FOCUS FORWARD:
BROCK WALKER
Brock Walker split time throughout the 2019 racing season in both the Supermini and 125cc classes, ending the year in fairly solid fashion with a couple of overall victories in the Texas State Championship as well as a top ten finish in the 125cc (12-17) B/C class at The Motoplayground Race at Ponca City. Walker continued to focus on the same classes for the 2020 season on the pathway to Loretta Lynn’s, but he spent some time mixing it up on a 250F throughout the Texas Winter Series at the beginning of the year. He clearly made some significant improvements from one year to the next as he showed up to Spring A Ding Ding in early March with some serious speed on his side. The Texan finished 4th place overall in the Schoolboy 1 class and he earned a spot on the podium in the 250 B Limited class, wrapping up 3rd place overall with consistently impressive performances. Walker stayed sharp throughout the coronavirus lockdown and hiatus from racing, returning to the gate at the Ponca City South Central Regional to take the win in the Schoolboy 1 class as well as 2nd place overall in the 125cc (12-17) B/C division. He earned his tickets to the Ranch in commanding fashion and established himself as one of the riders that could be vying for the title when the racing kicks off in Hurricane Mills this year. We reached out to Brock to see how racing has gone for him this year, mixing it up on the 250, and what he’s expecting at Loretta’s this season.
What did you do during the few months that there was no racing happening with the coronavirus lockdown in effect?
Upon going into quarantine, I was already at the track and was able to stay at Quick’s Moto Ranch and train, but the only thing was that I couldn’t go anywhere and had to stay quarantined there.
Did you take some time off of riding when racing was initially canceled and postponed back in March?
No, I stayed at the facility and trained. This allowed me to continue to focus on my technique and stay in the gym.
What sort of hobbies do you have outside of motocross?
My hobbies outside of motocross include wake surfing, golfing with my dad, and hanging out with my friends.
How did The Motoplayground Race at Ponca City go last year to end the 2019 racing season for you?
It wasn’t the best for me, my speed wasn’t quite there yet. Also, due to bad starts, I was unable to get the results I wanted.
What do you think of the track layout at Ponca?
I think the layout at Ponca is awesome, it’s one of my favorite tracks in Oklahoma.
How has the transition to the four-stroke and the 250 been for you this season?
I liked it, but the transition between the 125 and 250 was difficult for me, so I decided to just stick with 125s for the rest of this year and next year.
You did a lot of racing in the Texas Winter Series at the beginning of the year, did that help you get up to speed on the new bike?
Yes, it helped a lot because I was only riding the 250 at the time.
Take us through your weekend of racing at Spring A Ding Ding and how things went from your perspective.
Overall the weekend was really good, I did have a couple of bike problems that kept me off the podium in the 125 classes. However, overall it was a great confidence booster for me.
How did it feel to finally be back on the gate for the Loretta Lynn Regional at Ponca City after so much time away from racing?
Besides all the time off from racing, I couldn’t wait to get back on the gate and it really gave me the time to get prepared for it.
How did the racing go for you there?
It went well. A couple of mistakes in 125 B/C kept me out of the championship, but other than that, it was good.
What did you think of the Super Regional format?
I liked the Super Regional, it was an awesome experience. However, if I would have taken on more classes it would have been very difficult.
What’s your mindset heading into Loretta’s this year?
I know there will be stiff competition, but I’m the strongest I’ve ever been and I’m confident that I will do well.
Have you given any thought to which classes you’ll be contesting at the end of the season moving into the 2021 season?
As far as I know I will be racing the 125 again in 2021, but I will be considering adventuring off into the 250 class.