by: Jared Bolton
Wednesday, April 15, 2015 | 10:00 AM
A new addition to the 3-hour PM bike race in 2015 was the Junior A/B 25+ class. This is a unique situation for faster guys who don’t want to go up against the young, upcoming riders in the 250, 200, Open or 4-Stroke Lites classes, but aren’t old enough for a Vet class yet. So far this season, Eric Breitmeier has shown that consistency is key and currently leads the class points. We caught up with Eric to hear more.
GNCCRacing.com: How's it going today?
Eric Breitmeier: I'm doing pretty good today. Took it easy and went fishing then rode a few miles on the mountain bike with my girlfriend to finish out the day.
So tell everyone a little about yourself.
Well, I'm 28 years old and I've been racing on and off for the past 12 years. When I'm not racing, riding, or working I spend my time wrenching on bikes and quads for my friends and myself. Pretty much my life revolves around dirt bikes.
What do you do for your regular day job?
I'm a proud member of the Sheet Metal Workers Local Union 33.
So what would a typical day be like for you?
A typical day for me? Well, I get up before daylight and head off to work. We do such a variety of work that I don’t know if I'll be repairing industrial equipment at power houses and factories around the area or maybe I'll be in the shop building polished stainless countertops for Burger King and everything in-between. I may go in at 6am and not get home until 10pm and go back at it again the next day. It sure keeps me on my toes and in decent shape.
And you still make time for racing!
Of course. Got to make time for what you love.
You've been around the GNCCs on and off for a number of years but this year you've been putting together a pretty solid season so far. Tell us how it's going.
I've always tried running the races local to me but this year was just kind of a last minute decision. My good buddy Brady Myers' dad works with me and one day at work he mentioned to me about going to Georgia to watch Brady race and he told me to throw my bike in his truck and go race. He ended up not being able to go but it put the idea in my head and I ran with it. Georgia was my second time attempting a 3 hour race and also the first one I finished. All I can say about that is that it was a whole different ball game from the morning races. I'm nowhere near where I want to be but I've made some huge steps since that first race in such a short time and I'm determined to be on the top of the box by the end of the season.
What's it like racing a new class to the series?
Having a class aimed toward racers in my age group is great. Some of the guys that have raced it are super-fast but it is much better than having to compete against 40 or more kids that I'm not even close to matching their speed and probably never will be.
Do you think it's a concept that could catch on in the coming years?
I think it’s great for guys like me that work hard for a living and don’t have tons of time to train like some of the other up and comers in the series. I think next year after it’s been out there for everyone to see that more people will start running it.
So you're holding the points lead but actually haven't snagged a win yet. Do you think that you can remain consistently at the front for the rest of the season?
I've got the confidence that I can keep running up front but I've just got to get my body in shape and then I just might be able to battle for the #1 position.
Can you come away with the class title?
I don’t see any reason that I can't. I just need to stay consistent and push hard to get some wins to secure my points lead once we get back up north where I'm used to riding.
You actually know a lot of other riders, some of which are pretty fast. How much does it help to ride with different people?
It helps a ton to hang out and ride with some of the best in the business. I actually went up to the DuVall ranch a few weeks back and rode with Thad, Brady Myers, Brooke Cosner, Michael Davis, and a few others. Sometimes I'll just sit at a section I struggle on and wait for the others to come through just to see how they attack it to get me a new idea of how to handle it. I like riding with Justin Sode too because he's so good in the technical stuff. He's just got that natural talent and watching him I can pick up on how to be smooth in the terrain that would beat a normal person senseless. Battling with Dr. Steve Thaxton at the WEXCR races is fun too. That old man is fast and a blast to race with. He's always got pointers and words of encouragement at every round especially after some good race long battles.
What do you hope to accomplish through the rest of the 2015 season?
My main goal this season is to walk away with my first national championship. My second goal is to capture that ever elusive class win.
Alright before we wrap this up, who would you like to thank?
First of all I would like to thank my girlfriend, Evana, and my dad for coming to every round with me to help and cheer me on, my mom, my sister, my brother-in-law, Factory Backing for keeping me factory fresh, Dunlop tires for keeping me stuck to the dirt, Scott goggles keeping my vision clear, Twin Air filters for saving my motors, Bell Helmets for keeping my head safe and stylish, IMS for the great pegs keeping me in control and the tank that limits my pit stops, AOMC.mx for the hookup on KTM parts, and GoPro for getting everything on camera so I can live it all over again from week to week. I also want to thank Thad DuVall, Justin Sode, Brady Myers, Nathan Ziklo, Steve Thaxton, Aaron and Renee Stuter, Jayce Knopp and the rest of the Knopp family, and last but not least my number one fan, my nephew Jacob McGuinn who gives me the heart to push when I'm ready to throw in the towel.