Catching Up With…Davi Millsaps
bayodome
- November 26 2009
- 39 comments
The Duke has been somewhat of an enigma for the last few seasons. On some weekends he will be the fastest rider on the track, and to see him win really is not much of a surprise. But on other weekends, you would hardly know the Georgian is at the race at all. However many of those poor performances have been related to lingering injuries that have haunted Davi for a while. With the new season approaching, Millsaps is back to 100 percent and is ready to start on a new path. Returning to the Red Bull Honda squad for 2010, Davi is ready to deliver on the promise he has always shown.
Now that you have had some time to recover and look back, how was 2009 for you?
It was not a good year for me. We had the new bike come out and it took awhile to get comfortable on it, and still now I am finding some things that work better on it. I went to a lot of LCQs in Supercross and then got hurt at the second round of the Nationals and missed half the season. I came back and did really good at the end, running eleventh overall, but I still wasn’t too pumped on that as a whole, but it is what it is.
You still had the occasional race where you would have a great ride even though the rest of the year was less than stellar.
Like I said, we had lots of issues to get myself and the bike to work well together. Honda and I have both been working hard to get the bike to work better and see what we can do, and right now I am happy with where it is at. If the track was good, then the bike and I were good and I think that had a lot to do with it. The bike was new and we were still finding out what we would need to do to make sure it would do what we wanted. I’m happy to still be here with the way the bike is now.
You wrapped up everything for your contract pretty early on, right?
Yeah, I have a two year deal and we have everything sorted out. I’m happy to have a job with these guys next year because we can do really good things. I shouldn’t say happy, I should say ecstatic (laughs).
You mentioned that you weren’t very pleased with the bike last year, and that’s something we heard from some other riders. Are the numerous changes made to the bike that makes the 2010 much better than a 2009?
I ran the 2009 bike at the US Open and as soon as that was finished I started to work on the 2010, testing the internals of the suspension, and it was such a better bike so soon that I wouldn’t ride the 2009 anymore. It gets better every week and with just a little more work it’ll be the best bike out there, hands down.
So where are you basing your program and training at for 2010? Are you staying in California or heading back to Georgia soon?
I’m based here in California until February, and then once the East Coast races start I’ll go back to Georgia, then back here to finish Supercross and start the Outdoors but end up back in Georgia again in the end. Last year I stayed here to do therapy on my back and neck, but next year I’ll be in Georgia much more.
You were still feeling the effects from your Hangtown crash all season right?
Yeah, I just got back to being able to bend my head and neck backwards. I couldn’t look up the hills when I was going up them.
Now that you have your back and neck problems sorted out and the bike is more comfortable, you’ll have no major worries or headaches when you get on the line.
It’s just the whole combination of knowing that my body and bike will do what I want it to do going to the corners and whoops. In 2009 I didn’t know what it wanted to do sometimes.
Everyone always states their expectations and what they want to do in the upcoming season, so here’s your turn.
I just want to do my best. That’s what I’ve been shooting for the entire offseason when I’d get on the bike, and if I do what I think is my best I’ll be up front soon enough.
You also have a new sponsorship that just got finalized….
Yeah, I’ll be a Scott goggle and gear guy from now on. I have been on Oakley for years, but the new deal is good because the gear is super nice and doesn’t fall off my butt (laughs). The goggles have been really good too, the pairs they set me up with have been great right off the bat, so I’m happy with everything I have going for next year.
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November 26th, 2009 at 7:57 pm
he needs to show that he deserves this ride i like him and i know he was hurt but i kind of think that should be ivans ride
November 26th, 2009 at 7:58 pm
Boy, Davi wore One Industries gear for like, half the outdoor season.. But the new scott gear is sick. I have a feeling davi will start getting consistent podiums this year. Great to hear from him (:
November 26th, 2009 at 9:18 pm
im pretty sure it only says he signed a deal for Scott goggles.. I dont think he is wearing their gear!
November 26th, 2009 at 9:52 pm
sad ….you know he has the speed….and the heart…just gotta keep trying…he should be a good darkhorse this year…
November 26th, 2009 at 9:53 pm
anyone remember him hanging with carmichael and stewart for a moto in ..06? with dungey, villopoto, and canard next year, and stewart and reed as the veterans, where does davi fit in? he needs to do something this season to keep his name around
November 27th, 2009 at 2:12 am
Daisy Millsaps needs to step his game up for sure. There's so much talent in the SX class this year.
November 27th, 2009 at 3:16 am
im sure he will do good and i wish him the best of luck.
