Meet The Rookie | Ty Masterpool

INSTAGRAM | @tymasterpool

When Ty Masterpool’s name popped up on the pre-entry list at the 2019 Hangtown Motocross, many figured the Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha team were taking part in a new rule that allows amateur riders a chance to learn the ropes of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship with limited involvement and a 40-point cap. It would have made perfect sense, considering the 17-year-old Masterpool was still in the middle of making a name for himself in amateur racing and hadn’t yet spent a full season in the A or even B divisions. But as we soon found out, that was never the intention and instead, Masterpool has jumped right into the professional ranks with a two-year spot at Yamaha’s 250 satellite team. “I just wanted to go pro. I had been anxious to do it,” explained Masterpool of the move during a quick conversation at Fox Raceway.

In an era of high-dollar contracts that teams use to entice young riders through the latter stages of their amateur careers and then into the pro scene, it’s highly uncommon for someone to bypass the marquee events like Loretta Lynn’s in favor of the 12-round summer series, hence the confusion of Masterpool’s move. But the young Texan made it clear that while amateur racing was necessary, being on the starting line with 39 competitors every Saturday afternoon was all he was worried about and nothing was going to deter him from it. “I had a few bumps, two broken collarbones right before Hangtown, so I only had one 30-minute moto when I got on the bike three weeks before Hangtown,” he shared. “I came in a little behind, but I wanted to come out and ride my best to see where I am.

“The biggest thing is that I’m going pro a little early. I didn’t do a year in B or A,” he continued. “So the main thing is to look at the big picture and gain experience for the years to come. I’m not too concerned about results right now, just experience.” Through the first three rounds of the schedule, Masterpool has proven himself as a top-10 threat and even led the field for a brief moment at the Thunder Valley Motocross, which seems to be right on path for what he and the team expected. “I think that early on this was the end goal. We all felt the same way and thought that if he could get a learning year,” explained Assistant Team Manager Wil Hahn. “Not as a way to ease into it, because he has expectations and so do we, but we all agreed that it would make next year that much easier. It wasn’t last-minute. The collarbone thing did happen, but before then, we had already planned to go to Hangtown.”

For those of you that know the story of the Masterpool family, it’s incredible to hear that Ty and his brother Jake will run the full summer schedule, while their father Jerry watches from the sidelines. The memory of brother Jesse, an amateur prodigy that passed away in 2010, is carried by Ty on the back of his Bell Moto 9 helmet. It’s a small, touching gesture that shows the family will forever be tied to motocross.

As for the summer ahead, Masterpool will spend most of his time riding at the family’s personal compound in Texas, a huge shift considering Star Racing’s desire to have all riders in California for continuous testing and team training. “I’ll be in Texas to train, but I will come back to California to test. They do a wonderful job of testing here, so it’ll be good to go back to Texas to train,” quipped Masterpool. “All of the guys, we all get along and it’s like a family on the road. I can’t ask for anything more.”

“There are always expectations on him and he has those on himself, so we don’t have to tell him, ‘We expect a fifth-place finish today.’ He wants to do that, too,” explained Hahn. “The biggest thing will be for him to learn the tracks, learn the program, and what it’s like racing every weekend like this so next year he will be able to contend.” It’s evident that Star Racing sees promise in Masterpool, as he holds a two-year contract with the team that will see him through the rest of 2019 and all of 2020, including his Supercross debut. “I haven’t done a lot of Supercross, the focus has been on outdoors, but I have ridden it a couple of times during testing on 125 a while ago,” stated Masterpool. When we mentioned how unorthodox it is for a rider who had just a few months prior learned the technique of a big bike and had little time on a four-stroke 250 to set the sights on something as big as pro racing and Supercross, Masterpool simply replied with a laugh and said, “Yeah, but… yeah. I was just anxious and we wanted to do it to get the experience.”