BY JIM KIMBALL

FROM THE START, WHAT INITIALLY GOT YOU INTO MOTOCROSS? I am originally from Puerto Rico. My dad was an attorney, and my mom was the director of the hospital in our town.

I went to college for two years, but it just wasn’t in my blood. I always liked dirt bikes and grew up riding them. It was just something that I loved being around. While in college, I found myself in a situation where I really wanted to be a motorcycle mechanic. I wanted to make my hobby my profession.

Of course, my parents wanted me to do something more than that, but my dad supported me. That’s when I found Motorcycle Mechanics Institute in Orlando. Six months later, I married my high school sweetheart, and we packed for Florida. I did the whole MMI program and then started working in a dealership.

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN INVOLVED IN PRO MOTOCROSS? As far as Pro motocross, I have been doing this since 2002. Before that, I was working in the amateur ranks with Davi Millsaps, Brian Gray and some of the other top-level amateur guys from the early 1990s.

I REMEMBER MEETING YOU WHEN YOU WERE WORKING WITH DAVI AT TEAM SUZUKI. HOW DID THAT DEVELOP? I will give you a rundown. I was working at a Florida Powersports dealership while helping several amateur guys for Suzuki. Davi was 10 years old when he asked me to work for him. I said, “Okay, give me your number, and I will call your mom.”  

I called his mom a week later and she told me, “We need someone to help.” I was living a couple of hours away from them. I went to their place, and I started helping him with practice bikes. I went to Loretta’s that year and was a dual mechanic that weekend because I was still working with Brian Gray, who was riding the Pro class. Davi was in the amateurs, so it was hectic.

Carlos started helping Davi Millsaps when Davi was only 10 years old. He worked with Davi from 1998 until 2011.

AND THEN YOU MOVED FROM AMATEUR TO PRO WITH DAVI? I built all of his bikes for the amateurs, and we won many titles at Loretta’s before moving to the Pro side. He asked me if I wanted to come with him and, of course, being a Pro mechanic was one of my dreams since I was little.

He brought me to Suzuki with Roger DeCoster, Ian Harrison and the whole factory Suzuki team. Of course, they were a little bit hesitant to bring someone in from the outside, but Roger and Ian gave me the opportunity to prove myself.  

YOU WORKED WITH DAVI FOR MANY YEARS. Yes, I started with Davi around 1998 and worked with him until the 2011 season when he signed with Joe Gibbs Racing.

At that time, they had a mechanic for Davi, so it was very difficult. I considered Davi to be almost like my son. My wife and I were there when he was going through his parents’ divorce. I think we supported both sides very well and helped them. I think Davi remembers all that, and we were like other parents to lean on.

WHAT DID YOU DO AT THAT POINT? Well, at that point, I was at Honda, and they offered me the opportunity to start working with Trey Canard, who was coming to the team, but he had a mechanic also. At that time, they were restructuring the team. Honda shut down road racing, and they were reconstructing the racing program. They offered us mechanics a one-year deal only. I was a little bit worried, because back then we were outside contractors. It was a little bit scary. I just had a newborn, and I needed to try to find something more secure. 

I spoke to Roger Decoster, and he told me that he was working on something and if I was interested to let him know. So, I called him and said, “I am really interested in whatever you have for me.”

DID YOU KNOW ROGER WAS GOING TO KTM? No! But when I was at Suzuki, Roger was always a good boss. Later he told me, “I am going to KTM. It sounds a little bit crazy, but I think you would be a good person to come with me.”

I told him that I needed something secure, and that I didn’t want to have a one-year deal. I told him, “At least a couple of years would be nice.” He said he would put something together and send it to me. He offered me a three-year contract. I told him, “Yes.” I was going to take a chance, because at that time KTM was no factory Honda, so it was another risk. 

I told my wife, “I trust Roger and want to take a chance.” So, at the end of 2010, I came to KTM to join Ian and Roger, and basically that is when the KTM journey started for me.

Carlos is living his American dream. He’s been a mainstay at KTM since moving there in 2010.