November 27th, 2009 at 4:46 am
Davi is fast for sure, I remember at the SF SX he was the quickest mud rider by far and would bust both triples consistantly, when only 2 others would jump 1 sometimes, . buuut then, I think he might have gone down just like everyone else so…Worth noting, thats when DV Kicked the honda 7000 times to no avail, lol. At that point, the French Snake was all out of venom! hahaha
November 27th, 2009 at 7:24 am
what are you even talking about lol
November 27th, 2009 at 10:51 am
Ride on
November 27th, 2009 at 5:07 pm
I think he's been to busy with his new wife instead of training, can't say I blame him, she's hot.
November 27th, 2009 at 5:55 pm
UNDER-achiever…So when he gets one podium this year and then finishes somewhere WAY down the top 10 for Supercross, what excuse will he use this year? The 2010 bike all of a sudden was bad like the 2009? This guy is Wendy-whiner only second to Chad Reed. What I want to know is what would these clowns do if they didn't have ANY factory ride and had to ride stock? RV2, Dungey, and Bubba could still beat people, etc. These guys need to stop whining about bike set-up when privateers are just happy to have a bike and make it to the races. Spoiled brats! Merry Christmas!
November 27th, 2009 at 7:04 pm
Definitely…. Actually Hot sauce got a better deal on a better ride.
November 27th, 2009 at 7:09 pm
Lets try and remember. THIS IS THE HARDEST MOST PHYSICALLY DEMANDING SPORT ON EARTH. ARE 53 PLAYERS ON ONE NFL TEAM.
THERE IS NOTT MORE THAN 53 MEN ON EARTH THAT CAN DO WHAT DAVI DOES.
Can you?
November 27th, 2009 at 10:01 pm
Very true, as Eric Gorr once said: speed on a dirtbike is 95% rider…
November 27th, 2009 at 10:04 pm
Davi can ride…he will only ride when he wants to..hes always full of reasons on why he didnt do good. Step it up this year davi..too many privateers smoked him last year..act like your on a factory team.
November 28th, 2009 at 12:00 pm
drop some weight davi,train hard without the roids this yr, get rid of louchey and get back to mtf with your mum thats when u put in and showed what u had.
November 29th, 2009 at 2:55 am
Why is this guy talking about David Vuillemun?
November 29th, 2009 at 6:04 am
LMFAO. You hear alot of speculation about Stewpid being able to win on a stock bike, but have never seen any proof. I am going to assume you're talking about SX. Reed ran with Stewpid all season long , so do you really believe that Stewpid caould win on a stock bike, no mods what-so ever. Except for some handlebars and adjustments? RV2 and Dungey? Really? RV@ hung with Reed for 1 race all season in SX, and won 1 race because of some friendly games being played between Reed and Stewpid. Dungey, i don't know about, but I highly doubt it. But we have yet to see what hes got on a 450 in SX. And if it can't be done indoors , it damn sure is not goin to be done outdoors. Oh yeah, How many privateers go to the races expecting to win?
November 29th, 2009 at 1:19 pm
Stewpid?? come on man stewart is the fastest man on the planet in the moto world. People hate on the guy but he puts up results. Id like to hear who you think is faster than stewart. The only time anyone beats him, and its usually reed, is if he makes a mistake. No one can beat him with 20 perfect laps or a perfect moto. And if your gunna hate on a guy try to come up with a name a kindergardener couldnt come up with.
November 29th, 2009 at 3:57 pm
I never said the guy wasnt fast. He is fast as hell. I just don't like him as a person. There are no other riders I can think of that roll onto the track in a lambo. I'm pretty sure no other riders even own a lambo. And yes I know its his money, he can do what he wants. What has he really put back into the sport? His ride days? I'm pretty sure he gets paid for that. Reed has invested millions into starting a SX series, even if it is in Oz. And as for someone being faster. Reed can be as fast and sometimes faster than Stewart. Sometimes slower, depends on the track and the day. Outdoors, I don't think Stewart wants anything to do with Villopto or Alessi. As for the mistakes. Those usually have something to do with him riding over the edge trying to get away from or catch up to Reed. Nicknames? I got a list of them, but don't think they would be appropriate for this comment section. I'll let you try and figure them out.
November 29th, 2009 at 3:57 pm
All in all I feel Stewart fans are like the footballbasketball fans that don't really know about the sport but choose to root for the winning team that year, or whatever everyone else is rooting for. When that team loses they switch to the next big thing. Whatever is popular.
