Vital MX Forum QNA: Kyle Bentley

GuyB
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6/27/2017 9:50am Edited Date/Time 7/2/2017 8:31am


This week's guest in the Vital MX Forum QNA is Kyle Bentley. Kyle has worked his way up through the ranks on the technical side, wrenching back in the day over at Monster Energy Pro Circuit Kawasaki with Christophe Pourcel (and scoring the '09 and '10 250 East SX titles). Over the last handful of years, he's been at RCH/Yoshimura/Suzuki Factory Racing, moving into the Team Manager's spot. Of course, they wrapped up the 450 outdoor title with Ken Roczen last summer, and they've been putting in some good results this summer with Broc Tickle and Justin Bogle.

Bring your best questions, and he'll be peeking in here this week to answer them. As always, keep it respectful, and ask questions that you would like in a face-to-face meeting.

If you want to see previous Vital MX Forum QNAs, click the Forum QNA tag below the subject line. (Check below to see what it looks like.)

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ehr400
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6/27/2017 10:06am
Good seeing you make it to the top Kyle, I remember when you were Jimmy Wilsons mechanic and riding with you at Jaimes track in Manchester, Mi years ago.

So I guess my quesiton is, are you and Larry Brooks cool with each other after the Wilson/ Langston rumble years ago?
TJMX947
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6/27/2017 10:47am
Do you guys have the 2018 RMZ 450 at this time? If so have you already started developing it?

Who would win the following contests between yourself, Carey, or RC?

1) Arm Wrestling
2) Swedish log rolling
3) Hot Dog eating

Thanks!
mxb2
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6/27/2017 11:12am
Any plans riding the 18 rmz at the last 2 rounds?
6/27/2017 12:19pm
hi kyle
i read a lot of times than chris pourcel was a weird guy, who like to train alone at his home, who don't like to stay in touch with the race team and other things like this, so my questions are
what was it like to work with him ?
are you still in touch ?
what is your best moment together ?
and the worst ?
and the last one what is the best race bike you ever work on?
thanks for your answers

The Shop

IWreckALot
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6/27/2017 1:12pm
hi kyle i read a lot of times than chris pourcel was a weird guy, who like to train alone at his home, who don't like...
hi kyle
i read a lot of times than chris pourcel was a weird guy, who like to train alone at his home, who don't like to stay in touch with the race team and other things like this, so my questions are
what was it like to work with him ?
are you still in touch ?
what is your best moment together ?
and the worst ?
and the last one what is the best race bike you ever work on?
thanks for your answers
Those are some good questions I'd like to see answered.

Another question is, how is Mitch to work for? I always imagined he's pretty down to earth and cuts the crap. If you're not doing what you should, I imagine he could give a pretty wild scolding. I don't know why I think that but it seems like he would have some of the highest pressured expectations of any of the team managers.

Lastly, can you give any other insight to the KRoc dad situation that went down when he gave the German (??) magazine the interview where he went karawack on the RCH team? It seemed like there was a lot of turmoil but then shortly after that, the ship righted itself and you guys won a championship or two.
Kyle_Bentley
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6/27/2017 3:47pm
ehr400 wrote:
Good seeing you make it to the top Kyle, I remember when you were Jimmy Wilsons mechanic and riding with you at Jaimes track in Manchester...
Good seeing you make it to the top Kyle, I remember when you were Jimmy Wilsons mechanic and riding with you at Jaimes track in Manchester, Mi years ago.

