LIGHTNING FAST: VINCENT WEY
Last year could definitely be classified as a breakout year for Vincent Wey as the young rider out of California catapulted himself into the upper-echelon of the 65cc classes last season. He’s demonstrated the speed to run at the front on previous occasions, but in 2019 the Husqvarna rider was able to put together speed and consistency at practically every high profile race that he attended. Wey boosted his confidence in a big way with a 1st place overall finish in the 65cc (7-9) class at the JS7 Freestone Spring Championship and he kept it up for the rest of the season, landing on the overall podium at the FMF California Classic and The Motoplayground Race at Ponca City. He proved he had the potential to win almost anytime he lined up on the gate and it was no different in early December during the AZ Open where Wey captured another title in the 65cc (7-9) Limited class to end his season on a high note. Following a couple of victories in Supercross Futures at the beginning of the season, the youngster is primed and in position to continue winning when racing resumes shortly. We got Vincent on the phone for a quick conversation about what it’s like hanging around with Cameron McAdoo and Adam Cianciarulo, helping his little brother with motocross, and wrenching on his RC car.
What have you been up to the last couple of months during the quarantine to keep yourself busy?
I've been riding up in the hills and the hill tracks have been pretty sweet. It's been raining here so I've been doing a lot of riding. I think I rode four days a week one week with Cameron McAdoo so that was really challenging.
Who do you do most of your riding with, other than your brother?
I like riding with my friend Aidan Zingg; he's really fun to ride with and sometimes I go ride with Adam (Cianciarulo) but not that much.
How is it for you to spend time on and off the track with established pros like Cameron McAdoo and Adam Cianciarulo?
It's fun to learn from their experiences when they're going to the races and prepping for the races, so it's pretty cool to watch them.
What sort of advice have you gotten from them?
Adam told me on the gate at the Cal Classic "I am speed," like Lightning McQueen at the beginning of Cars.
You're in the opposite role as a big brother where you're passing your knowledge down to your little brother Donovan. What's that like for you?
I'm pretty hard on him, so it's pretty fun to watch him succeed and grow. He got on the 65 not that long ago and he was actually quite fast!
How does he respond to that?
He gets mad so he actually does a lot better! He gets more motivated and kind of more aggressive.
What have you been doing during all of your free time when you're not riding and training?
I've been working on my RC car. When I was like 2, my dad got me an RC car but then he broke it and it's been in our storage room for a while, so I've been working on fixing that.
That's cool, what more do you have to do to get it running?
I have one more part, it's like the receiver. I had it all good, but then I broke it again.
Some of the tracks are starting to open back up, have you been able to ride at some of those lately?
Yeah, I've been going to State Fair. That's been open and there are lots of riders there that are kind of beginners so it's a little challenging to weave my way through them but it's really fun. Also, Pala has a new layout and that's been fun, too!
Do you feel like learning how to find lines around those slower riders is good for your racecraft?
Yeah. If you're leading and you're in a battle and there are lappers and you mess up and get passed, that'll be pretty frustrating so it helps with that.
You kickstarted your 2019 season with a championship at Freestone last year, what was that week like for you?
I was working on a lot of things before that race and then I crashed in the first moto where I could've got the overall and then the next class I got the overall, so I was really happy. The next day I raced the (7-11) and I was a lot more confident so I did better in that class than I did the whole week.
Did that give you a lot of confidence moving forward?
It felt like I was expected to do better at the other races. There was more pressure, but I felt like I could win and I was kind of expected to win.
Did that motivate you in a way and help push you to the next level?
Definitely.
You didn't have the results you wanted at Loretta's but you had the speed. How'd the week go from your point of view?
I had the speed but it was just really frustrating so I learned a lot there. I'd try too hard and then I'd mess up over and over again and the track was really rutted and bumpy so it was challenging.
You went onto The Motoplayground Race at Ponca City and came away with moto wins and overall podiums. How was your weekend in Oklahoma?
Yeah, I won the last moto of the 65cc Open so that was pretty cool and then in my other class, I passed (Cole) Blecha for the overall. There were two corners to go and the rut was so big that it stopped my bike, so I kind of tipped over but it was a quick one so I lost that championship.
At the AZ Open a couple of months later you wrapped up a few championships there. What was it like to end the year on a high note with those performances?
It was pretty cool that I got all those titles, but I just want to put it together so I can get some more.
Supercross Futures were some of the first races you did in 2020, what was that experience like for you?
It was a pretty cool experience 'cause you get to ride the same track as the pros. You can see the riders having trouble in one section the night before and then you ride the track and you're like "Oh, I can see why."
How's the step up to the 85 been for you now that you've done a little bit of racing and some practicing on that?
It's been really challenging. It's kind of like a tool to use to get stronger on the 65 but when you go down back to the 65 it feels really small and just like wobbly, but after you ride it a while you feel a lot stronger. I haven't ridden my 65 for a while, I've just been riding the 85 a lot actually. It's fun to have a faster bike and bigger wheels so you can just go faster and hit bigger ruts.
By wobbly, do you mean it's hard to find your balance going back down to the smaller bike?
Yeah, but you get used to it after like thirty minutes of riding.
You got a gate drop in at the RMX Series in Utah recently. How was it to get back on the gate?
It was really rutted and Dannyn Reed was there so we had some good battles. Those Utah boys are really fast, so it was fun to actually race 'cause I haven't done that in a while so it was just fun.
You're also registered to race the Loretta Lynn's Regional in Utah, right? What do you think of the Super Regional format for this year?
Yeah, we're gonna go the weekend before and go to another track so that'll be fun. I think it's cool that the Vets and the Amateurs get to go the weekend before the mini bikes but I also think it's cool that we have a three moto format.
What're your plans for Loretta's this season and heading into 2021?
I think I'm gonna race the 65cc (10-11) Mod and Stock this year at Loretta's and then hopefully I can get those two championships. Next year I think I'm gonna keep racing the 65, but I might move up to the 85 next year. I don't really know exactly.