Dirk DeCesare has had a few set-backs in his career. His first year in the pro class, in fact his very first race in the pro class could quite possibly be called a disaster. DeCesare sustained injuries in a wreck in the first mile and spent several months rehabilitating. As soon as the doctors said he was able to do physical activity he hopped on his quad, just in time to wreck and total it. DeCesare went back to square one yet again, all for the love of GNCC Racing. Today, DeCesare took time out from work, and making sure his dog didn't attack any more of his friends to talk about his experience and why he keeps coming back for more.

Hey Dirk! Thanks for calling right after work.
No problem.

So what do you do besides race?
Right now I'm working at a GM plant as an electrician.  I work for a different contractor and I'm here because GM is putting a new car in to take the place of the Cobalt. I was kind of nervous about whether I was still going to have a job! I was pretty happy they were going to let me finish.

Alright, well let's jump into your racing career. You worked your way into the pro class and had your first race in 2004 but I heard it didn't go so well.
It was actually my first pro race, I coming from A class. It was the first year they made it mandatory to have a bike in production. I was so used to riding the 250R, but I switched to the YFZ450. I was basically just riding a stock bike. I went over the handle bars and broke my back in 5 places. I hit a drainage ditch.

It had taken you a few years to get into the pro ranks, what was going through your head when that happened? Basically I started out in the C class. It took me four complete seasons to get to the pro class. I was in the C class the first year, in B for two years and A class for one year. I was probably in the best physical condition in my life before I got hurt. I was training every day and I was really looking forward to racing pro.

What happened after the crash? They life-flighted me to a bigger hospital. A team of doctors examined me and I chose not to have a surgery. I basically had to lay in a bed for 3 months and then had to go through rehab. I basically had to start all over again. I went to therapy for 6 months, a few hours a night. Then I slowly got back into racing. I built a bike I was comfortable with. I was back on a 250R again.

So when you were going through rehab, was your plan to get back into racing as soon as you could?
Basically I went to rehab because I wanted to race. It's all I cared about it. The doctors said it wasn't a good idea. I just told myself I wanted to race again. I did everything I could to get better as fast as I could. The day they told me I could get back with physical activity I got right back on the bike. I basically told myself I wanted to ride again. It just took a long time.

What was your rehabilitation like? Basically, they started me off with very light things like, when I first started getting better I was exhausted getting out of bed and going to the bathroom because I lost all my muscle. It was a long process with a lot of pain. The doctor would rub my spine to get everything back in alignment. He would rub it until it bruised between every vertebra. I had some laser treatment done.

How long did it take to get back in racing form? I came back a year later and started the season in Florida and I was struggling to get in the top 10 in the A class. It was frustrating because I was just starting all over again. I wanted to ride faster than my body wanted to go and then I would wreck again.

I broke the quad basically in half. I had never wrecked like that in my entire life--frames, A-arms, axles and everything.

What was your move from that? Were you just out of racing? Basically I couldn't get parts anymore to fix it. I was almost forced to get a 450 4-stroke. So I got a Honda 450 and started riding it. I had a really hard time getting used to it. I took a year off of GNCC to do locals. I was struggling to do well in those, too. I rode there for a full year and then I went back and rode B class and I actually ended up winning the B class last year. That led me to this year. Now I'm leading the A class in points, even though I haven't won a race! But I've been pretty consistent so far.

How did the rest of the 4-stroke switchover go? I just didn't get used to a 4-stroke. I was never a 4 stroke rider. I never got used to it. I just ...can you hold on a minute. 
(Hear him chasing dog in the background... "Hey! Can you hold him a minute? I'm doing an interview!"

Did your dog get loose?
Yeah, my buddy came over to visit and my dog went after him.

Wait, so you had him hold the dog after it went after him?
Yeah! He's good.

Right. So do you think it would have been easier to do the 4-stroke if you hadn't also had the injury? Not really. It was just that I never had a lot of time on a four stroke.  I never really got used to when I rode pro my first year. I just kind of jumped on it because I had to. I live in Ohio and there was a bad winter. Then my plane was delayed on the way to practice because of an ice storm. I probably had only about 4-6 hours on the bike before the first race.

After taking that time off to do local races, when did you decide to come back to GNCC? As soon as I felt comfortable enough to be on the bike I came back and raced B class.  That was last year, in 2007.

So why the desire to come back to GNCC? I always loved racing. I love the competition. I couldn't wait to get back into it. I just trained and trained until my body was ready to get back into it.

How did you get started in GNCC in the first place? I raced a bunch of locals. I went to one and then I was hooked on it.

How has this year gone for you so far? It's going pretty good. I'm leading points even though I haven't won a race.

What was the best race for you so far.?

(dog barking in the background)

Probably Georgia.  I think I got second in Georgia. Going into John Penton, I feel pretty confident. I'm doing a lot of training. Trying to get a couple wins.

Does your back still ever bother you? As long as I keep working out my back is getting better. As long as I work hard and stay in shape my back feels pretty good.

Anyone you'd like to thank? My sponsors! MAC Racing, Clarke, Custom Axis Shocks, Fasst Company, GT Thunder, Hinson, Hiper Wheels, HMF Exhaust, Houser Racing, ITP Tires, Maier, Motosport.com, One Industries, Oury Grips, Precision Racing, Pro Graphx, Quadtech, RK Chains, Scott Goggles, Tire Balls, Uni Filters, XCountry Photos.