Catching Up With… Josh Grant

Brendan Lutes

• January 10 2009
• 2,475 views
• 5 comments

JGR’s Josh Grant not only shocked the Anaheim fans last weekend with his first-ever 450 Supercross win, but also himself, too. Grant, who has spent several years in the Lites class trying to bring home a championship, seems to have made the transition from the Lites bike to 450 with relative ease–looking smooth, consistent, and in-control. We caught up with Grant shortly before the track walk to chat about his first 450 Supercross win in only his third try.

How’s everything been going since your first big win last weekend?

It’s been going well. I had an awesome week, and I’ve had some time to watch the race and soak it all up.

What was it like to capture your first big win like that?

It felt just like it did when I wont my first Lites race in Atlanta. It’s a feeling that you never want to let go of. It was great for the team and me.

You were running a strong third in the main event, and then those guys went down. What were you thinking once you inherited the lead?

I knew that those guys were going for it and they had faster lap times and I had. I was able to settle into a pace that I was comfortable with, and then when I saw them go down I was just like, ‘Oh goodness. Here we go.’ I put my head down and rode the next 16 laps as smooth as possible.

We all thought you had the win in the bag, but then you snagged a Tuff Block on the second to last lap…

I didn’t even know I collected the thing. I just thought something was wrong with my bike because it was slowing down. I didn’t even realize I had a Tuff Block in my rear wheel until I got up to the podium. I couldn’t believe that thing was in my wheel! When I watched the video I was thinking I should’ve just pulled over and tried to yank the thing out (laughs).

You almost went over the bars a couple of times, right?

Yeah. I had a couple of close calls because I didn’t have any rear brakes. I just had to soak it up (laughs).

What’s it like riding without any back brakes?

Dude! It is so tough. When I would come into the corners, I would have to run it up pretty high, slow down really early, and use a lot of front brakes. It was good; I just had to do whatever I could to get through those 20 laps.

Switching subjects a little bit, what’s the new team been like?

It’s been great! These guys have really helped me out, and we’ve done a lot of testing to adjust to a new bike and team. Everything has been really good because this whole team puts their whole heart into everything. It’s cool!

You’ve always been a good 450 rider, so what were you expecting coming into the first round and your first full season on the big bike?

I was expecting to be inside the top five or top 10, for sure. I wanted to be consistent and feel it out and see where I was. After that I realized I could be a podium contender every weekend as long as we continue doing our homework.

Do you guys have this bitchin’ spot in the pits because you’re leading the points right now?

I don’t know (laughs). I’m not sure if it’s because of that or not. But this is definitely a good spot. We’re in the front row, so as long as we keep doing it we’ll be good.