WELL, IT EVENTUALLY TURNED OUT WELL FOR YOU. Yes, but the first day I came to work, I was not sure that I made the right decision; however, it was a company-wide effort to go racing, and the company wanted to be number one. Plus, KTM supported Roger 100 percent. When Roger said KTM needed a new 450, the whole team was committed to succeeding.

As I look back now, it was an experience of a lifetime to see this whole scenario behind the scenes. It was unbelievable.

“AS FAR AS PRO MOTOCROSS, I HAVE BEEN DOING THIS SINCE 2002. BEFORE THAT, I WAS WORKING IN THE AMATEUR RANKS WITH DAVI MILLSAPS, BRIAN GRAY AND SOME OF THE OTHER TOP-LEVEL AMATEUR GUYS FROM THE EARLY 1990S.”

WERE YOU A MECHANIC FOR A SPECIFIC RIDER? WHAT DID YOU DO? When it started, they basically had Andrew Short and Mike Alessi as riders. Frankie Latham was Short’s mechanic, and Kelly Lumgair worked with Alessi. I was basically doing the job of a crew chief and being a mechanic also. We were testing bikes while trying to develop them at the same time. We were a small group. I was doing parts and practice bikes—whatever we needed. Whatever was necessary, that is what you had to do.

Roger DeCoster assigned Carlos to be Ryan Dungey’s mechanic when Ryan came over from Suzuki, which is where both Roger and Carlos came from a year earlier.

WE NEEDED A MECHANIC FOR RYAN, AND ROGER SAID, “YOU ARE THE GUY FOR THE JOB. YOU DEVELOPED THE NEW 450 AND KNOW THE BIKE BETTER THAN ANYONE ELSE. I WANT YOU TO WORK WITH RYAN.”

DID YOU THINK THAT WAS A WINNING FORMULA? Initially, there was not a specific job for any of us. Then, Ken Roczen came to race the 250 West Coast Supercross rounds, and I worked for him. He was my first rider that I worked with full-time at KTM, but he was contracted to go back to the MXGP series after the Supercross season.

In the meantime, we hired Ryan Dungey. With Ryan coming to the team, the plan at that time was to hire Mike Gosselaar, because that was his current mechanic at Suzuki. When Kenny came back to America full-time, I was going to work for him. I don’t remember exactly what the situation was, but Mike was basically ready to stop being a mechanic on the road.

We needed a mechanic for Ryan, and Roger said, “You are the guy for the job. You developed the new 450 and know the bike better than anyone else. I want you to work with Ryan.”  

I said, “No problem.” That is basically what started my path of working with one rider.

INITIALLY, BOTH SHORT AND ALESSI WERE RACING THE KTM 350. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THAT BIKE? Andrew Short rode it, and Mike Alessi rode it for a little bit before switching to the 450 they had at the time. The 450 they originally had was an okay bike, but it was too heavy. That was one of my projects when I came to KTM, to make the 450 lighter and make it compact. We came here with an idea of making a new 450 for the U.S. market. A new 450 was a must-have if we wanted to be competitive; however, I will say that the 350SXF was very impressive. For me, the 350 was a really good bike. They are really good transition bikes. It is an amazing bike, but at that point, if we wanted to go after the top guys, we had to have a new 450.

BUT TONY CAIROLI WAS WINNING ON THE 350, WASN’T HE? He was, and Andrew had some good results. Even Kenny raced it at Daytona the same year I worked with him, and he had some good results. The power was good, but you can’t put a big guy on that bike at the Pro level. It is a good bike for a small, lightweight rider.

Carlos moved over to the crew chief role after Cooper Webb left for Star Yamaha. He knew the bike better than anyone and how to treat the riders honestly.

HOW LONG DID YOU WORK WITH RYAN? IT SEEMED LIKE YOU WERE WITH RYAN HIS WHOLE KTM CAREER, RIGHT? Yes, the whole time. I started with him at KTM and worked with him until he retired.  Basically, his entire KTM career, 2012 to 2017, and then he came back after retiring to do the outdoor series, which was fun.

