"My Best Finish is Seventh and I Want to Beat That" | Robbie Wageman Check-In

Robbie Wageman is preparing for what he believes will be his best season to date. He spent the 2023 Supercross season racing for the BarX Suzuki team and unfortunately got injured early in the outdoors season. He has returned home to the Team Solitaire Heartbeat Hot Sauce Yamaha team for the upcoming 2024 season and says he's been working on his weaknesses in this rider check-in.

For the full interview, check out the Vital MX podcast right here. If you're interested in the condensed written version, scroll down just a bit further.

Jamie Guida-Vital MX: What’s going on, Robbie?

Robbie Wageman: How ya doing? Thanks for having me.

Vital MX: Let’s start with the 2023 season in general. You were 11th overall in Supercross and riding for the BarX Suzuki team. What are your thoughts on your season, and how was the Suzuki?

Robbie: I thought my season was pretty good. It was a little up and down, and my results weren’t as good as the previous season. The bike and the team were awesome and they had my back. I made both of the East/West Showdowns, and I hadn’t done that before, so that was a huge positive. As I said, my main event finishes weren’t as good, but I enjoyed it. It was a good learning experience and something new for me. I had ridden Suzuki quite a bit but never raced one. It was good to race one.

Vital MX: What did the Suzuki do that surprised you? 

Robbie: It was a great bike. The engine was stronger than I expected. I thought it was great. The problem was the rider. (Laughs)

Vital MX: What was a positive from the season and something you realized you need to work on?

Robbie: My starts were a lot better this year. I was more consistently in the fifth to tenth area off the start when previously I was coming from almost last. I also worked on my first few laps at the beginning of a moto because I lacked there. In the past, if I started fifth, by the end of the first lap, I might be tenth. I was getting shuffled around and have been working on that, but I’ll take the positives of the good starts. I’ve been carrying that over to what I’m doing today. I’ve been working on my sprint speed mainly.

Vital MX: Is the dropping back to tenth or eleventh intensity, confidence, or something else? How do you change that?

Robbie: I think it’s intensity and learning what it’s like being up in the front. I wouldn’t say it’s nerves or being scared. It’s just not being up there often enough, and when you are, the intensity is so high with the top five to eight riders. When you’re not used to it, you get shuffled around. I’ve been working on it.

Vital MX: It’s difficult to work on when you aren’t in race conditions. It can’t really be worked on at the practice track.

Robbie: Exactly. In the previous years was when I went out to do a moto I would do a few roll laps first. Then I’d get into my moto. Lately, I get on the track, and I go. The first lap, I’m going, and I believe that’s been helpful because that’s how it is when racing. I believe I should be up there, and I hope it will work for me this year.

Vital MX: You did a couple outdoors this year and then separated your shoulder in June. How was that recovery, and how is it feeling now?

Robbie: The recovery went better than expected. It was fairly quick. Dr. Navaro dialed me in. He worked me hard. There were days I was crying in his office. He’s gnarly, but it sped up the process. 

Vital MX: Once you recovered, you returned and raced the LA Coliseum SMX race for Team Solitaire Yamaha. How did that opportunity come about?

Robbie: Ryan Clark and Chris Elliot have become family during the three years I was on that team. We’ve always continued to talk and would run into each other during the Supercross season. After outdoors, we talked, and they offered me a deal again, and I was interested. The Coliseum was a last-minute thing. I rode Glen Hellen every Tuesday and Thursday on my own 450. Then, about a week before the Coliseum, they asked if I wanted to race. I said, “Yeah, I’d love to.” They brought a bike out for me, and I rode it a handful of times. I thought, “Screw it. I might as well race,” because two days later I was leaving for Australia. I wasn’t as prepared for the Coliseum as I should have been, but it’s all an experience. I had to do it because my dad raced there a couple of times back in the day. I felt I had to do it because of my dad doing it, the history of the Coliseum, and that kind of stuff. If I had the opportunity, I couldn’t pass it up. The result wasn’t what we wanted, but my dad was there with me, and it was a blast. It brought some tears to his eyes. We did Press Day, and they were interviewing him because he had raced it. I’d never seen my dad like that, and it was super cool. It was a privilege, and I don’t regret it. I wish I had done better, but that’s how it goes when you race dirt bikes.

