Rhys Budd - Supercross Time.

As we near closer to the to the return of Supercross in Australia you start to feel the buzz in the air. I mean, we have all watched the insta bangers the boys have been uploading from the practice tracks. However, it is nearly time for the real thing. Back into stadiums, pointy jumps and bar to bar racing. Not only are we gearing up for the return of Australian Supercross after a 2-year hiatus, but we are also going to be treated to the World Supercross Finale the same weekend as the Aus SX opener in Melbourne the 21st and 22nd of October. One rider that is more than looking forward to being back at the stadiums is Yamalube Yamaha's Rhys Budd, who not only is a contender for the SX2 Aus SX title, but Rhys has also been selected to be the Wildcard in the WSX finale. I jump on the phone with Rhys to see how he is feeling in the lead up.

Trent - So, Rhys how is Supercross prep going we are only 3 weeks out?

Rhys - Yeah, we are 3 weeks away now. It's been a good start. The first week or so I wouldn't say was slow but, I wasn't where I wanted to be straight away, obviously because of the long layoff Supercross we've had. It felt good to be back into it, plenty of nerves that first week, but we are definitely into the swing of it now and I feel really good to be honest. I'm still working on some little 1 percenters each day. It definitely has been a lot of fun. Still 3 weeks to go, to get to where I want to be so we will be ready.

Trent - Supercross is all about timing. With such a long layoff, how long did it take for the timing to come back?

Rhys - Honestly it came back pretty quick, it would have only been a couple of days. My initial days on the track were slowed down to work on getting the timing back and get the feel for SX. But after 2 maybe 3 days we were dialled in and starting to lay down the Motos and started pushing the limit a little bit.

Trent - Not only getting the timing dialled in, but the bike as well. How was the transition to the stiffer SX set up and has it changed much from the first setting?

Rhys - Surprisingly it wasn't that difficult of a transition. Of course, I noticed the bike was a lot stiffer but once you are out there riding it doesn't feel that stiff. You definitely notice it when you frame case a jump (Laughs) you can feel it then as it soaks it up pretty well. And obviously in the transitions between the rhythm's it holds up well. To be honest we haven't really changed the setting. Wardy (Mike Ward) has some really good settings that he developed previously with Jay Wilson. That has put us in a dialled spot with the bike suspension wise. We have done some gearing testing but that's about all, we are pretty comfortable with everything at the moment.

Trent - Supercross in Australia is definitely tough, especially to find practice tracks. I know Ford Dale has the track at Coolum, but have you had other tracks to train on?

Rhys - Yeah, we have been on the Supercross track at MX Farm a few times and there's another private track we have also gotten to utilise. So, we have had a good little verity to get comfortable on, all with different dirt, layout and obstacles so it's been a good set up to get ready.

Trent - Congratulations also for picking up the Wildcard Spot for World Supercross in Melbourne you must be pumped to get a spot and to race on the world stage?

Rhys - Yeah, it's definitely an opportunity of a lifetime really, everyone dreams to race against the world's top racers and the SX2 class is pretty stacked. With that I know it's not going to be easy whatsoever, but it's going to be a challenge I look forward too. I just want to see where I stack up against those riders.

Trent - What are the goals or expectations?

Rhys - I'd be pretty happy with a top 10 result, that's the ultimate goal. Honestly, I believe I can achieve that, I just got to do everything I need to do at the practice track and bring that on the night.

Trent - I bet Big Red was stoked on you being picked?

Rhys - Yeah Dad was stocked and he couldn't wait to tell everyone so that's cool.

Trent - Well Rhys I look forward to seeing what you can do here in SX. As always thank you for the time.

Rhys - Thank you.