Quad Lock Honda’s Yarrive Konsky Unfiltered

For Quad Lock Honda team manager Yarrive Konsky, there is one prize that matters most in World Supercross; and it is the one that eluded his team last season. “Every year it’s the Rider Championship,” Konsky says in the latest episode of Unfiltered with Kristen Beat.

“It’s nice to win the Teams’ Championship title, or the Manufacturer Championship. That’s giving back to everyone who’s worked hard on the team and to all of our partners. But ultimately, the goal is to stand on the top step of the podium in the Riders Championship. That’s what we work for.”

Inside the Craig-Savatgy Rivalry

After narrowly missing out on that title last season, in a frank and honest discussion, Konsky has lifted the lid on one of the most intense storylines of the championship last year, as teammates Christian Craig and Joey Savatgy battled each other while chasing eventual champion Jason Anderson.

For Konsky, managing two elite riders in the same garage proved to be one of the greatest challenges of his managerial career, with teammates constantly battling on and off the track for every possible advantage, with the two returning for another crack at the title in 2026.

“The rivalry between those two was real,” Konsky said. “Everyone wants to be firstly, number one on their team. And secondly, both of them were chasing the Championship. Joey hasn’t won one yet. It was Christian’s first year in World Supercross. Christian was arguably trying to reignite his career. So it was extremely important to him to show face and show his competitiveness.”

The rivalry between those two was real. Everyone wants to be number one on their team.

The Mental Toll of Championship Racing

The intensity grew because both riders arrived with different motivations and personalities. And Konsky believes the emotional toll of elite competition is often overlooked by fans.

“They’ve got completely different personalities,” Konsky explained. “Dealing with it, I mean, I love the diversity of my staff and team. It’s taught me to be a better leader within our program, but it’s challenging because you know, the hard part is someone will lose.

“And I don’t think people really consider what that does to a rider,” he added. “They can put on a brave face of being around the sport for a very long time, including competing for nearly 20 years in Australia myself and losing hurts. And winning also creates expectation.

“Mentally these riders go through a lot and that’s what you’re challenged with. We talk about rivalry and sure I love the competitive spirit of racing but we forget that they’re human beings so there was a lot going on leading into that last round and more so following that last round.”

How the Championship Pressure Escalated

As the season unfolded, tensions naturally developed within the team environment as the Championship emerged as a three-horse race. Craig’s performance in the Australian GP pulled him into a straight fight with the other two riders. Managing the team dynamic then became important for Konsky.

“In certain environments, people can interpret something wrong,” he said. “A nudge going into a corner, a comment said in the pit area, a mechanic saying something to someone else. It’s a small industry and someone can hear something third or fourth hand that gets carried way out of where it originally started from and that causes problems. There was certainly friction going into the last round. Denying it would mean I’d be lying.

“At round one, everyone was high-fiving one another, looking forward to a Championship, visiting new countries. At round three, there was certainly personalities that needed to be managed. It’s little things throughout the Championship where officials might make a decision and one rider doesn’t agree with it. And it supports a different rider.

“You only have to go back and watch it. People losing points, people relegated positions because penalties were being applied and you only have to look at which riders they were and who they may or may not have affected and people had difference of opinions and things broke down.”

Handling the Pressure Inside the Team

The pressure of Championship racing placed enormous strain not only on the riders, but on the entire team. “With a lot of anxiety,” Konsky said when asked how he managed those situations. “It’s challenging. Like I said, someone loses and there’s a lot that goes on with that. Losing carries a lot of weight.

“You need to be resilient. You need to understand that tomorrow will come and you need to try and preach that, that tomorrow provides a new opportunity.”

How Savatgy Rediscovered His Best Form

Despite the internal rivalry, Konsky believes Savatgy’s late-season performances showed exactly what he is capable of.

“I feel that that level of intensity and presence I’ve seen in Joey’s riding before,” he said. “We didn’t see it enough in the early rounds.

“In Sweden, I think again, we saw a present rider who was locked in and things started to click,” he explained. “South Africa unlocked a lot for Joey. It was good for Joey. He certainly was present and you could see it. He was switched on.

“We sat down at the start of Supercross this year and we had probably one of our more honest talks,” Konsky said. “It went for a long time. I felt that I needed to explain to him how I was feeling and how much I believed in him and why we gave him the opportunity to race with us.”

We sat down at the start of Supercross this year and we had probably one of our more honest talks. It went on for a long time.

Why Konsky Believed in Christian Craig

The same philosophy shaped Konsky’s decision to recruit Craig despite recent injuries and setbacks.

“I’ve had my eye on Christian for many years,” he said. “It’s easy to forget what he’s achieved in this sport. I wanted to make sure he knew how good he was.

“The sad reality is some injuries can take six months to heal and you miss arguably two seasons and sponsors and teams move on,” he explained. “But if that rider, based on my own experiences, has the desire and hunger to come back and put themselves in that vulnerable position again on the motocross track, then I’m going to want to work with them.”

Beyond the racetrack, Konsky says Craig’s character has made a major impact on the team.

“As a human being, wow,” he said. “As a father and a husband, he’s so present. He gets so much joy out of other people being happy. 

“I walked into the workshop and there are donuts on the workshop bench,” he said. “And I’m like, ‘who brought these in?’ And the boys are like, ‘Christian brings these things most mornings’.

“So his level of respect and appreciation for the work people put in to give him the opportunity, yeah, it doesn’t go unnoticed.”

Quad Lock Honda’s Growing Reputation

Konsky believes the team’s performances last season also changed how Quad Lock Honda is viewed globally.

“I think we really arrived last year,” he said. “People throughout the world truly started to recognise that our focus isn’t to participate, our focus is to deliver results.

“There are some people in motorsport that just enjoy participating. They enjoy the corporate hospitality, they enjoy the team jacket. And then there are others there who want to fight tooth and nail for an inch on the track. I think that it’s become extremely clear throughout the world that we’re there for only one reason.”

Hungry for Success

That relentless mentality stems from Konsky’s own story as he went from rider to team manager. “My dad drove a taxi,” he said. “We scrounged and saved and borrowed our way to the racetrack in juniors.”

“I worked at Hungry Jacks [Burger King outside of Australia] at night so I could ride during the day.”

Despite building one of the most respected programs in international supercross, Konsky still sees himself as the same determined racer chasing a dream.

“I love inspiring people,” he said. “I don’t see myself as anything more than a guy at 18 or 16 who was finishing school, who had a dream.

“I just don’t see why people can’t do what I have done. I think anyone could do it if they’re resilient enough to deal with setbacks and rejection.”

After falling short last season, Konsky enters 2026 with the mission clearer than ever: win the World Supercross Riders’ Championship.