Vital MX: I love that he got emotional. That’s a great story.

Robbie: It was awesome. Having my dad at any race is badass but seeing him somewhere he raced 20 to 30 years ago was crazy.

Vital MX: You also raced Mammoth and won the 450 Pro class. That had to feel good.

Robbie: It was awesome. As I said, I was riding the Yamaha 450 that was mine. I had sold it to my good buddy, Timmy. When I stopped riding Suzukis, I didn’t have a bike, and he said, “Why don’t you just ride the 450.” He wasn’t riding it, and my suspension was still on it. So, I was riding that. Two weeks before Mammoth, our other buddy who does our vlogs, we call him Carol; he was trying to sell his 450. So, I bought it, pulled the engine, and split the cases to put a good rod in it. My dad and I rebuilt the whole thing so it was fresh, and I rode it 15 minutes before Mammoth just to break it in and make sure it was good. Then we went and raced it. The whole experience was fun. The whole family came out, and I love races like that. 

Vital MX: You raced the Australian Supercross series and some WSX this year. How did you like being overseas, and how fun was that experience?

Robbie: Going to Australia was freakin’ awesome. I’m so grateful to the WBR team for bringing me over. I went for about two weeks for the first time before Adelaide. I got second, and that was rad. I had such a good time, and they took great care of me. Then I came home for three weeks and got a call from CDR Yamaha to do Abu Dhabi and Melbourne. I ended up going back for a full month, and I met so many new people. I had such an amazing time aside from being gone so long and not knowing where I was or driving on the wrong side of the road. It was a learning experience. I don’t take any of it for granted, and I hope to go again someday.

Vital MX: You finished fifth overall in the Australian SX series and 11th in the WSX Melbourne round. The main thing is getting gate drops and being prepped for the ’24 SX season. You also raced round one of the AMA Arenacross series in Boise. So, right now, how prepared are you for Supercross?

Robbie: I believe I’m the most prepared I’ve ever been. As you said, I’ve been getting a lot of gate drops. When I was in Australia, Dean Wilson and I became good friends, and I rode and trained with him. We were doing sprints and everything together. Also, doing those short Australian SXs and WSX races were like doing sprint races. They were anywhere from six to ten laps at a full sprint. That has helped me get my sprint speed right off the gate. 

Vital MX: That’s that intensity we talked about. 

Robbie: Yeah, exactly. Also, being over there by myself has humbled me and helped in many ways I didn’t expect. I’m truly grateful to have been able to go. Then, one of my sisters lives about ten minutes from the arena where we raced Arenacross. Originally, that would be a family trip, but it was a lot. I got home Sunday morning from Australia and was still jet-lagged on my way to Idaho. That was rough, but we made it happen.

Vital MX: It’s probably good to put your body through that shock to prepare for all the SX travel.

Robbie: It can only help. Even when I went to the Arenacross race, I had a lot of gains I hadn’t had before. The second night in the second Main, I got passed, and I was able to regroup and pass them back and move forward. Normally, I may not have done that. I’m very happy with my riding and training. Physically, I feel very fit.

Vital MX: What will make a successful 2024 for you?

Robbie: Getting off the gate with good starts. You can’t holeshot or win every time, but you can get a good start nine out of ten times. I feel that in previous years, I was in the back nine out of ten times, and the tenth was maybe a top five. So, get a good start and run up front in the early laps. Staying up there will be key for me. As I said, I’m physically fit and feel mentally strong, and I want to mix it up with the front dudes. I believe I can; my goal has always been to be in the top ten. This year, my goal is even better. Hopefully, I can crack the top five because I’ve never done that. My best finish is seventh, and I want to beat that. 

Editors Note: Robbie and his brother, RJ, own a jerky company that they use to help finance much of their racing. If you like a great beef jerky, then visit EatRJerky.com and help support the privateers.