So I guess my quesiton is, are you and Larry Brooks cool with each other after the Wilson/ Langston rumble years ago?
I remember riding out at Jamies place a few times with Jimmy and still talk to Jimmy Wilson a lot, we just exchanged text messages today and i will see him this weekend at Red Bud. I remember that race in Atlanta 2004 clear has day and still revisit what transpired that night in story to some of the guys currently on the team. Throughout my career in the motocross industry my path has really never crossed with Larry Brooks so I'm not sure where he and i stand with what happen. I have no hard feelings from that night as i would of reacted the same way if i was Langston mechanic and had my riders back no matter what the situation was wrong or right. However a funny story with Langston was i accepted a job working for Mitch and Pro Circuit in midway through the 2005-2006 season. It just so happened on my first day working at the shop GL came in to pick up his practice bike and saw me in the race shop working . I gave him a head nod and he fully cool guyed me, went straight over to his mechanic Dan "Dyno" Rambert and said what the F@$k is that guy doing here!!!! LOL. We have since had laughs about that incident and remain good friends today.
Kyle_Bentley
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6/27/2017 4:09pm
TJMX947 wrote:
Do you guys have the 2018 RMZ 450 at this time? If so have you already started developing it? Who would win the following contests between...
Do you guys have the 2018 RMZ 450 at this time? If so have you already started developing it?

Who would win the following contests between yourself, Carey, or RC?

1) Arm Wrestling
2) Swedish log rolling
3) Hot Dog eating

Thanks!
Being the Factory Team for Suzuki it would be a safe bet to say we have done some preliminary testing on the 2018 RMZ 450 at some top secret locations here in Southern California, However on the record i can not confirm or deny we have rode the bike!!!! LOL. But if i were to know any inside information, RMZ lovers should be really excited for the new model as i know we are.

1) I hope i would be able to beat both of them as i have 100 to 150lbs on both of them. I'm sure they would say they could take me, but if we were to ever win another championship maybe we could do battle like KR94 vs RC4 after clinching the 2016 450 motocross championship had a arm wresting contest. see link below

https://www.instagram.com/p/BJYGQn4gLPq/?hl=en

2) I didn't know what this was, so i used my friend google to tell me all about it. Im a water guy and self pro claimed athlete so i think i would be pretty good at this , but feel RC might have the upper hand with his low center of gravity.

3) This is a good one!!!! Hart loves hot dogs, we used to have the 7 eleven hot dog type roller in our hospitality tent at the races and he would make sure that was up and running every weekend. I love baseball and have put down my fair share of hot dogs at the ball park. RC has to be good at something beside moto so maybe this could be his calling??? LOL. To pick a clear cut winner would be unfair but maybe we can do one at some point for charity and some good laughs.
Kyle_Bentley
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6/27/2017 4:17pm
mxb2 wrote:
Any plans riding the 18 rmz at the last 2 rounds?
We would love to ride the new 18 bikes at he end of the motocross season. Logistically for it to make since it would be the last 3 rounds as the truck will return to the shop before heading out to finish the season. Theres a lot of moving pieces for this to become a real option.
Kyle_Bentley
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6/27/2017 4:47pm Edited Date/Time 6/27/2017 4:56pm
hi kyle i read a lot of times than chris pourcel was a weird guy, who like to train alone at his home, who don't like...
hi kyle
i read a lot of times than chris pourcel was a weird guy, who like to train alone at his home, who don't like to stay in touch with the race team and other things like this, so my questions are
what was it like to work with him ?
are you still in touch ?
what is your best moment together ?
and the worst ?
and the last one what is the best race bike you ever work on?
thanks for your answers
I wouldn't use the word weird, i would say different. Yes he did like to train alone and had a different approach than the average professional on the circuit today. He did go ghost sometimes, but always stayed in contact with me during the week and throughout the season.

I really enjoyed working for him as his mechanic, we won a lot and winning always makes things better. I felt we had a great professional and personal relationship. Yes, I still talk to him quite often and even rented him my families vacation home during the SX season this year while the series was on the west coast.

I would say our first win together in 2007 in phoenix. How fast we were able to bond as rider/ Mechanic winning in only our second race together solidifying our relationship, which i believe gave confidence in one another that we would be able to win again going into the 2009 and 10 season.

The first Moto at Pala in 2010. Canard had just beat us straight up the weekend before in steel city and we had a 7 point lead going into the last national. We got a good start and Canard was right in front of us. A few laps into the moto Canard had a tip over and CP377 got by. I felt at that moment we had it in the bag a were going to win the title that slipped away from us the year before. To this day i don't understand how he crashed in the section he did with the lead he had, other then it wasn't meant to be, and just like that our mechanic/ rider relationship was over as we didn't line up for the second moto. I still have the number 1 jersey form the podium that day that never came to be.

