Nick Schmidt | New Year, New Bike

INSTAGRAM | @nickschmidt_114

Nick Schmidt is one of those racers that you frequently see at the local tracks in Southern California. In fact, it was his affinity for the now-closed Milestone MX Park that spurred the nickname, “Milestone Assassin.” But the past year has been eventful for the speedy privateer, as he missed all of the 2019 Monster Energy Supercross Series with a back injury, watched his newborn son grow up, and then started the work necessary to race at the professional level. Luckily for Schmidt, a last-minute offer from Team Allsouth will see him through the upcoming season and offer him the chance to pick up where he left off in 2018. “Abby at Team Allsouth contacted me the last day that we rode at Milestone and I talked to her, worked through some things, and figured it out,” he explained of the deal. “They are usually an East Coast team, but I told them I am a 450 guy and she was willing to help me out on the West Coast to get everything we needed to do it right. I’m all in. I couldn’t be any happier with the team and if there’s anything I need, they will supply and support it. It’s like a two-year deal, so I don’t really have to worry or stress too much.” With some of the major details sorted out through the team, Schmidt can put his full attention towards a quick adaption to a new make and model of motorcycle.

How steep of a learning curve are we talking? When we caught up with Schmidt at a private practice track in Hemet the Thursday before the opening round in Anaheim, he told us that it was just his second day on the Husqvarna FC 450. “We had no settings for the suspension or anything, just starting from scratch, so I’m actually using some of Broc Tickle’s settings and going from there,” he shared between practice sessions on the white bike.

There are many differences between the Honda CRF450R that Schmidt has raced for years and his new Husqvarna FC 450, from the steel chassis to the composite subframe to the engine characteristics, all of which are things he noticed in the first day. “Each time out I am going stiffer or trying new things, so it’s a little different, especially with the plastic subframe,” he noted. “I’m a seat bounce guy and these subframes are kind of different, so we are just fine-tuning it. For me, the bike feels smaller than my Honda and reacts differently in each place.”

He admitted that it took some getting used to, but that it was a challenge he feels can pay off in the long run. “My first day, it felt like I didn’t know how to ride a dirt bike, it was all so different to me. The motor, I guess you have to break it for six or seven hours and I didn’t know that,” he explained. “In the rhythms, I will let off and the will bike coast, but on this bike, it checks up a little more. I had to feel it out, which is good for me because it changed up my riding and I’m able to charge more in different spots than I’m used to. It’s a lot of work to put in, but it should be fun.”

Schmidt has only a few hours on the bike total but says he is comfortable enough to race and will be on the line at Anaheim One. “We didn’t plan on doing Anaheim One, because I leave Tuesday for Europe (Schmidt is committed to racing the final round of the ADAC Supercross series in Germany). But yesterday and today I felt good on the bike and my laps times are close to everyone else, so I talked to the team and decided to give it a go,” he shared ahead of the weekend. “I feel good enough to ride, so we will make some small adjustments. Coming into Saturday, I just want to get through the practice because there is no really other way to test the bike than at the races. We can ride all day here, but on Saturday it is completely different. I’m a racer, so I’m going to give it a go.”

When asked if the new deal and new bike had forced him to taper his expectations for Anaheim One, Schmidt stated that wasn’t the case. “I’m a Main Event guy and as long as I get a good practice session, feel out the bike, and get a good Heat Race, my goal is to be in the top-15. I have been in the past, so I just need to do it again on the Husky,” pointed out the top finishing privateer in past seasons. Although Schmidt has been missing from the AMA entry for a while, he has stayed active and on the track through his connections to teams that follow the ADAC series in Germany, which has become a crucial element to his program in recent years. “I’ve gone to Europe for three years and the first year I went, I was the German Supercross champion,” he noted. “It’s good to race before Anaheim One because with more seat time and gate drops you’re not so nervous. I love the German Supercross championship because it’s usually two or three nights of racing, you get to travel the world and see cool stuff, and ride a dirt bike. You can’t beat it and you make good money, more than you do in America. If you don’t have a ride in the States, you have to go where the money is.” As we mentioned above, Schmidt will skip St. Louis to race the finale in Dortmund, Germany, but after that, he intends to be a staple of the US series. “It sucked being off because everyone forgot about Schmidt, but it’s alright. The years before that, I had been the top privateer for the past two years. But it’s just getting everything worked out with the new bike and team. I know how to ride a dirt bike; I just have to do it on Saturday.”