’09 GEICO EnduroCross champ Blazusiak, the GEICO Triple Crown of EnduroCross and FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLARS all come to a boil Nov. 21st at Vegas’ Orleans!
ANAHEIM, Calif. (Nov. 19, 2009) – Reigning 2009 GEICO AMA EnduroCross Series, presented by E3 Spark Plugs, champion – KTM/Red Bull’s Taddy Blazusiak – has a shot at pretty substantial payday this weekend. Simply put, should he win the Vegas EnduroCross round at the Orleans Arena he’ll be 50 grand richer courtesy of GEICO.
By winning the GEICO EnduroCross rounds at Guthrie, Okla., and Denver, Blazusiak set himself up for the richest three race prize in American off-road racing. Of course this is certainly “All good,” according to Blazusiak, but first and foremost the overall GEICO EnduroCross title was paramount to this season’s goals – especially coming off an injury during the WORCS last year that cost him a shot at the ’08 GEICO EX title.
GEICO EnduroCross caught up with the well-traveled Blazusiak, who’s based for part of the year close by the KTM offices in Murietta, Calif., via Andorra (between France and Spain) while calling his home country Poland.
GEICO EnduroCross: Earlier this year you were involved in what many are calling the most exciting indoor off-road race of all time when you and Ricky Dietrich battled to a photo finish at the checkers of the opening EnduroCross round at the Orleans. Looking back, how important was the win that night?
Taddy Blazusiak: “Well, it’s always good to start a championship with a win, right? Gets your confidence going into the second race. A pretty big deal for me, yes. A really crazy race. That night I had a good race, the holeshot and pretty much led the whole race before I made a mistake in the pool. Almost cost me the race but somehow I recovered. And it gave me so much motivation for the rest of the year.”
GEICO EnduroCross: Not that an opening round can be considered a turning point, but did the Vegas opener top all of the other GEICO EnduroCross rounds in terms of importance for you?
Taddy Blazusiak: “To be honest I don’t think there was any turning point races for me this season. I knew coming into the first round that I had been practicing hard and was comfortable with my KTM, so I knew I had a good shot at winning the title. There wasn’t a special race – I was really focused on every single moto of every race. But I did, again, get that extra confidence after the first round.”
GEICO EnduroCross: Was your confidence level the highest it’s ever been in the history of your GEICO EnduroCross racing career?
Taddy Blazusiak: “For sure this year was really special for me. Last year after I got hurt and I was out of racing for a few months, going back then in September and pushing as hard as I could … because of that this year I changed my approach to racing a little bit, tried to have some more fun with it. It worked out, really. Overall my speed has been better, my obstacle speed, everything has been really good this year. And for sure my starts have been my strong point, so hopefully I can have all that with my last race here in Vegas this weekend. I’m at the top of my game right now and this is the form I’ve been looking for all year.”
GEICO EnduroCross: What do you feel is the main thing about you that gives you an advantage over other riders in the sport of EnduroCross?
Taddy Blazusiak: “I don’t know exactly over the rest of the guys, but for me the most important thing was to try and have fun. That was the key. We set our goal to win the championship and to be on the podium – not to go over my head. At the end of the day that paid off well. I had lots of confidence going into every race – knowing I could win, but didn’t have to. Not so much pressure and having more fun. I tried everything I could to win, but if I didn’t it was no big deal. And that was my key this year.”
GEICO EnduroCross: You’ve got a pretty solid record at the Orleans in recent years.
Taddy Blazusiak: “Yeah, I won the final in Vegas in ’07, but I was injured in ’08. I break most of my face bones, eye socket, cheek bones, upper jaw in practice before WORCS race in Washington. One of those things that happened for no reason.”
GEICO EnduroCross: So this weekend … you pretty pumped on that 50 grand?
Taddy Blazusiak: “For sure. 50 thousand is a good bonus, good money. My main focus, like I said, was winning the EnduroCross championship. And now that we’ve won that it takes a lot of pressure of us at this last round. Yeah, I’d like to have 50 thousand bucks. It’ll buy a lot of toys! But I already have a lot of toys, so I don’t know (laughter). It adds a lot of drama to the last race, which is good for the fans. But with me, no pressure. I’m going to go out there and have fun, ride smooth, try to get the holeshot and we’ll see at the end of the night.”
GEICO EnduroCross: Right on. Best of luck to you this weekend, Taddy. And again, from everyone at GEICO EnduroCross, congratulations on your 2009 title.
Taddy Blazusiak: “Thank you very much. I look forward to seeing everyone in Vegas this Saturday night!”
The 2009 GEICO EnduroCross TV schedule on the Lucas Oil Motorsports Hour on Versus:
Event / Date / Arena Air Date / Time Re-Air Date / Time
Las Vegas, NV 07/24/09 - Orleans Arena: 10/11/09 5:00 PM 10/15/09 6:00 PM
Guthrie, OK 08/14/09 - Lazy E Arena: 11/15/09 4:00 PM 11/19/09 6:00 PM
Florence, SC 09/12/09 - Florence Civic Center: 11/22/09 5:00 PM 11/25/09 6:00 PM
Columbus, OH 10/03/09 - Schottenstein Center: 12/05/09 4:00 PM 12/10/09 6:00 PM
Denver, CO 10/24/09 - National Western Complex: 12/19/09 5:00 PM 12/22/09 6:00 PM
Las Vegas, NV 11/21/09 - Orleans Arena: 12/24/09 6:00 PM 12/27/09 6:00 PM
Note: All times are Eastern
Combining multiple off road motorcycle racing disciplines such as western U.S. desert enduro racing and eastern cross country racing with technical trials-style riding, GEICO EnduroCross showcases riders from all over the world that excel in these fields.
EnduroCross tracks incorporate various elements of off road racing into a supercross-style setting, including rocks, boulders, logs, sand, mud, a water-hole… and even a few special obstacles like giant tires thrown in! Known as the “toughest racing on two wheels,” this indoor version of extreme off road racing will certainly keep you on your feet. The GEICO Powersports AMA EnduroCross series will be captured by the Versus Network, to be aired on the popular grassroots racing program; The Lucas Motorsports Hour. With its excitement and unpredictability, the EnduroCross championship has always down to the wire and this year will be no different as the series starts and finishes at Vegas’ Orleans Arena! Don’t miss your chance to see GEICO Powersports AMA Endurocross “Live” - and be sure to log-on to www.Versus.com for local airing dates/times for the Lucas Motorsports Hour.
For rules and race information visit www.EnduroCross.com or email endurocross@sourceinterlink.com.
For TV airing dates/times visit www.motorsportshour.com
11/19/2009 6:50pm
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