On The Pegs February 2018 - Volume 3 - Issue 2 | Page 89

On The Pegs On The Pegs spoke with Thad just after the last round in Alabama to get his thoughts on the year. Vol. 3 Issue 1 - January 2018 P 89 up to speed this year riding the na- tional enduro series again? Yeah. I rode national enduro I think maybe ’10 and ’11 for sure, and then Tell us how big getting this factory I rode a little bit in 2012 with Honda ride was for this year? How big of a and John Ross. It was never really a change was that for you? first choice for me. I really struggled To get the factory ride for 2017 was a at them. I wasn’t really having fun big change for me. I’ve been on the fac- with them. So we kind of stepped tory teams, but it’s kind of like I’ve been away. When (team manager) Timmy on a support factory type deal thing (Weigand) approached me about the with Honda in ’13 and ’14, and then deal with Husqvarna, that was part of with KR4 and Husqvarna in ’15 and ’16. the deal was national enduros. I didn’t But I’ve never really been underneath really know what to expect. During a semi since 2011. So, it was kind of like the 2016 summer break I went and did a breath of fresh air a little bit. I didn’t the Ohio national enduro. I went there really know what to expect. I’ve kind of with no expectations, just go have fun, been out of the whole semi type deal and I ended up winning it. But I think it thing, but luckily these guys opened was just different because I didn’t really their arms and welcomed me in. I just have a lot of pressure on me. It was just became part of the family quick. When kind of like I went and did it for fun. It we got to do a lot of testing earlier this was only 40 minutes from my house, year it was kind of like, all right, these so it was really familiar. We came to the guys are putting in 110% and I need to first round at Sumter and I got smoked as well. It was kind of like a breath of by Kailub and Stew, so it was kind of fresh air for me and something for me like, wow, all right, maybe I’m not up to to go home and do my homework and speed yet. Then we went to Alligator work really hard to maintain it. Luckily and I really struggled that day for sure. I think I proved a lot of people wrong At the end of the day, I think the Alliga- this year. It’s definitely a breath of fresh tor was kind of a step in the right direc- air. tion. For me to do so bad, it was kind of like, all right, I’m going to go home When you rode for Randy Hawkins and I’m going to do some homework at Am Pro Yamaha, you rode a lot of and figure out how these guys are go- national enduro, but up until this ing so much faster than me. What are year you kind of got away from that. they doing different? I think that was Was there a period of getting back kind of like the changing point in the