. It takes a lot more racing Baja than any other series. There’s a lot of man power needed and you also have to spend time down there testing and pre-running.
2WT: You've been racing for quite a few years now, but seem to be getting even faster every year. How much longer do you plan on racing?
DA: I’ve been having a lot more fun now then I have in awhile. I have some great trainers I work with, and have learned a lot over the years. It’s all about finding a good balance and learning how to not overdo it. The bikes are better now than they have ever been, and that also makes them easier to ride. I know my speed is still really good, and I have the experience that helps with off-road racing. My goal is to put in 3 more years at the top level, and see what happens from there. I’m 36 right now, but feel like I did when I was in my 20’s. As long as I’m winning or being competitive, I’d like to keep doing this (and having fun).
2WT: You had some trouble at the first few Hare and Hounds so far. Are you confident you can recover and win your sixth title?
DA: Yeah, the first race I had two flats and that was tough for me. Even after the first flat (and being almost 3-minutes down) I was still able to catch back up to the leader, but then I got another flat. The second round was just me making a bad mistake and I sprained both wrists really bad (along with injuring my thumb). As far as my 6th title, I still feel really good about it this year! I’m making it harder on myself then I wanted to, but I still feel like I’m the fastest guy in the series and just have to ride smart. We still have a ways to go and anything can happen!
Thanks and keep up the great work!
Destry
www.destryabbott.com
By Doug Byers & Michael Hannas
Photos courtesy of Desert Image Collection Photography
Monster Kawasaki's Destry Abbott is gunning for his sixth AMA Hare and Hound Championship this season, which would break the record of five titles he currently shares with desert legends Dan Smith and the late Danny Hamel, while also going for his first WORCS title and competing in the full Endurocross series too. I would say he's on the gas.
Last season he did all three series, winning the Hare and Hound title, as well as competed for the US Trophy Team in the ISDE Six Day Enduro in Greece. Abbott, one of the more well-rounded off-road riders in the country, has also qualified for AMA Motocross Nationals in the 450 class and finished in the top five in a GNCC race in his spare time over the past few seasons. If you get the feeling that Destry just pretty much loves to ride, you would be correct.
2WheelTimes caught up to Abbott long enough to ask him a little about the various types of off-road racing he does, and find out what has enabled him to compete at such a high level for so many years.
2WT: Do you miss the KX500?
DA: I get this question quite a bit and honestly it’s very rare that I miss it. The only time is when we have the dead engine starts and it’s fast at the beginning of the race. The new KX450FI is really good and handles so much better than the 500 did. I don’t get the top speed like I did on my 500, but everywhere else is really close.
2WT: I'm sure you still have one at the house. Do you still pull it out every once in awhile to fire it up and take it for a rip?
DA: Yeah, I kept one of my championship race bikes. I still like looking at it, but it’s been years since she’s been running. But it does look good!
2WT: What are the main differences between the old 500 two-stroke and the new 450 four-stroke?
DA: I really loved the 500 motor, but the rest of the bike was starting to get outdated. It was definitely a great desert bike, but the handling wasn’t what the new 450’s are. These days I can go across the rough desert a lot faster on my 450 then I ever could on the 500. The 450 is a lot easier to ride just about everywhere.
2WT: What was your first bike, and what age did you start riding and racing?
DA: I had a little PW50 when I was around 8, but my first race wasn’t until I was 11 (on a Yamaha 80).
2WT: Now last season you tied the late Danny Hamel (man we miss that guy, R.I.P.) and Dan Smith with your fifth AMA Hare and Hound title. What would it mean for you to break that record this season?
DA: It would be huge! I never thought I would be in the same company as Danny and Dan. I’m sure Danny would’ve had 15 championships by now if it wasn’t for his tragic accident. If I can win this year, or even next, and break the record that would be a huge accomplishment for me!
2WT: Would it mean more to you to win a WORCS title?
DA: When the WORCS series started out I was really close to winning a Championship, but had some injuries that put me back. I really enjoy doing the WORCS series, but a lot of them are a lot more MX then off- road races. I like the ones when we go up to the northwest and get more technical. Mainly I just try and get top 5’s and focus on the H&Hs series. I’ll leave the WORCS thing to the young kids coming up.
2WT: You also ripped in Greece last year at the ISDE, which may have surprised a few people who thought you were just a desert guy. How come you've never tried more GNCC's or National Enduros?
DA: HAHA! I’ve done a few GNCC’s (4th overall at the opening Florida round a while back), but it’s really hard to go do a lot of other races with my schedule. I really enjoy the GNCC’s, but those guys have that stuff dialed and it’s tough to just show up and try to compete with them. As far as the Enduro’s, I would love to do more of them since they changed the format (more like Europe). It’s a lot like the ISDE type of racing, but tighter terrain. Hopefully I can do that in the next year or two.
