December 16, 2011

Movin’ On Up! Broc Tickle Enters the 450 Class for 2012

For the first time ever, the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki team is going to be fielding a 450cc racer full-time in 2012. The racer? Reigning Lites West SX champ Broc Tickle. We caught up with Tickle to see how his progress is coming on his new machine, and find out what he thinks of his prospects in the 450 class.

Broc, how are you doing?
Broc Tickle: I’m good now! I just stopped at Chipotle!

There’s something about that place...
Yeah, I don’t know, dude... There’s something in this shit. [Laughs]

Obviously, you’re going to be returning to Mitch Payton’s Monster Energy/Pro Circuit Kawasaki team this year, but you’ll be racing the 450 class now. Is that just for indoors, then you’re going to switch back to a 250F outdoors, or what?
It’s for indoors and outdoors.

Do you know if your teammate Tyla Rattray is joining out on a 450 outdoors or not?
Not that I know of... Mitch asked me if I would ride outdoors on a 250, and I told him that if I’m going to ride 450 Supercross, I wanted to ride 450 outdoors, too.

Originally, I heard that it was possible you and Rattray could switch bikes outdoors, or that Rattray might join you on a second KX450F, so I wasn’t sure... What was your first impression when you finally got on a race-ready KX450F on a supercross track?
Honestly, every bike I’ve ridden has been really good, but the bike that I rode at the Monster Energy Cup was pretty unbelievable, and we’re supposed to have something even better than that for Anaheim 1. We haven’t gotten to test it yet, but we’re supposed to do it this week or next week. I’ll be interested to see how much better that bike is. But I’m happy with what I’m practicing on, and the bike’s really good anyway, even stock, so we’re starting off with a great bike, and it’s going to be a lot easier to get better from that point on.

What about the difference with a 450 on the track as compared to your 250F you raced this past season?
Well, one thing is that I really thought skimming the whoops would be easier on a 450, but it’s actually a lot different. Once you get it figured out, it is easier, but it’s so much different that if you try and do it like on a 250F, it’s really hard.

Explain the difference...
The 450 has so much power, and to just go in wide-open like you do on a 250F, it just doesn’t work very well. The bike has so much power that if you go in all wide-open, it upsets everything in the chassis – the rear end does funny stuff, and the front does, too. Basically, you just have to carry momentum into the whoops and be steady and easy on the gas, and if you’re in the right gear, you hit the whoops fast, and you just carry the speed all the way through. That’s what I’ve learned since I started riding it after Pala. I’ve pretty much learned something new almost every day that I’ve started riding it that helps me with being a little bit smoother and faster. You just have to be careful not to over-ride it because it has so much power in such a wide area that you can do anything you want, but if you use it right, you don’t really have to ride the bike that hard at all.

If you didn’t win the Lites West title in 2011, would you have remained eligible for the Lites class indoors in 2012?
I wouldn’t have gotten bumped up...

So, it was a blessing and a curse to win that title, then, huh?
Well, at this point, I’m not really bummed out about it. I was going to have to move up in 2013 anyway, and I’m glad I have the opportunity I do in order to ride a 450 for Mitch, because I know the bike’s going to be good, I know everybody, I have my mechanic, Dave, still... So I feel comfortable with where I am. And with the way everything has gone from last year into this year, it’s been smooth, and everybody’s there for me and the other guys on the team – it doesn’t matter if they’re your mechanic or not.

Well, obviously you ride the 450 well, but you probably would’ve liked to have had one more year on a 250F, wouldn’t you?
Oh, yeah, for sure! I mean, it would’ve been nice to be able to defend my title, but it is what it is, and I can’t really change it. If it’s out of my control, I don’t really get frustrated with it too much. We fought to try and get me to be able to stay in the class, but they [AMA and Feld Motorsports] just weren’t budging, so I ended up doing what I’m doing now. I’m happy with where I’m at. It’s a big step to race 450s, and to be really competitive, but I like challenges, and I like being motivated by guys that I’ve looked up to since I was a little kid...

And that’s an interesting thing, because you’re going to be racing against guys like Chad Reed, Kevin Windham, James Stewart, and a lot of other guys that you likely had posters of on your walls when you were a kid. How do you think that’s going to be for you?
I think it’ll just be fun to race with them! I raced with Windham a little bit at the Monster Cup, and it’s just a cool feeling to be around somebody that you’ve looked up to for a long time. And it’s fun to race him. He didn’t push me around or anything. It was just a cool feeling to know that you’re riding with a guy that you looked up to ever since you were a little kid!

Sometimes guys have to learn how not to read the jerseys of the guys they’re racing against, though...
It’ll be different when we line up to the gate, for sure, but I’ll just be trying to do my own thing because that’s when I do my best – when I worry about myself. When you worry about other people, it can just distract you from what you’re trying to do, and that’s not what I want.

Do you have any expectations for the season?
My first and foremost goal is to be at every race, racing, 100 percent. If I do that, then there’s no reason why I can’t do well. It’s a long season, for sure, and a lot of guys do get injuries – big or small – throughout the year, and if I can just be there every weekend and give myself the experience I need, by the end of the series, I should be right where I want to be. I’m not planning on coming in and lighting the world on fire. Obviously, I’d love to do that, but it’s a big step, and I know that, so I’m going to take it one step at a time and just try and be smart about it.

Thanks, Broc!
No problem!