Hangin Out With: Sean Borkenhagen	PDF | Print | E-mail
Author: Kaelyn Sheedy

Hangin Out With Sean Borkenhagen

Borkenhagen, as a fill in for the Troy Lee Designs, Sea Span, PPG, Honda Team, he has quickly become a main player in the Supercross Series. At A1, he set the bar high with a 12th place finish; although, he ran into some bad luck at Phoenix, there is no doubt he has the drive and skill to run out front. To remind those who don't know Sean's past, he had an injury back in his Amateur career that set him out with a paralyzed arm. Through physical therapy and dedication he was able to come back nearly a year later to get his first taste of the pro scene. At the time, the motivated privateer was at all the 2008 Outdoor Nationals. The once in a life time opportunity has come for Borkenhagen and he seems to be making a smooth transition as he works through the West Coast Supercross rounds aboard his new ride. Sean's positive attitude and outgoing personality, coupled with his riding skills, has scored him the once in a life time opportunity to make a career out of what he does best. This month we are Hangin Out With Huntington Beach local, Sean Borkenhagen.

So tell us who you're riding for and how the adjustment has been - transitioning from private to having factory support. Currently we're riding for the Troy Lee Designs Honda Team and it's a huge deal for me. For all of last year at the outdoors my bikers were good, but not nearly as good as they could have been. To go from that to what I have now - it's ridiculous. This is the first time I've ever had a mechanic, and to always have perfect running bikes takes a lot of weight off your shoulders, especially my dad. He can go to the races now and actually be relax and not worry about bike work. This is the opportunity of a life time and I'm trying to take advantage of this the best I can. I'm getting a little impatient with myself because at Phoenix I was struggling a little bit getting used to Supercross. I'm putting in the time and effort and I'm hopefully it will come around for me. 

Do you feel you appreciate this ride on a completely different level from some of those guys on the track with you who have had factory support all their life, or a mechanic and so on..?

I definitely think so. Seeing it firsthand I think a lot of mechanic's don't get a lot of the respect they should get. Some guys out there who have had rides for years, it's almost like they get used to it, the value of having that factory support gets over looked. I mean, I don't know, this whole experience is so new to me and look and appreciate every little thing. I can now focus one hundred percent on my riding and training and there is no other distractions. 

You made it into A1, you had a tough time at Phoenix, is there still pressure on you to perform and what is your mind set heading into A2?

Coming back to A2 I'm excited. It's my home town and grew up watching from that stadium. I don't know what was going on at Phoenix, I was off. Off the start I hit neutral, little stupid things that were setting me back. Looking back A1 was awesome for me, I made the main first try and got 12th. It was good, but I feel like there is more in store for me. Looking ahead at this weekend, I've changed up my technique off the start and hopefully I can put in really good times, stay in control and make the main. 

Borky, 12th at A1 is very impressive and something you should be proud of. So, who else is on the team with you?

Thanks! The original team was Jimmy Alberston and Jake Moss. Both of them got hurt and Chris Blose and I were the fill-in guys for the team. Alberston and Moss are going to be returning, it's just a matter of time. 

What is the relationship like between you and Chris?

Me and Chris are homies - we are always hanging out. We ride together and train together. I'll stay at his house sometimes just to make things easier. (laughs) We're together right now, we are on our way to the gym. Pingree our team manager has us do everything the same and it helps me a lot and hopefully it helps Chris too. I'm always trying to catch him out on the track and he's trying to pull away from me, so we both push each other - overall it's a win, win situation. 

The 2008 Outdoors series was your first taste of the pro scene, how much different is the tension, hype and overall environment of Supercross compared to Outdoors?

Oh its wild. Now that I have a taste of it, it's everything I expect and then some. As far as how intense it is, there's no feeling that compares to knowing you're making the main event or thousands of people are watching you - the most important people being your sponsors and team. Outdoors is tough in its own world. In Supercross you can feel the energy and vibe when you're in the stadium. You're still riding your dirt bike but there are so many other distractions, it shows you can buckle down under pressure, so much of it is in your head. SX is just so gnarly, jumping, the whoops, you're done to a point. You have to respect it when you ride it because if you don't you could potentially really hurt yourself. (Laughs) People think they can go out and do this and that and it looks be easy, let me tell you, in reality, until you actually are out there doing it  you don't realize just how tough it is. 

Have you been able to check out PanicREV's new site?

Ya I just checked it out, it's awesome!

Are you able to head up to youth group on Thursday's?

I have been once, I wish I could go up more. It's really tough for me right now. My day starts at 8 in the morning and doesn't usually finish until late at night. So unfortunately I haven't made it up there as much as I would like to, but I know Scott and everyone at PanicREV does an awesome job and it's a really good opportunity to bring people in the motocross industry closer to God.

What is your take on all the drama in the pits?

I've seen it first hand - the Dungey and Lawrence deal and all the mind games they play. It's all hype up front - when you're a top contender, you're going to get that good and the bad press at one point or another, that just comes along with being a main threat. Eventually I want to be up in the mix, I like how right now I'm under the radar and from my stand point they all try to play head games with each other, you have to be tough to make it through mentally, you will be tested when you're out front because it will happen. 

Who do you usually hang out with during your down time?

Darryn (Durham) we're best friends, we hang out as much as possible. 

I would like to thank, Troy Lee for giving me this opportunity, Pingree for being an awesome Manager, Clint my mechanic he's putting in all the effort he can to make sure my bikes are awesome, Troy Lee Designs, Sea Span, PPG, Honda, Alpinestars, Pro Circuit, Avia Shoes, Skull Candy, CTI, Oakley and my Dad for always being there. My team mate Chris for toughening me up, Kaelyn for doing this awesome interview, and Darryn Durham for being my awesome friend.