25 years of age, David Pulley from California has been wowing the crowds in India since 2015. He’s back this year for the as part of The MRF Mogrip FMSCI National Supercross Championship 2017 in Indore and Pune MotoXindia.com catch up with him an online conversation
What was the reason to come and race in India?
I love making this event part of my yearly overseas racing trips. The crowds are always awesome and Godspeed Racing always takes such great care of me and makes me feel at home the entire trip!
Talk your journey through the MRF Supercross in India, since 2015
Yes it has been quite the journey, 2015 was my first year in India and it was quite the culture shock, but an amazing experience none the less! Then 2017
I had some visa issues and actually ended up being deported to Dubai, but we got it sorted quickly and Chivas was there to help me get things figured out. I made it in time for practice Friday, so after that rough start it ended up being another great trip.
2017 went off all as planned, lots of traveling, actually 28hrs of travel time to make it to the first city of Indore.
Indore was quite different than Bangalore and Pune that we raced at in 2015 and 2016.
Indore is definitely a more traditional town. But the greetings when we arrived outside the airport was amazing with music and traditional flower necklaces. And the Monster Energy Cup inspired track with the first ever “Joker Lane” was super fun!
The tracks have definitely progressed and moved forward quickly in these couple years visiting India. Definitely a big hats off to Shyam and Chivas at God Speed Racing for doing such a superb job progressing the sport of Supercross in India!
Then we flew to Pune for our final race. I am quite familiar with this city and love the big malls and night life throughout the city. As it’s more of a college city it is very cool to see the diversity through the city.
And the Marriot Suites Hotel has an awesome restaurant and club inside it where we spent a lot of time! One of my favorite places to stay while in Pune for sure!
Was it difficult adapting to the TVS RTR 250 after riding Honda CRF450 in AMA Supercross?
It was not too difficult adjusting to such a different bike. Not as difficult as you would expect to be honest. The bikes are set up quite a bit different from my bike at home, the frames are steel instead of aluminum and there’s a different feel of rigidity, etc, but the God Speed Racing crew has a MEC on site for us to help tune the bikes to be more comfortable for us.
And I actually bring a few small parts from home sometimes to put on the bikes to make them feel more like my bikes at home. Such as handle bars and grips. Little stuff like that can make a big difference and help speed up the adaptation process.
What was the biggest gain you made as a racer in the past years from MRF Super cross from India?
I feel like the biggest gain I made from racing the last couple years in India is learning to adapt quickly to such different bikes and be able to push myself to the limits so much quicker and be comfortable doing it!
How were your relationships with Shyam Kothari (Godspeed Racing team Head)?
I consider Shyam to be a very good friend now, and I am very happy I was able to meet him and build a relationship throughout the years. He is definitely a legend in the bike world of India and I feel honored to be invited by him year after year to compete in such an awesome event. I definitely feel like it is truly an experience of a life time to race out there!
What type of physical training do you engage in to prepare yourself for racing?
Racing Motocross and Supercross professionally for a living means that training is a never ending regimen, in order to strive to be the best!
I do a lot of High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) Plyometrics, Cardio. Along with base training, peak training, in season training. I have a strict program that enables me to perform at the best of my ability and be one of the fittest athletes on the planet, as most professional Motocross athletes are!
What was your most difficult race in India?
Bangalore 2016 was definitely the most difficult race I have raced in India, It was a awesome and challenging track but the high winds and heat made the dust during the motos unreal and you could barely see your hand in front of your face at some points of the race with there being so many of us, so close at once. But overcoming situations like that is even more rewarding after you finish a race like that!
What is the most fun part being in India as a motocross racer?
I would say the most fun part definitely has to be the overwhelming welcoming from the locals and all the fans. Young and old they all are so happy to meet you and want to take selfies. It is a super humbling experience and for sure one of my favorite parts of racing in India!
What are your long-term goals in motocross?
My long term goals are to keep progression and in the grand scheme of things the same goal every professional athlete has be the best in their profession. And just continue to push the limits and progress further every single day!
What was the biggest gain you made as a racer in the past year?
I feel the biggest gain I have made as a racer in the past year is finding more confidence in myself and not thinking of others I race that I used to look up to as idols, or think anything better of them because of that. Now I line up on the line with full confidence in myself and my abilities and I know on any given day I have the same opportunity to be better than all the other guys on the line, It’s just a matter of who wants it more and who’s willing to put in the work!
If you were not racing motocross, what career path would you have chosen?
If I was not racing motocross I would probably be doing something in Marketing or Art design. As I have a big background in both of those from school and I actually do design work on the side in my free time now. But Motocross is my full time job and main focus.
During the offseason, what do you do for fun?
Most years I compete in both Supercross and Motocross, Which only leaves me with a week or two off season before we begin prepping for the upcoming season. So I don’t have a ton of free time, but I love being out on the water, taking my boat out in the harbor in San Diego, or riding jet skis, wake boarding, fly boarding, anything fun really.
I definitely live a very active life style. My ideal offseason break after racing a full season of SX and MX would be a nice week long or even 3 day cruise to Mexico or the Cayman Islands though!
A lot of young riders have dreams and aspirations of becoming a professional motocross racer. What advice can you offer to a young rider who wants to become a professional motocross racer?
My biggest piece of advice would be to Never Give Up. And never let anyone say you can’t do something! Because YOU CAN!! And anyone saying you can’t is someone who either gave up on their dream or was too scared to pursue themselves.
What sponsors do you want to thank for supporting you this season?
I have a lot of great sponsors that help me and have helped me get to where I am today. I definitely could not do what I do without all of them. Huge thanks to, DMP Motorsports, Think Technology, Honda Powerports US, Hunington Beach Honda, MMR, DASA, ODI, EBC, Dirt Tricks, Split Designs, Outdoor Tech, Pivot Works, Vertex, Web Cam, American Kargo, Saddlemen, MoTool, Dedicated Ride Co., Ryno Power, Rekluse, Devol Eng., P3 Carbon, FXR, Alpinestars, Magura USA, 4 Arm Strong, LS2 Helmets, Dubya, Super B Lithium Batteries, Yoshimura, K&N,Ethika
You can follow David Pulley by visiting website at: DAVIDPULLEYMX.com, Instagram: @TheRealDP608, Twitter: @DP608, Facebook: DavidPulleyMX