Exclusive: Josh Sheehan Interview

In between his hectic schedule of contesting Red Bull X-Fighters and touring around the world with Travis Pastrana and the Nitro Circus Live crew, Transmoto’s Johnny Bonnar caught up with Western Australia’s Josh Sheehan while he had a couple of days free back at home.

Hey, Josh. You’ve had a pretty hectic start to the year. Tell us what you’ve been up to. 

From November to January I was flat-out with Nitro Circus tours through Europe and the USA. I had two weeks back at home, and then took off again for the South African tour.

With freestyle motocross not being so prominent over there, how was it performing in front of the South African crowds?

They were the biggest crowds we have had. The last crowd was, I think, 43,000 people. It was really cool being over there. It was something I was looking forward to for a long time. They might not have a lot of freestyle motocross, but they definitely love it.

Then you had the first round of the 2014 Red Bull X-Fighters World Tour in Mexico, where you placed second behind former champ, Levi Sherwood. That must have been a nice feeling early on in the series?

Yeah, I had another two weeks back at home after the South African Nitro Circus tour. Half of me wanted to rest a little bit, but the last week was just flat-out riding. Heading to Mexico I didn’t know what to expect, I just wanted to ride well and stay healthy. 

The smallest arena on the series wasn’t supposed to be in your favour, but you proved the doubters wrong. Will you be able to contend for the win again in Osaka, with the Double Backflip ramp there?

I definitely exceeded my expectations. It was just a really cool start to the competition year. I am not going to make the next round because I am locked in with Nitro Circus and we have some shows around that time. On the Red Bull X-Fighters series we get one throw away round and I am going to use this for Osaka, so I can’t make any mistakes from here on in.

In Mexico you seemed to adapt to the course well and you surprised me by doing a Flair. What are your thoughts on that trick?

I learned the Flair about March last year. I did a few at home and then I stuffed one up at Glen Helen and I stopped doing them until about June, when I stayed in Europe with Tom (Pages) and that’s when I spent a lot more time doing them. Since then, I hadn’t done any until Mexico.

That is crazy. With your busy schedule, what do you enjoy doing during your downtime away from the bike?

I have a Holden ute that is a big project of mine. I like doing it up and making it faster and faster. I have done everything myself but I am yet to put it on the dyno. It spins fourth gear no worries – I am hoping to get 600hp at the wheels from it.

Sounds fun. Lastly, Josh, what goals have you set yourself for this year?

Number one is always to get through the year safe and un-injured. I also want to be consistent and be on the podium at the end of the year. It would be really good to win an X-Fighters championship.

Thanks for your time, mate.

Cheers.