It’s hard to believe that it’s been over 15 years since Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Damon Huffman took his first 125 Supercross Championship back in 1994. Since then, the soon-to-be 34-year-old has been a consistent championship contender in Supercross, Motocross, WORCS, and now EnduroCross. Almost winning the EnduroCross Championship in 2008, Damon has yet to win this season, but now is facing the ultimate honor and challenge of competing for Team USA in the 84th annual ISDE in Portugal. I recently caught up with Huffman after the EX in Columbus, Ohio to see what’s been happening.
Photo of a pre-race Damon Huffman gearing up for the start of Ohio's EnduroCross race.
It’s very interesting; you’ve got Trials champions out there, Enduro guys, the Extreme Enduro guys, Motocross guys, Supercross guys, but it’s really the trials guys; who are always unique to watch - they just have a different technique over some of the stuff. The motocross guys are more like pin it, lean back and just smack stuff. I would say that I’m kind of in-between, as I do have a little bit of a trials background. I’ve been riding trials bikes for fun for a long time; since probably 1993, or 1994 - that’s why EnduroCross suits me pretty well.
It certainly does suit you; last year you were leading the Championship until near the series’ end when you got injured in Ohio.
Yeah, it was a bummer; I really got onto a bit of a roll; I won a couple races in a row and was really getting comfortable and confident. Last year in Ohio, I just fell in one of the rock turns. It was like the first or second lap of the heat race, and I just tipped over. The rocks get really slippery, and sometimes you put your foot out, and your foot just goes out from under you. I kind of ended up doing a little bit of a face plant into the rocks. Just by putting my hands out to catch myself as I went down, my finger caught a rock on and dislocated it. At that point I had about an 11 or 12-point lead in the series with two races to go - so it was definitely a bummer. I still managed to pop my finger back in and race that night; but it was a bit too much - I didn’t qualify and that did it (ended his Championship hope).
During the 2009 ISDE, Damon Huffman will use both his physical and mental skills as he will be his own mechanic for maintenance.
Well, Taddy is a very unique rider; he’s truly incredible to watch on the bike. I mean, he can do things on the bike that I don’t think too many people in the world can actually do - as far as his nose wheelie tricks, and riding on the rear wheel. He kind of puts that all together in EnduroCross; he’s fast and he’s quick and he’s good in the rocks - and now this year he’s been getting the starts. He’s definitely improved his starts, because the last couple years his starts weren’t that great; but he would come through very well. Right now he’s been kind of getting out front and just riding away. In EnduroCross, there’s a lot of luck involved; because you can be running strong in third next to somebody, and all of a sudden they’re doing a right turn and they smack right into you - then you’re both lying on the side of the track! It’s not like Supercross when you can trust the guy next to you, jump next to him and ride side-by-side. With EnduroCross, you better not follow, or be too close; you’d better make a quick pass, because chances are, that guy might be going down and he can take you with him.
You’ve been doing the WORCS series too right?
Yeah; they’re really challenging; last year I finished fourth overall in that series; and right now, I’m fifth or sixth overall. It’s been a tough year; I’ve been healthy and strong - just results aren’t as great as I would like. It’s just been a combination of little things going wrong – taking a rock into the sprocket and locking up the rear wheel, or with people going down in front of me - just typical racing stuff. Off road is hard; it’s very hard core stuff.
Damon Huffman applies his 2009 ISDE number to his dirt bike during set-up. This is his first year to participate.
Yeah, yeah, that’s true; luck comes into play in all sports; just more so in EnduroCross than any other form of motorcycling. You’ve got all the other elements of when you go through the water; then the water gets carried around the track, and then the logs get slippery. With EnduroCross, you can spin out, slide out, get stuck, and all that stuff really quick. Looking back on last year and some of the races I won; coming into the lappers, going through the rocks – it’s like I just squeezed through and had a clean track. But there’s a lot that comes into play; that’s the beauty of EnduroCross. I think slowly as more people come and see it, they can appreciate it. It’s the only other form of dirt bike racing where you can be watching the slowest guys on the track, such as the Vet class where the guys are really struggling to make it around, and the fans are as much into that as watching the pro class. If you went and watched that same guy ride a Supercross track, you’d be bored; but not in EnduroCross - it’s a great sport, and I hope it continues to grow.
Let’s switch over to the ISDE; you’re riding for America this year!
Yes I am; it means a lot. But you know, I am filling in for Jimmy Jarrett; he was on the original USA team and he ended up breaking his wrist. So it was a natural fit, me being on the Kawasaki like Jimmy Jarrett is. They called me up, and at this point in my career, I think that everyone knew that I wanted to go and would like to do it. Now it’s time to step up and see what it’s all about; riding for your country and having the blue and white striped helmet. That helmet recently came in the mail, and I was putting it on and looking in the mirror - it’s quite an honor, you know. Even just a couple years ago, I wouldn’t have thought that I’d ever be going over there. I’m really looking forward to it. It’s going to be a great experience, and the USA riders are taking it more serious probably more than ever right now to go over and win that thing.
What have you done to prepare specifically for the ISDE?
The final challenge is the tire test and using the irons. This can be pretty tough in street clothes, but in helmet and gear, it can be more of an effort.
Well, for me, I know how to ride, and I can ride a bike well. It’s more trying to prepare for the little things. The thing I fear the most is the 15 minutes you get to work on your bike where you’re expected to change both tires, air filter, oil, and sometimes you may even have to do a clutch - so that’s what I’ve been working the hardest on. Throughout my career, I haven’t done a whole lot of that (working on bikes), but I get to practice and train a lot with Kurt Caselli - he’s a veteran guy over there. He can change a back tire on a bike in a minute and a half! He’s pretty incredible to watch, and it doesn’t even seem possible to do what he does; but that’s the kind of speed you need to have over there to keep your bike fresh. I’ve just been trying to ask questions and try to get as much info as possible to prepare. I don’t know what to expect; people are telling me everything that goes on; so I’m gonna have a great support team. People from Kawasaki will be there; but it’s going to be a long six days.
After that you’ll have the last two EnduroCross rounds right; then you finish up racing just around Thanksgiving time?
Yeah; the final EnduroCross in Vegas is in the late part of November. As far as next year, I don’t know yet; I don’t know what’s going on. I’m really trying to enjoy these last few races and get some good results – and represent the USA.
Let’s touch on next year for a second. Obviously we’ve seen a lot of economic issues come into play with the factory SX/MX teams; has that also spilled over into off-road and EnduroCross?
Oh, for sure; right now I think there are only three or four teams in off-road that really try to make a strong effort. They're all hurting, and next year for me is way up in the air; so, I really don’t know.
Kawasaki's Damon Huffman is unsure on his future plans, but he will continue to compete in EnduroCross as long as possible.
Absolutely! I want to do Off-Road for a couple more years, and in EnduroCross I can probably go a lot longer – at least a few more years. But racing WORCS is very, very difficult; after a WORCS race, my whole entire body is done. I’m like out of commission for, you know, three or four days, just done. It’s literally 2 hours, sometimes 2 hours and 15 minutes of all-out racing, so it takes a lot out of me. EnduroCross, you know, it’s more like Supercross, but you don’t have to be fearless like you do in Supercross.
Final thoughts at this point, Damon?
Just to thank Kawasaki; I’ve had a great couple years with them - they’ve really supported me well. I’m just looking to continue and get some good results; that’s my plan. That’s kind of why I crossed over and started doing this is a shot at winning and winning titles, and that’s what it’s all about.
