Charlie Mullins has been a busy guy since 2009, with an engagement, a team and bike switch, and he even added on another series-the National Enduros. Mullins just took a thrilling win last weekend, his first of the year, so we decided we'd catch up with him in this week's Tuesday Toolbox to see what it's like to be back in blue, how wedding plans are going and what went down in the last lap at Loretta's. Read on.
Photo By: Shan Moore
Mullins is back in blue.
How does it feel to get your first win of the season? It feels great to get a win. It's been awhile but I feel like things are starting to come around. It was just one of those days that I just played it cool until the last lap and hoped I didn't make a mistake. Hopefully I can just keep it going.
You also broke that win streak Strang had going. Yeah, he has been riding good this year, you can't take anything away from him but it feels good to be the one to do that.
Can you go through race for me? You had a great battle out there! The past few races, I've been like dead last off the start, so that's what I've been working on. I think I rounded the first turn in 3rd. I moved passed Buttrick to get in second behind Whibley and then Strang passed me on the second lap. Then, Whibley made a mistake and crashed. Strang and I went back and forth with our pit strategy which allowed us to get in front of each other. The last lap I had a place picked out to make a move and it all worked out good. It was a good day.
You said your Grandfather was there this weekend to watch you win. Did you say it was the first race he'd been to see you race? Yes, it was his first race ever. He's my dad's dad. It was pretty special for me to get a win there with him there. He seemed to be pretty surprised to see how big the racing is.
That's really awesome. You seemed to have a good transition to the new bike. Have you had any problems or is it basically smooth sailing? It's been pretty smooth, actually. I had a lot of help from Randy. Darryl Raines, and Dale Stegall help me out a lot, too. The transition wasn't too hard from Suzuki to Yamaha because I was with Yamaha before Suzuki. I feel like at this point, it's pretty dialed. It's a really good bike and it's really competitive.
What's the deal with Obermeyer Yamaha? And how does that work with Am-Pro? Basically, I get my bikes through Keith Obermeyer, and if I need anything parts-wise, Randy and his part of the team take care of that; like Kenda Tires for handlebars, GYTR is also kind of under Randy's control, too. He gets my bikes ready and I have my personal deal with Parts Unlimited, Thor, Shoei and Scott Goggles.
So Randy does most of the mentoring then? Yes. He's been a big help this year, I can't thank him enough. He took me in on his team, he gave me the stuff I needed to be competitive and I'm really thankful for that.
How long did it take to get signed with Yamaha after you found out you wouldn't be back with Suzuki? I know Suzuki was trying to get some stuff going, and I was kind of putting my faith into things working out. I was talking to Randy, and I knew he was talking to Whibley, too. I think it was over Thanksgiving break that I found out things with Suzuki fell through. After Whibley signed with Yamaha I wasn't sure what to do. I knew John Ayers was going to help fund a team if I couldn't get anything. But I was still talking to Randy and luckily he and Donnie Luce got together and were able to get a contingency for me and get me on the team. It ended up working out really well. I'm happy with how things worked out so far.
Photo By: Shan Moore
"Hot Rod" Charlie Mullins took a fantastic first win of the 2010 season.
When did you ride for Yamaha? Remember, I wasn't around then! I rode for Randy when I was an amateur in 2005, then rode with him from 2006-2007. So, three years before Suzuki.
So you kept a good relationship with Randy after you moved to Suzuki? We stayed good friends and it's good to be back. Randy's a great guy. Everything has kind of worked out. I'm really happy where I am right now in life. Racing is going really well. I can't thank Randy enough. He's done a lot for me this year.
Is anything different from when you were with him before? Everything's pretty much the same. Not much has changed. We're still serious about winning and about the team effort.
What's your strategy for the rest of the year? I just take it race by race. I want to win races, that's my goal. I'm kind of putting my focus on Yadkinville in two weeks. I'd like to make it two in a row.
How do you generally do in Yadkinville? It's a good track. I won there in 2007, and my history there is pretty good. I finished on the podium and I like the track, and it's only about 45-50 minutes away, so it's local for me. The terrain suits me pretty well.
Do you think the date change for Yadkinville will affect you at all? It can go either way every year. It can either be super muddy or super dry. It really depends on what the weather is like. It's a fun track and hopefully it's good this year.
You've also been racing the Enduros. Do you think that's helped you this year? I think as far as sprint speed. The enduros are just timed sections, you just sprint hard. You aren't racing with anybody, just yourself. It's a different type of racing, but it's something I've been wanting to do. The series is great, a lot of fun and pretty competitive with Russell and Lafferty. It definitely makes for good racing.
Photo By: Shan Moore
Mullins is getting hitched on November 6th, just one week after Ironman!
It's the weekend right after Ironman, isn't it? Yeah it will be pretty busy. It will be nice, relaxing after the season is over and the wedding. It will just be a big sigh of relief.
Alright, Charlie, is there anything you'd like to add? I want to thank everybody, really. Keith, Randy, Donnie, the whole team. My dad and all my sponsors, Rachel. Everybody's been working hard for me this year.
Alright, then! Congratulations again! Thanks!
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