Prumm anticipates exciting 2008 campaign
By TMX Archives on 27th Feb 08
2008 will be a big season in the short but spectacular career of double Women's World Cup winner Katherine Prumm. The new Yamaha recruit is busy getting to grips with her new YZ250F in her native New Zealand and will shortly travel over to Europe to begin tests with the Van Beers team in preparation for the first ever FIM Women's World championship, beginning at the MX1/MX2-GP Bulgarian Grand Prix on May 11th.
Articulate and friendly Prumm is a very worthy ambassador for her disciplineand a fine figurehead for the rapidly increasing popularity of women'smotocross. The 19 year old speaks here about her transfer to the Blue Army',her victories in 2007 and the perception of women's motocross four years afterthe competition entered the international stage.
2006 was going so well with wins on both sides of the Atlantic but 2007was probably the harder world cup win. How do you rank your results of lastseason?
2007 was definitely a harder year for me because I had had sixmonths off the bike with a knee reconstruction to fix my cartilage and snappedACL ligament. Then my first race back at the end of January at the NZInternational Grand Prix I crashed on a big double jump that was wet andcompressed the T9 in my back by 60%. This left me with a further 6 weeks off thebike and by the time I got riding again it was only a month out from the firstround of the World Cup.
I felt like I had the speed to win the opening roundin Germany and should have done so but crashed in moto 1 whilst leading and didthe same in moto 2. I was really disappointed with round 1 but the points werestill close, so I just focused on trying to come back strong for Sweden.
Imade sure that I got to Europe with plenty of time to recover before the finalround of the World Cup. I waited 5 days before I first rode and my brother,Matthew came along to train with me also. I learnt a lot by riding in the sandas we don't have sand in New Zealand like that of Europe. Coming into Lierop Ididn't really know how my speed was compared to the other girls but I wasconfident with my riding and this showed in qualifying when the track was roughand I managed to set the fastest lap time by 5.5 seconds. Sunday I had two badstarts but recovered by the middle of the race to win both motos by 25 seconds.It was really awesome to finish the season on a strong note and also to win mysecond World title.
Afterwards there was no time to rest it was back home toNZ, a week and a half to recover and then into the first round on the NZMotocross champs where I competed in both the Women's Championship and the Men'sMX2. I had my best season ever this year and finished 12th overall in the MX2class and my best race finish was 10th as well as taking my third women's title.My goal for the season in the Men's was top 15 and I was really proud to haveachieved it.
During the NZ Championship I also competed for the country inthe Oceania MX Champs in Melbourne where I won the Women's Championship andfinally to finish the year I went across to the WMA American Women's Cup inTexas where I won both motos in freezing temperatures of 2 degrees! Along withthe Aussie title it was a good collection of results through 2007.
You were so dominant in the sand of Lierop. How did you managethat?
I worked really hard in the sand in the weeks leading up to therace with my mechanic, Serge and also my brother, Matthew. He is a greattraining partner and can show me areas that I need to work on. We also got torace against each other and this helped me to learn a lot.
Have you seen many changes in the conceptions of women's motocross sinceyour involvement on a world level in 2005?
The sport has grown a lot inthe last three years and the number of women competing has also increaseddramatically worldwide. The women's class was more of a side-show compared withthe men in 2005 and now it is of equal importance and a full blown worldchampionship.
With Papenmeier and co. coming up, the level of competition in the women'sseries is expanding beyond the usual trio of girls isn't it?
Honestly Ithink every year the level of competition rises. Being based in New Zealand itis difficult for me to know how my speed is developing compared to everyone elsebut I am sure that 2008 will be no different to previous years with everyonestepping up their speed.
How will it be having 5 rounds in 2008, especially for you being based onthe other side of the world?
In 2008 I will base myself with the VanBeers Yamaha Team during the World Championship season. This will help me a lotas I won't be flying 36 hours to Europe from NZ all the time and won't have tobattle the jet lag. I may also have some races in Australia for the AustralianWomen's Championship if the dates allow.
Will you change anything about your preparation for 2008 in light of the 5races and also having to be based in Europe for longer periods?
I willmake sure I have plenty of time to get over the jet lag this year through beingbased in Holland for the majority of my time with Van Beers. It's a new bike forme this year so I want to make sure I have everything set up 100% and that I amcomfortable for the first round.
Any plans for AMA competition again this year?
At this stage I willbe racing in Australia for the Women's Motocross Champs, New Zealand in theWomen's and MX2 champs and then in Europe for the FIM World Championship. Wehaven't made any plans for the US this year but maybe I can do the race in Texasagain.
How did the Yamaha deal come about and what was the main factor in makingthe new switch?
Yamaha came up with a really good world-wide package forme so that I would have support in all the countries that I race in. The Yamahadeal is an exciting opportunity that will allow me to be a part of a newenvironment with a new team and bike. Yamaha is behind me 120% and I feel thatthey will give me the best chance of success in 2008.
Tell us a bit about your link with Yamaha Australia and Yamaha NewZealand?
In New Zealand I am part of the Subway Yamaha Racing team whichis managed by Darryl King. They are a great team to be a part of and have wonmany national titles over the years. Yamaha NZ is an amazing company to workwith and they are already pushing to have me in the media and involved in PRactivities. Last night I did an interview on TV for Pitlane' which is amotorsport programme in NZ. Yamaha Australia will also play a big part insupporting me and if dates allow I will be competing in the Australian Women'sChampionship to defend my title. They are really supportive of Women's motocrossand are looking to boost the industry and women's level of racing there.
The YZ250F is one of the dominant machines in MX2. Have you ridden it yet?What are your impressions?
I've had my new bike for just over a week nowand it took me a while to get used to seeing the blue machines parked up in thework shop! I actually had my first race on it over the weekend at the ValleyChamps which is a regional event. I was in the 250cc Men's class and finished11, 8, and 7 for 8th overall. I got better and better each race as I got morecomfortable on the bike and actually almost got the holeshot in the last race. Iam still getting used to everything and every time I learn something new aboutthe set-up or the way I need to attack stuff in the turns. I really liked theway the bike handles in the turns from the first time I jumped on it and I can'twait to get everything dialled in to exactly how I want it.