by: Jared Bolton
Wednesday, February 19, 2014 | 9:15 AM
After a successful 2012 season finishing a hard-fought 2nd in the College-A class, Landon Wolfe made the jump to the XC2 Pro-Am class in 2013. With a number of podiums and 2 wins, Wolfe found success in XC2. We caught up with Landon to talk about his 2013 season, goals for 2014, and more.
GNCCRacing.com: How's everything going today?
Landon Wolfe: Everything is going well. Just about to head out and shovel some snow that we got last night and hopefully get a chance to wash the bike that I raced this past weekend in Georgia.
So are you ready to get back to the swing of GNCC Racing?
I’m definitely super excited to get back racing again. It feels like it’s been so long since the whole GNCC family has been together and it will feel good to reunite with everybody. I’m also pretty pumped to get to round 1 and try out the XC1 Pro class and see if I can run with some of those guys.
You've already been doing some off-season racing, how's that been going?
It’s been going pretty good, I’ve gone down to the Borich house [in Florida] twice so far this year and have gotten a lot of good riding and training in and plan on heading down for a few more days before round 1. It’s definitely a good time down there and we do get to have a lot of fun but with Borich, Gallagher, Bach, and Wienen there, we definitely get our fair amount of training in. In between the trips to Florida I’ve managed to race three SORCS races which I’ve gotten two thirds and a fourth at, and one FTR which I had some mechanical problems and was down a lap. Everybody is definitely training hard this year and it will be interesting to see how it all plays out in the end.
Outside of that, how have you been spending your winter break?
Not too much of anything else. As all serious GNCC racers know, racing pretty much consumes all the time you have. With the weather being like it is I normally spend a decent amount of time in the gym since I can’t be outside. Occasionally in between all the chaos we make a trip north for a bit of snowmobiling or just some relaxation time, possibly hang out with some friends on the weekends, and of course find time for my girlfriend Danielle. But other than that most of my time is spent getting ready to go racing.
How do you feel coming into the GNCC season?
I feel good. It’s going to be a whole new thing to me running the front row with the big shots but I feel like I’m going to enjoy it. I still have a few kinks that I need to work out before we get started, some being bike issues and some being fitness issues. Having my two buddies Josh Merritt and Brycen Neal move up to the front row with me eases the nervousness a bit for me as well. But other than that I think it is going to be a great learning year and we’re going to have a lot of fun.
What are your goals for the 2014 season?
I would definitely like to get close to some top five finishes but there are a lot of really fast people running XC1 this year and everybody wants those good finishes just as bad as I do. So, beating anybody that runs that front row will be an accomplishment.
So tell us how your 2013 season went.
2013 was a rough year for me. The year started out great and I was sitting in a good position in points but with a minor injury and a fair amount of DNF’s as the season went on, I got set back quite a bit. I had a few good races in between all the struggles but I definitely look to have a better season this year.
What was the biggest highlight of 2013 for you?
Well I had a few really fun races this year but I would have to say my favorite was Big Buck in South Carolina. I had a dead last start and struggled all day to get through the pack and when I got the white flag I was in third about 45 seconds behind Brycen Neal and Pat McGuire and made up all the time by the end of the lap. Brycen and me practically went through the finish line on top of each other but Brycen ended up coming away with the win that day.
How did it feel to snag a couple of wins last season?
It felt great. Like I said, we had a lot of struggles last year as far as mechanical issues goes and finishing races but the races that I did get through without any problems I finished well at and, like you said, grabbed a couple wins in the process. Getting a win is definitely a little boost of confidence and helps out with wanting to train harder. Besides that, being able to stand in the center of the XC2 box was an amazing feeling and I’m so glad I got to experience that.
Looking back, is there anything you would like to have done differently?
I wouldn’t have changed too much other than putting a bit more time into my training and exercising. But like I said earlier, with not finishing a few races it was hard to come home and still have a great drive to get to the gym and whatnot.
Looking ahead beyond 2014, what do you hope to accomplish down the road?
I’m not really sure to be honest. I’ve thought a lot about it and haven’t come up with a definite answer. I want to take over my dad’s business at some point but for now I’m just doing a little bit of working for him, a little bit of school, and a little bit of racing. We’ll see where this takes us in a few years.
What will it take to accomplish that?
Of course, lots of hard work and dedication. I also need to stick to a good schedule so that I can continue to juggle all of the different things that need to be done without going insane.
Alright, before we wrap this up, who would you like to thank?
First and foremost I’d like to thank my Mom and Dad. They both do wonders for me and I just couldn’t imagine where I’d be without them, my sister Rachel for being a great friend of mine now and always being a big help, especially with school. My girlfriend Danielle for putting up with this crazy lifestyle and always hanging around and helping with everything, and my mechanic Barry. I want to give a huge thanks to Chris Borich and Dawn, and Johnny Gallagher for giving me a place to stay and always helping me out with training, riding, working on bikes, and everything else I could imagine, thank you guys. I’d also like to thank Maxxis tires, Ye Olde Cycle Barn, ATV Innovations, G4 Graphics, Fly Racing, Highlands Powersports, DP brakes, Quad Tech, Hiper, IQ , Acerbis, Kevin Fuhrman, and anyone else I may be forgetting. See you all in Florida!