"The Good Outweighs the Bad. I'm Thankful for Even Setting Up the Semi" | Austin Watterson on Being a Factory Mechanic 2

As mentioned, many great people in the paddock are working behind the scenes with exciting stories. The mechanics interest me because they are in the trenches during the week building. They get to the races early to unpack the semis and put up the tents, stay late to pack up, and are under the lights for the show. They also have to perform under pressure with little time when things go wrong and the riders' lives are in their hands. That's a lot of responsibility. I reached out to Austin Watterson, mechanic for Maximus Vohland, to get his story and learn more about him. The next time you're at a race, go by and give these guys a shoutout. They don't get the appreciation they deserve.

For the full interview, check out the Vital MX podcast right here. If you're interested in the condensed written version, scroll down a bit further.

Vital MX: How early on did you realize you had a knack for mechanical understanding?

Austin Watterson: So, that's the crazy thing; growing up or in high school, I wasn't too interested in it. I never really was big into mechanics. Then for some reason, around my sophomore year of high school, something clicked, and that's when the thought got in my head that I wanted to start looking into this stuff. I want to start getting my hands on things, just anything in general at the time. I was already a big fan of motocross, so that's when I started getting into it. Then went to my Senior year of high school, and I officially decided I wanted to go to school and learn more about this. Initially, I was going to go to a four-year University, and two months before graduation, I decided against that. In my heart, I knew it wasn't the right thing. Two months before graduating high school, I pulled out of going to college. I wanted to do something with mechanics and motocross, but I looked into MMI and wasn't sold on it yet. It was spendy, and it was hard for me to afford. Then I saw Scotty's school, and this was in June or July. This was so last minute, considering his school started in October. I was begging my parents and family and friends because it wasn't even that expensive of a school. I didn't have that kind of money to pay for it. So, I was begging people to help. I finally found a family friend willing to help loan me the money. I ended up paying him back, and everything worked well for me. I'm grateful for how it all worked out.

Vital MX: That's a big decision to make last minute, to decide you don't want to go to college. I'm sure Mom and Dad had some fears. What was your parent's reaction when you decided to change your path?

Austin: My parents never pressured me to go to college or anything. No matter what, I was going to get financial aid. Growing up, my parents always made sure my brother and I were taken care of, but they didn't have thousands of dollars in their pockets to spend at that moment. They honestly didn't care. They said, "Okay, we just want to make sure you're making the right choice," this and that. Then when I found the tech school, I was begging them if they could help at all or if we could figure something out. I knew for them it was going to be tough. So, they couldn't do it. They were excited to see me pursue something like this. They were bummed that they couldn't help out more at the time. As I said, we got lucky to have a family friend from Idaho willing to lend me the money. Over time we set it up like a loan. He was a banker, so he set up this loan for me. Not an official loan through the bank. We made a written agreement, and the coolest part was that he only made $100 off of me from this whole loan. So, he just helped me out. It was tremendous because it's not like he asked for a considerable interest rate. It helped me out a lot.

Vital MX: He was trying to teach you a little lesson. Be responsible because you were still young. I like that. That's an excellent person to have in your life.

Austin: Oh, for sure. It helped me grow down the road, respecting people, and when dues are owed, make sure you pay them, you know?

Vital MX: You mentioned being a fan of motocross. Did you ride and race any, or was it something that you discovered and watched, and enjoyed that way?

Austin: We rode quite a bit growing up just for fun. I grew up in Montana, so the racing scene was small. When I was younger, like 8 to 10 years old, they had a little series that was around. That series died down and went away for a long time. My dad raced a lot growing up, coming from Idaho, so he raced a lot against like Jake Weimer's dad. He raced until he was 18 years old. Then he went off to the service. He bought my little brother and my dirt bikes when we were seven and five years old or six and four years old. We would ride for fun and have some fun. We never really got serious about it. We would do races here and there for fun, though. We always rode for fun because we knew it would never be a career. Financially, it wasn't worth it to pursue it that hard. So, that fueled the drive even more, you could say.

Vital MX: Were you responsible for doing any maintenance on these bikes with your dad? Did he teach you the basics?

Austin: My dad's pretty understanding of things. He's not a mechanic by any means, professionally or anything. When it comes to basic maintenance, he's pretty good with it. He was willing to teach me, but I won't lie; my brother and I weren't very interested for a long time. We thought it was boring. Looking back on it now, I wish I had listened to my dad a bit more or maybe taken some more interest in it when I was younger. Those moments you can't get back. I wish I had taken it a little bit more seriously when I was growing up. Going into the future, I can help portray it to kids or family of my own. 

