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@jenkenyon: There's no doubt that our industry as a whole has taken a hit as far as money, equipment and staff are concerned-from off-road, to MX/SX and even road racing-so it's pretty standard to see other types of support-teams pop up. We've seen Chad Reed and TwoTwo Motorsports take "non-factory support" to another level in the past couple years and it's trickling into other disciplines as well. We all know that if Chad Reed has enough cash flow to fund his own race team, he isn't really a privateer effort, but people love to follow an underdog story, so why not. And don't get me wrong, I think what Chad is doing is great. In fact, I think it's inspired-or even forced-people to realize that our sport may not have unlimited cash flow like it seemed to have even a decade ago, but people are not going to stop racing.
On the ATV front, we've bid farewell to KTM's factory efforts for now and unfortunately on the bike side we've done the same with the entire Factory Suzuki package, including rider Josh Strang. But the light at the end of the tunnel comes in the form of satellite teams, for lack of a better term. Strang has already benefited from this, as his RPM/KTM team is comprised of dealership support, outside sponsor money (such as Maxxis) and minor factory support, from what I understand. Thad DuVall's Shenendoah Honda deal is the same situation: minor factory support, a dealership steps up and outside sponsors chip in. Good deal, right?
On that note, it sounds like WMR/KTM (Nate Kanney's team last year) will return to GNCC this season after what sounded like a no-go at the end of last year. It's no secret that Nate won't be back but it appears they've found an XC1 rider to take over the orange bike for now, in addition to a few other supported riders. Stay tuned for an official release on the 2012 WMR lineup soon.
Photo By: Krista Shaw - digitaloffroad.com
Bad Thad seems to have a more relaxed approach to racing this year
I stumbled across a tweet from ATV Pro Am rider Gabe Phillips this week, directing people to his new Facebook Fan Page where he's been posting updates of his riding and training adventures down south. I'm always pumped to see riders put themselves out to the public like this, so everyone head over to Phillips Racing's page and give 'em a LIKE: www.facebook.com/PhillipsRacing. It's good to see Gabe finally buckling down and putting in the work both on and off the track. It seems like he's been the shadow in the XC2 Pro Am class the last two years, with guys like Walker Fowler and Brian Wolf outshining him in the win department. But with both past champs in XC1 this year, this is Gabe's chance to prove he isn't going to be left in the dust. There's been talk that Gabe may move to XC1 this season, but regardless of where he ends up, this is the make it or break it year for the Waynesburg Yamaha rider.
Brian Koster has been keeping us updated with the FTR happenings and here's what he had to say about last weekend's race: "There were more out of state riders in the AA quad class than Floridians this weekend! Chris Borich took command right off the start and looked like he was going to run away with it, but Fowler and Kiser would have something to say about it before it was over with. Fowler took his place at the front of the pack for a short time but it ended with a last-lap showdown between Borich and Kiser, with Kiser taking the win."
After talking to Johnny G after the race, turns out Borich made his normal last lap pass on Kiser and then ran out of fuel with about a mile to go. Needless to say, Borich wasn't too excited but he can't win them all, right? Gallagher sounded happy about his own ride that day; besides the small issue he had with his pipe mount breaking toward the end of the race. One thing is for sure, Chris Borich runs a tight ship in the off-season. I heard he sleeps in his race gear and only stops spinning laps to go to the gym and use the restroom. One of these days we're going to yank him from his mad training program and find out what a day in the life of the three-time champ really looks like.
Photo By: Shan Moore
This picture is pretty cool...
That's all for me this week. I'll be heading to Lexington, Kentucky this weekend to catch a round of the AMA Arenacross Series. It's not quite GNCC Racing, but it'll suffice. Racing is racing, right?
Thanks for tuning into our weekly offroad commentary, we hope to fulfill your reading desires with meaningful content.
