Oscar Diaz

By: Jenn Sheppard

Pics: Photo Frank

Once the charming Costa Rican moved to Florida, his presence was proficiently felt; most recently in the A and Pro Sport classes at the Loretta Lynn's Southeast Region Area Qualifier where Oscar Diaz took first in seven of eight motos. FLmx recently caught up with Oscar to find out how he thinks he stacks up against the competition, why he chose America to ride motocross and where the Honda rider tweaks his race bikes.

FLmx: How does it feel to do so well in all of your classes?

OD: I feel pretty good, I've been working hard to get faster and I feel like I'm up to speed. The truth will be seen at the regionals, I feel like I can run up front if I get good starts.

FLmx: What are your plans for the rest of this year?

OD: I'm just going to ride and train as much as I can. I will be going to Loretta's in the A class this year, I feel pretty confident that I will do well. After that, I might try to do a few nationals and see how I feel.

FLmx: Are you planning on riding the Florida Motocross Series this year?

OD: I will do some of the Florida stuff in between Vegas and any other nationals. I ride five times a week, so I'm always at some track somewhere. I have been spending lots of time in Dade City riding on some friends' practice tracks and at Croom.

FLmx: Do you have a nickname?

OD: Some of my friends call me De La Hoya, like the famous boxer Oscar De La Hoya. I think my friend Wes Kain started it two years ago at Loretta's, it kind of stuck.

FLmx: What do you consider to be your home track?

OD: Seminole Tribe has been awesome to me, and I love that track. The dirt is perfect, and I feel like I go pretty good there. I like Moroso too, because it's close to WMR. I will always go back to those tracks whenever I'm in the area. We just moved to the Dade City area and have been riding a lot at Sky Top, which is a private track that my friends Spencer and Rick let me ride at.

FLmx: When you started riding, who got you into it?

OD: I got my first bike when I was 4 years old from my dad in Costa Rica. It was a Honda XR50. My uncle rode in Canada for many years too. In Costa Rica, motocross is very popular, so it's pretty cool to be living in America and moving up the ranks. All of my friends in Costa Rica follow my career pretty close on the Internet. I go back every year to ride there and hang out with my friends.

FLmx: Why did you decide to move here?

OD: In Costa Rica, motocross is just as big as baseball in America. The top racers are known by all of the people in the city and are treated like they are kings. I moved to Florida because I wanted more opportunities to ride and get faster. By living in America, I felt like I would be riding against the best riders in the world so I could see how fast I needed to be. I go back to Costa Rica every year to see my family and friends. It's a beautiful country with mountains and awesome beaches.

FLmx: What is your very first memory on a motorcycle?

OD: On my XR 50, I was riding it all day and it ran out of gas, so I went and told my dad that it was broken and he said it was out of gas. I did not believe him, so I went down to the river by my house with my friend and threw it away in the river. The next day when my dad asked me where the bike was, I told him what I did and he got really mad. When we went to go get it out of the river, thank God it was still there. I'll never live that one down.

FLmx: Do you consider Florida your home now?

OD: Yea, I guess I do, but I still love my home country. I have been here a couple of years now and have gotten to know a lot of great people and make some pretty good friends. Florida is the best place to live if you are a motocrosser; the weather is always nice and there are lots of tracks, and when it's hot, you get in good shape so when you go to other states you don't get tired. I don't think I could have come as far as I have in motocross if I didn't come here. Having a race shop to base my self out of has been really good too, when you ride as much as I do, you can wear out your bikes pretty quick. Thanks to Rick Case Honda, American Honda and WMR, I can keep everything going.

FLmx: What is the best thing about motocross?

OD: The best thing for me is when I get on the bike; I forget about everything and just have fun. I just love to ride.

FLmx: How do you stand out from everyone else?

OD: I think I stand out because I will talk to anyone at the track and help anyone no matter who they are or where they come from. Some top riders don't take the time to help out the younger kids; I really enjoy it. I like to help a new kid get a jump or a corner better that makes me feel good. I also think I have the confidence to know that I can win as long as I do my best. I try not to take myself too serious; I ride better when I'm just having fun.

FLmx: What kind of help do you get from your support team?

OD: All the guys from WMR have been awesome. They help me out the most by doing all my motors and suspension, and setting up my race bikes. I use everything at the shop like it's my own, so it has been really easy to keep my focus on riding and not on making sure my bikes are running. They even give me a mechanic that comes to the races with me and works on my bikes at the shop. Joe from WMR helps me out with all my other sponsors; he makes sure they all know what I'm doing and what I need. I feel really lucky to have such a great team around me. I feel like a Factory rider sometimes; I hope I can make them all proud of me by winning more races.

FLmx: Who is your mechanic?

OD: Andrew Taylor. We call him "Drizzel," I guess because his name is Drew.

FLmx: Are you a good mechanic?

OD: Yeah, I can do everything but internal motor stuff. I leave that for the professionals. I can change a tire and clutch.

FLmx: How involved is your family in your racing career?

OD: [My dad] is always there with me doing everything for me. I wouldn't be where I am today without my father. I owe him everything; he works very hard so I can race. I really appreciate and love him.

FLmx: How do you get ready for a race?

OD: I try not to take it too serious. I just go out there and have fun riding my hardest, and it seems to work pretty good for me. I don't want to make enemies out of the other riders; I race hard, but when it's over, I like to be friends with everyone. In Costa Rica, it can get pretty crazy with the fans and stuff, kind of like soccer matches where the people go crazy. I would rather keep it fun and not end up in a fight after the race.

FLmx: What's one bad habit you've had to break?

OD: Eating junk food. I love to eat at Golden Corral because I can eat as much I want. My favorite part is the desserts.

FLmx: How do you stay in shape? What else do you like to do?

OD: I ride my road bike every day with my friend Javier. We ride for about 25 miles, go back and work out, and then do a few motos. I mostly ride almost every day. I like to ride my pit bike, too. Everything I do is about motocross. All my friends are racers, too.

FLmx: What is the best place on Earth?

OD: Costa Rica! My home country, and then probably Loretta Lynn's in August.

FLmx: If you could sum up your racing career up to this point, what would you say?

OD: I think I am doing pretty good. Every time I move up to the next class, I seem to keep on getting faster and finishing in the top 3, so I guess I could say it's going as planned. I am having the most fun I've ever had making friends and riding motocross. It can't get much better than this, maybe until I turn pro.

FLmx: Have you ever had to overcome any setbacks?

OD: I broke my femur and that took a while to heal. I didn't ride for a long time after that, it almost ended my career. My mother wasn't very happy about me riding after that.

FLmx: Who's in your regular crew?

OD: Javier (Porkie Pine), Roland, Bobby, Ronnie, Uncle Rick, Font, The guys at WMR and my dad, who I really want to thank, because I could not have done it with out him and Patricia.

FLmx: Sponsors?

OD: Bob and Joe at WMR Competition Performance, American Honda, Rick Case HONDA, Troy Lee Designs, Vortex, Scott, Oxtar boots, Enjoy, Dunlop, Cti2, Seminole Tribe Motocross, Quick Track MX, Yoshimura Pipes, Sky Top MX, G2 Photos and the Difanzo family.