BUCKSHOT:
HENRY KARVASEK
Henry “Buckshot” Karvasek put himself on the podium on multiple occasions throughout the 2019 racing season, starting with strong results at both the FMF California Classic and Mammoth Mountain in his home state. The young Californian really stepped up his game prior to the end of the season, coming out swinging when he hit the track at Gatorback Cyclepark for the Thor Winter Olympics. Karvasek couldn’t miss the podium in both supercross and motocross, finishing on the top step in all four of his classes between both disciplines. He really rose to the occasion in the 51cc (4-8) Limited class on the outdoor track, taking the top spot with a pair of impressive 1st place finishes. Karvasek continued the same winning form at the beginning of the 2020 season, taking control of many of the 51cc classes on the west coast at a few of the Supercross Futures at the beginning of the season. He collected a total of four number one plates between his racing exploits at Anaheim, Glendale, and Oakland; gathering some serious momentum for the remainder of the season. We caught up with Bucky to talk about the experience of racing SX Futures at the beginning of the season, how he spent his free time during the quarantine, and what his plans are for the rest of the season.
What did you do for the few months that there was absolutely no racing happening?
Me and my family pretty much went into isolation for six to eight weeks from the beginning of March other than bike ride, surfing and training, so yeah we didn’t do much motocross riding at all.
What was your riding situation like the last couple of months?
The last couple of months we’ve been riding at my buddies private track at his ranch a couple three times a week
What did you do during the lockdown to have fun and keep yourself entertained?
During the lockdown, our whole little beach town here was shut down so we did a lot of bicycle street riding, surfing, plus video games when my dad let me.
What sort of hobbies do you have away from motocross?
My other hobbies are mostly surfing because we live about a block away from the C-Street which is a very popular California surf spot. I also skateboard, ride scooters and I ride my BMX bike.
Talk about the week of racing last November at Mini Os. How did things go for you in Florida?
Last November in Florida was the most fun I’ve had riding dirt bikes ever! We got to go down to James Stewart’s Ranch and ride a couple of days before we went to Gatorback. The Gatorback supercross and outdoor track are some of my favorites to ride, they were really technical and smooth and not all rutted out and fast. Our results were great, but they could’ve been a lot better. We missed another number one plate by one spot and we got one plate taken away from us because we jumped on a yellow which we didn’t see but that’s AMA rules. We’ve got to go by them but overall we just had a really fun week out there in Florida!
What was the experience like racing Supercross Futures at the beginning of the year and how were your results?
Supercross Futures are by far my favorite riding to do! The technical rhythm sections, the whoops, and the big jumps are awesome! We were on a roll at the beginning of the year until everything got shut down - we won Anaheim, Phoenix, and Oakland on the 50 and got a 2nd place on the 65 at Oakland.
What has it been like for you this season splitting time between the 50 and 65?
It’s been fun splitting up the 50 and the 65 because my dad pushes me to do good on the 50 but he also just wants me to ride the 65 and get track time and experience on it.
Have you been mostly focusing on the 65 for training?
We are concentrating on riding the 50 really hard and pushing it on that bike because this is my last year on it for Lorreta‘s.
What’re your goals and plans heading into Loretta’s this season?
First, we’ve got to try to qualify. Then our plan is to go back to Tennessee and hopefully get a top three and who knows maybe win it on my 50 if I can keep it on two wheels and the weather conditions are halfway decent.
Do you know what classes you’ll be racing moving into 2021?
In 2021, we’re going to strictly concentrate on the 65 and then start maybe jumping on an 85 and running limited races, but we’re not totally sure about that.