Byrner talks about his switch to JGR Yamaha and how he still loves EKS (X) Brand googles. I might have made that last part up.
Byrner talks about his switch to JGR Yamaha and how he still loves EKS (X) Brand googles. I might have made that last part up.
Me: Let’s talk about the switch Byrner from privateer Kawi to JGR Yamaha. How did that come about?
Michael Byrne: Well, it’s pretty simple really, Josh (Grant) needed surgery and they came to me and said they wanted to fill that spot until they got back. They called me to see what I had going on and if that was even possible, then Josh went and got worked on and they said that they definitely needed someone to fill the spot. On Friday before Phoenix, they talked to me officially about filling in, we hashed some things out and made it happen.
That was pretty much it.
So this is for the rest of the supercross season right?
Yeah, the contract at the moment says that it’s only until Josh gets better but they said that they’re going to try and make it work for the whole supercross season. I want to keep on there for the rest of the series, hopefully we can make it happen that way.
Was it hard to get out of your existing deals? Kawasaki was giving you some help, Casey Stewart was your mechanic , Answer clothing…you know, what was that like to work out of?
It was a tough situation y’know? It’s super hard and you don’t want to disappoint anyone or burn any bridges. But when you get this opportunity, even though it’s a tough situation, you have to take it because I have a family to support and have to put food on the table. So now I have money coming in instead of money going out.
I hadn’t received any money yet in 210 actually, we were still working things out with the gear companies and with EKS(X) Brand and all that. It was tough for sure but I think I had to do it.
You have ridden four different bikes in like five months, you know that right? That has to be some kind of record.
Yeah, it’s nothing to be proud of (laughs). I have just tried to do everything I can to keep racing. I feel like I can improve and I can get better. That’s what it comes down to. So, all these things were opportunities that came up and I had to take them.
So say this didn’t come up, were you in all season riding as a privateer, driving to the races in your motorhome?
Oh yeah, I was fully committed to doing that. That was the deal, I wasn’t sitting at home hoping someone would hurt themselves, you don’t wish that on anyone. It’s a tough and rough enough sport as it is. So yeah, I just tried to gather as much support from everyone that I could, Answer, Kawasaki, Pro Circuit, you guys at EKS(X) Brand (Ed note: I do some side work as a goggle service guy for EKS Brand, Byrner was our star rider. Now he’s out…anyone have another fast guys number?) all stepped up and helped me out to keep me on the road and get by every weekend. I wasn’t ready to sit at home and think about getting a job yet! I love to race and still wanted to do it.
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Michael Byrne on the new JGR/Muscle Milk Yamaha. Have you guys tried Muscle Milk yet? It’s pretty good. Photo courtesy of TWMX.com |
So with you riding different bikes, does it make the switch to Yamaha’s easier? It’s a pretty radical new bike and all that.
Obviously with a day and a half on the bike, you’re never going to be super comfortable. Still, I felt as great as you could be on a bike you haven’t ridden much. It helps that these guys have it (the bike) real close to where it needs to be. That’s a huge advantage for me really.
It’s funny because we flew to North Carolina after Phoenix but it was too wet there to ride there so we ended up driving five hours to my place in Georgia. So it was 4 o’clock in the morning when we got there and woke up later that morning to ride for the next day or so before it started raining at home.
Your starts looked better on the new bike, that’s for sure. You didn’t seem to have them with the Kawasaki.
Well, it all comes down to qualifying better really, I rode faster and got a better time, then I had a better gate pick-on the inside- and then I got a good start and had another good pick for the main and it just goes on and on. That helps a ton.
What about your Anaheim 2 race?
Yeah, I stayed off the ground so that was a start for sure. I thought I got better every time I went out on the track, I rode a bit tight at first and then loosened up at the end. I have to get used to the pace of the front guys, which was my first solid race-speed twenty lapper of the year. I’ll just try and learn from here.
It was crazy, the top nine lap times in the main event were only separated by something like 1.6 seconds!
Yeah the track was good, it was technical. It wasn’t the normal hold it wide open and ride thing, you had to be calculated and think a little bit out there. It was a little tighter and provided some good racing.
Can you compare your Suzuki, Honda, Kawasaki and now the Yamaha? Like what bike does what better and what worse or whatever?
Every bike does a little something different really, it’s hard to talk about the Honda because it was a full production bike and we didn’t have the resources to change it around and make it better. That was tough because my hands were tied there and the Suzuki and this Yamaha, they are changed quite a bit because of the resources available. The Kawasaki is a great production bike, luckily I had some support from Enzo and the suspension was great. Every bike does something a little different and this Yamaha felt good to me. It turns really well and it was fun. The engine set-up is very responsive for sure.
But this Yamaha does feel a little different from the others?
Not really, maybe because I’ve rode every other brand but a KTM in the last few months, but it just felt like another bike to me! Plus I’d never ridden a Yamaha four-stroke before so I couldn’t compare it to any other Yamaha out there. That was probably an advantage to me also.
How are the JGR guys?
Most of them I knew at Kawasaki when I was there, guys like Jeremy (Albrecht) and Dean (Baker). Everyone has been really positive with me and they’ve been cool guys.
