For about a year now, I have been trying to track down local Maryland privateer Tyler Stepek for an interview. Stepek was ripping during the 2021 AMA Pro Motocross Championship, finishing inside the top 20 as a rather unknown name and earned national #93 for the 2022 season. Last year at the Budds Creek National, he switched from a KTM 450 SX-F to a Yamaha YZ250F for the final stretch of races to finish off the season. At his home race at Budds Creek Motocross Park, the #93 machine was running inside the top ten—in eighth—with just a few laps to go in the first 250 Class moto. Unfortunately, he said afterwards he hit a figurative wall and would come through 16th. Still a great ride, especially in front of the home crowd.
Anyway, we have been trying to track down Stepek to help tell his story. Well, at the Unadilla National last weekend, it finally happened! Stepek was crutching through the pits with a smile on his face, still recovering from injuries sustained in a big crash a few months ago. But, that does not stop him from coming to the races. Although he is unable to lineup, he has been on hand at the races helping out when he can: at the Washougal National he was helping Jeremy Hand, then last week he was the mechanic for both Ryder Floyd and Rob Windt! Yup, double duty! I saw Stepek cursing the pits on Friday, and knowing he could not outrun us with his crutch, the quiet Stepek finally caved and helped share his story with us. All jokes aside, I have been wanting to get the word out about Stepek because he has been grinding it out the last few years. Fair warning, the interview is random as it jumps around a bit, but it helps tell Stepek’s story and how invested he is into the sport.
Racer X Online: We’re here with Tyler Stepek. He’s been avoiding us for probably about a year now. We tried to interview him at Budds Creek last year, but he was running inside the top ten and he’s been avoiding us ever since. As you can see, unfortunately he can’t run from us anymore, which is good for us but bad for him. Anyway, tell us what happened last race at Washougal National? You were helping out somebody with the bike. Walk us through that.
Tyler Stepek: Yup. Jeremy Hand was racing my KTM 250 two-stroke. I drove it out for him and first moto he was just outside of points, and second moto it quit. Pretty good, too. Whole motor, needs everything.
Somehow, somebody got a clip of it. He didn’t crash, which was good, but the bike shut off. So obviously, your situation, walk us through everything that happened and tell us about your injury.
So, right after Colorado, I made it back to Tomahawk, my home track. Second lap, track I know best, just hit a deep mud spot, went over the bars, dislocated my hip and broke the ball of my hip in half. So, got surgery. It will be about two months next week.
Recovery-wise, what’s that recovery process like? Do you have any idea when you’re going to get back training and get back on the bike?
Next week is my second appointment. Whenever I feel strong. I’ll start biking after next Wednesday and getting strong. Once I feel like it’s strong enough, then I’ll get back on the bike.
So a little bit of background questions here. This is a very random question. In 2021 at the High Point national, was it you that had the roll-off issue that it was like flying behind you?
Yup, that was me. [Laughs]
I think that’s how I found out who you were. So, obviously Maryland native. How close are you to Budds Creek and some of these tracks on the East Coast?
Hour and a half from Budds Creek. Close to three hours to High Point. Unadilla was just about six hours.
I think you had an injury a couple years ago that was pretty severe. Walk us through that and everything that happened with that.
Yup. [In] 2020 I broke my neck, C5 and C6. So I got that fused. That was definitely scary. I lost a lot of muscle everywhere, just couldn’t do much. Didn’t know if I was going to be able to ride a dirt bike good again, but we’re here now. I had my best year the year I came back.
That was your 2021 season, right?
Yup.
You switched bikes.
All the time. [Laughs]
You were on Kawasaki, and then you showed up and raced the KTM?
Yup. I blew my Kawasaki up at that night race right down the road. My good friend Trevor Schmidt let me borrow his KTM 450 practice bike. First time on a KTM and I got my best-ever finish at that point. It was 14th in a moto and like 18th overall.
You had a good, strong year last year on a KTM and then you went to Yamaha. How are you juggling being on different bikes and that situation?
I just get stale with the same bike after a while and end up selling one. My suspension guy, STAPES Racing, he has a lot of good settings for Yamaha suspension. He kind of nagged me to get one, so I did. First-ever 250 national was here at Unadilla. I scored one point then went to Budds and ran eighth for a while [in the first moto] and then definitely dropped the anchor. [Note: he finished that moto 16th].
I was trying to interview you then, because you had a great ride and obviously home race and everything, and then you dipped out on me. But anyway, we won’t worry about that. So what do you do during the week and what is your training program like?
During the week I wire houses, like residential electrical stuff. I try to run or mountain bike one or two days. I try to get off work a little early on Wednesdays to make it to Tomahawk and do some laps, and then just go to the nationals on the weekend.
It’s like a 9-5 job, race on the weekend, go back home, work again.
Yup.
So, how do you juggle that with riding and training off the bike, on the bike? You said you try to run here and there when you can, but it’s not easy to leave work and then drive a couple hours to these races.
Yeah. My boss is definitely very helpful. He rides himself, so he understands. In the summer I get a little squirrelly with my hours. He’ll let me take off a couple days early to make it to the far ones. I try to just get as much as cardio as I can during the week. Fitness is definitely my weak point, but it’s been better in the past couple than when I first started.
Last year at Southwick it was hot as hell and you were still ripping.
Yeah, I remember Southwick. That’s a hot one. The sand gets in your mouth from roost the whole time. Come off and can’t even breathe, but I love that round.
Supercross Futures, you did a couple of those rounds earlier this year. I was trying to catch you at the East Rutherford race, but that obviously poured out rain and we had a delay. So I’ll give you a break there. But I know you’re kind of looking a little ahead to next year. Is Supercross Futures in your playbook? What’s your situation for next year?
I finally got my last two points at MetLife. It was my second time on a supercross track. It was definitely fun, but if I can get a good month or two of supercross training somewhere down south, I’ll definitely do a bunch of them. But right now, I’m 100 percent Daytona. I would like to do more. I just want to get the proper prep for it, because it’s definitely dangerous.
Do you know Jubilee Winterstone? Have you ever heard of that guy? Do you know who he is?
[Laughs] He’s just a local. Hedgesville, West Virginia. Tomahawk is his home track.
Have you ever been spotted in the same room as him?
Not the same room, but I’ve seen him on the track. He’s dangerous.
Has he been riding lately? What’s he been up to?
No, hibernation. Still has COVID. [Laughs]
Last year you were helping at Motocross of Nations, right?
Yeah, Team Latvia. I helped them out.
Your Latvian background. [Laughs]
Yup, Latvian background. The gear company I was with, AM, they messaged him and he knew I had a KTM 450 and they were looking for one. So, they rented the bike from me. John Boland, the guy that takes me to the races, he brought his camper out. It was a fun time. I got to mechanic, wear a headset. I could hear other teams talking different languages. I was just putting a pit board out, hoping I was telling the right place. It was definitely fun.
Obviously you weren’t injured at that time for that race, but right now when you’re injured, but being at the races, does that give you a different perspective? What is it like being able to help out and be at the races even though you’re not on the track?
I love helping. I just love being at the races.
Even on crutches, you’ve got a smile on. You’re enjoying it.
Oh yeah. I just love being here. It’s fun helping and seeing friends do good. It makes me want to race even more being here when I can.
If you could throw a trick over the Sky Shot here at Unadilla National, what trick would it be?
No-hander. Yup, no-hander.
Shout-out to Wade Raynor for helping us track this guy down. He isn’t here today and really didn’t help us, but shout-out to Wade.
[Laughs] Yup, Wade Raynor!