Vital MX: Once you chose the Scott Adkins school over MMI, what were some of the main things that Scott taught you in class? What were some of the things that surprised you right off the bat?

Austin: It's been like five years since I went. I just thought it was cool. The first day we had a little intro in the morning, sat down, and it was never really any schoolwork. I liked that. I was surprised how hands-on everything was because at first we were introducing ourselves, and what we're going to go over in the school, and that afternoon we were already tearing apart a bike. We were tearing apart the chassis. The motor was out of the chassis, and then the next morning we were tearing apart the engine. To me, it's pretty crazy, the first eight hours in the school, and we're already tearing this bike apart and doing these mock builds where you're building it up. Not properly torquing everything. You're just putting it together to get the rundown of it, throwing the engine together. You're not going to run the bike or anything at the beginning. I just thought all that was pretty crazy. Then just the engine itself, learning how to do head work, check valve clearance, and valve timing. All of that to me, was pretty interesting. I'm interested in the engine stuff because that's where you get all your power. I thought learning about the basics of the engine was super cool at first. I don't remember a whole lot of getting into suspension there. This isn't on, Scotty, it's on me. I wished I had kept a closer eye on suspension. It is a really important part of the bike, too.

Vital MX: Do you feel his school fully prepared you for what you got into once you became a professional mechanic?

Austin: Well, this isn't a knock against Scotty at all. He even told us, "I'll show you guys the basics, show you the ropes, but the biggest learning curve is getting the experience. You can't teach experience". His school taught us everything you need to know, from tearing apart a chassis, to tearing apart an engine, and rebuilding simple diagnostic problems. Until you fully experience it, I remember my first amateur gig, and I'm like, "Holy crap, this is way more than I imagined." That's just something you have to learn yourself. Everything else I thought he taught really well. It was only the second or third year at the time. He was probably still learning how he could try to teach or go about doing things. I kind of want to go back there one day to see what's improved or what's gone bigger. I'm sure, as a teacher, he has just gotten better too, you know?

Vital MX: Did he tell you stories from his days wrenching of things he experienced?

Austin: Oh, yeah. He would always give us an idea. He always told us in a sense, and it's true, race day, hopefully, fingers crossed, should be your easiest day of the week. In the sense, the bike's put together. The bike should be 100%. As long as you have no mishap during the day, like a rider crashing, race days should be the simplest day. You could still have a fire drill, but he would always tell us, "You just have to be prepared for those fire drill moments where if it's an engine swap or possibly crashes and you swap bars. Or your forks are bound up." He gives us fair warnings. For the outdoors, you only have 40 minutes after the first moto to get your bike cleaned and prepped. Again, you can't teach that stuff. You can tell a kid at your school, "You have 40 minutes to take this engine and put a new one in and go." The pressure you feel when you're doing it at a race or something, it's something you can't describe unless you actually go through it.

Vital MX: Did he take you to any races as students to mingle with the pro mechanics and the riders and get a bit of a vibe?

Austin: Yeah. The year I went, we went to St Louis Supercross and Indianapolis Supercross. We got those wristbands so we could all go into the pits and watch, or we could all go to the pits and mingle with mechanics and talk to them. He would take us on track walks so we could go explore and hear the ins and outs of people and what they talk about and discuss on track walk. I just remember going into the pits, and he had some buddies there on teams, and they'd let us come underneath their semi. I remember going to the RCH semi with Justin Bogle on the Suzuki. I don't know why that one sticks out to me the most, but I just thought it was so freaking cool to be around these professional bikes and how well-maintained they are. How knowledgeable everyone was to me. I thought that was so cool.

Vital MX: He said he has something like an 80 to 90% rate of getting mechanics into positions with teams or amateurs. Is that something he helped you with?

Austin: With me, this was my own fault too. I was getting antsy and kind of homesick toward the end. There was this kid that actually raced "A" class, trying to do Loretta's. So, I went home to go work with him and it's something I kind of regret. I think I did make a mistake not being more patient because I do fully believe that Scott would have placed me. I don't know what would have happened if I had stayed there. I can't say he fully placed me because it was my own wrongdoing. I'm not trying to say this to be cocky or anything, but I feel Scott respected me enough and saw the work ethic I was trying to put in, and I think he would have placed me somewhere well. So, at first, I regretted it. I was like, "Man, I should have just hung out at least another couple of weeks and seen what would have happened, and I'm sure something would have happened." At the same time, I guess my path has worked out pretty well. Everything happens for a reason, and I'm still pretty lucky to be where I'm at these days. I think with Scotty, if you just show a work ethic and you're willing to learn and willing to work, he has no problem placing you.

