by: Jared Bolton
Tuesday, February 25, 2014 | 12:00 PM
Ricky Russell entered the 2013 season not only as a rookie in the XC1 class, but also to GNCC Racing as a whole. The Washington state native is back for 2014 with a slightly new program. We caught up with Ricky to talk about his first year racing GNCC, plans for 2014 and more.
GNCCRacing.com: How's it going today?
Ricky Russell: It's been good! Got back late last night from a GP race in Virginia, got up this morning, worked on some things then went and ran some motos with Whibs and our whole SC crew.
Are you ready to get back to GNCC Racing?
I'm ready! Way more ready this year than last.
So, 2013 was your first full season racing GNCC, what did you think?
Last year I didn't really know what to expect, I wasn't prepared and it was tough.
Tell us how the season went for you. It had its ups and downs.
I never got quite the results I wanted, but I learned a lot. I got to run with some of the fastest off-road riders in the world. I had a few mechanical issues and missed one race due to injury but it was definitely a great learning year.
What attracted you to GNCC Racing?
Back home in Washington I had won our local off-road series 3 years and I wanted to try something bigger. At first I started running the National Hare and Hound series on the west coast but got seriously injured at the second round. So, I decided the desert was too dangerous and I wanted to race in some woods after that. So, I made my way east and into GNCC Racing and I’ve been enjoying it!
You ran close to the front of the overall pack several times throughout the year as well. What's it like running that pace?
It’s a whole different level over here. It’s hard to try to run that pace for 3 hours, and the top guys only get faster and faster as the race goes on.
Looking back at the 2013 season, is there anything you would've changed?
You can always look back and say ‘I wish I would have done that’ or ‘wouldn't have done that’ but it already happened so there’s no changing it. Just got to live on and learn from all of your mistakes.
Now, you're actually racing XC2 this year. Why the switch?
Well like I said before, last year I came over here not knowing what to expect. I was already riding 450s so I decided to just stick with them. But this year I got some more support and get to be a part of the Raines Riding University/Atlas Yamaha/Off-road Viking team. Even though I was going to probably run XC2 anyways that helped me make my decision.
How do you expect it to go?
Obviously we expect to win. That’s the main goal and as long as we can be on the podium every race I'll be happy.
You mentioned that you’ve got some new support this year too. Tell us about that.
Yeah, Randy Hawkins and Jason Raines have helped me since the first day I came over here but this year they gave me the opportunity to be a part of the Raines Riding University/Atlas Yamaha/Off-road Viking team, and it already has been a huge improvement from last year!
What do you hope to accomplish in 2014?
I hope to win! (laughs) But I'd like to be consistently on the podium and have no bad races.
What will it take to make that happen?
I’ve just got to stick to my program and ride like I know how to. With the extra support my bike will be 100 percent ready to go for every race, so it’s just up to me.
You're considered a "west coast guy" being from Washington, but the GNCC's weren't a huge change for you, were they?
Yeah, when people think of the "west coast" they think of more open stuff with less woods, but Washington's got it all, tight woods and open stuff. It’s actually very similar to some of the racing over here. GNCC's are a little more open than I expected, but other than a few hiccups I was able to adapt pretty quickly.
Alright, before we wrap this up, who do you want to say thanks to?
Oh man, got to thank Raines Riding University, Atlas Yamaha, Offroad Viking, AmPro Yamaha, Fly Racing, Stickman Graphx, Fasst Company, FMF, Gaerne, Wiseco, IMS, Rekluse, Unabiker, Factory Connection, Pod MX, SXS Linkage Guards, GPR Stabilizers, DP Brakes, TM Designs, CV4, GYTR, Yamalube, Kenda Tires, Enduro Engineering, WPS, Scott Goggles, EBC, and Yamaha. Oh, and obviously my Mom and Dad and my girlfriend.