When you think about past champions-especially in GNCC-it's pretty interesting to think about how different each rider is from the other. I mean, everyone has a different personality, obviously, and the details of training and riding preference varies in every athlete, but true champions always have one thing in common: heart. A champion does whatever it takes to win, no matter what. That doesn't mean just riding or training when you think you need to, but doing those things even when you don't think you need to. I'm telling you this because I've been there and done it. As a champion, from the time you wake up until the time you go to sleep, you're thinking, "what should I have done more?" It's never enough, and it never should be.
I've had quite a few people ask me what it takes to win a championship. Well, if I knew the magic formula I would have somebody else writing this for me and I'd be telling you to send me all your money so I could make you the next champ. Honestly, it all lives in how bad you want to win and what you'll do to achieve that goal.
It's always interesting to me how some guys are super talented on a bike/ATV and they win championships because of it, while others are just as talented but never manage to get the title. When you ask why the super talented guys aren't winning, I would say it's pretty simple-they're being outworked. Talent will take you pretty far, but not all the way. Again, I think I'm speaking from experience here because when I raced the quad, I had a ton of talent but I didn't rely on talent alone. I did all the normal riding, training and local racing like everyone else, but I think one of the best things I did to propel myself above the other guys was hop a dirt bike. What could the bike possibly do to help me on the quad, you ask? Well, it opened my eyes to quite a few things actually: it gave me more seat time, made me think of different lines, forced me to work different muscles and it made me a better overall rider. Now on the other hand, I wasn't nearly as talented on the bike as I was on the quad. I actually remember Shane Watts saying one time in an interview that I had no style on the bike, but style doesn't win anything unless you're in the X Games. The reason I was a winner on the motorcycle was because I took my knowledge and talent from the quad side and pushed myself every day to be the best on a motorcycle too. That's what makes a champion.
Moral of the story, maybe some of the bike guys should try riding a quad. Would it make you slower? I think not.
Photo By: Bolton's iPhone
Lafferty looking strong on the Husaberg
Last weekend was the opener to the 2012 National Enduro season with the Sumter National Enduro in South Carolina. I made the trip down and spent the raceday with Hoop and Krista, following around Shan Moore to catch the pro riders in as many spots as possible. If you've never chased the riders at an enduro and think it's hard to keep up at a GNCC, it's way more spread out and difficult to follow an enduro. I've only done it a couple of times and it never ceases to amaze me just how spread out enduro events are, and I think of the hours the clubs must put in throughout the year to get it all ready for that one race.
As far as the race itself, it was a tough call to pick a clear top five. Heading into the event there were at least ten or fifteen riders that I thought were capable of breaking into the top five spots. It was definitely interesting to watch it all unfold even though it's really difficult to keep up with scoring when you're out in the woods. Every now and then someone would have a bit of info on what the results of a check were, but other than that, there's really no way to tell who's winning. Throughout the day the reports were that Steward Baylor was leading but Charlie Mullins, Cory Buttrick and Mike Lafferty were all pretty close for the second through fourth spots. In the third section, Mullins ran into some trouble when his oil cap fell off, and began spilling oil everywhere. He came by us near the end of section 3 and the bike was absolutely billowing smoke.
At the gas stop, the KTM team did an entire motor change and got Charlie back in the race. However, in the sixth section, the oil cap would once again come off. Charlie still managed to finish out the race in third place even with the oil cap issues but it would be Steward Baylor taking the overall win, ahead of Mike Lafferty in second. It was definitely an impressive win for Steward because while most people expected him to do well, there weren't many that picked him as a clear winner. From what I understand, it also makes him the youngest rider to win an overall at a National Enduro, which is pretty cool. There are still two more National Enduro rounds before we kick things off in March, and hopefully those will fuel the riders with enough fire to go out in Florida and put together a great race.
Photo By: Bolton's iPhone
No, that's not Jimmy Jarrett's bike! Nate ended up with row 44 at the Sumter National Enduro.
