Wes Miller
Interview: 2011 Tattersalls Finke Desert ATV Race
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Miller finished
just 30 seconds short of taking the top
spot on the podium. With two second place
finishes Miller took second overall
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ATVRiders.com:
You finished second both days and overall. Are you
happy with your results? Are you happy with how
the bike/parts performed?
Wes Miller:I
went there with the goal of winning the event. I
knew there would be some good riders, but I really
didn't know how fast they would be. After qualifying
8th in the prologue, I was pretty happy to be sitting
2nd after day one. I had pushed hard all day and
passed a few quads, but I wasn't sure where I stood
when I crossed the line. There was only one quad
sitting there. I asked him how many quads were ahead
of us and he kinda laughed and said we were the
first 2. I was only 1:20 behind going into day 2
and I felt that I could make it up. We were riding
at a really fast pace and I felt like if I kept
the pressure on, I could make a pass or possibly
force a mistake.
At
the start of day 2, I pushed very hard off the
start to try to close ground. The course had really
gotten whooped out and the deep sand whoops favored
a lighter 450. The 700 took every bit of strength
that I had to pound the endless miles of whoops.
Just as we entered the prologue course at the
end of the race, I spotted the lead quad. He had
crashed and slowed a bit allowing me to close
in. I crossed the finish line about 30 seconds
behind. I had closed the time differential, but
it wasn't enough for the win. I was bummed that
I didn't win, but I gave it my best and I felt
that I rode the 700xx as fast as it could go in
those conditions. I definitely tip my hat to the
Aussie riders. They are fast and the winner McKay
kept a hell of a pace. My quad worked flawless.
It always amazes me what these machines can endure.
The motor ran great and never missed a beat. The
Fox/Houser suspension and Precision dampener saved
my ass numerous times. And I had no flats for
the entire 280 miles.
ATVRiders.com:
Being one of the only (if not THE only) Americans
racing, what kind of feedback did you get from
the local community and other racers?
Wes Miller:As
far as I know, I was the only American there.
Everyone was very helpful and friendly. I think
all of the Aussie riders were curious to see how
they stacked up against a US rider.
ATVRiders.com:
You're a seasoned Baja champion. How did this
race compare - course, event staff, fans, etc.
Wes Miller:The
2 races are a little similar, but definitely different.
In Baja, you are riding through all kinds of terrain
for long isolated distances. Baja courses are
relatively uncontrolled and you never know what
you will come across or see. The Finke is more
of a wide open straight line. The course has been
bladed in and is more flat and straight, with
less terrain variation. It's not to say Finke
is easy because the whoops are brutal, but it
reminded me more of a groomed high speed grand
prix course in the US. The racers there are definitely
fast and I feel like they approach the event with
more of a kamikaze attitude. They go WFO from
start to finish and aren't scared to crash. I
saw a lot of carnage down there. You are also
dealing with a lot more dirt bikes. I was dicing
with dirt bikes almost the entire race. You have
to deal with their roost and dust. The race was
very organized and ran on time. It was also nice
that the times and results were available online
almost immediately. The Aussie fan really get
into it. There were people lining a large portion
of the course all cheering the racers on. It is
quite the party atmosphere for them.
ATVRiders.com:
Was it difficult to adjust? Time difference, weather..
Wes Miller:There
was a 15 1/2 hour time difference, so that did
take some adjusting. I don't think I was getting
a full nights sleep until it was time to fly home.
It was colder than I thought it would be. Spending
the night in Finke was freezing, literally. I
really didn't get much sleep the night in between
the race days. Other than that, it wasn't much
different than the US.
ATVRiders.com:
Can you tell us any other interesting facts about
your the race?
Wes Miller:
Another top US dirt bike desert racer, Steve Hengeveld,
has raced Finke a few times with a top finish
of 9th OA. The winning dirt bike averaged 70 mph
I averaged 52.82 mph. The winning quad averaged
52.92 mph, meaning .1 mph average separated the
first 2 quads over 280 miles. The winning margin
was 54 seconds after 280 miles.
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