5 minutes with ... Marco Dube
JANUARY 30, 2006

Yamaha of Troy's Marco Dube in a heat race at Anaheim 2. Dube put it together this past weekend in San Francisco with a 10th in the Lites class main event.

 

By Danny Brault

Photos by Allison Kennedy

 

Three Canadians qualified for their first main event of the Amp’d Mobile AMA Supercross Series at San Francisco over the weekend. Despite the heavy rains that turned the San Francisco track into a rutted out mud-bath, Doug DeHaan qualified for the Supercross main event and finished 15th on his Butler Brothers CRF450R, Colton Facciotti made it into the Lites show to finish 21st and Marco Dubé was the top Canadian finisher with a 10th place in the Lites class. We caught up with Dubé to celebrate his best-ever AMA Lites finish. [Ed note: Actually, Marco corrected us. His 10th at San Francisco wasn't his top Lites finish, in 1996 he finished eighth at an event.]

 

RXC: Marco, things went well for you at San Franciso?

Marco Dubé: Yeah, it was good; even though it was my goal to get top 10, I was hoping for a podium. I think I had the speed and the skill in that mud, but I messed up two times and crashed and came back from 14th. But it was fun.

 

Were you one of the few guys happy to see the rain and mud?

I hate mud. I’m good in mud and I don’t mind it and I just try to find the best in any situation.

 

When viewing the lap charts on supercross.cc.com, it appears that you were running close to the top five early in the race.

Yeah, after the first corner I was around sixth. Then I caught two guys and was running fourth for a lap and a half. Then I crashed and fell down to ninth, but caught up to sixth or seventh again, then fell down and got back on the track around 14th. Then finally I came back to tenth. That was nasty out there [laughs], it was thick and everybody was all over the place. We were all looking like squids out there [laughs]. I think Yamaha of Troy had the best tire set-up with Pirelli and that’s why we hooked up so well off the starting line.

 

The Yamaha of Troy team must be pretty happy with your performance.

Oh yeah, they were all happy, but like I said, they were hoping for podium finishes. But I messed up those two times and anything can happen. I’m glad though and the goal now is to do it on a dry track. But like I said before, I’m not here to break any records; I just want to have a good, long, healthy season.

 

Yamaha of Troy's chief mehanic, Luc "Frenchie" Caouette, was a big reason Dube got the opportunity to race and test with the YoT team. 

 

What’s your plan from here on out?

I’m racing the next couple of supercrosses, Anaheim 3 and San Deigo, then I’m going back home. The day after San Diego I’m flying back home to get my stuff ready; I have lots of stuff to get ready and I have a new outside sponsor coming in. I have things I need to order and test to get ready for outdoors. From there I will be riding Indianapolis on a 450, Daytona, Orlando and Detroit. In between supercross, I will be testing for outdoors.

 

So how are you enjoying it out in California, Marco?

I think it’s the place. You know, I like Florida, it’s warm and humid and is good for training. But here, there are tracks and bikes everywhere; every five or six cars has a bike in the back. Supercross-wise, I really believe it’s the place to be, but for Florida, I think it’s the place to train for nationals.

 

Well, good luck this weekend in Anaheim, Marco.

Thank you, take it easy.