WHAT ARE YOUR BEST MEMORIES WITH RYAN? They were all special for me. I mention to my mechanic friends that “every win is special. You must enjoy every win, because you don’t know when you will get another one.” They were all special, but I would have to say for me, the 2013 Minneapolis Supercross when he passed Ryan Villopoto was unreal. The stadium crowd really wanted him to win. The crowd was so loud.

It was an amazing weekend. We won many titles together. Ryan won KTM its first 450 Supercross. They are all special, but I felt that one was very touching emotionally. Ryan either won or finished on the podium for 32 straight races.  That was very incredible for him, the crew and for everyone back in the shop, especially as the 450SXF was so new.

DID YOU ALWAYS HAVE A GOOD RELATIONSHIP WITH RYAN? We got along well. We think the same, and to this day we still talk on a weekly basis. We kept a good relationship. Even with winning so many races, our thing was to stay humble and let your work show who you are. To this day, I see him as a member of my family.

Tom Vialle won the AMA 250 East Supercross Championship two years in a row.

AFTER RYAN RETIRED, COOPER WEBB JOINED KTM, AND YOU WERE WITH HIM DURING HIS ORANGE DAYS. Ryan and Cooper are two completely different personalities. Initially, I was going to stop as a mechanic when Cooper came on board. I knew him from when he was a little kid racing as an amateur. His parents requested that I be his mechanic. I like Coop. He is different from Ryan for sure, but he was always very respectful and loyal to me and my family, which is what many people don’t get to see.

I could give him advice, and he was a guy who listened. I had good, fun times with him also. Yes, he was a little spicier, and that was one of the things that I worked with him on, trying to get him to control it the best he could and translate that feistiness to the race.

When Cooper Webb left KTM for Yamaha, Carlos was disappointed.

WHEN WEBB CAME TO KTM, HIS FIRST TWO YEARS AT YAMAHA HE HAD POOR RESULTS. I think the best result he had at Yamaha was third place in Daytona; that was it. I cannot talk about his initial Yamaha YZ450 days, but we had a good bike, and we still have a good bike for Supercross. It was a good platform. The KTM suited his style well. He is a little guy; he is not like a big guy that can handle a big 450. He came to us at a good time, because we already had a good base.

We had a bike that was already set up, and we did not change much for the following year, so that helped him. He was all-in committed, and he put his head down, and went and did his program with Aldon Baker. He learned a lot of discipline. He learned all the things he needed to become a 450 Champion. He is a really good rider. If anyone doubts him, he will prove people wrong.

Even though he’s moved up to the crew chief role, Carlos still loves to bust out the T-handles.

IT MUST HAVE BEEN HARD WHEN RYAN RETIRED AND COOPER RETURNED TO THE STAR YAMAHA TEAM. DID THAT AFFECT YOU? Of course. I was not so disappointed, just sad to have a rider leave for another team, knowing that he had the potential to win. I try to keep a good relationship with all the riders I work with. We spend so much time with them, week in and week out, and sometimes we end up spending more time than we spend with our own family. I still talk to him and his family, his dad, and everyone. I understand that he was looking for something that suited him better.

AFTER COOPER LEFT, YOU MOVED FULLY INTO THE CREW CHIEF ROLE. Yes, I had acted as the crew chief the whole time, but then I went full-time to prepare the testing and take care of helping all the mechanics, trying to help them transfer knowledge to some of the young, upcoming mechanics we have, and to guide them. I spend every day with them at the shop, at the races, and in the mechanics’ area with them. If they have a question or a problem, they have someone to lean on. This allows me to spend time with each rider individually and help them with some of the knowledge that I have learned through the years.

YOU STRIKE ME AS A PATIENT AND CALM FORCE. I tell each rider when I meet him the first time or he comes to the team, “I am here to speak the truth. I am going to be honest. Sometimes you are not going to like my comments, but I will give you facts, and I will give you the truth. I am not going to tell you that you look good on the days that you are not looking good.” For me to be honest and transparent with the riders helps me to do my job and help the guys.

