American youngster Thomas Covington shocked the World with his solid results in the Grand Prix of Qatar. Finishing with a third place in the second moto in Qatar the Monster Energy Kawasaki rider gave hope that we might have another American kid racing up front on a regular basis in the FIM Motocross World Championships.
That sudden success didn’t follow him to Thailand and Brazil though as he struggled a little with bike issues and also the tough competition. 13 points in Thailand and just four in Brazil saw him drop to 14th in the MX2 series points.
Q: So how has the round the World holiday been for you so far?
Covington: I don’t know if you could say it is much of a holiday. I have done lot of travel a lot of time zone changes, but it has been good, and I have loved every minute of it. In Thailand we spent a whole week doing stuff like parasailing, jet skiing, got to shoot some guns and hang out with the other guys in the team. We also tried some different foods, it was nice to see the other cultures.
Q: Did you expect the whole Grand Prix experience to be this exciting?
Covington: When I heard where the first three rounds would be I was like, this is going to be really crazy, but it has been a bit of a blur really. It’s been pretty crazy that for sure.
Q: Where do you stay between the Grand Prix races?
Covington: I have been in South France at the team manager’s place, and riding there. Before Brazil I was talking with my dad and he said he couldn’t make it to Brazil because he didn’t have a visa and I was like, “well I don’t have a visa either”. So I flew back to California, spent two days at home and then flew down to Brazil. I will go back home after Brazil.
Q: A top three in a moto in Qatar, did you expect such a result this quickly?
Covington: Training and getting ready for the FIM Motocross World Championships I wanted to be top three or top five, so it wasn’t a surprise, but more a relief. Then in Thailand I had problems with the bike and it didn’t give me the chance to show what I could do it again. My goal is be a consistent top five guy and that is what my trainer Johnny O’mara and I have been working for. I just need a good start and not make any mistakes.
Q: Obviously Herlings wasn’t in Brazil. Did you feel anything different with him not being there, or maybe notice your competition acted differently?
Covington: It didn’t change anything for me that Herlings wasn’t in Brazil. I was just going to try and do my best and ride well.
Q: So what is the plan now? From what I understand you wanted to do the first few rounds of the FIM Motocross World Championship before heading back home. Is that still the plan?
Covington: As of today my plan was to race in America as it is my home, but there is a chance I might stay and do more rounds of the FIM MX2 World Championship. It is above my head at the moment, some things have to work out. I guess I had to do well in Brazil, so the pressure was on there. We will see what happens.
Copyright: Photo: Kawasaki
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