by Aaron Hansel
5 Minutes with... Kyle Cunningham
Tuesday, February 22, 2011 | 1:05 PM
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PrintKyle Cunningham has had a hard go of it this season. The Star Racing Yamaha rider has shown flashes of speed, and has even won a heat race, but has also seen many good rides ruined by crashes. In San Diego, Cunningham was well on his way to a top five finish when he tangled with Josh Hansen, went down, and spent several moments pinned by his bike before rejoining the race to take tenth place. We caught up with Cunningham to get his take on his up and down season, and his frustrating night in sloppy San Diego.
Racer X: You’ve had kind of a rough season so far, and I don’t think your true speed has been reflected on paper.
Kyle Cunningham: Yeah, completely. We consistently put the lap times in every weekend. There’ve been some ups and downs with other people, and some mistakes on my own. The thing we worked on the week before this past weekend, was to get better out of the gate. I finally got a holeshot in the heat race, and even with a bad gate pick in the main, got a good start. The track was a little bit one-lined, and I think I tried to make some bad passes in some sections where it wasn’t really possible, and that allowed a couple of guys to get around me. I just have to keep plugging away and working on the starts. We’re making gains where we need them. If I can get starts like that again, we’ll be good.
Cunningham has had a rollercoaster ride of a season.
Photo: Garth Milan
You’ve had your fair share of crashes this season. Some of them were your fault, some were not. How does that affect your outlook, as far as your plan of attack on race day?
I think right now we’ve moved up a little bit in the points. Like I said, we’re making progress. We’ve got a whole outdoor series and three rounds of supercross left, and all I can do is keep plugging away and not worry about the past and what’s happened. It’s good knowing that you’ve got the speed. You could say that I haven’t put it together, or that I’ve had some bad luck. It just hasn’t happened yet. I’m not going to get down on myself. I’m going to keep training hard and keep doing my same program, we know it’s working for me. Like I said, we’ve made some gains with the bike, which is awesome, and all I can do is keep pushing and training and make it happen. We have seven weeks off, and I’m going to do a lot of outdoor testing and really come into the outdoors strong. Our bike with the DNA Shred Stix Yamaha team is awesome.
The guys on the team are doing a great job with it. Will and Ross over at Enzo have done a great job with the suspension. I’m happy where I’m at, I’m happy with the bike, and I’m happy with the program. Every weekend Bobby (Bobby Regan is the team prinicipal) stands behind me after some of the mishaps, and that’s good. He constantly tells me every weekend, “Dude, you’re right there, we’re going to make it happen. Don’t let it get you down.” It’s been good for me having GL as a riding coach, Mark my trainer, my dad, we’ve made solid gains in my program. We’ve really turned some things around that I’ve struggled with in the past. Like I said, I’ve had some crashes, and there’s been a couple that were other peoples’ fault. I can’t let it get me down, I just have to keep pushing and come out at the next round swinging.
It looked pretty miserable out there in San Diego. Was it as bad as it looked?
I think the Dirt Wurx guys did a great job with the track. It was getting a pretty deep groove where everyone was taking the same line, and when I was behind Broc (Tickle) and (Tyla) Rattray in the main, it was just single file, waiting for someone to make a mistake. It was definitely tough to pass on, but like I said, for the amount of rain we had, those guys did an amazing job with the track. It could have been worse.
Cunningham looks to put it all together over the break.
Photo: Garth Milan
Talk about Josh Hansen and the pass that left you on the ground.
I’m not going to down-talk anyone, and I’m not going to down-talk the situation that went on on the track. He thought I scrubbed too close to him on the finish, which, I wasn’t really that close to him, and he decided to come into the corner, and I think it was an overly-aggressive pass if you ask me. Especially when he’s leading the championship right now. But, you know, I’m not going to let that stuff bother me, I’m just going to keep doing what I’m doing, stay prepared, and not worry about other people.
Did you guys talk after the race at all?
I don’t even want to get into that. It is what it is. There’s a lot of racing left, and I’m going to focus on my racing and not let someone else make an aggressive pass and ruin my season.
What are your plans for the break?
I’m going to take a few days off and go to an RC car race with my old mechanic, Scuba, and my new mechanic, Andy, and a bunch of the Associated guys. I kind of knocked my shoulder up a bit and I’m going to give it a couple days of rest. Then I’ll get into the outdoor testing and make sure the stuff is working good so I can be prepared.
Thanks for your time, Kyle.
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Hanson is nothing but a sandbaggin hippy. We'll see how he does with the big boys next year if he can find a super-x only ride; that's if he moves up.
Shoulda asked him if the move Hanny put on him was dirtier than the cheap shot he took on Roczen....hahahahaha, I say Cunningham got what he deserved, he completely plowed Roczen on the 2nd lap, all because Roczen crashed in front of him the week before... Cunningham is just as dirty as Hansen and I say he got what he deserved... Karma's a beetch Kyle!
I like Kyle's ability to blow off the questions regarding the questionable move by Hansen. He's keeping the drama and controversy down so he can finish a season racing. Hansen definitely aimed to take out Cunningham and it might have been too aggressive but if you were there you saw Cunningham whip right into Hansen over the finish line jump. I guess to each his own, and you make the call and how you would have felt after such a move on you. I'm sure that Hansen is not the only rider/bench racer who would have done what he did. Not to mention Cunningham left the door wide open in the next corner to allow Hansen to make that move. He's raced with Hansen all season and he should know he was going to be coming after him.
