Tyler Keefe On TLD KTM’s Tough Supercross Season

2019 should have been a big year for the Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/KTM team. The four-rider line-up was a mix of race winners and new talent, and many expected Jordon Smith and Shane McElrath to dice for championships on both coasts. But a series of crashes in a short period of time changed all of that and instead, the team has had all four riders on the sidelines at various times. McElrath’s absence started at the Seattle round and caused a small controversy, as his success over the years in the 250 class put him on the verge of being forced to move to the 450 class for 2020, while Smith’s injury eliminated the team’s hope of a Supercross title in 2019.

Fortunately, things have turned a corner and the team looks for a fresh start in the summer’s Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship. Falk and Cantrell are both back at the races, Smith is riding again, McElrath is just a few weeks away from getting back on the bike, newcomer Derek Drake is slated for Hangtown pro debut, and Broc Tickle is testing for the team. During a recent day at Fox Raceway, we sat down with team manager Tyler Keefe and discussed all that the team has faced in 2019 and the ways they have adapted to the issues.

This has not been the season the team anticipated. Everything looked like it was set up for a solid year and then Jordon and Shane both got hurt. How do you as a team manager keep the team from feeling defeated?

It’s definitely tough. Shane was in a good spot and then tweaked his back during press day at Atlanta and then a week and a half later, tweaked it again. There are two bulging discs and at that point with where we are at, he can’t ride during the week or get ready for outdoors. Basically, he needs four weeks off and then can’t ride for another week, and that took the wind out of the sails. Then at round two of the East Coast with Jordon, with a few laps to go, he made a little mistake in the whoops and it cost him. He didn’t off the bike too terribly, but it tweaked his wrist and gave him a bone bruise. He tried to tough it out and ride a few rounds, but it just made it worse. It’s been frustrating on that end and we have to get through Supercross to be ready for outdoors, where hopefully we get some momentum coming our way.

How do you keep the morale going?

Even when you get podiums, you want to win. Shane put us in a good position on the West Coast and Jordon started off well with a second-place finish and then crashed out of second but still finished fourth. The first half of the season wasn’t terrible, we were in the hunt for the championship, but it completely derailed. We’re trying to keep the morale going during the week by pushing to the outdoors and getting guys healthy. Today is Jordon’s first day of outdoors and he seems okay, while Shane will probably ride the week after New York. We have the younger guys out here getting ready, so we will try to finish with the best results that we can at the final rounds and come to the outdoors ready to go.

Cantrell and Falk are two young riders that are still learning everything. What do you tell them on the weekends?

With Sean, this is his second year and expectations are higher. He had some good rides last year but is in a struggle right now, he kind of injured his wrist at Atlanta as well on press day. I was at the airport on my way to Atlanta that Friday and got a call that all three guys were not in good shape. I would like to see more out of Sean. Mitchell crashed right before the second round of the East Coast and had to take a few weeks off. It’s been a really rough year, like it was for us in 2016. Hopefully, we can rebound outdoors.

Although the final verdict of his WADA case is still unannounced, Broc Tickle has remained active through a testing role for Troy Lee Designs/Red Bull/KTM. Since Tickle is roughly the same size and speed as team riders McElrath and Smith, he is able to establish a base setting for both to work from.

You guys have Broc Tickle testing for you. How did that come up and what has he helped with?

We’ve known Broc for years and with his current situation and our current situation, we have two guys that are about his size and are injured. He was riding a KTM 450 and we needed to get going on outdoor testing, so it was a good trade. He’s helping us and we’re helping him. He has been really good and takes it step by step. He’s not here to set track records, but just to do his motos and focus on the bike so it’s in a good direction and when Jordon and Shane come back, we have a good base and can fine-tune it. We don’t have much time before outdoors and he has been a huge help for us.

Will you have any new riders on the team at Hangtown?

Just Derek Drake. He won Loretta’s last year in both 250 and 450 A. We kept him out of Supercross this year and coming into outdoors, I think he is in a good spot. He has been riding a lot and is a good starter, so I expect him to do well.

There was a lot of controversy about Shane sitting out these races. I would think as a team manager, the team, and him as a racer, there was no mindset of “We’re going to take a dive for this.” There has to be a serious issue for one of the best guys to not line up.

Trust me, I want to go racing with the guys that can win. We tried. The Monday after Daytona, when he seat bounced a jump and it popped back out. He took that whole week off, then tried to ride the Tuesday and Thursday before Seattle but couldn’t do it. He could go six laps and it would cramp up. I was in Texas at an amateur event and flew to Florida to watch him on Thursday. He said he wanted to race, so we flew to Seattle and he rode the first practice. It wasn’t terrible but in the second practice he started to tighten up and in the rhythm sections, he would brace for the landings because he had to be so precise. He got a Toroidal shot before the last practice, but because it was so tight, it broke out in a big hematoma on his lower back. He tried riding but at the same time, we had to ask when he was going to get healthy. We had Seattle, Houston, a week off, and then Denver, but we need him healthy for outdoors. If he was ready to go, we would have been racing.

Longtime TLD KTM amateur rider Derek Drake will jump to the pro ranks with the team at Hangtown, which will grow the team to a five-rider line-up for the 2019 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship.

KTM has been progressive about getting teams new things to test and race with. How has your communication been with Roger and the Europeans?

It’s been really good. This morning I was on the phone with Roger and he is in Florida testing with the 450 guys, so he told me what they are working on and I told him what we’re working on. With the GP guys riding so well, we have access to those settings and the communication is there. Anything we want to try is there.

We’re not guessing how the engine or suspension is. They have so many teams and riders here and in Europe, so we know we have competitive stuff. It’s just about making sure the guys are comfortable and ready to go.

One big thing that the team has helped with is the shift to Florida for training. You being a California guy, what is the biggest benefit?

There is a lot of focus on just riding and training in Florida. In California, there is driving to the tracks, traffic, and other things to get caught up in. But we want to make sure that guys have enough time in California so that they’re comfortable on the bike, not that they’re just doing motos. That’s one thing we’ve had to work out. We want guys to come here and get comfortable on the bike, then go to Florida and do the work.

A wrist injury sidelined Jordon Smith for multiple rounds of the 250 East Coast SX season, but time off the bike has allowed him the chance to recover. Tuesday was his first day on the bike in a few weeks and he wrapped his wrist to help with the high speed and rough track.