How’s it going today?

Oh, it’s going good!

What are your plans for the 2012 season?

I’ll be back with DeRisi Racing doing the GNCC and Mid-East Series, and hoping to snag some wins.

Great to hear! What are you doing to get ready for the 2012 season?

I’ve been doing a lot of cardio training. I actually just bought a dirt bike recently and have been riding it some. I hit the first Mid-East race this past Sunday, which was pretty good. I was leading, but Bryan Cook passed me on the last lap and we finished right there together. Then I’ve been doing a good bit of motocross, actually riding more of that than anything so far.

So taking after a lot of guys and training on the moto track works for you as well?

Oh yeah, definitely. I really just enjoy it and it’s a lot of fun. For me, it’s the most fun training you can do versus just going out, pounding laps in the woods and beating the equipment up. That’s not much fun for me, and I enjoy riding motocross a lot more, so when it comes to actually racing in the woods, it ends up being that much better for me.

What are your plans for training before Florida?

I’m planning on just heading down the week before the race. I went down before for a couple of months and it definitely benefited me to go ride there a bit but it’s just one race so it’s tough to put all that time and effort in just for the opening round. So, I’ll just head down the week before and I probably won’t even take the quad then and I’ll just ride my dirt bike, have some fun, and basically just try to have fun all year.

How much off-season racing have you done so far?

I’ve actually only raced two races so far, but I’ve ridden multiple days every weekend. The last two weekends I’ve actually gotten out and raced though.

Going back to 2011, how did the year go for you?

It was pretty good! It was my first season with DeRisi Racing and I managed to put in some solid races and get seven or eight podiums, which was pretty good. Recapping it like that sounds so short but that’s pretty much it. (laughs)

So how are you feeling coming into the new season?

I’m feeling excellent right now! I’m at probably the lowest weight I’ve ever been, even lighter than back in high school. I’m just feeling really good on the bike, really comfortable and I’m having a lot of fun on it. I have really high expectations for the season.

So what are those high expectations?

Well, I’m planning to win the class and finish 8th overall. That’s the goal.

With Walker Fowler stepping up to the XC1 class, how do you think that will affect the face of competition in the XC2 class?

You know, I think it’s actually going to be pretty much the same as last year but instead of everyone battling for those second and third spots, we’re going to be battling for the win. In a way, it might make the racing more interesting since it’s actually for the win. So, I plan to just throttle it out until the end and see what I end up with.

What will it take on your part to jump up into that number one spot?

It’s going to take a lot of luck for sure and basically just to make sure I’m always having fun (laughs).

So you actually work a regular job during the week too, right?

Yep. Well, I wouldn’t actually say it’s a “regular” job but I do work Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays at a motorcycle shop in Christansburg, Virginia. It’s almost strictly motorcycles; we hardly sell any ATV stuff. It’s basically all dirt bikes and street bikes.

What’s it like for you to balance that with racing on the weekends?

It’s not too bad at all. It’s not the job that holds me back it’s just the fact that I don’t have an ATV with me. All my stuff is down at the DeRisi shop, which is about 3 hours from me. So, I kind of started getting bored during the week and that’s why I bought a dirt bike, just to get to ride on Wednesdays when I’m off work and it holds me off until I go ride the quad on the weekends.

There are quite a few guys who ride bikes as well, is it good cross-training for you?

Yeah, it’s definitely good cross-training as long as I can keep from getting hurt on it! (laughs).

Yeah, it’s a little bit different than a quad, isn’t it?

Oh yeah, it’s definitely a bit different. I don’t push it too hard and like I said, I only ride motocross on it so there’s a lot less to hit.

Who would you like to thank?

I’d like to thank DeRisi Racing, DC Cycles, GBC Tires, RG Honda/Yamaha, Faast, Spider Grips, IMS, Liquid Performance, DP Brakes, QuadTech, Wiseco, GPR, Maier, Tireballs, Powerbar, Moose Racing, Hyper, HMF, Rekluse, Twin Air, Fox, Bell helmets, Dirt Works, and Scott.