Lining up a hat-trick of Red Bull Pro National MX2 crowns in 2013, 29-year-old Nev Bradshaw’s going into the great outdoors on the back of a successful indoor season. With the opening round of the series due to kick off at Landrake Moto Parc next month, the RBPN team tracked down the Putoline Honda rider to find out how his prep’s going…
Q: First off, generally – not just racing wise – how’s life treating you?
NB: “Life is awesome at the minute. Riding has been going good and training and testing is going good. I’ve been studying and that’s been good and mini Nevsta is due soon so that’s gonna be rad! Nothing to complain about.”
Q: How’s your off-season training and testing been?
NB: “Testing been going good, I’m impressed with the equipment I’ve been given and it’s all about fine tuning everything now. The team has been working really hard already so I’m grateful for that. Me, Dave [team owner David Bright] and James Harrison went out to Spain on Boxing Day and did 10 days solid riding out there and I went out between Belfast and Birmingham to ride a bit more. It’s awesome out there for riding and cycling and stuff.”
Q: You looked real sharp indoors – especially at the last round where you won. Reckon you can carry that momentum into the great outdoors?
NB: “The indoor series was good for me, I had three out of four podiums and my speed was always good. The class was really stacked so to come away with second overall is good. I think it was good for intensity training and also a lot of start practice which is impossible to imitate on your own.”
Q: The MX2 field for the Red Bull Pro Nationals is pretty stacked this year – how do you fancy your chances of retaining your crown and who do you think your main rivals will be?
NB: “Obviously my goal going in is to win it again – it will be nice to have three of those number one plates. The class is so stacked again and there is Barr, Irwin, Lenoir, Watson, MacKenzie – any of those guys can win on the day. I’m just working hard and concentrating on my own deal and we will see where everyone stacks up. I’ve been working hard and got a great bike and team behind me – there’s no doubt racing will be epic.”
Q: How important is it to you to do well in the Red Bull Pro Nationals?
NB: “It’s a very important championship to win, it gets good coverage for all the team sponsors and manufacturers and – most importantly – puts food on the table and pays the bills when you’re doing good.”
Q: How do you feel about lining up against the four-fifties on your 250F?
NB: “I’m not a big fan of racing 450s. At some races last year I spent like 15 minutes trying to pass a guy on a 450 and then gapped him by two seconds a lap after. In the meantime the other 250 guys were getting away. So it’s all about good starts and trying to make that scenario work to your advantage – it’s the same for everyone at the end of the day. It’s also weird to cross the line in fourth but actually win your class.” RBPN: Are there some tracks where a 250F could be an advantage over a 450F? NB: “I think lap time wise the top three 250 guys can run the same speed as the top 450 guys – it’s just about getting a start and some clear track to battle with them. I think the hard pack, rutted tracks could suit the 250s a bit better, especially later in the motos.”
