R450: You won Moto 1 here and then got second in Moto 2. Were you holding back or did you have problems?
Doug: No, Joe Byrd just came out and outran me. He ran a really good race, and I just didn’t have enough for him. I was a little tight in the second moto because I wanted to make it nine wins for the year. Joe had a great ride and I couldn’t keep up with him.

R450: We saw you win the overall at London. Have you been on a big high since then, knowing that every race since then was just bonus?
Doug: Yeah, it didn’t sink in right away. I got to the next race and I was like wow, I don’t even have to win. I did, but it has really sunk in now that they presented me with the trophy. I race to win though. I didn’t want to come cruise around. I wanted to win.

R450: Well, you had an amazing season with eight overall wins on a twelve-race schedule. That is virtually unheard of.
Doug: Yeah, someone asked me what my worst finish was and I had to think back. I then realized that my worst finish was second place. I was like jeez I have eight wins and four seconds.

R450: So what are you looking for next year?
Doug: We’re going to do a little more testing and try to get the bike even better for next year. I’m looking forward to that.

R450: Is your goal to win all twelve next year?
Doug: Yeah, I’m going to try to beat my record.

R450: Everyone was looking forward to the Suzuki 450 and they ended up holding off until next year.
Doug-They did come out with a 450; it’s sitting up there, the bike. (laughs)

Doug: Yeah, they haven’t told me. I think that they just want to make sure that it is better than the rest of them before they release it. There’s nothing wrong with the Z400 though. The Z400 is working just fine.

R450: Anybody who doubts the Z400 can just take a look at what you’ve been doing on one all year.
Doug: Uh-huh!

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