November 29th, 2009 at 10:12 pm
tweeeekerrrr
November 29th, 2009 at 10:16 pm
couldnt agree with you more Truth
November 29th, 2009 at 11:10 pm
yeah thats why you make the other 5% count lol
November 30th, 2009 at 2:13 am
yeah davi got a horrible deal. he should just admit the bike sucks
November 30th, 2009 at 2:23 am
seriously dude? reed is not faster then stewart. the only reason he made a sx series in australia is because he couldnt win in the u.s so he had to make something where he could win. and outdoors stewart doesnt want a piece of villihoto or alessi? yeah right stewart wooped alessi's ass when he went 24-0 and alessi crashed just like stewart does when hes catching reed right?
November 30th, 2009 at 2:45 am
I hope they payed Davi alot of money to wear that ugly ass Scott gear.
November 30th, 2009 at 3:04 am
davi is full of excuses all the freaking time. He doesnt deserve that factory ride. That ride should be Ivans. Tedesco proved himself. Davi got smoked all the time. Honda is the best team period but millsaps is a spoil litle girl. He needs to prove that he belongs on factory team.
November 30th, 2009 at 3:57 am
Really? What did Ivan do that was so great? He won 1 race. I went back to the 2009 and 2008 seasons and figured an avg. finish for both Davi and Ivan. In 2009 Ivan made the gate at all 12 races with an avg. overall of 6.8333. Davi made the gate 8 times with a 10.25 overall avg. In 2008 Ivan made the gate 8 times with a 13.375 avg. Davi made 7 races with a 9.428 avg. Ivan had a overall avg for those 2 seasons of 10.3 and Davi a 9.85. They are pretty damn similar with the exception of Ivan being at the gate 5 more times than Davi. Getting hurt is a real excuse. So is the bike not working for you. Remember MC on a KTM? I could probably find more reasons why they are both pretty equal, or Davi being the better choice but it takes too much time.
November 30th, 2009 at 6:25 am
the dude gets smoked by privateers…
November 30th, 2009 at 11:29 am
Davi Millsaps is going to be a future sx champ! I think alot of people forgot that davi is still just a kid, and has many years ahead of him. Team Honda made a smart move.
November 30th, 2009 at 1:39 pm
no stewart is not just a spoiled rider that takes advantage of his money. have you ever looked at his history? have you looked at how he and his family used to live so that he could get where he is today? he deserves what he has cause he worked his ass off for it. and the ride days were because he likes being personal with the fans and he didnt want to disappear while he wasnt racing nationals due to his contract. and ive ridden my whole life and been a stewart fan all along win or lose
November 30th, 2009 at 4:48 pm
you get smoked by guys on 85s
November 30th, 2009 at 5:25 pm
Really? Reed has never won a SX race here? Man I coulld've sworn I remember him winning a few. I believe he's even beat Sewart a couple times. Guess I'm wrong. VilliHOTO? If you're going for a spanish insult in there, it should've been JOTO you dumb ***K. Alessi when Stewart went 24-0 and Alessi now are two totally different ball games. Never seen Villopoto race the 450 outddors against Stewart and probably never will, but thats most likely in his best interst. Yep, Stewart has crashed trying to catch/keep up with/get away from Reedy. Remeber the St. Louis SX? Oh wait, that must've been my imagination.
December 1st, 2009 at 4:34 am
If you could combine the heart of Short and Tedesco with the talent of Millsaps, you would have a rider to beat all riders. I really feel for team Honda and Kehoe, they just can't seem to recapture that past Honda glory since Carmichael left. I hope they have a great year. To new beginnings at A1.
December 4th, 2009 at 4:24 pm
villiHOto is not a mexican referance dumbass. did i say he never won? no i said hes slower then stewart. name 1 time that he beat stewart heads up… let me guess vegas? yeah stewart tried to let him by but reed needed more points so he tried to clean him. and whats different about alessi now? he's won 2 races? maybe since everyone was "crashing trying to catch up to reed" wait a sec… reed was behind them.
December 7th, 2009 at 1:54 am
wow why would scott take on a slacker…don't think he represents their image either… too much of a excuse kinda a guy with not a real commitment person either..so sad.
December 9th, 2009 at 5:27 pm
I remember in the 08' SX season Davi was runnin right there with Reed and Whindam…He's got the speed for sure….BUT i cant stand the whining either….dude u got beat..u got the speed…take responsibility for gettin smoked and quit blaming it on everybody and their brother….Come on Davi i wanna see you up front this year….you dont have to beat stewart….just put Reed in his place please and lets send his tail back home where he belongs….Funny how Reed raced his Australian SX and beat a bunch of dudes that arent big names…like he really won some big championship or something….he's a joke…thats neither here nore there….Good Luck Davi!!