Five Minutes with … Kyle Beaton
JULY 28, 2008

Kyle Beaton qualified for his first ever AMA National in his first attempt at Washougal.

photo: Brault

By Danny Brault

Kyle Beaton joins a shortlist of Canadians who have qualified for an AMA Motocross National. The Clearbrook Yamaha rider and his mechanic, Mike Smith, traveled down to Washougal, Washington this weekend for Beets’ first ever AMA outdoor event. Things went pretty well for Beaton as he qualified 26th and ran inside the top-20 for a few laps in the first moto. Some motor troubles left him with DNF in moto two, but from Beets' tone this morning, he still seems happy with how it went.


RXC: Kyle, how are you doing?
Kyle Beaton: Not bad. A little tired.

I’m guessing you got in pretty late last night?
Yeah, she was a late one. When we got home, Mike [Smith] and I ripped apart a motor because I blew up another one.

What the heck is up with your bike? It seems like it’s breaking down every weekend.
It was a completely different motor. The crank went in this one. The rod broke that connects to the crank, right where the pin goes through. It’s weird; I’ve never seen that before. Then it screwed the tranny too, so….

You must have really pissed off lady luck because she hasn’t been kind to you lately.
No [laughs], she doesn’t like me this year. There’s always something going on with the Kyle Beaton saga.

How was Washougal?
It was fun! It was probably the most fun I’ve had all year. There was no pressure. I went down with an open mind and felt good. You get so much riding in. We did two 20-minute practice sessions both days. We went through, like, five gallons of gas. In Canada, Shane [Wiebe] and I don’t go through five gallons together. The track was absolutely mint. They don’t over water it; they don’t let it get dusty. I qualified 26th on Saturday and 25th on Sunday for my gate pick.

Who did you start beside in the first moto?
Andrew McFarlane and some other privateer. I had horrible starts; I think most of the privateers down south run big bores. Their bikes ripped. I definitely wish I had my race motor, that’s for sure.

So what happened in that first moto?
I was pretty much dead last off the start. That start at Washougal is tight and everyone funnels in. I worked my up to 16th for a while, but then I made a mistake—I didn’t crash but made a mistake—and it took me a couple of laps to get going again. There, you can’t make a little bobble or there are guys going by you. I was battling with McFarlane, Tommy Hahn, [Tucker] Hibbert, and Mike Brown and all of those guys.

Beaton's looking forward to relaxing and enjoying himself in the final three Canadian nationals.

photo: James Lissimore

That Lites class is stacked down there, for sure. Looking at the lap times, everyone is within a few seconds a lap of each other. What was your fitness like in that moto?
My fitness was fine down there, so I don’t know what my deal is back home. I think it’s all mental. Mike timed it and it was like 38 minutes from when we started until we finished. I didn’t see the halfway or last lap flag and I felt fine after the moto. It makes me mad that up here I ride tight and get arm pump. Now I know that it’s all mental. I just have to go in with an open mind and not put any pressure on myself.

You’re sitting fourth in points in the MX2 series and only four back of third place. What’s your game plan for the final three rounds?
To just go out there and ride and not worry about how I do. I kind of threw this season out the door already so I just need to have some fun.

I think it’s unfair to say that you’ve thrown the season out the door; you’ve been on the podium, you’ve won a moto, and you’re the top Canadian in the series in position for third overall.
Yeah, I guess I can’t say I really threw it out but if you’re not winning, you’re the first loser. I hate losing. I’ve been trying to win this title for years now.

What is your take on the new nine-round MX2 series?
It was good. I think next year we just need to go coast to coast, none of this back and forth stuff. It’s been fun; it’s better to race nine rounds than four.

What’s been your favourite round so far?
Regina was good; I got a moto win there. But I’m still going to go with Nanaimo. Gopher was good too. It was gnarly rough and everyone faded and I kept it strong, well I did lay it on the ground a couple of times [laughs].

Thanks, Kyle. We’ll see you in Moncton.
Yep, for sure.