Ryan Marmont has had a remarkable year in 2011, making a name for himself in a limited schedule during the West Coast Lites class of AMA Supercross before scoring race podiums in both the MX Nationals and Super X as a Pro Open rookie.

It wasn’t all plain sailing for the 26-year-old however as he has been working through a nagging ankle injury that forced him out of the final outdoor rounds, and he’s set to undergo surgery later this week to rectify the final problems. A new father and soon to be married early next year, Marmont is at a good time in his life at this point.

MotoOnline.com.au gave him a call this afternoon to get the rundown on his plans for 2012, which includes a stint in the East Coast Lites AMA series for JDR/J-Star/KTM.

Thanks for the interview Doggy, first up, I guess looking back on 2011, how would you rate your season?

For me on the Pro Open bike it was a good experience and I did have some good races, but things didn’t quite click for me with an injury in Super X once I got back on the bike.

I was battling that, so not making excuses, but I just didn’t really manage to put it up front as much as I should have. Anyway, I had a lot of fun doing it and I look forward to next year.

Speaking of next year, you’ve been linked to the JDR team in the U.S. again, so do you have any update on that at this stage?

Yeah, that will all go ahead. I just had my first day today back on the 250F and absolutely loved it. I just feel right at home on that Lites bike and I can’t wait to get over there, start training hard and get ready for the East Coast series.

Will you be doing the whole series, or you’re not sure just yet?

Not just yet. I’m locked in to do the first four and then it’s pretty much a performance-based deal. If I’m doing well enough I can stay and do the whole series, but if I’m not doing too well then I can come home and race back here in Australia.

I’m going to back myself and say I’ll try stay over there, since the opportunity is there. I’m going to do everything I can to try and be there to finish the season.

So just say you are doing good, which you definitely could judging by your performances this year, we might not see you outdoors here?

Well if I do the whole East series then I will miss out on the first three rounds of the MX Nationals.

That’s not to say I won’t be back here for the outdoors, because I do have a lot of fun in them, so if there’s a position available with JDR then I’m pretty sure they’d give me a shot to finish the series off.

I’d be keen to do that, so we’ll go from there.

When you went over to race this year, it was something you said you always wanted to do, just to race a few races in America. Now you’re back again, so is it a different outlook with more expectations for 2012?

You know, that’s the best thing about JDR, their approach is the same as mine and they don’t want to give me any pressure.

They want to give me all the opportunities they can with no pressure, and I think that’s why it worked so well last time.

I went in with a clear frame of mind and did the absolute best I could. Nobody knew me over there and I didn’t know them, so I just went out and rode my bike.

I can’t wait to get back there because I feel like I fit in well now and I adapted quite well to the lifestyle. The East Coast will be something new for me, but it’s something that’s part of it and I look forward to the journey.

At this stage the plan is for you to be based in California near the JDR guys and KTM test track?

Yeah, I’ll be based out of California because it’s easy having the team there and I don’t really know many people on the East Coast. I’ll just travel each weekend and try to get myself up to speed.

I’ll be riding with a few Aussies like Matt [Moss], so it should be a lot of fun.

Just to finish, your baby daughter Indigo was born right before Super X and you have your wedding coming up to your fiancé Chelsea. On top of that you’re also an uncle to Jay and Abby’s boy, Jax. It’s been a nice few months for you guys, hasn’t it?

Yeah, it has. The lifestyle for me is a lot different now with my beautiful baby girl and she’s absolutely amazing. Chelsea is an amazing mum, so it’s just nice to go riding each day and come home to them.

They’re just the steps of life I guess, so I can’t wait for them to come with me and have another adventure in America.

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