Crashout!
with Carl Fischer
Visit Henderson, Nevada with motocross rider Carl Fischer.
This story appears in Justsmile Issue 6, Eyes on the Prize.
Photography Alexander Morgan
Styling Kevin Hunter
Text Connor Garel
Shirt, t-shirt and pants FERRAGAMO. Watch JAEGER-LECOULTRE. Motocross boots Carl’s own.
Ten minutes with Carl Fischer, 25, a motocross racer from Henderson, Nevada, 15 miles outside of Las Vegas. He steps off the track, filling Justsmile in on what brought him to the sport, what makes him go fast, and how he recharges his battery.
How and when did you get into motocross?
It started when I was really young. My first dirt bike ever had training wheels on it. Before I could really even balance super well, I had a dirt bike. I rode for a couple of years, then I started growing up. What actually happened was that my grandma had died, and the weekend I was supposed to go see her, I’d chosen to go ride. It was just a feel-bad moment or whatever, and I kind of naturally fell away from it. It wasn’t like, Oh, I hate dirt bikes now; I started getting tall and playing regular sports. Now I’ve gotten older and don’t really do those anymore, and two years ago, I decided to go buy another dirt bike. It rekindled that flame I had from when I was younger.
Is it a hobby now, or a profession?
I’m kind of stuck in the middle. I’m not a professional, but I do take it more seriously than a hobby. Currently, I go down to a track that’s an hour away every Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday to train. Usually, I work those days; me and my dad, we own a family company. Before I would maybe just go ride on the weekend. But I’ve actually been sacrificing some of my work time to go down and start getting prepared for the competitive race season.
What motivates your pursuit of motocross?
It’s kind of the feeling of always being scared of something, and then being able to get the gratification of doing the thing that scared you. With every dirt bike track, there’s going to be something that’s sketchy or, you know, something that doesn’t feel safe, which you’ll probably still end up having to do anyways—and being able to overcome those barriers is a really rewarding thing.
T-shirt, pants and armband WILLY CHAVARRIA. Motocross boots and gloves Carl’s own.
Would you say that you’re competitive?
Yes—to a fault. Having such high expectations, you’re harder on yourself. It can kind of take the fun out of things when you’re fixated on results, where you stand compared to other people. It’s not like basketball or football, where it’s a team sport. It’s just you. So there’s nobody you can blame. There’s nobody you can say did anything, when you’re the one that’s out there having to make all the decisions. Pretty much with anything, I want to win. I want to do good, even if I don’t vocalize it. If there’s, like, a little game—if we’re out at the bar playing pool—I still want to win. Even if I don’t know how to play!
What goes through your head when you’re on a bike?
You’re fighting off the feeling in your stomach—like, the butterflies. This is kind of dangerous. But once it’s time to go, there’s not much time to think; you’re in that fight or flight. Everything's happening really fast. You’re kind of in this flow state ideally, but beforehand, there’s a lot of nervousness.
How do you prepare?
It starts the day before a race. I try not to drink any alcohol, because that’s dehydrating right there. I’ll just smash water. Get a good meal beforehand, so I have a good foundation. Beginning of the day is usually just bike prep, making sure everything’s safe. Soaking up the environment, getting in tune with the track. Then you put the gear on. From that point, you’re pretty much just hanging out until it’s time to ride. Everything gets pretty intense, but in between, you’re talking with your friends, everybody’s hanging out, having a good time. Some people might even be cooking out there, you know—it’s a very nice environment.
Tank top stylist’s own. T-shirt (worn underneath) COMME DES GARÇONS SHIRT.
Are there any unwritten rules about motocross?
You would think, with an individual sport, nobody wants to help because that’s giving them an advantage. But with dirt bikes, nothing makes you faster overnight—not if somebody gives you a cart or they help you put your bike back together after a crash. So if you see somebody struggling, you’ll see a crowd of people over there trying to diagnose it or help out. Being courteous is one of those unwritten rules. Even if you’re not at a race, if a little kid tips over and he’s struggling, I can bet my life savings somebody pulls over and picks the bike up for him, gets him started, lets him go back out there and ride. For a selfish sport, where it’s everybody versus you, everybody looks out for each other.
Have you ever crashed?
Just before this photo shoot I did. I was going over a jump and my rear end extended too fast, and it threw me over the handlebars into the air. I landed into the face of the next jump and my bike did a front flip. I went to urgent care after a couple days because my rib had been bothering me, and I thought maybe it was broken. I got my X-ray and they said I was fine. I thought I was being a wuss! I went back home, tried to thug it out for a couple more days, but I didn’t feel right. My dad told me to go back to urgent care. I got another X-ray and then they told me my lung was collapsed by 35 percent. I went straight to the hospital and they induced me. They had me on oxygen for a day, and that didn’t help, so they started getting me prepped to get the tube in. I got the tube in between my ribs. I was there for a week. When I got out of the hospital, my other rib still felt like it was broken. That thing still took two weeks to heal. By the time I actually finally got back to riding, all my skill I had built up from training had gone away. I was pretty much a bot all over again. It was a major setback. The hospital bill came out to, like, 50 grand or something. But that’s part of it: With dirt bikes, it’s not about if you’re gonna crash—it’s when, and how bad it’ll be. So it’s all about mitigating risk, you know? [Editor's Note: Carl has since recovered.]
Vest and pants LOUIS VUITTON MEN’S. Watch JAEGER-LECOULTRE. Motocross boots Carl’s own.
If you could change the culture of motocross, what would you change?
The egos.
What do you like to do for fun, outside of racing?
When I’m not riding, I’m trying to do some form of recovery. I’m not really a big party guy, but recovery sometimes looks like a deep stretch in the sauna or more exercise—you know, keeping my body moving. Or just, like, going on a date with my girlfriend. Maybe we go to dinner and maybe we watch a movie. Just trying to get my battery back.
