GNCC Racing: Hey Chris, how's it going today?

Chris Willis: Things are going very well. 

How have you been staying busy through the winter?

I know the race team has been staying really busy prepping for the 2012 race season. We have been planning our tour throughout the US and looking at new opportunities.  Here at Shaft Drillers International, we’re always busy conducting business and things are going well here at our new office location in Mt. Morris, PA.

For those who may not know, what is Coastal Racing?

Coastal Racing is a race team founded by SDI CEO Scott Kiger when the company was only the single division known as Coastal Drilling East. 

So tell us how the 2011 season went for Coastal Racing.

The 2011 race season went very well overall for the team. Just like anything, they had their obstacles but with the help of all the team members and sponsors they were able to introduce the new Polaris XP 900 in style and bring home two championships, third and sixth overall in the UTV divisionӠeast and west coast respectfully. Plus, our ATV XC1 Pro racer Jarrod McClure had a great year earning seventh overall east and west coast, winding up with a well-deserved Most Improved Rider of the Year Award at the GNCC Awards Banquet.

Sounds like a good season! So, what exactly is Coastal Drilling?

Coastal Drilling East is a Geo Technical construction company based in Mt. Morris, PA. CDE’s team of dedicated professionals executes complex projects ground stabilization projects throughout the US.

What kinds of drilling do you guys do? 

We are involved in a few different types of drilling. We focus our drilling efforts in three main areas; large diameter, blind bore drilling, geo technical drilling and oil and gas exploration. Our signature-drilling unit is North American Drillers, whose rigs can drill up to twenty feet in diameter and two thousand feet in depth. Our Coastal Drilling East division has the ability to use industry leading knowledge to use their drilling efforts to solve complex ground, sea wall other stabilization projects.

So how exactly does the drilling process work?

Drilling is as much of an art for SDI as it is a science. We believe that if there is a problem then we can find a solution to the need. Information about our process and the application of our methods can be seen at www.shaftdrillers.com. 

How big is the drilling industry and what would be the big drilling areas here on this side of the country?

The Marcellus Shale market is huge in our local area and the positive impacts of this industry are seen daily. 

It definitely seems like the drilling industry is pretty interesting and there must be some good job opportunities out there right now.

Yeah, the industry is exploding. In every local town you can see the positive impact that the drilling industry is having on our communities. Here in the northeast it is hard to go more than a few minutes without seeing a drilling industry truck or to pass a project as you travel through the area. Each of these trucks and these projects represents dollars, jobs and opportunities that are pouring into our local communities. 

How would someone go about getting into a drilling job?

If you are interested in working for us then check out our opportunities at the Career Center on our website, www.shaftdrillers.com. We search daily for hardworking men and women to our high performance team. We provide excellent benefits and compensation for our employees. If you are looking for hard work and like to travel then we have locations Australia, Brazil and through the United States that each offer our employees rewarding career opportunities.

Wow, that has to be tempting for someone out there! What could someone expect to be starting out doing?

The great thing about the drilling business is that every day carries a new challenge. The business is dynamic and has a fast pace which keeps us all on your toes. New hires will experience a business that is competitive in nature and have opportunities to travel, work with dedicated professionals and enjoy great compensation and benefits for their efforts.

Switching back to the racing side, what are the plans for 2012?

I’ve heard the race team talking a lot about the 2012 series and it’s going to be exciting. There are some new team sponsors coming on board this year along with most of 2011’s sponsors continuing on after a great year. The team’s main focus is on the GNCC series in 2012. After running both the GNCC and WORCS series in 2011 they have decided to buckle down more so on the east coast and focus on the GNCC series as well as some select Best in the Desert races.

For those who are kind of unfamiliar with UTV racing, what kind of set-up work do you guys do compared to the bike and ATV racers?

Our set ups are pretty similar to most machines. You know, we do more than some I guess but the most important things like horsepower, shocks, suspension components, roll cages, tires and wheels, Tireballs, and the list keeps going with our race team sponsors and competitive spirit and desire to win. The Coastal Racing machines always have a competitive twist due to the creativeness of our team members and their knowledge and passion to work on racing vehicles.

How much does a set up change from race to race?

Our set up doesn’t change that much from race to race unless the conditions go from extremely muddy to extremely dry which does happen but when that’s the case it’s the normal water proofing or keeping the dust out of the engine which is not hard when you’re running a Polaris UTV thanks to the awesome job the engineers do before these machines leave the factory.

What would you want someone who's never competed in a UTV race to know about it?

It’s very addictive! Please try it! A great aspect of UTV racing is that it offers families and friends the change to race together as it is a two-person sport. The partnership aspect of this sport both increases its appeal to families as well as to friends who want to get into the sport. So whether you are a father and son or just two good friends, just go have fun and then focus on finishing because Racer Productions puts on an outstanding event each time so anything short of fun is your own fault.

It’s definitely unique but also offers the same thrills you can get on a bike or ATV. All right, before we end this, who would you like to thank?

I know that there are three sets of sponsors for the National Guard, Polaris, Coastal Racing team and I’m not sure about all of them but the folks that supported Scott Kiger out in the 2011 season outside of Coastal Racing are; National Guard, Polaris, HMF, Kenda, Exit suspension, Tire Balls, Beard Seats and utvunderground.com

We would also like to thank our fans for their support of our team, our riders and this amazing sport! We look forward to seeing each of you this year at the GNCC events and please stop by the Coastal Racing area at the next race in your area. 

I can’t speak on behalf of what all the race team has in the works but I do know there are some pretty cool things in the works for the 2012 season. Keep an eye out for a press release real soon from Coastal Racing and check out all of the updates at yokleyracing.com.