Final Lap Magazine

For this weeks 2 Minute Drill we hooked up with Yamaha rider Preston Tilford to see how his program is going for 2010.

2-Minutes Drill

Preston, give me the basics, and what have you been up to?

I‘ve basically just been riding my Vance and Hines Yamaha a lot. We met Alan Olsen at the track and he has been helping me out. Pretty much getting dialed in to hit all the nationals. We will be going to Lake Whitney in a couple weeks.

So are you staying in the A Class this year as an amateur, or will you move up for your debut in the AMA Nationals?

Yeah, we will stay as an amateur this year. We will see how things look at the end of the year and then go from there.

It must be great to have Alan Olsen in your corner, tell me how that is working for you this year.

Alan Olsen is really good. We call him the mad scientist; he’s always working on my bikes. He’s putting together a bike for me for the Amateur Nationals, so I can’t wait to see how good it runs.

How did you hook up with Alan?

Alan had approached me about testing their new Vance and Hines Pipes.

What races have you been hitting here in California lately?

I have been racing REM a lot. They give you 20-minute motos, good payback with a lot of good riders out there. I’ve been out there testing with Alan and its been working good. I have also been racing the CMC Golden State Series and The Triple Crown Series.

We noticed you look pretty comfortable on the supercross track out here at Elsinore. Tell me what you think of this deal?

I think its pretty fun. It’s something different. You get a dirt start and those are hard to find at tracks now. The layout of this track is really good, so I really like it and had a lot of fun out here today.

So what is your training program like?

I’ve been riding with Willie Surratt, and we ride like 3 days a week. We do some good 45-minute motos. That’s what we have been doing to get ready for the pro class.

Speaking of Surratt, we just did a 2-Minute Drill Interview with Ryan. He has some good skills on a SX track.

Yeah, Ryan rides pretty good. It’s a plus when your dad is a National Champion. He can tell you all the lines, how to do the whoops and the jumps. I think he has taken that and ran with it.

Over the years you’ve showed some great speed and had your share of bumps and bruises, tell me what your goals are for 2010.

For 2010, I want to win! About a year ago I realized that this is something that I really want to do and I am looking forward to a great year. It’s easier to get support like Vance & Hines, and Thor to come if I’m winning. Speaking of Thor, I really love my gear. Its clean, fits good and can’t say enough about how good they are treating me.

Any special thanks you would like to give?

I would like to give a special thanks to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I would also like to thank Willie Surratt, Alan Olsen, Vance & Hines, Thor, Renthal, Dunlop, my Mom and Dad, and all my friends. Thanks!