I feel our Suzuki's are pretty trick in there current condition and love the way the 2017 Bike looks, But the amount of time and money Mitch Payton puts into is program and bikes in unreal. Any of the factory supported 250's is where your going to see the coolest things as they are trying to be on that weight limit and trying to squeeze every pony out of them they can to gain that advantage over one another .
Kyle_Bentley
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6/27/2017 5:14pm Edited Date/Time 6/27/2017 5:21pm
hi kyle i read a lot of times than chris pourcel was a weird guy, who like to train alone at his home, who don't like...
hi kyle
i read a lot of times than chris pourcel was a weird guy, who like to train alone at his home, who don't like to stay in touch with the race team and other things like this, so my questions are
what was it like to work with him ?
are you still in touch ?
what is your best moment together ?
and the worst ?
and the last one what is the best race bike you ever work on?
thanks for your answers
IWreckALot wrote:
Those are some good questions I'd like to see answered. Another question is, how is Mitch to work for? I always imagined he's pretty down to...
Those are some good questions I'd like to see answered.

Another question is, how is Mitch to work for? I always imagined he's pretty down to earth and cuts the crap. If you're not doing what you should, I imagine he could give a pretty wild scolding. I don't know why I think that but it seems like he would have some of the highest pressured expectations of any of the team managers.

Lastly, can you give any other insight to the KRoc dad situation that went down when he gave the German (??) magazine the interview where he went karawack on the RCH team? It seemed like there was a lot of turmoil but then shortly after that, the ship righted itself and you guys won a championship or two.
You better be willing to sacrifice anything and everything in your life to be successful in working for Mitch. The drive to Win is like no other and Winning is the only thing that matters. Theres something about buttoning up those custom all embroidered pit shirts each weekend (All other teams have gone to sublimation, as its much more cost friendly) and carrying on the tradition of winning. During my time there with Mitch we won a lot. I personally won 2 championship and was apart of 9 in total.

That article came out of left field and i believe Kenny did not know about his dads interview with that german magazine. We signed up to win when we signed Roczen, and although we had early success we weren't winning every weekend and thats not what we signed up for, so with that comes hard ache. I remember sitting everyone down at the race shop after that article was released and telling everyone we can't control every aspect of every situation involving Ken, but as his race team all we can do is put our heads down, block out all the noise and get back to work giving him our all and give him everything he needed to get back to his winning ways. A lot of things came together both on and off the track for Kenny personally and professionally with the team after that. The one thing that never happened and probably the most important thing is no one gave up on one another, he did not give up on us and we never gave up on him and thats what lead us to be able to win the 2016 Motocross Championship.
langhammx
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6/27/2017 5:49pm
Kyle,
First off, congrats on the recent success of Justin and Broc's results, they have both been riding very well. It's funny that so many people have written off the "old/ Heavy" RMZ, yet they seem to be doing pretty well. I'm sure the pit has had a good vibe lately with the results being put in. Wink
What role does Watson currently hold on the RCH team ? I noticed that Georgia had interviewed him after the pit fire and referred to him as the Team Manager. I was curious why he didn't correct her in the interview, but he may have missed it...

Rumors are already flying about 2018 and the future of the team, what can you tell us about the future of RCH ?

Thanks for your time, Shaun (Fantasy Fools member Cool )
Sully
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6/27/2017 6:08pm
Thanks for doing this Kyle. I'll hit you with my go-to question when Steve brings a mechanic in for a Q&A:

Who was the most technically proficient rider you've worked with? The guy who could best verbalize the changes he wanted, or even do them himself if he needed?

