Joey Savatgy has had a strong start in Monster Energy AMA Supercross so far this season. He has been in the top ten in six of the eight races so far, logging another fifth-place finish in Daytona. While the top four in the championship have set themselves apart, Joey is solidly in that second group of riders looking to break into the top four. After being third in timed qualifying and getting second in his heat, Joey was disappointed he wasn’t able to start up front to see how he stacked up in the main. He came through fifth at the checkered flag. Steve Matthes talked to Joey after the race about breaking into that lead group, scoop tires, track layout, and more.
Racer X: All right, Joey Savatgy, another good night. And coming up, I think you were ninth to fifth, somewhere around there. Like, it was a really good ride from you again here in Daytona. Good job, man.
Joey Savatgy: Thank you. Yeah, no, it was good. I mean, it's hard to be upset about a fifth, right? You know, the only bummer for me is just by the time I got to fifth, to see that next group in front of me was so far ahead of me. I was kinda by myself and…
Yeah, but they are factory riders making a ton of money.
Yeah, but just as good as I felt today, it was one of those days that I would have loved to have gotten away with them and just seen, you know, like, maybe I still get my ass kicked in and they yard me. But to have the speed that I felt like I did today and as good as I felt, I never gave myself a chance to see what could have happened in the main. So, yeah, we'll go home this week, I'll be able do some starts, and we'll try to be better.
Where'd you think you were gaining on Malcolm?
Oh, before I passed him. Little bit everywhere. Like, I think he's saying that he's fine, but I think he's still nursing something a little bit because he starts off pretty good, but body language looks like fatigue. He's, like, favoring something. And that's what it looks like from my perspective, but just a little bit everywhere, like, able to kinda charge through things and absorb things and just a little bit here and there.
It wasn't a typical Daytona where, like, it was treacherous. They took jumps out. They made it tried to make it more racey. Lap times didn't vary much. You guys were all kinda doing the same thing. Different Daytona for sure, right? Did you like it or not like it?
I thought it was way better. It's just kinda like we've talked about before, though, like, hopefully, for next weekend in Indy, they know what happens normally. So maybe they make it a little bit mellower to where you can still race and not feel like you're gonna die. And that is one thing that here, especially, at night, lighting is not the greatest, especially on the far side. So, we've been here before and you have, like, a gnarly rhythm on the far side, and you can't see the bottom of the ruts because the lighting's not the greatest. So, in my opinion, it made for way better racing like this because it still got gnarly, don't get me wrong. But it was mellow enough to where you can still race and move around and explore things without being like, “Oh my God. This three-five-three into a table over two. like, I don't wanna move because I don't know if I'm gonna front flip.”
May God be with me.
Yeah. So, like, I give RC [Ricky Carmichael, Daytona SX designer] a lot of shit, but I will say, like, this direction of a little bit tamer, I don't wanna say mellower, but a little bit tamer. Like, we know the track we have in the heat race and the track we have for the first qualifying is not what it's gonna be main event. So, like, we're keeping that in mind. I think they did a great job knowing how bad it gets in the main and still making it a safe, raceable track.
How deep was that inside rut on the off camber?
Yeah, I know. It was but, like, you couldn't go outside. Like, I did it in the heat once, go outside and double around.
Well, Hunter was making that work in the main.
Was he really? Okay. See, I only went out there a few times, there might have been a cutoff line, like, where you could get it pivoted.
The optical illusion from the press box looked like he was going to decapitate the dude on the inside.
I mean, again, it's like the inside is favorable, but I also almost made passes going outside. So, as it gets gnarlier and gnarlier, you have to move. So, like, when the track's not super gnarlier, like I said, it gives you the freedom to move and be better.
Kenny told me he didn't run a paddle tire, and he was really struggling in the sand. Do you know why he didn't run a paddle tire?
He didn't run a paddle?
Yeah. Do we know why?
I don't know, dude. That's insane. I mean, I don't know if Coop had one. Press day, Coop did not have one. Dude, I was shocked at how many guys did not have a paddle on. Especially, dude, coming into the season, there was a handful of riders that I know for a fact were running a paddle every day on the supercross track. And that we've just, like, 86'ed that quick.
I think once the #3 did it, we all did it. I don't know.
I don't know, the bike reacts a little different. For me, personally, when I put a paddle on, the rear is low. So, then I struggle with the front end being too tall and so I don't know. On one hand, we've talked about testing just to set up for the paddle in case we ever wanna switch. But, dude, I don't know about next weekend. Like, typical Indy, you might be okay with a paddle. As gnarly as it gets and as much traction as there is, a paddle could be viable. But, yeah, it's crazy to me that Kenny didn't have one.
