by: Jared Bolton
Tuesday, March 18, 2014 | 1:35 PM
Trevor Bollinger had a stellar 2013 season taking the 4 Stroke A Lites class championship, as well as overall amateur honors. With a jump to the XC2 class for 2014, Bollinger has already seen success with a 4th at the opening round in Florida, and backed that up with a podium finish in Georgia. We caught up with the XC2 rookie to hear more.
GNCCRacing.com: How's everything going today?
Trevor Bollinger: Pretty good! Just been hanging out here at the NFAB Am-Pro Yamaha shop today with everyone. Right now, we’re just trying to recover from Sunday, then get back into the swing of training and riding soon.
So how's it feel to be back in the swing of GNCC Racing?
It feels good to be back racing. I'm just kind of ready for a dry race, that’s for sure. I only have one new bike, so these mud races are extra tough on equipment.
I’m with you on that one! You had a couple of great rounds so far. Tell us how they went.
Yeah, it's been pretty good so far, I’ve just been struggling with starts. In the XC2 class, with about 15 fast guys, when you’re in the back it's hard to get with the lead group and that's been the biggest thing so far. I’ve been coming from the rear both races, so hopefully I can get a good start pretty soon and run with the leaders.
How did it feel to land on the podium in Georgia?
It was awesome! It’s something I have dreamt about since I was about 14 years old and to finally be there after all of the injuries and surgeries I’ve went through, it really is a big sigh of relief to know I can do it and be a title contender.
What will it take to repeat that success in coming rounds?
Good start would help for sure, every race I feel like I’ll get stronger. I broke my wrist in the off season and had about 3 weeks before Florida, so not really the amount of time I wanted to prepare. The good part is, my body and wrist can only get better from here on out.
And next race at Steele Creek is your home race, so you definitely want to put in a great ride there!
Yeah, Steele Creek is always my favorite race. The track is sick, and all the locals always come out and cheer me on. Hopefully I can make it on the shirt! That would be awesome. (laughs)
So let's look back at last season. How did 2013 go for you?
2013 went really good. I actually didn't even plan on racing the whole GNCC season. My plans were to just race the local series after coming off of my 4th knee surgery, but I ended up winning Steele Creek and the next race was Big Buck, which isn’t far from home either, so I thought I would give it a try, and I won again. So, I told myself that I might as well do the whole thing. I ended up winning all but 1 race in 4 Stroke A Lites and ended up with the class championship.
How did it feel to come away as the top amateur rider for the year?
It felt good but as a racers we always want more. So, I don't dwell on it too much. I can do that once I stop racing. (laughs_
Did you expect to do so well?
I always knew I could put together a season like that, I just had to make it happen. Everything just kind of fell into place right and with a lot of hard work, I finally made it happen.
What was the biggest highlight of the season for you?
I got 9th overall in the mud at The Mammoth. That was definitely pretty awesome and I don’t think I’ll ever forget that.
So what are your goals for the rest of 2014?
To be on the podium! That's what I have to do if I want to be in the title hunt.
What will it take to make that happen?
Just keep being smart. The biggest thing with the pro classes is there’s no drops so every race counts. You have to be consistent for sure. That pays off.
Alright, before we wrap this up, who would you like to thank?
Fly, Maxxis, EKS Brand, my suspension guy Mark at MotoVations, HBD Graphics, E and H Honda, USWE, my Dad, Grandpa William and uncles! Couldn't do it without all those guys. Thanks!