Vital MX: How did you get on with BarX Suzuki? Was that the kid you were talking about? Was that Jack Fowler, or did that come later?

Austin: No, that came later. This kid lived in North Dakota, so I helped him out for a little while. I liked that family a lot, but I wanted something more. I went to school. I had bigger dreams and hopes for myself, you know? So, in June, I got hooked up with a kid named Tanner Bassow. We went to Mammoth, and I struggled. I was like, "Holy hell, this is so much different than I thought it would be." I struggled badly mentally, and I told myself I couldn't do it. I gave up way too easily. I ended up going home for a couple of months until October. I think that was when my parents were pissed at me. They were disappointed. Like, "Wow, you just spent all this money, and you gave up in three months," you know? They were pretty bummed at me. I luckily knew Christien Ducharme. That was when Geico Honda was still around, and he was there working as Carson Mumford's race mechanic. I told him, "Hey, man, this is a long shot, but do you know of any openings?" I always kept in touch with him. I got a job working with Carson for a little bit at the end of his 150 days at Geico, or Amsoil, right when he was moving on to the 250. I felt a lot more confident at that time because I just knew what it was going to take at this point. It wasn't the work at all that scared me. With Carson, at the time, was a lot younger. I didn't gel with him very well. I told myself, "I'm going to be happy with what I do. I'm not going to not enjoy it." So, at the end of that year, that's when I went to work with Jack Fowler. I'm still good buddies with Jack to this day. I'm actually roommates with him right now until I move to Riverside later in the year. Working for Jack was a huge turning point in my career because it opened up doors for me in a sense. He started training with Yanning Kervella, who's trained numerous great riders over the years. After working with Jack for a year, that opened the door to me to go work for Jo Shimoda as his practice mechanic. I worked for Jo for almost two years. At the end of Geico, I ended up going back to BarX for a couple of months because they were trying to transition more into the pro side. That was just something that sounded interesting to me because I had done a fair share of amateur by that time, and I knew I wanted to get going to pro. It didn't work out too well. Luckily the connections I made with the Shimoda's, it opened doors up for me to the Red Bull KTM team. So, it's been a pretty incredible journey, I'd say.

Vital MX: Did you immediately start working for Maximus Vohland, or did you do something else to begin with?

Austin: I was initially hired to be there as the helper position, the floater position. That's what I was initially hired for. I was excited about that because I was like, "Oh, I can start learning this." KTM, for me, was a brand-new bike. I'd never worked on an Austrian bike. I was so excited to learn from everyone and learn the ropes on this. The mechanic they had for him; didn't work out. After the first Pala race, Ian (Harrison) came up to me and asked me. "Hey, would you be interested in working with Max if the opportunity arose?" I'm like, "Yeah, of course. As long as you guys have trust in me and believe in me, I believe I can pull it off." They're like, "Yeah, we're fine with that." So, it worked out that I ended up working with Max like two weeks after I was hired. Don't get me wrong; I was extremely nervous because, as I said, I'd never done a full-time racing circuit like that. Two weeks into this dream job of mine, I was a little nervous. It was a really quick way to learn a lot and get a hugely steep learning curve and build confidence. That first summer, my confidence was pretty high. As in, you can always learn. You're always going to have a mistake here and there; everyone's human. From where it started to where it is now, I'm just extremely comfortable, confident, and pretty pumped to be where I'm at.

Vital MX: What was the biggest surprise or adjustment you had to make going from being an amateur mechanic to a full-pro factory mechanic?

Austin: The time in between races. In amateurs, the first couple of months, you have Loretta's qualifiers that are separated by a couple of weeks. Then once you qualify through the areas, you go to regionals, and that's like three months down the road. Then after regionals, you have another two months. You have races here and there. You have big races once every two months or maybe once a month. We're going from basically five, six races a year to now it's four races a month. It's like 32 races. Well, I guess for me it was different. I'm on the 250 side, so you can cut out nine of those, but still, the workload was double just for racing. Then you're trying to maintain a practice bike throughout the week. If you have a guy, say they go to Florida, then you have a Florida bike that you have to build and send out. It's just a nonstop cycle, you know. The off-seasons are way different than amateur racing because some kids take a month and a half off. They don't touch a dirt bike. For the pros, it depends on the rider. Some pros only take two weeks off, and it's back to full swing and testing. I would say the workload is way more increased on the pro side.

Vital MX: I would also assume the positive of working for a full factory team is you have almost anything you possibly need at your disposal.

