Tuesday Toolbox: Kailub Russell

Just one month after clinching the XC2 Pro-Lites Championship, Kailub Russell traveled to Japan to compete in the final round of the Japan National Cross Country Series. Russell took an outstanding first-place finish and although at first he wasn't too excited about his trip, he shares in Tuesday Toolbox why he just can't wait to return.

Are you still suffering from jet lag? Man, I'm tired. I've been up and asleep and up again and I can't figure out what's day and what's night. I think it was about 9 when we pulled into the driveway. And I was wide awake when we pulled in.

Before we get to the racing, what was it like being in Japan? You didn't seem too excited at first but were you were more excited once you got there? I was looking forward to it's just that I've got a pretty busy schedule this month and I kind of like to stay at home a little more than other people. (Laughs)  But it was a lot better than what I thought it was going to be. I enjoyed being over there.

How did you feel on that long flight? I've never even been out of the country before, I've only been through the states and I was nervous at first. I don't really like airplanes, I like flying I just hate being cooped up. You feel so hopeless up like, like what if something happened?  The flight on the way out there was a lot better then on the way back. There was a lot of turbulence on the way back. It was really scary there for a few minutes. The plane was shaking back and forth and side to side. It wasn't fun.

So when you first got to Japan, what did you do? Our first day we got there late, we were supposed to get there at 4 p.m. but we didn't get there until about 7. We found out we had to drive like 4 hours north to where the track was so we ended up stopping a few times to eat and use the bathroom. We didn't end up getting there until 2 a.m. and then we had to be up at 7:30. We were running low on sleep the first day. first day didn't do a whole lot at all but we went to the track. I just wanted to go to sleep. When we got back to the hotel it was about 4 or 5 p.m., and I was dead tired. I didn't even want to meet anyone for dinner.

Didn't your crew play a prank on you or something that night at dinner? I heard your dad talking about it. Oh no, that was the last night, right after the race. We went to a traditional restaurant and we had to sit on the floor. There were about 11-12 of us and about halfway through dinner I laid down and went to sleep. They tried to play a joke on me and leave me. They had a Japanese guy yell at me and scare me. But I was too out of it and tired to get the joke. I'd like to go back and enjoy it Japan a little more.  I'd like to be over there a little longer before the race.

You had about a month off between the last GNCC and the JNCC. Did you do any training to get ready for this race? I've only ridden like twice since the last GNCC. I was just enjoying my time off really. I've been doing a little bit of testing and stuff. I rode a few times before I went out there. I was out having fun riding. I wasn't really riding to have a work out, I was just riding to have fun.

In the photos that were sent back it looked like KTM had prepared a pretty nice pit area for you. Can you describe it for us? It was a lot better than I thought it was going to be. I thought it was going to be a little spot but they had a pretty big van packed with easy ups and it felt like I was almost at a GNCC. KTM sent a few people over and they were really nice and they helped us out a lot. They set everything up just for me because they didn't have any KTM riders racing. It was quite an effort on their part and I appreciated it a lot.

I saw you had some pretty crazy weather too while you were there. A snowstorm even! That was up by our hotel. I forget what the elevation change was because they use meters instead of feet. But we were in the mountains at our hotel at a ski resort. We got up for breakfast at 7:30 a.m. and it had just started snowing out and then around 9 when it was time for the bus to get us, there was already an inch of snow. We go to the track and it was just rain. The track was really fun. It was pretty sloppy at first.

Can you compare the JNCC track to any of the GNCC tracks this year? It's really hard to pinpoint a track because they have such different dirt over there. The layout wasn't like any of the tracks. It was different from what I've ever experienced. I've never done any world enduros but it was kind of like their special test. The track hardly went through the woods and there was lots of grass track. It just winded in and out. You could be 15 seconds behind someone and see them to your left on the track. It was a really hilly place but the hill climbs weren't that hard it was just all slate rock, so they were really polished and slick. The rest of the track went from just like brown gravelly dirt to black thick mud. It varied in terrain, and depending where you were on the track it could be perfect dirt, then rocky and slick and then really muddy. I don't think there are that many different types of terrain in a GNCC ever.

We know you won the race, but what was it like to be out there? I'm not sure how many laps we did, it was probably around 14-15 laps. The race was really good and Josh and I rode together for the first hour until he had a brake problem. He came in and swapped in his brake, and after that I was just kind of on my own. It was a really good time and I wish he hadn't had any problems. Well, I'm kind of glad he did though because during the last lap, with five turns left, my chain got wedged in the counter shaft sprocket. Hollywood had to get a hammer and a flat head screwdriver and take my chain guide off and smash it out. It was kind of hectic to say the least. It was at least 5 minutes trying to get it worked out. I think I had everyone lapped except Josh. We were the only two riders on the lead lap until that happened.

How did you like that start with your left hand on your helmet? Well, when Masami came to the GNCCs this year, he saw how we started and in the JNCCs now they have a dead engine start. It was kind of normal for me but at the same time I didn't have Rodney saying ten seconds so I wasn't sure when the flag was going to drop. I was slow on the start but worked my way forward pretty quick.

It seemed like they made a pretty big show at the podium for you guys. It was really long! It was really long and confusing basically. I didn't know what they were saying and they didn't really ask many questions. I had an interpreter, and everyone was just looking at me like, "What did he just say?" It was really neat how they were doing everything. They had the top 3 pro riders and amateur riders up there with us. It took a good 45 minutes to get through everything and I was freezing cold.

What was it like competitively with the Japanese riders? Right off the start was the only time I rode with any of them, but they were going pretty good right off the start. It's hard to describe but they were kind of timid when they came through certain sections. They are definitely good riders, they should just keep working on what they're doing. I think they just can't get much better because they don't really have much competition to help themselves out.

Did you get to talk to Takeshi, the top JNCC champion, at all? I talked to him a little bit but he didn't speak a lot of English. It was hard for us to understand each other. I didn't really get a lot out of him.

And now you can't wait to go back, right? I wish I had more time to ride around the race park, it had a lot of neat trails. It would be fun to go out there to ride again. I'd love to go back, if I ever get a chance to go back. It was a good time.