Blake Tornes has been putting in a consistent 2013 season in the ultra-competitive College-A class. Blake currently sits 6^th in class points. We caught up with Blake to find out more.

GNCCRacing.com: How's it going today?
Blake Tornes: Really well actually, I just got home from work and headed out to the KKM compound for some seat time.

Sounds fun! Alright, to start off, tell everyone a little about yourself.
Well, I just turned 20 years old last week and I live in the small town of Waterford, Ohio. I’m a Welder/Fabricator at EZG Manufacturing. I pretty much work, practice, race and work on the quad.

How did you get into racing?
I’ve always been a fan and had an interest in racing for as long as I can remember. Some of my cousins used to ride and race so I would always hang around them. Then when I was 8 I got my first ride, a TRX90 but my parents didn’t want me to race. When I turned 18 I raced a local motocross and it was all over after that, I was hooked!

What brought you to GNCC?
Well after a handful of motocross races I decided to try a local woods race and I really liked that. So I decided to race the 2012 Powerline Park GNCC and knew that’s where I wanted to be. From there I hit the Ironman to finish out the year.

So this is your first full year racing off-road, what's it been like so far?
Yeah, like I said I hit two GNCC’s in 2012 along with a few local hare scrambles. After that we decided to run the full 2013 season. It’s definitely been a challenge so far and I’ve had some ups and downs but that’s racing. Overall it’s been a good first year but there is definitely room for improvement.

How has your 2013 GNCC season been going so far?
Pretty good for my first full year. We’ve learned a lot and continue to learn a lot as far as bike setup and preparation for the races. I’ve had to step up my game as far as training and getting in shape, as well as getting all the seat time I can during the week and on off weekends. We came into the year with a goal of top 5 in College A and right now I’m 1 point behind 5^th place with 4 rounds to go and I think I’m 32^nd overall. So, there’s still work to be done this year.

What’s the competition in the College-A class like?
It’s unbelievable, it’s amazing how fast some of these guys go. From top to bottom this class is very competitive. There’s no room for error, one mistake and you are in the back of the pack. It’s wide open all the time.

You've landed a couple of top 5's against that stiff competition, what will it take to keep doing that?
I have to keep practicing and training and have solid mistake free rides. I also have to focus on finishing the race. I’ve had some bad finishes this year along with some top 5’s because of some mistakes we have made and some unreliable equipment. But we just switched it up and got an awesome engine from Moto-Xperts and we are 100% confident in those guys so we should be all set.

What do you hope to accomplish in the final four rounds?
To keep improving every time I get on the quad. Also to improve at every round within my class as well as overall and hopefully end up in the top 5 in College A and top 30 overall.

Do you have any plans for 2014 yet?
The plan right now is to stay in College A next year and run the entire 2014 GNCC season. The goal is to be fighting for the championship next year in College A and to land some top amateur overalls.

What do you hope to accomplish beyond 2013?
My goal is to be on the front row someday, just like every other racer out there. I would also like to have a national championship in every class I race going forward.

Alright, before we wrap this up, who would you like to thank?
First and foremost I would like to give a huge thanks to my cousin Kyle Kincaid with KK Motorsports for making my dream a reality. He keeps us going and without him none of this would be possible. Thanks to my main sponsor Brian Vasko at Waynesburg Yamaha. He makes sure we have everything we need at the drop of a hat. Brian has also helped us out tremendously with bike setup and getting it dialed in. Thanks to Moto-Xperts for an awesome engine and Heath at Lonestar Racing. Thanks to my mechanic, Jon Hart. He has put in endless hours building the bike, setting it up and prepping it. He’s always helping me improve my suspension and pushing me to try new setups. I’d like to thank Rudy Pennock our “team manager.” He’s always keeping us updated on all the racing secrets and information and is always giving me encouraging words and helpful advice. Thank you to all my friends for supporting me and lifting me up when I need it. Thanks to my Mom and Dad and family for always being there for me.