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COLLIN ALLEN
Collin Allen put in some strong results throughout the course of the 2019 amateur motocross season, upping his game towards the end of the year with a slew of wins and podium finishes. The young Texan started off with solid finishes at the FMF California Classic and the Loretta Lynn Amateur National Motocross Championship, firmly planting himself in the top ten of the fastest riders in the nation and regularly contending for top fives with consistent results at the Ranch. Allen stepped it up when he showed up at the Baja Brawl, putting himself on the overall podium in both Mini Sr classes while also capturing a moto win that same weekend. At that point, the Yamaha rider put his head down and moved up to the next step of the podium at The Motoplayground Race at Ponca City, taking the overall in the 85cc (9-13) Open class with 2-1 moto scores in addition to a solid overall podium result in the Mini Sr. 2 class. Allen kept the momentum up at Mini Os with another number one plate on the outdoor track, putting him on a pathway to success as he transitioned to the Supermini classes this season. We caught up with Collin to see how the beginning of the racing season went for him, what it’s been like training down at Quick’s Moto Ranch, and what he likes about riding the 125.
What have you been doing during the last couple of months during the lockdown period?
Really I've just been training, you know. I live at the track (at Quick's Moto Ranch) with my dad and my mom lives up in North Carolina so it kind of sucks I haven't been able to see her as much with the whole quarantine and everything being shut down. We would fly up and see her and then she'd fly down here to see us or we'd see each other at races. But I've still been down here training and putting in the work.
What have you been up to during your free time at Quick's when you're not riding or training?
Normally we go fishing and a couple of other people live at the track so we're never really alone, we always have something to do. We'll ride pit bikes, go fishing, do schoolwork and just hang out with each other.
When all of this first started and racing was initially postponed, did you take a little bit of time off riding and training?
I took maybe about a week off and then went back to the track and started riding. We dialed it back a little bit since we had no races coming up, the training was more section work and less motos.
What's it like for you training down at Quick's Moto Ranch with Kyle Regal and Zak Mashburn?
It's really cool, I've been here for a while so I've got to experience it all and I like it a lot. It's really fun, everybody's here and we always go do stuff. Even in our downtime, you know, there's always something to do. They have a track to ride and we just go ride our pit bikes, so there's always something to do; there's never a dull moment.
Last year you caught fire towards the end of the season and had some really good results, starting with a title and some solid results at The Motoplayground Race at Ponca City.
Ponca was really good. The first motos didn't go the way I wanted, I wasn't really gettin' the starts and then in the second motos I got some better starts and was running up there. In my other classes, I didn't really get what I wanted but in that 85 (9-13) Open class I just really rode good, beared down and won.
You've been to Ponca quite a few times now. What're your thoughts on the track there?
Yeah, I like the track a lot. Ponca is one of my favorite tracks; I've done it for the past four years and I've always liked it. It's always been really fun; the jumps there are really big and it's got really good dirt. I wish there were more races there.
You backed it up with another title at Mini Os. What was your week like at Gatorback last year?
Mini Os was really good. That's actually my favorite race of the year so it was cool to go and get a title there. Two years prior to that I won two titles on the 65 so it was cool to go back and re-experience it.
Did that help boost your confidence heading into this year?
Yeah, it was good. It boosted my confidence for the next year and just showed that I can be up there with the top riders.
Was it after Mini Os last year that you got on the 125 and started riding that a little bit?
It was right at Christmas during the Texas Winter Series.
Did you have that waiting under the tree for you on Christmas morning?
Yeah, it was cool to get to see it in the house.
What's that transition to the bigger bike been like for you?
It was cool, you know, more bike and more horsepower. It's nice 'cause it's a lot bigger so I fit it a little better. Obviously I can throw bigger whips and just have more fun on it.
Has that helped to ride during training to help the supermini feel more manageable?
Yeah, it really makes the supermini a lot easier to ride.
How'd the Supercross Futures go for you at the beginning of the season?
It was cool. It was awesome to get to race inside that stadium, but I was a little upset that they flipped the track for Dallas 'cause that was the Futures that I did. It was still cool that we got to ride in the stadium and be on a little bit of a different track than the pros, but it would've been nice to try and hit some of the big pro rhythms.
What was your weekend at Spring A Ding Ding like from your perspective?
Spring A Ding Ding didn't really go the way I wanted it to. It was my first race on the supermini, so I mean it was good to see how I compared to the top riders. I did have some bike problems so I was down on horsepower a little bit in the first motos, but it was cool to get to see everybody there. I've always done Spring A Ding (Ding), it's obviously my home track, and my favorite track to ride so it was fun to finally get to race it!
What's your opinion on the stacked competition in the Supermini classes this year?
Yeah, the superminis are hard. You've gotta ride 'em really fast but the class is just stacked this year. There are a lot of factory riders that are top runners and it's hard to keep up with 'em.
As far as Loretta's goes this year, what're your thoughts on the Super Regional format?
I'm a little bummed about it just 'cause it's going to be more hectic but I understand what they have to go through and it's obviously the only way we can do it while being safe. I think it's cool, I'm goin' up to Tennessee to do Muddy Creek and I've never ridden that track so it'll be nice to ride a new one.
Have you thought about what your plans are for the end of the year after Loretta's and moving into 2021?
We've talked a little bit about it. It could be moving up to big bikes full time and going Schoolboy 1 and 125 B/C, but we're not sure yet. I'm a little bit too big for the supermini right now but the Yamahas are a smaller bike, but I'm right in between. I'm a little bit too small for the 125 and a little bit too big for the supermini.