Who was the worst? Ever have a rider who just couldn't make you understand the changes he wanted, or even worse, thought a crescent wrench was the be-all-end-all of tools?
mxb2
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6/27/2017 7:48pm
mxb2 wrote:
Any plans riding the 18 rmz at the last 2 rounds?
We would love to ride the new 18 bikes at he end of the motocross season. Logistically for it to make since it would be the...
We would love to ride the new 18 bikes at he end of the motocross season. Logistically for it to make since it would be the last 3 rounds as the truck will return to the shop before heading out to finish the season. Theres a lot of moving pieces for this to become a real option.
Thanks, man,. Looked for ya at high point to shake your hand, oh well see ya at Budds and ironman. . Good luck ,rest of the year, bikes are looking great. Shout out to Grant H, cool.dude. , Talked to him. .
Fresh
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6/28/2017 7:34am
Hi Kyle,
What's in your toolbox?
twotwosix
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6/28/2017 10:24am Edited Date/Time 6/28/2017 10:26am
Kyle, congratulations on Bogle's win! That had to be a huge moment for the team in 2017, seeing as you guys have called this a 'rebuilding year'. My question is based off that. How is 2018 looking for you guys? Is the sponsor money back where it should be for the premier Factory Suzuki effort? Are you trying to land another big fish? Are you sticking to your two current guys? Will you bring Weimer back as a 3rd rider or a testing/fill-in guy in some capacity? I would imagine you guys will need all the help you can to get this 2018 model ready for Supercross to contend for wins.

PS: I'm still pulling for Broc to get a W before the season ends!
Kyle_Bentley
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6/28/2017 3:40pm
langhammx wrote:
Kyle, First off, congrats on the recent success of Justin and Broc's results, they have both been riding very well. It's funny that so many people...
Kyle,
First off, congrats on the recent success of Justin and Broc's results, they have both been riding very well. It's funny that so many people have written off the "old/ Heavy" RMZ, yet they seem to be doing pretty well. I'm sure the pit has had a good vibe lately with the results being put in. Wink
What role does Watson currently hold on the RCH team ? I noticed that Georgia had interviewed him after the pit fire and referred to him as the Team Manager. I was curious why he didn't correct her in the interview, but he may have missed it...

Rumors are already flying about 2018 and the future of the team, what can you tell us about the future of RCH ?

Thanks for your time, Shaun (Fantasy Fools member Cool )
It's funny when you hear people talk about how "old" the RMZ is. I kinda of chuckle a bit. I quit being a mechanic in 2010, but still have all my tools in the garage, in fact i busted out one of my "old" torque wrenches the other day and it still clicked just as good as any other in the shop today. Just because to the naked eye the plastics haven't changed doesn't mean the whole bike stays the same. Improvements have been made over the years to provide a very competitive bullet proof machine for racing or recreational use. One guy i know who probably isn't mad about a complete over haul in many years is "Big Bore" Barry Carsten who probably got more inventory of parts then Jeff Cernic's himself.

Waston's been in this industry for a very long time and has held many titles, most of them being team manager. He's the one who called and hired me to come on the H&H team in 2010. As an industry staple people see him an automatically think team manager, as he was for many here with H&H and RCH. As for why he didn't correct Georgia, i believe he didn't hear her, as things were a bit hectic at that particular moment and he's also getting up there in age and with age sometimes your hearing goes too.

I love rumors, its what keeps the interest going in the sport and keeps the excitement (within all rumors lies little bit of truth). Since Team inception we (RCH) has always held a title sponsor with the exception of the current year. Thankfully we have built and sustained a great partnership with Suzuki and when push came to shove this year they (Suzuki) were able to help out when we need it. With that said we have been working hard to build new relationship to carry on into the coming years. We have a lot going on right now and look to have something buckled done in the coming weeks.
Kyle_Bentley
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6/28/2017 4:18pm Edited Date/Time 6/28/2017 4:22pm
Sully wrote:
Thanks for doing this Kyle. I'll hit you with my go-to question when Steve brings a mechanic in for a Q&A: Who was the most technically...
Thanks for doing this Kyle. I'll hit you with my go-to question when Steve brings a mechanic in for a Q&A:

Who was the most technically proficient rider you've worked with? The guy who could best verbalize the changes he wanted, or even do them himself if he needed?

