Catching Up With Jason Anderson
By: Jordan Powell
How has the off-season been going for you?
It’s been pretty good. After the last outdoor round at Pala, I took a week off to go back home, but I came back to California after that. I spent some time riding some outdoors to get used to it again, but now I’m back full swing with Supercross.
Didn’t you compete in the Idaho Supercross, too?
Yeah. I did some Supercross riding in California for about a week, but I decided I wanted to go out there to see some friends. While I was up there, I decided to race some Supercross. I did all right. I rode my 250, but I didn’t know it was an open class [laughs]. The first night I crashed my brains out, but the second night I finished second. It was pretty fun because I got to race with Nick Wey, and he was going really well.
Supercross testing has been full swing for Jason Anderson, and he's looking forward to 2012. Photo: Powell
How was that whole event? Was it pretty fun?
Yeah, it was legit! The track was pretty fun. It was pretty much to spec, but some parts were a little tamed down. Other than that, I was pretty stoked on it. I made some good cash, too.
That race probably had to be good for you because it was a refresher.
Definitely. I need to get as much Supercross in as I can because I kind of struggled last year. As of right now, I feel pretty good. So, I just need to keep things going before the first round.
Now that you have a full season of Supercross under your belt, are things a little easier now?
Well, last year it was pretty hard for me because the way you race is totally different than racing an outdoor track. So, there was a lot of stuff that I had to learn throughout the season. I wouldn’t say things are going to be easier, but I know what to expect now.
Anderson will continue to represent Rockstar Suzuki for 2012. Photo: Powell
You’re also working with Randy Lawrence now, right? How’s that going?
Yeah, I started working with Randy at the beginning of outdoors last year, and he helped me a lot throughout the season. For this year, he’s now part of the team. So, he’s helping Hunter [Hewitt], Blake [Wharton], and myself. It’s a good deal that we have going on, and Randy is awesome. He’s been nothing but helpful to me, and he’s a good guy to be around.
You were having some struggles in the outdoors, but you started to improve as the season progressed. Did that have to do with your experience, or was that because of Randy?
I think it was a combination of both. I mean, I was struggling for sure, but I think that I started to turn things around at Unadilla. The first moto I finished 11th, but I worked my way all the way up to 7th in the second moto before I took a big digger. After that, Southwick went pretty well and then I struggled with the heat at Steel City. Pala went really well, and it was the best race of the season. I was all the way up to fifth in one moto before I started falling back, but it was good because I was battling the whole time.
After having some struggles in the outdoor season, the young rookie was able to turn thins around at Unadilla. Photo: Powell
It was also your rookie year, and that will probably help you for this year.
All in all, it may not have been the year that I was aiming for, but I definitely learned a lot. I’m just pumped that Rockstar Suzuki stayed behind me, and I can’t wait to start a second season with them. Hopefully we can have a better year, and I’m really looking forward to do better in Supercross.
Do you know which coast you’re racing yet?
No. I have no idea, as of right now. The goal is to be 100 percent ready by Anaheim I, so we’re just going to keep going at it until January.