MxSxPlanet.com
MxSxPlanet.com, How do you mean left the door wide open? Hansen cut the corner and took out Kyle's front wheel. But like what skinny said, Kyle got a taste of his own medicine.
I really, really hope Kyle gets a win in the last three! He deserves it, he's never won a professional AMA race before! He's too fast to not win, go Kyle!
ride4ever.....THATS called "leaving the door wide open"
Sounds like 35 is going to do his talking on the track. If Hanny wasnt being passed by all those guys as quickly as he was, I am sure Kyle would have handled that turn differntly. Hanny looked to be letting the race go by so he could just do his thing and salvage points, but then he almost took himself out making a stupid pass....Kyle would have motored right past him in the next turn anyway...That type of pass is fine if your in the race, but Hanny was in the way and going backwards fast....dont agree with the move, but racing is racing....hopefully it doesnt come back to haunt him...
Hansen is a d-bag plain and simple. after that bs takeout on cunningham ive lost all respect ive gained back for him. hes out there to jack with people as much as he is to race. grow the f up hanny.
People usually dont pull take out moves like that on lap 3 when they are being passed by the lead guys, even alessi doesnt pull that crap........maybe the final lap when there is no place to pass but there is a difference between agressive riding (block passes) and intentional take outs..that was a take out.....
Sorry but Hansen is a douchebag, period. He has had questioneable moves all season and his whole career. He's a dirty rider and a punk of a person. I hope he gets his ass handed to him this season and if not he will when he stops racing kids and gets with the big boys. He's just another Jason lawrence. He will be a massive dissapointement in "the man" class. He is a boy amongst boys. I hop he loses the championship, his hand never heals and he ends up in a jail cell next to Lawrence.
Redbeard............agree with you 100% on this one. Can't say that all the time, ha
J~Law is incarcerated? Dang...I thought he was pretty funny, he always had something fresh to say.
Take out door open whaterer I had my share and did it all tru racers leave it on the track you bench racers can say what you want. I have been punted of the track and punted othrers of the track then we settle it next race. If you can get your handlebars in front of the other then you can do what you want that is what I thik.I am getting tired of this talk about dirty moves and such ITS RACING. If you dont like it take up baseball how they call that a sport beats the hell outta me then lets call biliards a sport ?????
Welker, if you want to play bumper cars, go to your local carny. If you want to race you have to respect other people, else all you have are a bunch of people taking each other out and potentialy ending careers. You can slam the door on someone without taking them out.
My prediction: It ain't over yet........
I love reading the ramblings of "tru" racers like Welker. Good thing we got him around to explain things to all of us bench racers.
Speaking of Hanny, will he ride outdoors this year? Seeing as he is going to need to find a 450 ride next year, does he plan to do so with SX-only in mind? He might want to show that he has ability in the sun and heat as well to increase his worth. People that consider the crap that he pulled (or Cunningham pulled on Roczen as well) RACING need help. If RACING involved crashing each other out, you'd see it a lot more. You don't see it that much because if you keep doing it, they'll end up black-flagging you at some point. Hey, what if guys start punching each other in the face over the tiples hockey-style, like in video games...or kicking at each other?? Now I guess THAT would make SX/MX even more of a sport. Why I'm even responding to someone that asks how they can refer to baseball as a sport is beyond me anyway. Credibility pretty much flies out the window at that point. I've raced against asses like you Welker, who think "if you get your handlebar in front, you can do whatever you want". Had pipes smashed shut, waterpumps broken off, cases punched in, hoses torn off, shifters broken off, rotors bent. Thankfully never had an injury due to these actions. Yeah, that's racing, you clown. Thanks for reminding me that some people think THAT is what is good about the sport, and is actually the right way to do it. Just keeps me in check knowing that just because someone else enjoys the same sport doesn't make them my pal.
@ B-KR - Well played sir. I was going to respond about his baseball opinion but figured he obviously knows very little about what it takes to be an athlete of that caliber.
Hanson will be lucky to crack top 15 in the BIG boys class.
Good responses B-KR & DJames30 -to WELKER and a few more of 'this' mindset.
~
Some of these half-baked 'posters' will never figure it out. They are of the same kind of DNA that built NASCAR into such a phenomena.
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The Internet has given a microphone to any lunatic with a keyboard who can almost spell and punctuate, when it's convenient.
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There's always going to be noise and debris out there. Negotiating it is all any of us can do.
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At least the Racing itself is, for the most part, top shelf!
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Maybe KC#35 has been reminded about the TKO he gave to KR#194 for no good reason and realizes what goes around...
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Just Pin It.
Hey frisco, there's no way he'll be that far back, because that a...hole hansen will find a way to sandbag the lites class again..J-law would not only get suspended, but maybe even go to jail for a chicken shit take out move like that..Wake up AMA
SKINNY and Ride4Ever said it the best it can be said. Kyle's known for riding dirty, taking people out. When he put the move on Roczen, He hit Roczen so hard that ken domino'd into martin DAvalos took all three of them out. I watched that pass on hansen. He had the pass made, but had to add insult by whipping his wheel right at hansen. Kyles back wheel was about 4 inches from hanny's shoulder. That was totally uncalled for. I can definately see why that pisssed hansen off. I think these FELD tracks are so 1 lined, the only way to pass is to block pass rough. Thought Seely was gonna hansen Broc Tickle in the same spot hanny got cunningham. Seely was faster than Broc but that was the only passing spot I could see for him