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Great Clips Mohawk Warrior driver Bryce Kenny placed fourth in Stadium Series Red in 2023, yet on a scale of 1-10, he only gives his season a 6.
“We were third for a long time, then Tom Meents (Max-D), finally towards the end, he jumped over me and we finished fourth,” explained Bryce Kenny.
“I think we were really good in Racing and consistent in Skills, but Freestyle - it was either a great day or a terrible day, so we just have to be more consistent in Freestyle this year. If we do that, we’ll take a lot more Overalls.”
Overall Event wins are certainly an obtainable goal for Bryce Kenny in 2024, but what about the tour championship as a whole?
“Any top five finish for any tour is good because it means you are consistent. It means that the guys out back were making sure the truck was 100 percent for you to go out there and perform. But you can’t control this stuff. You can’t control the fans scores, you can’t control anything beyond your approach, and you just hope that the truck stays together and the fans give you good scores, right? So that’s the reason why a number less than a top five means something was missing. Either the fans weren’t enjoying your style, or the truck wasn’t 100 percent, or as a driver you just didn’t do your job. But if all three of those things are consistent, you’ll absolutely finish top five and that should be the target. And then if you’re within striking distance of first, then that’s when you go out there and roll the dice a little bit more.”
While Bryce Kenny performed strongly in 2023 and made it to World Finals, things then soon fell apart, with him being unable to even start his Freestyle run.
“I was more disappointed in Racing, because that’s when it happened. That’s when the issue came up and it took me out. I was fast in Racing, and I really believed that was my day to win a Racing World Championship.
“So when the truck bit me, you know, you just got to get it out of your head and say, ‘alright, let’s go find the issue. We still have another competition today, and we’ll feel sorry for ourselves later.’
“And then when we thought we found it, and the guys did a great job – it's not a knock on anyone, it’s just one of those weird gremlins – to come out for Freestyle to have that shot at redemption for what had transpired in Racing – that was what was so hard about it, that I didn’t get that chance to come out there and perform.”
However, Bryce Kenny is not letting this lowlight set him back.
“I was the keynote speaker at the Great Clips convention this Fall. I got to show them not just the highlights of the season, but I also showed them some of the lowlights like what happened at World Finals. And if it encourages one person out there to shift gears and find that next gear they didn’t know they had and be able to get out of the difficult situation... it’ll still be worth it.
“So I’m not going to waste the pain. We’re going to get something from it, if just at the very least it’s encouraging someone else.”
That’s all great away from the track, but what about at the track? Well, Bryce Kenny says that he has his eyes still set on a World Finals Championship.
"The season championships are awesome, but everyone cares about World Finals Championships. That's how you add your name in the history books.
“Again, I am most confident in Racing. Freestyle would be because it was just my day. Like everything rolled my way. You got the 'wow’ moment, the truck stuck together, you're rolling the dice more in Freestyle. Those things you control less.
“With Racing, you can control more because it's not up to anyone judging you. It's driver vs. driver, driver vs. machine.
“So even though I think the sport as a whole cares more about Freestyle, I'm more confident on the Racing side in terms of being able to be in more control of the result. If I could pick and choose, I think I'll get a Racing World Finals Championship first, but if it's my day for Freestyle, then trust me, I'll be the happiest guy in the world to take on the Freestyle World Championship.”
Stadium Championship Series East kicks off January 13 in San Antonio.
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