X Games star looks for new beginning in Mesquite
From multiple concussions to a broken tibia and shoulder issues, 2014 was one big mess of injuries for Nate Adams.
Now his focus is on a much better year in 2015, one that would be made complete with a triumphant return to the X Games.
So the year begins now at the Mesquite Off-Road Weekend next to the Eureka Casino Resort. It’s three days worth of events, with the main attraction being the Beyond Pro Challenge at 7:10 p.m. Saturday.
It’s that event, a race between freestyle motocross and endurocross riders, that got Adams interested. His friend and fellow freestyler Kenny Bartram convinced Adams to participate, selling Adams on the race when he saw the rider list.
“All those guys are my friends,” Adams said. “The whole freestylers versus endurocross guys, and Kenny said that race is a lot of fun. It really gets the crowd going. I wanted to go and have fun and ride with my friends and put on a good show.”
Adams, 30, has spent a career putting on many good shows.
He was named the AST Dew Tour Athlete of the Year in 2007 after winning the freestyle motocross Dew Cup for the second year in a row.
Then after finishing second in the Dew Tour in 2008, Adams won the Red Bull X-Fighters, an invitational tour, in 2009 and 2010.
But his heart is with the X Games, where Adams had claimed 16 medals, including four gold. He last competed in the X Games in 2013 in Los Angeles, winning a gold and a bronze.
Adams, who lives in Temecula, Calif., thought he was putting together another strong run at medaling at last June’s X Games in Austin, Texas, but then the series of injuries prevented him from competing.
“I’ve had a few (similar seasons), but I’ve never missed X Games,” Adams said. “That’s what broke my heart last year was that I couldn’t pass the concussion test and I couldn’t get released by my doctors to ride.”
He went back into full training in October or November, and has had his eyes on making it to the X Games this June, which again are in Austin.
First, there’s the business in Mesquite.
It’s an unusual event, pitting riders from different disciplines in that one race.
“I’m actually a little nervous about it,” Adams said. “I practice freestyle usually four or five days a week, and I’ll mix in some track days, and that will be it. I’ll have to go there and see what it is and rely on my skills and just go when the gates are off.”
NOTES — Las Vegan Brendan Gaughan signed with Premium Motorsports, a new Sprint Cup team, and will drive the No. 62 Chevrolet beginning March 1 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. He also will be back in the Xfinity (formerly Nationwide) Series with Richard Childress Racing. Gaughan won two races at that level last season. “I’m running Sprint Cup full time, but I’m running Xfinity for the points,” he said Thursday. “That’s my primary focus, my primary goal, is Richard Childress Racing. That is where I’ve got to make sure my focus stays because we have great things that we can do here. But we’re going to try and get some experience (at Cup) and run for Premium and do the best job I can with what they’re giving me and see if we can a little fun in the process.” …
The Mesquite Off-Road Weekend includes a series of events Friday through Sunday. The primary day is Saturday, with the main events beginning at 1:30 p.m. … That’s not the only off-road event taking place in the area. The King Shocks Battle at Primm, a Southern Nevada Off-Road Enthusiasts event, begins with qualifying at 9:45 a.m. today and a series of heats at 6:55 a.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Contact Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2914. Follow him on Twitter: @markanderson65.
