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Q&A with National #65 Cory Texter on Daytona Spring 2010
By Wide Open Press
Photo by JGPhotowerx.com
March 15,2010 - What better way to shake the winter blues and get away from feet of snow than with a trip to Daytona, Florida to kick off the long awaited 2010 AMA Pro Grand National Championship Flat Track season. With the hauler loaded, Cory Texter and Texter racing headed south pit-stopping along to the way in Savannah, Georgia and Volusia, Florida to run laps in the new All-Star National race series. From there it was on to Daytona, Florida for two days of racing. Wide Open Press sat down with Cory to get his take on the racing, the competition and what his thoughts are on the start of his 2010 race season.
Wide Open Press: How did you feel on the All-Star half miles and what do you think of the new series?
Cory Texter: I felt good overall at these races. I think it’s really cool what Steve Nace is doing for us by giving us more places to race this year. Steve is one of the best in the business and his crew is always so personable. I felt better then how I finished and I am really excited for the next event he puts on.
WOP: The Savannah, GA All-Star Half Mile was one of your first pit stops on the way down to Daytona and it pulls in a lot of riders. How did it feel to get your Honda 450 and XR 750 out and running on the track?
CT: Savannah has always been one of my favorite tracks. It’s fast! This year it was a little different. It took me a while to shake off the rust on the 750 but by the end of the night, I felt good on both motorcycles. The 450 Honda is running better then it ever has. My mechanic, Rich, built me a rocket ship this year and I don’t feel like there is a faster 450 out there right now than my Herr’s/Invisible Glass/Lancaster HD/Rod Lake CRF.
WOP: You won your heat and ended up with an 8th place finish in the Expert 450cc race. Did you feel that this was a good start for the new 2010 race season?
CT: In years past, making the main and finishing in the top 10 would be a good finish for me to start off the year. But after winning my heat race and setting the 2nd fastest time, I was a bit disappointed with 8th. I thought I had something for Coolbeth. I came from dead last up to 8th and was reeling in the guys ahead of me. I think the main was only 10 laps so it happened too fast. I really wanted a good results on the 750 and I finished 10th. It was the first time I made the main on the twin at Savannah. I am expecting a strong 2010 and I just wasn’t 100% pleased with my result, but I expect a lot out of myself this season.
WOP: You went on to the next All-Star event in Volusia, FL after Savannah. How did that track/race compare to Savannah?
CT: Volusia has never been one of my favorites. The first day, the track was one of the worst I have ever raced on because it rained the whole day before. A lot of guys pulled out of the event and I just couldn’t get myself amped up to race on the sketchy track. The next day, it was a lot better and I ended up with my 2nd ever professional podium with a 2nd place on the 450 and a 6th on the twin. Jared Mees won but I felt like the 2nd fastest rider on both bikes this day and was really happy with the results, especially after struggling so much here just one day prior. My main goal this year is to push hard at every race and never give up and if I do that, then I know I will be where I need to be.
WOP: Daytona is a brand new short track that you got to test out a few months ago. Were you looking forward to racing it? How did day one compare with day two?
CT: I was kind of excited. A whole new track and everyone started from scratch. The track didn’t shape up as good as I thought it would day one and overall it was just really slick. Running CD8’s on these short tracks makes it really tough for all the riders to get traction especially ones who don’t weigh as much. My sister, Shayna, would back it in harder then most of her competitors and get on the gas sooner, but it made it really difficult to run a good time spinning the whole way around the track. The facility is really cool and I know they will figure some things out for the future to make it a better track.
WOP: You got to ride your Suzuki for the first time on the Daytona track. How was that?
CT: Man, I was really impressed with it. I don’t have a dealership or factory helping me in any way so I can pretty much ride whatever bike I want to on the singles. With the slick conditions, the Suzuki worked very well. The only mistake I made was not racing it the first day. We brought out a bike I never raced before, half-way through qualifying on day 2, dropped half a second on it first time out and came from the 3rd row in my heat race to miss the main by 2 tenths of a second at the end. I see a lot of potential with it and I feel I have the best of both worlds on the singles this season.
WOP: Over all, how would you describe your Daytona experience?
CT: It had good points and bad points like it always does. I wasn’t as happy with it as I could have been but I have a lot of expectations this year. I need to take some lessons learned from this past race and keep pushing to the next race.
WOP: You put in a lot of effort working your bikes and hitting the gym in the off-season. Do you feel that it has been beneficial so far?
CT: I want to be prepared when it comes to fitness. I know I am one of the most physically fit riders out there. When I graduated high school, I was only 95lbs and a lot of people gave me crap for not having a lot of muscle. Pound for pound, I feel I have as much strength as anybody on the circuit and it definitely has been making a difference, especially riding the XR 750.
WOP: This was really the first chance you had to see some of your competition for the upcoming year on the track again. What are your impressions about some of the riders? What kind of competition are you looking at?
CT: A lot of guys were going fast throughout Daytona. I don’t really know what to think. I feel confident we have a good package this year all the way around the border. I feel like I belong up front so racing guys like Henry Wiles, Jake Johnson, Sammy and Jethro Halbert, Chris Carr, JR Schnabel, Kenny Coolbeth doesn’t intimidate me anymore. It pushes me harder to prove to them that I am coming hard this season.
WOP: Though it has only been one big race so far, what are your expectations or thoughts on how you’d like the 2010 season to play out? Any lessons you learned in just this short period that will be helpful going into the next few races?
CT: I feel like it will be a strong year. In terms of results and gaining my speed I need to win races. I want to be a competitor up front at every race this year. I learned so much in Daytona this year and am eager to start implementing some lessons learned in upcoming races. I’m just itching to get going to the next round. I have a goal to be in the top 10 every weekend for sure, twin or single and crack the top 5 on some of my good tracks this year as well.
WOP: Any last thoughts you’d like to share with your fans, followers and sponsors?
CT: I want to thank Wide Open Press for taking time to interview me and all of my sponsors for sure. I am doing a lot of my racing this year out of my own pocket, so I couldn’t do it without you guys. Anyone can go to CoryTexter.com or Twitter.com/CoryTexter for daily updates. Thanks.
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