Cole Richardson has had an impressive 2013 GNCC Racing season and sits 3 in the College-A class. Cole also finished an impressive 6^th overall at Powerline Park, beating the entire XC2 Pro-Am class along the way. We caught up with Cole to talk about his 2013 season and more.

Photo: Amy McConnell

GNCCRacing.com: How's it going today?
Today is great.  Just riding every chance I get preparing for Ironman.

How did you get started racing?
My Mom and Dad said I got started racing around the yard on my battery powered four wheeler. Hard for me to remember much of that (laughs). Since then I’ve been riding something on two or four wheels. Started racing four wheelers when one of our family friends convinced us to give it a try, and I've been hooked ever since.

What has been the biggest highlight of your career so far?
I would say my biggest accomplishment so far would be the overall top 5 finish in Unadilla a month ago. I was really proud when I found out where I finished. 

How did Powerline Park go for you? How did it feel to finish that strong?
Powerline Park went awesome! I got off to a bad start but ended up catching the lead group and made some passes to take the lead. I didn't expect to be as high up in the overall as I was because we started 5th row and had so many people to work through, but I felt strong throughout the race and pushed my way up to 6th overall and it felt awesome to do so.

Tell us how your 2013 season has been going.
2013 is my first full GNCC year. I’m very happy with my performance this year. I was hoping to be in a little better position, but due to some bad luck and breaking some things, it cost me a little in the points race. We still have 1 race left that I hope to win

At the beginning of the season, did you expect to be having as good as a season as you've had?
We have been learning all year. Many of the riders have a lot more years of participating in the nationals than we do.  We’ve been constantly changing the quad and learning what works and what doesn't. I feel with even the bad luck my season is about where I thought it would be. I need to send out a special thanks to Mark Notman and the Fowlers for helping us shorten the learning curve.

What is the competition like in the College-A class?
The only thing I can say about College A is "WOW". Jay [Shadron] and Marshall [Goings] have made this season very fun and also competitive. These 2 guys are truly great riders that leave very little room for error on the track. We’ve been riding together all year and I’m sure it will be real fun to see how we do the last race.

How does it feel to have wins under your belt this season with that high level of competition?
I feel very good about how I have been finishing. Riding in the top 3 of College A this year is an honor. All 3 of us have had some great overalls.  

What do you hope to accomplish in the final two rounds?
I really need to win the next round. I feel really good about the quad and the extra training I've put in.  I’ll give it my best. 

Do you have any plans for 2014 yet?
I’m looking forward to Pro-Am next year.  I feel like we’ve worked out many of the bugs and learning curves this year. Hopefully all the changes we made this year will allow us to run at the top of the class again.

What about beyond 2014? What do you hope to accomplish down the road?
Hopefully I can continue to get better and compete at the Pro Level

Alright before we wrap this up, who would you like to thank?
I really need to thank my Mom and Dad first, without them I wouldn’t be here. I also need to thank Walker Fowler and family and Mark Notman, mechanic, and family for taking us under their wing and helping us get where we are. They’ve been a great asset for me. Another big change for us over the summer was the help we got from Toby at MotoXperts. He designed us the perfect engine package. Thanks Toby. Our sponsors Motowoz, Houser, Spider Graphics, Fuel Customs, Dragon Fuels, Sanders Yamaha, and Hinson clutch components.