by: Jared Bolton
Tuesday, March 17, 2015 | 4:10 PM
Conner Smith had a stellar 2014 season, coming away with third overall honors in the youth bike ranks. After making the switch to a Yamaha for the 2015 season, Conner had an excellent opening round in Florida, before bad luck struck in Georgia. We caught up with Conner to hear about the opening rounds, plans for the future, and more.
GNCCRacing.com: How's everything going today?
Conner Smith: Pretty good! Just been spending spome cleaning up my gear and bike so we can prep for the next round.
So how are you spending your time between the races?
I'm just keeping my training schedule up and doing some bike work. Also it's finally warm enough to do some road biking, which is my favorite training, so that’s nice to be able to get back into the swing of that.
Tell us how the first round went for you.
The first round went good, my training in the off season really paid off. I had a great time being back to racing and had a real good race. I ended up in a pretty good race for the Youth overall win and came away with second overall. It was a great race and I was pretty excited with my result.
How did it feel to have such a great race?
It felt good to know my training had paid off, I usually don't do too good in Florida, so to be able to start out the season on such a high note was like a bonus.
Coming into the race, did you expect to be challenging for the overall win?
I knew that there would be some good competition this year for sure, but I also knew that I was ready for podium finishes. I just tried to stay confident and hope that my hard work during the off-season would pay off, and it did!
What were your hopes coming into round 2 in Georgia?
I hoped Georgia would be good. Getting back into the type of terrain where I know I ride good felt good. Unfortunately my radiator cap failed and caused my motor to overheat. I didn't get to finish but I’m very confident about the rest of the season and I’m going to work hard to come back from a bit of bad luck in Georgia.
So this year you're riding a Yamaha, how's the transition been?
It was a little different at first but I'm glad to be on the Yamaha now, I feel really comfortable on it. We have the bike dialed for me and I feel like we have it set to run for the championship.
What are the biggest differences between the 85 and the 150?
The weight and the power are the biggest differences to me. The Yamaha handles really good and has a strong motor. I like the two strokes snappy power and flickable handling, it suits my riding style best.
What are your goals for the rest of the 2015 season?
My goals are to get the Youth Overall championship, also to win my local series Schoolboy championship.
What's it going to take to make that happen?
I'm just going to continue to work hard and improve my fitness and techniques. I'm going to have to stay consistent and injury free also.
What about beyond this season? What do you hope to accomplish in the future?
I really hope that I can work my way up through the ranks and make my way into the pro classes one day. I’m definitely committed to doing everything I can to make it and happen!
Alright before we wrap this up, who would you like to thank?
Jason Raines and Raines Riding University, Dwayne Leonard and Atlas Yamaha, Daniel Engle and Offroad Viking, Yamaha Motor Corp. USA, Yamalube, GYTR, Am-Pro Racing, Fly Racing, Kenda USA, Unabiker, DP Brakes, Enduro Engineering, FMF, Stickman GraphX, Rekluse, Flexx Handlebars, Factory Connection, Twin Air, Flat Tire Defender, Scott USA, GPR Stabilizers, IMS Products, TM Designworks, Wiseco ,Gaerne Boots, Mad Man Cleaning Solutions. A great group of people who have supported me through the years, Vance Earl, Robby Neely, Sonny Morabito, and my parents for all the support they have given me.