LET ME ASK YOU THIS: MANY MAGAZINES RATE KTM AS THE BEST OR SECOND BEST IN SHOOTOUT TESTS. DOES THAT MAKE IT BETTER FOR YOU? Overall, I think the KTM is solid. We have customers who have over 100 hours on their bikes, and they still run well. I like that the production bike is simple. We have some cool stuff, especially in the Factory Edition bikes.  

DOES THE AMERICAN RACE TEAM COMMUNICATE MUCH WITH THE MXGP RACING TEAM? Yes, we have meetings every week to discuss all the results on both sides. We stay in communication pretty much the whole week.

One of the biggest things for me at KTM has been having direct discussions with the engineers. If I have a problem on Saturday or Sunday, someone from the factory will already be calling me by Monday. They are so involved with the race team that we stay in communication right away. They are good in that respect—to be so close to us and available to us.  

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT YOUR CURRENT TEAM, THE GUYS YOU HAVE HAD THE PAST YEAR AND IN 2025? We have a solid team. Chase Sexton was very close to winning a Supercross title. He had a couple of hiccups that cost him the title, but he was really impressive. Tom Vialle was very consistent in Supercross this year, and that paid off for him at the end. He won the 250 title for a second year.

Aaron Plessinger had a good season. Sometimes he is overshadowed a bit because all the guys have good results, but his results were very impressive. We have the young kid  “Juju” (Julien Beaumer). For us, he was the new guy, and we wanted to work with him. The first year he was trying to figure it out, and this past year, basically our goal was for him to at least have two podiums. He ended up winning a race and getting many podiums.  

He has a lot of potential. He is on our team for the future, and we must move forward. I think we have a solid team.

YOU WORK WITH SO MANY PERSONALITIES. IS THAT DIFFICULT? I really enjoy it. It is a unique job because our team is four riders, and they all have a different personality. You must learn their weak points and strong points, and sometimes you end up being almost like a part-time psychologist. At times you must be a friend, and sometimes you must be a mean dad. It is fun, and I enjoy the job. It is what I love to do, especially working with the top guys—the guys who are the best in the world. It has been a privilege to be in on all of that.

“STRAIGHT UP, I LIKE TO WORK WITH THE GUYS WHO ARE UNDERDOGS. A GUY WHO IS WINNING IS GREAT TO HAVE ON THE TEAM, BUT FOR ME, IT IS MORE CHALLENGING AND ENJOYABLE TO WORK WITH SOMEONE WHO HAS NOT WON A LOT AND TRY TO MAKE HIM A WINNER.”

DO YOU PREFER WORKING WITH A PROVEN CHAMPION OR AN UP-AND-COMING RIDER? Straight up, I like to work with the guys who are underdogs. A guy who is winning is great to have on the team, but for me, it is more challenging and enjoyable to work with someone who has not won a lot and try to make him a winner.

I like to say, “This guy has potential. Let’s work with him.” To me, that has more value than getting someone who is already winning.

I really enjoyed last year when Julien won San Diego.  We hired him. He was an amateur that went to Anaheim, and a year later we got him winning the San Diego Supercross. That to me has more value than to hire someone who has already won.

When Ryan Dungey left Team Suzuki for KTM, they built a dream team around him with Ian Harrison, Carlos Rivera and Roger DeCoster.

WHAT ASPIRATIONS DO YOU HAVE FURTHER DOWN THE ROAD WITH YOUR CAREER? I am happy here. I feel like I have a good home. I respect Ian and Roger a lot. They have been part of my career and have been helpful. I learn from Roger and Ian almost every day.  I don’t see Roger retiring any time soon. He loves racing, and as he says, he retired already from racing; this is more like his hobby. I look forward to working with him every day, because he is the most knowledgeable person I know. Of course, I aspire to grow, and if something comes up in the future, hopefully I can make it happen.

KTM OBVIOUSLY HAD A FINANCIAL CRISIS. HAS THAT HAD A NEGATIVE IMPACT ON YOUR RACE TEAM? Not really. Honestly, it was helpful, because it kept everyone in check. I feel like it made the team tighter and work more together. I felt the whole company was closer and better. I did not see any negatives. I saw some positives, and we got better on the racing side.