GNCCRacing.com: I know this is a bit late, but how did it feel to win your first WXC race?

Hannah Hunter: I was shocked at first, then it finally clicked that I won my first-ever WXC race. I was so happy through the whole PM race that I couldn’t keep a smile off my face!

Did you go into the Mountaineer thinking that this was going to be the place where you got your first pro class win?

I went into the Mountaineer knowing I would need a good start to be competitive, but I didn’t think I would win my first race. However, I knew the track was going to be old-school and I really like those kind of tracks.

Give us a play-by-play of the race.

I got a pretty decent start and I quickly moved into third. I knew if I could stay with the front pack I was going to end up in a good position in the end. Once I saw Kate [Osburn] the second-to-last lap I knew I had to try and pull something off the last lap. The last lap came and Kate pitted. So now I had gotten by her and knew I had to ride smart and get to the finish line quick. That last lap was really intense – we switched spots a couple of times and Traci [Pickens] even caught back up to us. I ended up riding smart and taking the win.

Even though you were second to Kate Osburn at the next round (Ironman), you actually had a higher overall finish than at the Mountaineer. Which race did you feel like you rode better at?

I think I rode better at Mountaineer. The Ironman was a race where the smartest person would win, and I made a couple mistakes that cost me the race. At the Mountaineer I felt like I rode the best I have all year. Again, I just really like the old-school type of track.

Now tell us about your most recent win here at Big Buck!

I got off to a great start behind Angel [Magee] and Traci [Pickens]. I passed Traci, then passed Angel on the first lap and rode my own race to the pit stop. That’s when things got interesting. Traci and I pulled into the pits at the same time and she got out before me, but I knew I had two laps to get back around her. On the last lap I took a line to the right and Traci took one on the left. Mine turned out to be a little bit straighter, just enough that I could make the pass for first. Once I got into first, I knew it wasn’t over and had to be smart until I crossed the finish line.

You have won two races now – one at a track that was pretty gnarly, and this most recent win at Big Buck was on a track that was faster and more open. Do you have a preference for one type of track over the other? You said you prefer a more “old school” type of track, which I’m guessing means more on the technical side?

I do like wide-open stuff, but my favorite tracks are the technical tracks. For example, Snowshoe Mountain is one of my favorites. Stuff like that is what I grew up riding on and have preferred through my whole career.

Last season it seemed like you showed a lot of promise, and then your finish here at Big Buck only reinforces that. But it also seemed like your results last season were a bit inconsistent. How do you plan to address that this season?

This season we got all the bugs worked out of the 450 and have it dialed for 2020. Besides solving the mechanical issues, I think it will help if I can get better starts and stay up near the front of the pack.