Going for the W: Kevin Windham
Thursday, February 9, 2012 | 10:00 AM
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How do you categorize Kevin Windham? We know the four pack up front is fast and can win races, and we know the chase pack with riders like Jake Weimer, Justin Brayton, Andrew Short, Brett Metcalfe, Davi Millsaps and others is looking for a breakthrough. Somewhere between those groups, though, lies Windham. At times, he’s battling in the top seven or so, but we all know there are some nights where K-Dub finds the speed to get into the fight for the number-one position.
So far, the 33-year-old fan favorite hasn’t hit the podium yet (he just missed in Phoenix), but Windham always seems to get stronger as the series goes on. And he already feels like he’s riding well. Matthes caught up to Kevin for a quick interview in this week’s Going for the W.
Racer X: I made this comment during the race. You were killing it tonight. You probably weren’t where you wanted to be, but it looked like you were riding well.
Kevin Windham: Well thanks for noticing. It’s tough in this game right now. Man, I’m so frustrated. I miss the podium years. When you ride good, you’re supposed to get on the podium. I feel like I have decent rides it’s just, man, I can’t catch those guys. I might be able to hang on to them if I threw a lasso, maybe. I gotta’ get there first. I can’t do it from fifth or sixth or seventh or whatever. I was in a really heated battle with [Davi] Millsaps the entire time which was fun racing. But then, at the end of the day, you pass him and you’re like yippe. I feel like I’m riding close, but I keep getting sixth, so obviously I need to start working on my starts. I’m happy with my strength. I’m not fading, so I’m happy with that. I feel like I’m in a good place. Just hopefully we’ll get to the east coast and things will mature a little bit and we’ll get to taste a little champagne.
Sometimes you can see guys kind of stopping in corners and cruising or whatever, but watching your battle with Millsaps, you’re aggressively roosting the corners and attacking the track. So maybe, like what you said, it’s the depth of the field.
It’s definitely the depth of the field and I think I’ve got to start better. I’ve got to get there in the top two or three. I have to avoid getting boxed out in all those corners. Those first couple of corners are kind of brutal. You get stacked in. I was talking to [Chad] Reed before the race. We were both kind of trying to pick our gate based off of turn two, not turn one. You just want to get yourself set up entering whoops so you get a drive out of all the chaos. But, like I said, I can’t do it from where I was. I’m trying not to hang my head because I’m riding well. I think the whole team’s happy with the way I’m riding. It’s just not working out for me right now.
Can Windham land his first podium of the year in San Diego?
Photo: Simon Cudby
The track. I walked it, thought it was going to be awesome, super cool. But both main events, we didn’t really see much battling. Really, you might’ve had the coolest race of the night with Davi. Why was that?
A lot of insides. There were two bowl turns that we could pass that was coming out of six and into seven, eight before the triple – the second triple, a non-bank turn bowl turn that was turn two before the whoops, a lot of flat corners, we were able to do the rhythm sections from the inside. It really only allowed two turns for any kind of box-out, but even how we were doing that on-tabletop deal wasn’t really good to make a drive on somebody in turn six. So, it was a good track, better than A1. But I have to be honest with you, I’m ready to get to a football stadium. I think these baseball fields, while they can be good, they haven’t done a good job with them this year. I guess Oakland was good.
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If the rare chancepresented itself that Kdub would win one of these, I would FREAK OUT! Go get em old man!
he can definitly get a podium and I think he still can get a win, but i also think it would take him getting a top 3 start and RV,stew and Reed to have real bad starts or some trouble. And if its a mud race then he may just win outright!!
K-Dub is actually YOUNGER then guys half his age. He has kept injuries to a minimum, has more fun, and continues to charge like a rookie.
KEEP IT UP YOUNG MAN!!
I think Kevin can still win with a Holeshot and a bit of luck! It was a heartbreaker last year when he crashed while in the lead and looked like he could pull off the win. I have a lot of respect for him! I dont think he ever rides over his head just deos what he can do and yes he can still win I belive in him!
K-Dub proves it right there with his comment, that he is ready for the football fields, they spend way too much time in Cali in the baseball fields. When Dallas has to be an East Coast round and not west. shows there is too much time spent out on the West Coast. The football fields have the best tracks and the best racing.
I'm surprised "BKR" hasn't commented here yet. He's always defending the tracks saying how there's sooo much passing and so many lines to choose. Maybe he's a Dirt Wurx employee....... :)
Baseball fields, football fields, I would be psyched to watch Windham ride a tennis court. Truly one of the greatest.
Can't wait for Kevin to start up front. This year, with the talent pool so deep, if you aren't up front at the start, you have little chance to pass your way to the front.
GO K-DUB!
Oakland is a Coliseum that can house Baseball or Football, so if Feld doesn't take advantage of that it's their bad.
KW is a bad ass, but if he's going to beat the "Top 4" guy's he's got more to pick up then his starts. Over five rounds his AVG LAP times are A2: 6th, OAK: 5th, LA: 8th, PHX: 4TH, & A1: 8TH. He has an averaging of 6th in that category, where guys like CR and RV have been much higher. Though avg lap time isn't the whole story, when compared to the guys he wants to beat KW isn't there yet. Hopefully he can turn it around in SD and make this a 5 way battle for the podiums!
K-DUB is class act that's for sure. He deserves all the respect in the world from us fans!
Time for the racers to design tracks again.
Chad turns 30 next month so there will be 2 (30+) vet class racers. When KW was 30 he finished 2nd to Reed.
Kevin is a class act. I love watching him ride. I really hope he stays racing till 2014. We, as a sport, need him!!!! He is what's right with our sport.
KDUB 4 PREZ 2012 ! !
@gbs417--It is set up different when its football season, they bring more seats in and put them closer to the field. When its set up for baseball, those seats are gone and its more round on the field. And that is how it is set up for supercross, the field is round instead of longer and rectanglular..
Podium, mid pack, back of pack, I don’t care where Kevin finishes. Watching his fluid riding style is one of life's small joys, His on/off track ethics are honest and respectful and probably won't be seen again with the new generation of riders coming through. I hope that riders like Cianciarulo who are coming through the ranks look at the way KW handles himself, if so the future of SX will be safe.
It will be a sad day when ole KDub retires.
All we need is a little mud- wink wink.
I love K-Dub man but his time has come and gone, he can't win in any conditions including mud. That one year he won Daytona was pure luck because Reed had half a lap on him when his bike quit. RV, JS, and CR are in a class by themselves.