Mitchell Oldenburg | Back From The Sidelines

June 25, 2019

At 4 PM on May 4th, Mitchell Oldenburg was at top of his game. The final qualifying sessions for the 2019 Las Vegas Supercross had just wrapped up and the Monster Energy/Star Racing/Yamaha rider was at the top of the scoreboard with the fastest single lap of the 250 class. For a rider that had endured an up and down Supercross season (seven top-10 finishes/a crash and DNS at Atlanta/a second-place result at East Rutherford), it was a promising point. There was hope that Oldenburg would mix it up with the full 250 field, and maybe even snag the 250 East-West Showdown win while the title contenders focused on their championship chases.

Unfortunately, it all went sideways during the night show, as Oldenburg crashed in the exact same way in the exact same spot during both the 250 East Coast Heat Race and 250 LCQ. The second crash was much more brutal, as Oldenburg went head-first into the ground, got knocked out on impact, and was pinned underneath the bike and the hot exhaust pipe. The team told me that he suffered burns on his backside, but the extent of which was uncertain at the time and within a few days, it became clear that the burn was serious, that a medical procedure was necessary to repair the damage, and that Oldenburg would have to miss the first part of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship.

“Usually when you’re getting burned you have superhero strength, but when you’re not conscious, it doesn’t matter,” Oldenburg shared. “We talked to a couple of doctors the Monday morning after Las Vegas and they gave me a couple different opinions, so I decided to go see a burn specialist to get it cleared up. I went to see them on Thursday, basically thinking they were going to clean me up and send me on my way. But they saw me and said I was staying there, that I was having surgery, and that I wasn’t leaving for a good bit.”

The issue Oldenburg thought was going to be a quick fix turned out to be a third-degree burn and a graft was necessary to repair the large patch of scorched skin. “I ended up staying in the hospital for eight days. I had to do a skin graft and had to stay in bed for three days because the graft was so fragile that they didn’t want it to move or stretch. I was basically bedridden for eight days,” he continued. “The doctors were pretty tame about it. Some of the people I saw in the hospital when I was there, it was unbelievable. It made me thankful all I had was that, because there were some people in there and I don’t know how they are alive.”

Oldenburg got on the bike a month after the crash and with one week of prep, was on the starting line for the High Point Motocross. Seeing his name on the entry list for the fourth round of the Nationals was a bit of a surprise, but when we talked under the Star Racing tent that Friday afternoon, it became clear how important it was to get back into the swing of things. “I wouldn’t say I’m 100-percent ready, but it’s been two years since I raced an outdoor National, so I figured I would jump in and learn as we go,” he shared. “I feel like my speed is pretty good, but my fitness could be better. I took a whole month off and laid in bed for a week. But I haven’t raced an outdoor National in two years, so it doesn’t matter when I came back, it was going to be brutal. These aren’t easy.”

The contract extensions signed by Roczen/Tomac/Musquin and speculation of where others in the 450 class will wind up have been the hot topic of bench racing conversations, but a number of riders in the 250 class are in need of new deals for 2020, Oldenburg included. “It’s another reason for coming back. I need to put some results in and secure a job for the next year or two if I can. That’s a long-term goal. The short-term goal is weekend by weekend and getting results,” he noted.

Even though the first part of his two-year stint with Star Racing was hampered by misdiagnosed collarbone breaks and a blown-out knee, Oldenburg said the team’s support never wavered. “They have been incredible to me and Swanie has been by my side the whole time. Last year with the knee injury, every single day I was on the bicycle with them, in the gym, swimming, and racing mountain bikes. Everything I did, he did with me. That has been awesome. The team has been super patient with me and very helpful, and I can’t think them enough. We’ve had our fair share of adversity and I feel like they have been with me the whole time.”

A few weeks shy of turning 25, Oldenburg feels he’s nearing a crucial point of his career. The speed he showed in 2015, when he was part of Jimmy Albertson’s small independent effort, got the attention of factory-backed 250 teams and we’ve seen what Oldenburg is truly capable of on a number occasions. There’s no denying that he can turn a lap that is on pace or faster than anyone else in the 250 class, but injuries and long layoffs have kept him from doing so on a consistent basis. He knows that needs to change in the immediate future. “I feel like I’m at the point in my career where it’s time to shit or get off the pot. Next year I expect myself to be in the front and running for the championship, so I need to learn as much as I can through the rest of the year so I can come out swinging next year. It’s getting old being in the same position every year.

“I think it’s good that I know what to expect and what to do, as far as the work goes,” he summarized. “At the same time, I’m running out of time in a sense. I spent the first couple of years of my career as a privateer, so I’ve taken it as it is. We’re always learning, but the majority is done and it’s time to get the results and get the excuses out of here.”