Who was the worst? Ever have a rider who just couldn't make you understand the changes he wanted, or even worse, thought a crescent wrench was the be-all-end-all of tools?
I was on the Pulpmx show a few years back and was asked a similar question. My answer was Ryan Morais, I had worked with him at PC when he rode for Mitch and was apart of a few blind test session (Blind meaning he had no idea what we were testing) he did for us with spot on comments of what we felt the outcome would be. He's now with KTM, he has done a lot of testing for the factory team and is kind of the unsung hero over there as he's been a huge contributing factor to there success. Since then we have (RCH) used Ivan Tedesco (IT9) a bunch over the years and he has a real good feel for picking apart the bike and is super sensitive to picking up on small changes that others may not feel. As far as someone doing it themselves, i haven't found that guy yet. I always tell my riders we work on em because we weren't fast enough to make it and they race em so they don't have to work on them.

The youngster's are the least experienced. The big teams are catering to them at such a young age now a days that they always have someone else around to fix or repair the bike when something goes wrong they lack the basic skills of working on something. Also i believe this effects there ability to test. Someone is always around telling them what they need to go fast, or use this part because it helps the chassis or bolt this on it gives you an extra horse. Not so much my era, but some of the older guys before me would go out and tinker with things on there own to figure out what worked for them and what didn't which let them learn there motorcycle. They probably couldn't tell you why it worked for them other then it just did. Now a days most the teams have mechanical engineers or a "technical Specialist" who can explain why something felt the way it felt and help explain to the rider why it felt the way it did or why it didn't to bridge that knowledge gap. Finding those right people and placing those personalities together so that the team works and trusts in on another is key to having a successful team.
IWreckALot
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6/28/2017 4:23pm
What is the dynamic like between Tickle and Bogle? Are they buddies and train together regularly or do they go their own ways. Tickle has always struck me as a guy that has his head down and is constantly trying to find something to help him improve. I noticed a year or two ago he seemed to get really lean and put on noticeably more muscle. Does he have a trainer? And did he change trainers in the last couple of seasons?

Thanks for your thorough and well spoken answers. Some of the Answerers in the Q&A leave a bit to be desired. Ha.
Kyle_Bentley
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6/28/2017 4:25pm
Fresh wrote:
Hi Kyle,
What's in your toolbox?
Currently a Laptop, hotspot, note pad/pens, a few stopwatches and the AMA rule book.
Kyle_Bentley
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6/28/2017 4:59pm
twotwosix wrote:
Kyle, congratulations on Bogle's win! That had to be a huge moment for the team in 2017, seeing as you guys have called this a 'rebuilding...
Kyle, congratulations on Bogle's win! That had to be a huge moment for the team in 2017, seeing as you guys have called this a 'rebuilding year'. My question is based off that. How is 2018 looking for you guys? Is the sponsor money back where it should be for the premier Factory Suzuki effort? Are you trying to land another big fish? Are you sticking to your two current guys? Will you bring Weimer back as a 3rd rider or a testing/fill-in guy in some capacity? I would imagine you guys will need all the help you can to get this 2018 model ready for Supercross to contend for wins.

PS: I'm still pulling for Broc to get a W before the season ends!
I kind of answered this question above on 2018. A mentor of mine once told me that "many of the guys on the current team had won titles in the past with different teams, but we had never all won one together" which meant to me that winning was possibility, but nothing is a guarantee. Since then we won the 2016 Motocross title with Roczen and we've tasted a championship together. Once you've tasted that success there no other feeling to feel besides winning again, thats the continued "WAR" we fight. However within that war are separate battles and those battles are the goals we set to achieve each weekend(Podiums, Moto Wins, Holeshots, Top 5 Overalls). Those battles quench the taste and keep us going to hopefully win the "WAR" one day again.

I wish i could forecast riders for next year, I'm happy both with Broc and Justin. Broc continues to improve as he's been with us for awhile now and Justin made comments to change mid season, which lead us to a glimpse (Colorado 1st Moto) of what he could possibly bring to the table with a full off season to prepare with RC4 down in Florida. I would love to go into the 2018 season with a 3rd rider, heck even a 4th. For me the more riders just better the odds of success for RCH and Suzuki, but a lot of those decisions are budget dependent. Like i said above in another answer if i were to guess i would say we are in a good position already with the 18 model for next year.

