Tyler Collingwood
It’s something we have all thought about, what’s it like to be a professional supercross rider? What would it be like to live in their shoes for a day? Well, Freddie Noren and the Madd Parts Kawasaki team let me tag along for their home race in St. Louis, Missouri and I’m going to give you guys a full rundown on what it was like to be a part of Freddie’s race day.
6:45 AM
It was an early start to the race day, as I was running late, Freddie woke up and began his day a little before I would get there. Freddie said his race days start off pretty typical each week. Wake up, Coffee, oatmeal and two eggs. Freddie told me that oatmeal is a must for him and anything else can vary on the day.
7:20 AM
I finally show up, thankfully the team doesn’t fire me on my first day. We finish loading up and it’s time to head to the track.
8:30 AM
We had been at the track for about 30 minutes before the track walk was to begin. Freddie and the team head out for track walk so they can try and get a feel for the course and see what lines they are wanting to take. While I wasn’t allowed out on the track. I sat in the stands and watched how the guys tried to dissect the track and figure out the best options come race time.
10:00 AM
This is when things started getting a little more serious, Freddie begins to get geared up and starts getting loose as free practice is about to begin. Noren likes to have a light stretch and just get the body warm before he heads out.
As we are walking up, I ask Freddie about being a veteran in the sport and if he finds himself ever getting nervous on the line or does he ever have that “holy cow” moment of the guys he is lining up against. Freddie responded saying he doesn’t really find himself being caught up in the moment and lining up with the best of the best. It’s more of just normal pre race jitters/nerves anyone may get.
I find this interesting and it shows the mental strength of these guys. I think any normal person would be in shock or nerves at an all-time high getting to line up against Eli Tomac or Jett Lawrence, but to these guys it’s just another race.
11:30 AM
With an hour before first qualifying, it was lunch time. Just like breakfast, Noren kept it light. With a mix of berries, piece of bread, and some almond butter. During this time a lot of electrolytes were going down and we were fueled up and ready for qualifying. Fans are rolling into the pits and nice guy Freddie didn’t shy away from any fan wanting to meet him.
12:20PM – 2:30PM
It was time for qualifying and Triple Crown qualifying is super important. Only the top 18 get to head straight into the night show and the rest of the field heads to the dreaded LCQ. First qualifying Freddie was running in the mid 20’s and needed to move up a few spots to miss the LCQ. The team got his bike dialed in and made a few changes and Freddie was able to come out and put himself in 17th position on the last lap of qualifying. Leaving himself and the team stoked to not be in the LCQ.
4:30PM
Dinner time. While we had eaten light all day, I wasn’t sure what we would be having for dinner. As I’m sitting in the pits, I see Freddie walking through with a huge plate of BBQ and I was thinking, holy shit this guy is about to house a whole plate of BBQ and bread before he heads out. Freddie’s mechanic Zach was quick to tell me that was just the crew chief’s plate and that Freddie would be having one of his favorite meals he has almost everyday. Chicken, rice, and broccoli. Zach let me know this was Freddie’s daily go to meal along with his oatmeal for breakfast. While the second meal makes a little more sense, I was really hoping to see Freddie smash some BBQ then go ride with the best in the world. Maybe next time.
5:45 PM
As we begin stretching and getting geared up for the night show. I wanted to ask Freddie a little about his personal life. As someone who had to travel for work before and having to leave family at home, I wanted to hear how Freddie handled being gone every weekend while having a family at home.
Noren responded saying he normally tries to bring the family when he can and loves having them at the races, but when they can’t make it, he knows this is part of the job and doesn’t let it get to him. It’s part of the job and thankfully his family understands and supports him and his career.
6:00PM – 9:00 PM
As the mains were going on, the flow of the team and Freddie seemed to stay like it had all day. Freddie likes to have some personal time before he heads out and when it was time to go he would lock in and head up for the main events. When a main was over the team would have a debrief and change what they needed to the motorcycle to be ready for the next main event.
Freddie would finish the night 20-17-20 for 21st overall. While it wasn’t the night the team had hoped for. Everyone seemed still in high spirits and ready for the next one. After a small debrief of how the night went and quick tear down, it was time to head home.
10:00 PM
As we get back to MADD Parts team HQ, I thank Bubba and the team for having me out and letting me live the life of a supercross racer for a day. From the early wake up call, to the hundreds of fans these guys have to talk to, all while being physically and mentally prepared to race was mind blowing to me. From the time they get to the stadium till the minute they leave, it’s nonstop. Spending the day with Freddie showed something I hadn’t seen or noticed before, but the mental strength of these guys to stay focused with the overwhelming amount of fans and non stop action around the pits. It was crazy to see how they can just flip a switch and lock in and block out everything. It was awesome to get to see that side of the sport and really learn how these guys spend a day.
Main Image: Octopi Media
