by: Jared Bolton
Tuesday, March 4, 2014 | 3:30 PM
Josh Merritt put in an excellent 2013 season, ending up 4th place in the final XC2 Pro Am point standings. Merritt only got stronger as the season wore on and landed several podium finishes late in the year. We caught up with Josh to talk about his 2013 season, plans for 2014, and more.
GNCCracing.com: Hey Josh, how’s it going today?
Josh Merritt: It’s going well! I’m actually in the truck headed down to Florida with my buddy Landon [Wolfe] so I’m pretty excited.
We’re just a few days away from returning to racing, are you ready to roll?
Yeah, I feel I’m pretty ready to get started. My Dad and I have put a lot of time getting ready for this year and I think we’re more prepared than we’ve ever have been. Plus going down to Florida two times this winter and being able to practice has helped me out a bunch.
How have you been spending your off season?
Well, I’ve been working at the marina a bit, but when I’m not doing that I’m normally in the gym or working on bikes. I’ve also gone to a few SORCS races down in Georgia to get some ride time. And like I already said I’ve gone down to Florida twice and stayed with the Borich crew and got some really good training in down there.
How did the off season races go for you?
They sort of started off rough since I hadn’t ridden since Ironman, but after a while I sort of got into the swing of things again and started to feel comfortable on the bike. There’s some tough competition at those races but I managed and had a good time.
Do you feel that’s going to give you a good advantage coming into Mud Mucker?
Yeah, for sure. Being able to go down and get some good seat time with other fast riders is definitely the best practice you can get.
So tell us how your 2013 season went.
It went better than I expected, honestly. I ended up getting fourth in my class which I was happy about but finished with a disappointing 20th overall which wasn’t exactly what I was looking for.
You finished stronger and stronger as the season wore on though!
Yeah, I think I just got more comfortable with the speed of the XC2 class and started training harder in between races. On top of that, the last 4 tracks are my favorite and they normally treat me pretty well.
What was the biggest highlight of the season for you?
Definitely the last round at The Ironman. I always love that track and it was perfect last year. I’ve had a third place curse for the past 2 years in the XC2 class and I finally broke it there and got a second.
How do you expect this season to go for you?
I mainly just want to shoot for consistent finishes and learn a lot from the pro guys and sort of use this whole year as a big learning year. But I’d like to get some decent finishes in the meantime and just give it my all.
What do you hope to accomplish?
I hope to know at the end of the year that I gave it my all and of course to keep my bike and my body in one piece.
Alright, before we wrap this up who would you like to thank?
First of all I’d like to thank Mom and Dad. I really appreciate all you do for me. Also, my sister Kara for always being a huge help, GT Thunder, Maxxis, Spider Graphix, Houser, AXA Advisors, Fly Racing, Portage Lakes Marine, Flexx, BNR, Leatt, Scott, and White Helmet Racing. We’ll see you all this weekend.