PS: Lets look for this weekend to be a good one for BT20.
Kyle_Bentley
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6/28/2017 5:17pm Edited Date/Time 6/29/2017 7:23pm
IWreckALot wrote:
What is the dynamic like between Tickle and Bogle? Are they buddies and train together regularly or do they go their own ways. Tickle has always...
What is the dynamic like between Tickle and Bogle? Are they buddies and train together regularly or do they go their own ways. Tickle has always struck me as a guy that has his head down and is constantly trying to find something to help him improve. I noticed a year or two ago he seemed to get really lean and put on noticeably more muscle. Does he have a trainer? And did he change trainers in the last couple of seasons?

Thanks for your thorough and well spoken answers. Some of the Answerers in the Q&A leave a bit to be desired. Ha.
I don't believe they knew much of each other before they were teammates here at RCH. I believe they complement each other very nicely. I've told them a few times this season that if I could combine them into one rider I would have the fastest guy out on the track. Now that's not a dig at them, it's just breaking down segments in the truck at the races and taking their best segments and adding them up giving them the overall fastest time. So with that I think in watching each other's videos on race day, they can pick up on each other's strength and weaknesses to try and improve. We also use a product called LIT Pro (a GPS unit we use on top of the helmet) that we're able to overlay each rider's laps to help identify time as well as find better lines on the race track.

In all of my time spent in this industry, Tickle is one of the most self-maintained riders I've worked with. The guy deserves all that he's earned and even more. He worked with Gareth Swanepoel the last couple seasons, but is currently maintaining mostly on his own. I do see Gareth stop by the truck on the race weekend, which leads me to think they still talk quite a bit and he is still overseeing things from a distance possibly.
6/28/2017 7:51pm
Hey Kyle thanks for doing this, always cool to be able to pick someone in your positions' brain.

I was just wondering what you would say your favourite moment or race would be from your mechanic days? Obviously the wins and titles are a highlight but maybe a day or race that wasn't exactly the best result but something you'll never forget? Seems most you guys have some cool story to tell. Thanks and have a good one!
Spydee
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6/29/2017 7:23am
Hey Kyle,

Really enjoying reading your answers to some of these questions, so I'd thought I'd throw a few more in for you!

If your life hadn't gone down the wrenching road, what career path would you have taken?
If you could wake up tomorrow in the body of someone else, who would you pick and what would you do?
What's the most embarrassing moment that ever happened to you?
What would you rather take home today, an RMZ-450 or an RM250?

Cheers and all the best!
Kyle_Bentley
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6/29/2017 6:03pm Edited Date/Time 6/29/2017 6:05pm
Hey Kyle thanks for doing this, always cool to be able to pick someone in your positions' brain. I was just wondering what you would say...
Hey Kyle thanks for doing this, always cool to be able to pick someone in your positions' brain.

I was just wondering what you would say your favourite moment or race would be from your mechanic days? Obviously the wins and titles are a highlight but maybe a day or race that wasn't exactly the best result but something you'll never forget? Seems most you guys have some cool story to tell. Thanks and have a good one!
I would have to say the East/West shootout in 2010. I was still working for Pourcel then, We had won the 250 East title that year. On that night we ended up 3rd on the podium, but as a Team the Monster Energy Pro Circuit guys went 1, 2, 3, 4 beating the entire field by over 15 seconds. When you work on a large team with 4 or sometimes 5 riders it is very hard for everyone under the tent to have a good night so theres always mixed emotions each weekend after the race. But on that night the whole team had a good night with Weimer winning, Hansen getting second followed by Pourcel and a Young Dean Wilson getting fourth. Its also one of my favorite photos. That was an awesome night and doesn't get much better then that in motocross racing.

http://derestricted.com/racing/monsterpro-circuitkawasaki
Kyle_Bentley
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6/29/2017 6:50pm Edited Date/Time 6/29/2017 7:20pm
Spydee wrote:
Hey Kyle, Really enjoying reading your answers to some of these questions, so I'd thought I'd throw a few more in for you! If your life...
Hey Kyle,

Really enjoying reading your answers to some of these questions, so I'd thought I'd throw a few more in for you!