2WT: I heard you are pretty quick at moto too; you train with Ryan Clark sometimes, right? Any plans to try an AMA Motocross this season?
DA: I love MX and ride that more than anything. I raced a few outdoors in 2007 and qualified for two of them (in the MX class). I didn’t earn any points and definitely didn’t ride as well as I could’ve, but I did have a great time doing it. Ryan and I do ride together, but since SX started I haven’t spent much time on the bike with him. I’ll go play around on the SX track, but I’m not going to try and do laps with him, otherwise I’ll be making a trip to the hospital!
2WT: What do you think about the trend of washed-up MX guys coming over and racing off-road? It seems like they have the speed, but it ends up being a lot tougher than they anticipated, would you agree?
DA: HAHA! I’m not sure if they would want to be called washed up, but you’re right about a lot of the MX guys making the switch to off-road. I actually really like the fact that so many MX riders are giving it a try. Some of the guys that can finish top 10 in the outdoors have a tough time breaking the top 10 in the WORCS series. It just shows how deep and hard our series is! Some of the WORCS races have a lot of MX in them, and then when we go to the Northwest it’s a totally different ball game (more like GNCC’s) and that’s where I do a lot better.
2WT: But man, they can do some impressive stuff on an Endurocross course though! Do you ever watch your teammate Damon Huffman hit a section and wonder how he makes it look so easy and smooth?
DA: Damon is awesome at EX races. He’s really smooth and a very talented rider. I’ve seen a lot of MX riders try it and they really struggle. You can’t ride the tracks like a MX race and you have to pick good lines and have great balance (which Damon does).
2WT: Do you have an Endurocross course set up at your house to practice?
DA: I don’t have enough land to have one in my yard, but I do have a few obstacles in my backyard that I play around on my trials bike. There’s an EX track we practice at here, in Phoenix, and then I also make the trip over to California and practice there too.
2WT: What do you do for training during the week?
DA: It really varies from week to week. It depends on if it was right after a race or before one. I usually spend time on my road bike, the gym, and some classes at the gym. The biggest thing is spending time on the motorcycle working on techniques (corners, being smooth, standing up, etc.). A lot of the time I head to the local MX tracks.
2WT: Do you ever ride in Baja?
DA: I love going down there and riding around. There are some great trails and it’s just a great place to go and relax.
2WT: Would you ever want to race the Baja 1000?
DA: I would love to race a truck down there! I’ve tried to go down there and race a bike, but things just haven’t worked out. Since Kawasaki has pulled out (a long time ago) I’ve never had the chance to race the 1000. It would be cool to try and add a Baja 1000 victory to the resume.
2WT: Kawasaki has some history in Baja. Now that Robby Bell is on a Kawi, I'd think with you, him, and Ricky Dietrich maybe, or Jamie Lanza or even Josh Morros, you guys could put together a team that would have a good shot to retake the crown from Honda. Have you guys been thinking about this? Any plans you can tell us about?
DA: There’s no doubt in my mind we could put a winning team together, but there’s a lot more that goes into it. I know when Kawasaki went down there to race, they were unstoppable and no one could beat them. If we had the same support I believe we would get the same results again. Monster Kawasaki is involved in so many different types of racing (H&H, WORCS, Enduro’s, GNCC’s, Endurocross’s, etc.) that it would be tough to try and add Baja to the mix. It takes a lot more racing Baja than any other series. There’s a lot of man power needed and you also have to spend time down there testing and pre-running.
2WT: You've been racing for quite a few years now, but seem to be getting even faster every year. How much longer do you plan on racing?
DA: I’ve been having a lot more fun now then I have in awhile. I have some great trainers I work with, and have learned a lot over the years. It’s all about finding a good balance and learning how to not overdo it. The bikes are better now than they have ever been, and that also makes them easier to ride. I know my speed is still really good, and I have the experience that helps with off-road racing. My goal is to put in 3 more years at the top level, and see what happens from there. I’m 36 right now, but feel like I did when I was in my 20’s. As long as I’m winning or being competitive, I’d like to keep doing this (and having fun).
2WT: You had some trouble at the first few Hare and Hounds so far. Are you confident you can recover and win your sixth title?
DA: Yeah, the first race I had two flats and that was tough for me. Even after the first flat (and being almost 3-minutes down) I was still able to catch back up to the leader, but then I got another flat. The second round was just me making a bad mistake and I sprained both wrists really bad (along with injuring my thumb). As far as my 6th title, I still feel really good about it this year! I’m making it harder on myself then I wanted to, but I still feel like I’m the fastest guy in the series and just have to ride smart. We still have a ways to go and anything can happen!
Thanks and keep up the great work!
Destry
www.destryabbott.com
