The battle for the 2013 Youth Overall championship on the bike side was just as intense as the battle between Kailub Russell and Charlie Mullins. It came down to the final round between Braxton McGee and Cole Mattison but McGee came out on top and ended 2013 as the Youth Overall Champion. We caught up with Braxton to talk about his 2013 season, plans for 2014, and more.

Photo: Crystal Williams

GNCCRacing.com: How's it going today?
Pretty good, just hanging out.

Sounds fun! So, what have you been up to since the season ended?
Not been doing too much, really. I’ve just been trying to enjoy the break and get some riding time in on the new bike.

Are you ready to get back to GNCC racing?
Oh yeah, isn’t everyone? (laughs)

Definitely! What are your plans for the rest of the winter?
The rest of the winter, I really just want to ride as much as possible and keep my training up. It doesn’t seem like a long time but you definitely need to stay on top of your game if you want to come into next season strong.

So tell us how your 2013 season went.
It started out pretty good with some wins and staying in the top 4, but then for some reason about mid-season I fell into a slump. It ended up making me have to work harder closer to the end but I was still able to come away with the championship!

Did you expect to coming away as the Youth Overall champion?
I knew I had it in me, but as the season progressed, after the slump I had mid-season, I knew it was going to take me winning the last 3 rounds in order to pull it off.

How did it feel to take that title?
It felt awesome! That's every mini rider’s dream and for it to come true my last year in the mini's meant a lot to me.

And it was a heck of a battle down to the wire against Cole Mattison too, wasn't it?
Oh yeah, for sure. It made it even tougher!

What was it like battling with Cole all season?
Cole and I battled every race which made for an interesting season. We kept the points tight all year. Just when I thought I was out of the hunt for the championship I came out with a big win at The Gusher, which put a new prospective on things for the championship.

What was your biggest highlight of the season?
Being named Youth Rider of the Year was a great honor and it was definitely a great way to end the season.

So I saw some pics on Facebook of you on a big bike, how's that going?
It's going good so far. I’m just trying to get used to the big bike. It’s a bit different but I feel like I’m beginning to adjust to it pretty well and it’s definitely a lot of fun to ride.

So what are your plans for 2014?
For 2014, I’m going to make the jump to 4-Stroke B Lites and see how things go my first season on the big bike. I’m pretty excited!

What do you hope to accomplish in 2014?
My goal is to win the class championship.

Alright, before we wrap this up, who would you like to thank?
First off I’d like to thank God for keeping me safe, my mom and dad, my grandparents, teammates, family and friends that have supported me race after race, Atlas Cycles, Stickman Graphx, Madman Cleaning Solutions, Unabiker, G2 Ergonomics, Fly Racing, FTI, Dunlop, Offroad Viking, Whaley Masonry, Kennedy Brothers INC, Beulaville Pharmacy, A&H Home Improvements, Nate Wallace and Wes Keller. And a special thanks to Alex Engle, Adam Brown and Dwayne Leonard for given me the opportunity at Big Buck to excel at what I love doing!