If your life hadn't gone down the wrenching road, what career path would you have taken?
If you could wake up tomorrow in the body of someone else, who would you pick and what would you do?
What's the most embarrassing moment that ever happened to you?
What would you rather take home today, an RMZ-450 or an RM250?

Cheers and all the best!
My family owns a small deli in Riverside, CA really close to Milestone MX called Butch's Grinders, so I have that waiting for me whenever I decide I'm done playing in the dirt. I started a family with my wife, Nicole, and we have two boys, ages 3, and 7 months, so the traveling is getting tough every weekend being gone so much. I'm not sure what else I would've done, at the time I started hanging around the industry I was 18 years old looking to have a good time and race (I was never fast enough to make it), so I started hanging out with local pros and guys that were really fast, so to make myself relevant I decided I better start working on them so I could hangout. That choice kind of snowballed into a career. Luckily enough my mom was able to support me as the privateer lifestyle is not the one of the rich and famous. I worked for guys for free for a couple years and then doors started opening for me.

Without a doubt I would want to be Mike Trout (baseball player for the Anaheim Angel, I refuse to call them Los Angeles Angels) I'm a big stick and ball guy and really enjoy baseball. I played softball with high school friends every Wednesday night and try to take my boys to a ball game during the week while I'm home.

I'm not sure, I don't get embarrassed very easily. I got kicked out of the mechanic's area one time when I was a mechanic at the Colorado national when it was a night race. A little misunderstanding between me, an AMA official and a hay bale. I had a couple mechanicals I wasn't too stoked on myself about early in my career (paper towel in the airbox, started it and ran it through the engine and an upside down slide plate in a carburetor, couldn't get the bike to start). Personally outside the sport I had a Mexico fishing trip that went bad, my stomach, the boat and the dock ended up getting into a fight and the ocean got the short end of the stick. LOL.

No doubt right now I would take an RM250. Down at the race shop we've built three of them over the last year (Roczen, Bogle and HART) and currently one is in transit from Florida as RC4 wants his rebuilt for some special projects he has going on coming up later this year. Chris Wheeler from Suzuki is loving us right now because it's two-stroke mania going on. I think it's coming full circle and hope Suzuki jumps back on board and sees the overwhelming demand for two-strokes again. Every amateur race the largest classes are the two-stroke schoolboy classes. I know Suzuki R&D has built an aluminum frame prototype (they did a beta test survey at Loretta Lynn's last year) and also an aluminum-framed 250 (Jake Weimer recently rode on the Suzuki test track in California a few weeks ago). Will keep our fingers crossed.
mikec265
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6/29/2017 9:41pm
Can you pass along any more numbers, stats, dollars, cents, sense, and/or info on what it would take to get a new RM into production or even reproduction?

Is the new 2018 RMZ450 stock suspension really as good as RC said in the promo video, or was he just payed to go off a script?

I am one of those die hard Suzuki guys who just keeps buying parts for RMs. I don't race anymore, and to me 2 strokes are more fun. My RMZ250 and 450 were easier to go fast on, but the fun factor wasnt as high.



mxjon454
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7/1/2017 1:00am Edited Date/Time 7/1/2017 1:02am
Hi Kyle, thank you for doing this its been very informative. I have a few questions for you that i havent seen asked yet.

How close was RCH to signing Dean Wilson or was that just a rumor and nothing more? If so did he do any tests with the team, howd he do in those tests?

How close was RCH to signing Jeremy Martin? Did he test the bike and with the team at all and if so howd he look on the 450?

Have you guys thought about hiring a 250 rider? With Suzuki and Yosh handling a lot of the bike duties for the 250 at JGR would you guys be able to do something similar? Or have an up and comer that you guys can groom to have them jump up to the 450? Id love to see Suzuki have a championship contender indoors and out on the 250 class like they used for years and years.

Thank you for your time and good luck this weekend!

Jon454
GuyB
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7/2/2017 8:31am
Thanks, Kyle. Good answers!

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