The word over the past few weeks was that Nate Kanney would be riding for the JG Offroad Team but the team has yet to make an official announcement. However, at the enduro, Nate's bike had a fresh set of graphics complete with a JG Offroad logo. There's still a couple of other riders who will make up the rest of that team and we should be hearing more about that soon. My plans as of right now will be to catch up with Nate for a Tuesday Toolbox soon so everyone can hear more details on Nate's new ride.
Moving on to our old school item of the week, Brian Melik posted this video from the 1996 Lisbon GNCC in Lisbon, Ohio. It's kind of fun to pick out as many riders as you can. I won't ruin that little game for you but I will say that for those who know a little about the history of GNCC Racing, should be able to pick out at least two riders. It's also pretty cool just to take a look back and see how much things have changed in 16 years, but yet how some things are still the same. Take a look here.
Take it away, @HotRodney22:
As the bike guys are busy racing National Hare Scrambles and National Enduros, the ATV crowd has been busy pounding away sand whoops in the Sunshine State. The local FTR events have been popular grounds for the 4-wheelers thus far. Walker Fowler has been feeling things out and getting a little taste of what to expect. Walker seems to have been putting things together this past weekend running with Chris Borich. It was a good learning experience for the youngster as he heads into his rookie season. In a recent conversation with Walker, he told me he was not looking to win so much this season but to gain as much experience running with the top guys as possible. So as frustrated as Walker may seem-or people may think-we must not forget it's a part of a process he has to grow through. And knowing how fast Fowler learns, it's only a matter of time before he figures out what works and what doesn't.
Photo By: Rob Juckett
Kiser got a taste of victory over the weekend. May be just what he needs to jumpstart the year
Kudos to Taylor Kiser! He finally got the monkey off his back and it appears the 'back-to-the-basics' is working out for Taylor. The reports of Kiser tracking down Borich for the win is a clear indicator that he's still in the game and could be more so now than ever. Kiser has never really been out of it, but he did have his struggles this past season, which in the mind of a few folks was supposed to be "Taylor Kiser's Year". Are the planets aligning for this to happen?
I spoke with Chris Bithell yesterday, who is near the Croom area in Florida, training with Gabe Phillips. Bithell has had some issues this off-season. It seems that his hunting season only landed him a small six-pointer, but was searching for more. Chris said that his girlfriend Chelsea landed a nice one so they have meat to carry them through the tough Florida winter. It seems that Chris' struggles during the pre-season may be mirroring his luck from hunting season. As everyone knows Chris will continue to be a part of the Can-Am family but he is moving to a new house. The GNCC Can-Am team will now be headed up by the ATV Motocross championship team - DWT/MotoWorks/Can-Am. Bithell will have the same mechanic as the 2011 ATVMX Champ John Natalie so the move should be a smooth transition. Bithell said that he has been training a lot on a motorcycle because he has been so hard on his equipment he's been breaking it. The near bulletproof Can-Am has not been the only victim though; Chris has also blown up some bikes too. Can anyone say, "determination?" Good news for Chris and bad news for everyone else. His new mechanic, Casey Greek, will be arriving in Florida shortly to resolve any problems before they roll into River Ranch for round 1. You can hear that interview with Chris here.
Photo By: Jen Ken
Check out Tuesday Toolbox with Team Faith's Chuck LeMaster this week!
I also spoke to Jarrod McClure briefly yesterday and he is still back home in Pennsylvania working and getting ready for the season. He said it was odd but he was going to head back south but opted to stay home and work to make money and ride at home. He said the weather has been amazing this winter and the lack of frigid temps and snow is making for perfect training. This could be a good move, while everyone is busy preparing for sand, he will be ready for nearly every other race this season.
Before we go, I will say that I saw a report on Leeann Kirkland's Facebook and she stated that Josh was headed home late last week and was thankful for everyone's prayer. Don't forget though to keep him in your prayers and his family along with Glenn Pritchard and his family.
That'll do it for now. Till next time God Bless Your Heart and All Your Vital Organs.
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