by: Jared Bolton
Tuesday, March 25, 2014 | 8:10 PM
Powersport Grafx has been a longtime supporter of GNCC Racing. With roots running deep in the off-road and motocross racing worlds, PG has supported some of the top riders in the world at some point in their career. Steele Creek is the home race for the North Carolina based company, so we caught up with the head honcho, Bart Hayes to hear more on what PG is all about.
GNCCRacing.com: How’s everything going today?
Bart Hayes: Well we are WFO on all sides today and on top of everything, it’s snowing!
So it sounds like you’re staying busy getting everything ready for a big weekend!
Yeah, the factory Husqvarna team, Joey Maurer and Andrew Delong, showed up this morning after a great weekend in Texas and they are getting ready for Steele Creek. We’re getting ready for our annual Open House on Friday. We’ll have KTM and Husqvarna demo rides in the afternoon. On top of everything else, the graphics side is working overtime as is the entire mechanical side. Seems that the first few rounds of all the east coast series have been very wet and there’s been a lot of destroyed bikes.
Steele Creek is the “home race” for PG too, so what all can we expect to see from the PG front this weekend?
We’ll have a large display on vendor row and will have all of our employees and families there throughout the weekend. On the racing side, we’re coming into this event with high expectations for our riders. We’ve been fortunate to have our sponsored riders at the front his year. Grant Baylor is certainly in the hunt and Andrew Delong has adapted to the new Husqvarna really quickly. Austin Lee is showing the way and we have a very strong contingent of riders throughout all the classes. Seems the suspension side and the graphics side of PG are both being represented very well!
Tell us a little more about the Open House on Friday.
We’re going to have demo rides from 12-5pm with KTM and Husqvarna. There will be pro riders available for autographs and we will have Test and Tune by appointment for PG Suspension customers. We’ll have the new Husqvarna’s on display and there will also be Q and A session for suspension, technical and off-road racing in general. Joey Maurer, factory Husqvarna mechanic, Andrew Delong, Mark Hyde from KTM and myself will be the presenters.
So that sounds like something that people aren’t going to want to miss!
For sure! Definitely come out, have some fun riding and learn a little something too.
Now, for those who don’t know, tell us about some of the stuff PG does.
Everyone knows us from the graphics side, Ride PG. What most people don’t know is that we’ve been a race shop since 1996. We specialize in KTM based products and WP Suspension. We’ve only recently re-branded the shop from Genuine Dirt Racer products to PG Powersports and WP Racing USA to PG Suspension. This allows all companies to benefit from our successes. Bottom line, our job is to help our customers win races.
So it’s definitely a 1 stop shop for all your racing needs!
Yeah! From the ground all the way to your helmet, we have you covered.
How did it all get started?
I got a CT70 for my birthday when I was 10. The rest is history!
You’ve also supported some of the best riders in the world at some point in their careers.
That’s another spot where we’ve been fortunate. I can truly say that I’ve worked with the best riders in the world. It’s satisfying to know that we’ve played a small part in the careers of the very best. But it’s also great to see the young child’s smile when they come off the track regardless of where they have finished. Same goes for the difference we make in the riding experience of all the riders that come through our door. This is all about having fun!
Among all of those who have used PG for graphics, suspension or anything else, who has been the most fun to work with?
I hate dropping names but I had a ton of fun working with David Knight. Kailub Russell still makes me very proud and Stu and Grant Baylor remain some of our biggest supporters. Chris Bach will always have a home here as well. Really, there has not been a bad experience. I’ve made many lifelong friends. All that aside, the biggest kick for me is the average rider that we are able to help with big changes to their program.
What has been your most favorite moment in the history of PG?
Wow, we have them weekly! No way I could ever choose one.
PG has already seen a ton of success, what do you hope to accomplish in the future?
For now, we will stay the course. We continue to grow Powersport Grafx and the mechanical side is growing exponentially. We’re the top WP Suspension tuner in the US and are projected to be a top Husqvarna dealer this year. Personally, I really want to ride my dirt bike more. I think that is at or near the top of my list (laughs)
Alright, I know you’ve probably too many of list, but who would you like to thank?
God. My wife and family. Our wonderful employees and most of all, our customers and friends.