Race chat: Jordan Williams

Fresh onto the Madison Saracen Factory Race Team in 2021, Jordan Williams impressed with fourth at his first world cup outing.

Hailing from Somerset, Jordan has stepped up from our development team and now finds himself racing at the biggest events in the world.

So following his first race, we thought we would catch up and find out how it has been going.

What is it like to have your first world cup in the bag – and to be preparing for the rest of the season?
It was so cool to get my first World Cup in the bag. I really enjoyed it and can’t wait for the rest of the year. I’ll just keep enjoying it and it will all flow. 

How did you find the experience of racing – and nearly getting on the podium at your first world cup?
It felt a bit weird at first as I haven’t raced in nearly two years but it didn’t take me long and I was straight back at home. A bit of a shame that I missed out on the podium but I know it will come. 

How had the development team prepared you for a world cup race weekend?
Yeah the development team really helped me to get used to the bike, the team and being on a team for the first time, it all definitely made it easier for my first World Cup. 

What was it like being in the full pit setup?
It is so cool to be in the big set up, I’ve been in there a couple times before at Nationals but it’s even better at a World Cup!

Did you get to visit Fox for the full puzzling experience, or is that something you are saving for later in your racing career?!
I didn’t visit the guys at Fox – but then I don’t think a lot of people did at Leogang as everyone was just trying to stay upright on the track. 

What was your bike setup for the race? Was there anything that you had to change compared to normal – for example shock/fork settings, tyres/pressures, bar height etc?
I didn’t change much on my bike all I did was put Shorty’s on front and back and just focused on the track mainly. 

Was there anything that surprised you about a world cup weekend?
A lot of things surprised me as you get to see everything that’s happening, whereas if you’re at home watching you don’t see the behind the scenes bits. 

How was it hanging out with Matt, Vero and all the team – as well as being around so many of the massive names in the sport?
It was pretty cool being with the number one! We all get on really well so it’s just like being with your mates. That’s one thing I noticed about myself over the weekend is that I felt really confident around all the big names it sounds really cocky but I felt like I’m meant to be there and I wasn’t really bothered about anyone with a big name.

Did you say hi to anyone or were you too nervous/focussed on your racing?!
I did say hi to Loic Bruni and had a little chat with him. I used to look up to Loic when I started off racing so it was nice to meet him but as I say, it just felt normal to me and I didn’t feel scared or nervous of him and he’s a super nice guy. 

We know you – like a lot of riders – had a tough time over the race weekend in Leogang, especially with things like crashes. How did you handle that element of the course – one where crashes were part of the job?
Yeah qualifying day I really struggled just kept on crashing, I didn’t know what was going on!

I had a really big one about an hour before my qualifying run, but Will and Harry really helped me get my mood and confidence back up and Max fixed my body all up so big thanks to those guys. 

Then I just wiped it out of my mind for qualifying and race day and got a decent result at the end. 

How did you mentally manage to get back onto the bike and push for race run, when you’d only just taken a big hit in practice a couple of hours before?!
As I was saying the team really helped mentally. I feel like I’m pretty good mentally as well, so I just got it out my head and cracked on. 

Looking back, what’s the thing you learned from your first factory race team weekend?
I definitely learned a lot. On the morning practice before qualifying I was really stressed and nervous, so next time I just need to relax and trust in myself and the team.

It couldn’t have gone much worse than Leogang and I still got a good result.

What’s the thing that you’re going to do differently at the next world cup to help improve your performance?
I’m just going to have more and more fun, for me the more fun I have the better. 

And finally, any shout-outs for your riding crew on the trails back at home?
I’ve got two really close mates who are watching all the live timing and messaging me every day about how it’s going. George Madley and Aiden Trott both ride and are really fast, cheers boys!

Big thanks also to the team and everyone who is helping me this year.