Southwick was Kyle Webster’s first taste of the AMA Pro Motocross Championship, but you’d never know he was a first timer by his results. Factory Honda Australia’s director Yarrive Konsky of Firepower Honda procured a new title sponsor in USA’s Mobile X to bring over Webster and his young teammate Jake Cannon to America, and Webster overcame a pair of crashes in the first moto to go 17-7 for tenth overall on a brutal track he’d never ridden before. We caught up with Webster and Konsky this week to learn more about his Pro Motocross debut.
Racer X: Kyle, great ride at Southwick! Before we get into that tell us more about yourself so our readers can get a better idea of who you are.
Kyle Webster: I’ve lived in Australia since, pretty much forever, and I’ve been riding for Yarrive [Konksy] since I think 2020, and in 2021 I won the MX2 championship there [Australia].
Yarrive Konsky: In 2016 he was on our satellite 250 program. He’s one of the most modest people you’ll ever meet. He’ll never talk himself up. He came over from South Africa and moved to England when he was young to chase the motocross dream. Then he moved to Australia when he was ten.
How’d you end up racing at Southwick with Yarrive?
Webster: Well, we’ve been talking about it for a couple years, and this year seemed to work out the best. Yarrive gave me some goals to tick off, and if we made it to where we wanted to be, then we’d start putting it together. It actually worked out quite smoothly and flowed together.
Is your intent to race more U.S. Pro Motocross nationals?
I’d love to. I don’t know about this year, but I’d love to come back and do some more. I’d love to see what the calendar looks like next year, to see if it would work out. We’re doing RedBud this weekend, we’re here right now.
Well, you rode great at Southwick. Were you expecting to do that well?
I honestly didn’t know. I lot of people were asking me how I thought I’d do, and I really didn’t have any idea. It was cool. I was in the B practice and had to put in a fast lap right away. That was very nerve wracking. We have a free practice before you go into the timed practice, and you’ve got to go and lay down a lap immediately. But it was cool, I ended up qualifying tenth. In the first moto I went down in the first turn but got back up to around 20th and crashed again. I ended up 17th, and that wasn’t ideal, but in the second moto I got a much better start, sixth position I think, and got passed by [Dylan] Ferrandis, and floated around in seventh on my own. I definitely rode a little tight, just realizing where I was. Other than that, it was good.
What’s it like having to immediately lay down a fast-qualifying lap on a track you’ve never ridden before? You knew the track was just going to get rougher and slower for the second qualifier.
Webster: It was hard. I got to ride a little on press day, so that was nice, but I didn’t really know the track. On a normal day of practicing, I don’t think I would have been able to do it, but because it was a race day I was able to just lay it on the line.
Konsky: He’s being modest. It was an extraordinary performance. He’s not one to talk himself up, but it was pretty outstanding. Especially considering he’d never seen the track and the bike he was riding was different than the one at home.
Webster: My suspension was the same, but the rest was different.
What was the biggest surprise for you on race day?
Webster: The intensity of those guys is through the roof, but I think it’s the schedule. I’m so used to the Australian schedule, and here it’s quite a bit different. Getting used to all that was a bit surprising.
It’s a pretty nonstop day! All day it’s go, go, go.
Yeah, that was a bit of a surprise, but it wasn’t anything too crazy.
What’d you think of the track? If you weren’t racing is it something you think you’d have fun on, or would it be more like, “No thank you!”
It was cool. I was expecting it to be a lot bigger. Looking at it on TV over the years, it looked a lot bigger than it was. Also, how hard it was. It’s pretty tight around those trees, and those 180s going up and down the hills. I don’t think TV shows how tight it is. It caught me off guard how awkward it was to ride.
What about the MXoN, is that something you’re aspiring to be a part of?Webster: Definitely. I did the one in 2019 at Assen, and if I get another opportunity to go again, I’ll definitely go.
Konsky: We think there’s a good possibility he’ll make the team this year. We really hope there’s an opportunity there, and we hope that what we’re learning here will help him be better prepared for it if he gets the chance. That’s what we’re really hoping for.
Note: the afternoon after this interview was conducted, Team Australia was announced as the Lawrence brothers and Webster.
You’ve got to think Australia is going to win an MXoN here soon. It seems inevitable.
It’s something that’s eluded us. Australia has been on the podium I think, three times, but we haven’t one yet.
It’ll happen, it’s coming. Well, let’s wrap this up by talking about RedBud. After doing so well at Southwick, what are your expectations for the weekend?
I’d just like to be solid, avoid first turn crashes, and be in the mix at the start. I think two top-ten finishes would be really good. I think I’m more prepared now for how the day runs and how it all works. Now that I’ve been here a bit longer, I’m not jetlagged anymore, and hopefully I can get a few solid results.
