For some the name Johnny Girroir may have been a surprise name at the front of the pack in XC1 at Unadilla. However, it surely didn’t come as much surprise to riders from the New England area that knows just how fast Girroir can be. We caught up with Johnny to find out more about him, his racing, and what Unadilla was like.

GNCCRacing.com: How's everything going today?
Johnny Girroir: Good! Went wakeboarding this morning and had a blast, so it’s definitely been a pretty good day! 

Alright first and foremost, I think most everyone wanted me to ask what the proper way to pronounce your last name is!
(laughs) Girr, pronounced like “jury” without the Y. Oir, pronounced like “are”. Jur-are.

As simple as that! So tell everyone a little about yourself.
I'm 17 years old, and live in Southwick, Massachusetts. I love riding dirt bikes, going hunting, and fishing. 

How did you get started racing?
I had a dirtbike before I could walk and I loved it. Then I started racing motocross when I was 5 years old and the rest is history. It’s just about all I’ve ever known.

So you're one of the front runners from the JDay Offroad series in New England, tell us a little about that.
JDay Offroad is a blast! It’s my favorite form of off-road racing. Running two 30-minute motos wide open is awesome. 

Do you think the JDay format suits you better than regular Offroad formats?
Yeah, it plays out to my skills better because it's shorter, faster sprints where the other series are long races where you really have to pace yourself. Not that I can’t do it, I’m just feel much better and more comfortable in the shorter events.

How has your season been going in the JDay series?
It's been going great! I’ve had an awesome year and I’m close to wrapping up another championship 

What are your goals for the rest of the season?
Stay healthy and finish out the rest of the JDay season 

So explain to everyone what Team Dozer is and what it's all about.
About three years ago my father passed away. His nick name was Dozer, so that's where the name came from. Ever since we have just been trying to rip it up make him proud, and keep the dozer dozing!

Tell us how Unadilla went for you.
Unadilla went pretty good. I got a good jump off the line, but second lap I made a couple mistakes and dropped back a little. I got a little tired as the race wore on but I finished 6th and I'm definitely happy with that.

Did you expect to have that strong of a finish?
Yeah, I feel I finished pretty strong but I definitely got tired towards the end. But the good part is, it will give me something to work towards in the future.

What was it like running at the front of the pack all day?
It was sick! Very fast and just straight up a lot of fun. 

So do you have plans of doing any other GNCC events in the future other than Unadilla?
Yeah, I might try a couple of other ones. I just haven't decided which ones yet.

What do you hope to accomplish down the road in your racing career?
I’d just like to keep doing better, keep making improvements and stay healthy.

Alright before we wrap this up, who would you like to thank? 
Brooks Hamilton, KTM, Valley Motorsports, Loud Fuel, 139 Designs, Theory, Magical Go Go, Hellion Design, Enduro Engineering, MSR, Pro Taper, Poacher 27, Oakley, Nytro, Arai, Sidi, Mom, Cennamo Construction, Davenport Trucking, T Girroir, Uncle Horsepower, Anvil Rock Excavating, JDay Offroad and my friends and family.