Austin: Yeah, for sure. Any requests that are made from the rider can usually be met. That's what's been pretty cool to see. If one of the riders requests something, if Austria doesn't have it or something, it's pretty crazy to see what Roger (DeCoster) can come up with and make. Anything that's requested can usually be made either by Austria or within the shop at KTM, from the crew we have. That was eye-opening to see the lengths people will go to to make the riders happy. They're never not trying. 

Vital MX: Are you Max's practice guy also?

Austin: Yeah, when he's in California. With all of us, me, Carlos, Jade, Kyle, Pedro, we're all their race mechanics. If they're in California, they don't bring out their practice guy from Florida or whatever. If they're based in California, the race guy does it all, basically. So, if they go to Florida, they have their own practice guy. Since Max has been racing West Coast, it's been pretty hectic. The first three rounds you're trying to pick days to rebuild the bike but also ride. Those three weeks, you call them Hell Week because it's just wide open, intense.

Vital MX: Do you help with the mental side on race night or while he's practicing? What is your role outside of just turning wrenches?

Austin: With Max, I kind of just keep to myself. Most of the time, he has ideas in his head, and he's good. As of late, he's riding well, and he's being hard on himself. I try to be positive and keep him uplifted. Like, "Dude, you're riding well." These days, I've been honest with him. If I think he can be doing better, I'll just be straight up and honest with him. I don't necessarily sugarcoat things these days. If I see something on the track that he could be improving on, I'll tell him. I'm not doing it to try to be rude or anything. It's just like, "Man, we're here to perform." We both want to perform, and you've got to be told that sometimes. I would say I try to keep his head on straight. I try to keep it positive most of the time. I try to just tell him what I see can be improved on, you know?

Vital MX: I think that's an important role from a mechanic. Sometimes a rider may think they know what's best, but having an outside set of eyes on it will definitely be beneficial. How's working with Carlos Rivera, Jade Dungey, and Frankie Latham? These guys have been around championship-winning riders for years.

Austin: I mean, just the experience. Pedro, he's won championships in motocross. Frankie's won a Supercross Lites title with Marvin (Musquin). Jade's won two Lites titles with Chase (Sexton). Carlos has won numerous titles in the premier class. Basically, what I take away is I can trust anything that they tell me. I know any question I ask will be answered. I know whatever they tell me is correct. I believe in them all 110%. Whatever they told me, I always believe is true. I have full confidence whenever I need to ask something or get some insight on anything. They always have an answer for me, so that's always been nice because it helps me. I can take away so much knowledge from these guys, and I can pass it forward. That's cool because when I first started, I'd get asked questions and be like, "Oh, let me ask one of these guys." Now I'm getting more confidence in myself from listening to them because I can give people pretty knowledgeable answers now too. It's just a good feeling.

Vital MX: What's the best part of your job?

Austin: I always like seeing the new stadiums. I've seen a lot of stadiums now, but I always like traveling and seeing the stadiums. There are a couple of things I enjoy. A fresh rebuilt bike, practice, or race. I love the sights of that. The feeling of perfection with a bike. Seeing the long, hard days turn into good results or positive feedback and seeing the team happy after a win. I wasn't in Tampa, but I was around a couple of times when Coop (Webb) podiumed or Marvin won in St. Louis last year. The team morale is just incredible. There are so many good things to the job. The good outweighs the bad. I'm thankful for even just setting up the semi. It's pretty cool when you're on top of the semi, putting the American flag up, and looking at this big-ass, awesome stadium behind you. There are just a lot of things to be thankful for with it.

Vital MX: My next question is, what's the worst part? I would have probably bet money you would have said the travel or setting up the truck. I don't know what you're going to go with now. 

Austin: The worst part about the job, in my opinion, is when the weather is bad. When you're in Minneapolis, and you're sitting in the tunnel where it's dusty, and then you go outside, and it's four degrees there. I remember last year at Southwick setting up, and it was just a downpour of rain, the whole setup. I hate setting up in crappy weather or being outside in crappy weather. The only time I really get bothered in travel is if we get delayed. When you travel so much, that's what happens. Setting up the semi has become such a routine now that it doesn't bother me. At the end of the night, when everyone's tired and you're ready to go, you're excited and want to be done with it, but the semi-stuff doesn't bother me too much unless it's like 100 degrees outside in the summer.

Vital MX: What would you tell someone else aspiring to get in the industry as a mechanic?

Austin: I've kind of always thought no matter what you put your mind to, you can achieve it. I grew up in a town of 4000 people. Not to sound rude to a lot of the family and friends back home, but there's not much to do there. So, if you have something, you put your mind to it, and work hard, you can achieve anything. You know, that's basically my advice. I know it's kind of cliche, but it's true. When I was in high school, I wouldn't have told you I'd be working at Red Bull KTM.