Vital MX Forum QNA: Blake Baggett

Blake,

What were your thoughts on the Ronnie Mac Benjamin buttons joke?

Hey Blake, one of my favourite moments of you is when you were in 250's and you were jumping a wall jump like an animal at Freestone I believe.

What was that like? You were sending it.

Hey Blake, remember that one time you passed a guy on the inside at Glen Helen?

....wa....was it sweet????

Blake - long time fan, became a bigger one after meeting you in '16 when you took the time for a 1 on 1 pic and short chat with my son in the pits after your moto..so I built my son a cornering track earlier this year we are moving towards adding some jumps..any suggestions or insight on jump building (angle of face, spacing, best soil, etc)?

Congratulations on your MX season!, staying in the hunt without use of a thumb is straight Badass, and your ride at Thunder Valley was epic!....saw you mention that you're doing "almost the exact opposite" of when you were training with Aldon...can you elaborate a bit on what you're doing different? Also, big props for speaking your mind when you've got the mic, this sport is a lot more fun to follow when riders like yourself aren't afraid to speak their truth. Best of luck in 18'..... P. S. You and El Hombre are my two favorite 450 riders....keep mixin' it up out there!

MXoN 2018... Red Bud... MX1... El Chupacabra!!! Thoughts?

Blake, in your opinion, what's the best unconventional skill or thing to practice for younger racers or people looking to get faster?

What are your thoughts on Dungey's recent comments about SX tracks being too dangerous?

Best of luck in your 2018 season!

Hey Blake, thanks for doing this always cool to be able to pick someone of your caliber's brain a bit.

I'm not sure how much you care you to comment on this but in that MX Nation series Aldon Baker mentioned that when you and him parted ways that the top rider at the time had the option to buy out another rider within Aldon's program. He basically said that Villopoto bought out your spot in his program, so I was just wondering if you could expand on that and maybe get your thoughts on it?

Thanks.

Hey Blake. I remember watching you and Bruce Rutherford battling in 250B out at Perris during a CMC Golden State series. You guys were haulin until you both tangled and went down pretty hard. I also remember watching you and guys like Travis Baker, our local hero Tyler Sjoberg and a few others out at Glen Helen for Golden State. I was lucky enough to watch all of you guys come through the ranks.

Now for the question. Who is/was the most fierce competitor you've raced with in all of your years of racing? And do you ever get out and do any trail or free riding just to switch things up?

Blake,

Thanks for doing this. Back in your 250 days, how much of an impact did Pourcel's riding style have on your racecraft? I remember hearing that you used to study him and try to implement some of his "craftiness" into your attack. Look forward to seeing the #4 up front this year.

Hi Blake. We all saw Herlings do so well at the final round with a noticeably different style, lower RPMs, maybe a gear higher in places. Did seeing his style and how effective it was make you take another look at your own style? Not in a "your style isn't right" kind of way, but just sort of trying it out at the practice track.

Hey Blake. I think it's awesome what you are doing with building El Chupacabra ranch and also improving so much as a rider at the same time. You must have been quite busy on the last few years. Congrats, man.

My question is: how's the deal with Burner for the gym equipment?

Your tenacity as a competitor is applauded, and the professionalism with the way you carry yourself and your support staff is exceptional.
Doesn't the ronnie mac BS, selfies, twitter, and all the Feld circus fireworks etc take away from the sport?

Hey Blake! I was Just wondering what sort of workout regiment you use to stay fit. Are there any specific workout you use that one could try in the gym? Also Another question is when do you find its best to sit an lift your leg in a turn? Thanks Blake, Keep Killing it Bud!

No question but I wanted to say have a great season this year! You are my favorite rider to watch and I am hoping you get wins often this year and get to talk some smack!

Hey Blake thanks for taking the time for the questions. I loved the video you made with Weege about all the construction and track building you are doing at El Chupacabra ranch. It looked like you already built in some elevation changes and moved tons of dirt. Do you have any plans to go even bigger with the elevation changes in the future? If so how high are you going for
(Mt. Chupacabra?) and are you able to just move dirt around your property for the tracks or do you have to buy dirt and haul it in?
Good luck on the upcoming season!

Blake, thanks for giving us some time here. My question is, whoever thought it was a good idea to velcro your hand to the grip of a factory 450 and actually try to race that way? I mean, who does that?? I'm just speculating but you must have nads the size of watermelons to have thought, hey, this might work! Best of luck with your recovery and kick ass in 2018.

Hi Blake do you like your Dozer more than your race bike?

Hey Blake, been a fan since you turned pro, was good to see you finally get that fire back after a few rough years,
First question: How's the thumb recovery going, will you be 100% by A1?
Second question: You've in the past been a better MX rider than a SX rider although had some good rides this year, have you made moves to better your craft indoors for this upcoming year? would be awsome to see you mix it up indoors as well as out this year!
Your come from behind rides have had me on the edge of my seat this year! Keep it pinned!

Hi Blake, Just wanted to stop by to thank you for some awesomely incredible racing we got to see this year. I'll be rooting for you, best of luck in 2018 season!

The ride you put in at thunder valley was the highlight of outdoor season for me. Keep killin it!

Hey blake,
no question here, just wanted to wish you good luck for next season!

Hey Blake. I remember back a couple years ago you had went down to the stewarts place and was riding there alot during the outdoor season. How was it to ride there and also what was is like to have James as a teammate? Was he instrumental in helping you get the suzuki ride? And lastly... are yall still friends to this day?

MxKing809 wrote:

Blake,

What were your thoughts on the Ronnie Mac Benjamin buttons joke?

Haha I thought it was pretty funny actually. There’s just some things you can’t control- #hairgrowth

Ramrod wrote:

Hey Blake, one of my favourite moments of you is when you were in 250's and you were jumping a wall jump like an animal at Freestone I believe.

What was that like? You were sending it.

I jumped it in practice and it seemed to benefit the lap times so I just continued to jump it throughout the day. Felt like jumping a supercross triple with no landing

mxfanWI wrote:

Blake - long time fan, became a bigger one after meeting you in '16 when you took the time for a 1 on 1 pic and short chat with my son in the pits after your moto..so I built my son a cornering track earlier this year we are moving towards adding some jumps..any suggestions or insight on jump building (angle of face, spacing, best soil, etc)?

Bike control on the ground is different than bike control in the air, so just ease into things and keep things mellow. Let the little guy learn on something simple and push the comfort zone from there. As far as soil, the redder the clay, the better the clay??

Detroit Dick wrote:

Congratulations on your MX season!, staying in the hunt without use of a thumb is straight Badass, and your ride at Thunder Valley was epic!....saw you mention that you're doing "almost the exact opposite" of when you were training with Aldon...can you elaborate a bit on what you're doing different? Also, big props for speaking your mind when you've got the mic, this sport is a lot more fun to follow when riders like yourself aren't afraid to speak their truth. Best of luck in 18'..... P. S. You and El Hombre are my two favorite 450 riders....keep mixin' it up out there!

I wouldn’t say the biggest thing is my training program isn’t repetitive. As our bodies change, I think our needs change too. For me, doing what makes ME feel strong and healthy is what I focus on. What works for me might not work for the guy racing next to me.

Hey Blake,

Awesome to see you check in here. Couple of quick fire questions if I may...

- Who or what was your biggest inspiration growing up?
- If you were stuck in an elevator for a couple of hours who, is the last person in the world you'd want to be trapped in there with?
- most embarrassing fan moment? (for you or them)
- You can have a choice of one song to listen to before a race - what would you choose?

Cheers dude! Rooting you on from across the pond for 2018