by: Rachel Gutish
Tuesday, July 18, 2017 | 3:55 PM
Kenny Hawkins is a 48-year-old ATV and bike racer from Elkins, West Virginia, a small town just outside of Snowshoe Mountain. He races the Super Senior A classes in both divisions; he is currently fourth in points in the ATV class and third on the bike side. He earned his first amateur overall podium at Snowshoe Mountain in the AM Bike race, which he then followed up with a second place overall at the John Penton, again in the AM Bike race. In an unfortunate error, however, his overall finishing position at Snowshoe was not recognized in time for the podium ceremony. So as a peace offering, especially given his excellent standings in both his bike and ATV classes and because top-3 overall finishes are generally pretty cool, we decided to gives this week’s Tuesday Toolbox to Kenny.
GNCCRacing.com: Hey Kenny, nice to meet you! Why don’t you tell me a little bit about yourself?
Kenny Hawkins: What do you want to know? Like how I got started riding and stuff?
Yeah, that sounds like a good place to start.
Well, I’d always ridden a lot when I was younger. My dad would have riding days with his friends, where they’d all meet up at my parents’ house, and then go out and ride for the whole day, but they never raced. My dad bought me a little Kawasaki 70cc, when I was twelve or thirteen. He had one of the first LT 185cc 4-wheelers, way back in the 1980s, and when I got bigger he gave that to me as well. Somehow we stumbled on a little race that was going on at a place called Dream Mountain, so I took the racks off my quad and went racing.
And how did that go?
Turns out it was a motocross. I had no idea, thought it was going to be riding through the woods like I did at home. Luckily it was a mudder, but I still obviously didn’t do very well, since I was racing against racers on my little 185cc and all. After that my dad found me a 230cc quad sport, which I raced for three or four years. We mostly did motocross, and TT, which is like a flat track.
So you’ve been racing ever since?
No, after graduating high school I got married at a young age and started a family. Got away from the whole racing thing for awhile. I really didn’t touch a bike again until about 2004 or 2005. This time I decided that I wanted to buy a dirt bike. I bought the first one that I could afford and started doing a little local racing. Did a few GNCCs here and there, but not a bunch of them. I ran the Sportsman class back then, before it was divided into A and B. I did get a fifth overall twice, once at the Wisp, and once at Powerline Park, but that was about it. I didn’t really take it very seriously. In 2012 I got serious and decided I would run the full GNCC series. And that’s how we got to where we are now.
Now, how old were you when you went to that first moto?
I picked #17 for that race because I was 17 years old. But when I got there somebody already had it. So I flipped it around and ran #71 instead. That was my racing number all through the first part of my riding career. I wanted to keep running it, but wasn’t able to, and ended up with #110 instead. For some people, their numbers have great meaning, but I just ended up running what they gave me at the first local race I went back to. Like my wife, she actually has her number set up as the day we met and the date we got married.
So your wife races too?
Yeah, she races. She always rode 4-wheelers growing up, and wanted to race, but her dad wouldn’t allow it. So when we met, we both got 4-wheelers and I helped her race for the first time at a local. Then soon after that, I got her started riding bikes as well, she’d never touched one before. She started racing bikes too, and her very first bike race was Powerline Park GNCC (laughs). So we just threw her out into it and hoped she swam! It was a bit rough. Some guy ran into her and fell on top of her, at least he was nice enough to ask if she was okay before riding off. But it didn’t scare her off, and she loves doing our local series. She and her girlfriends actually put together a team for a 24-hour race last weekend that they called Dirt Bike Girl Adventures, and they won their division! She and her friends love getting together and riding.
That’s really cool! You mentioned earlier that you and your wife have kids. Do they ride also?
Well, I’ve been married twice. The first time I got married, we were young, teenagers really. Things didn’t work out, but I’m blessed to have been given two wonderful kids from that relationship. My son and my daughter went racing with me every weekend, once I got back into it. My son started racing when he was eight. My daughter never did race, but she loved going with us. To this day she still works the scoring barrels at our local races. She’s actually getting married to a 4-wheeler rider – but I don’t hold that against him. I used to be just a 4-wheeler rider too! My son is still in college (my daughter just finished up) and doesn’t get the chance to race often, he’s really busy. But the two of us went and raced Snowshoe together a couple weekends ago.
I know you did pretty well at Snowshoe; how did your son end up.
Ahhh, he didn’t do too good. Whenever you don’t get to ride often, and you end up in bottlenecks like there were at Snowshoe, you get wore out! He ended up off down the side of a ravine and spent most of the day trying to get back up on the track. He came back pretty tired.
So why did you decide to continue racing both bikes and quads?
Actually, I just started up with the racing quads this year. In 2014 I broke my back. I was chasing Doug Blackwell in the GNCCs that year, and I was training at a local to get faster. I was pushing it a little, there was a big pile of rocks I didn’t see and I hit them. My spine wasn’t stable, so I had to get two rods in my back. I couldn’t ride my 450cc, it was just too much for me after that. I got a 250cc, and ended up trading the 450cc to a local dealership for a racing 4-wheeler. I always liked a challenge, and I originally wasn’t planning on doing the full GNCC series this year. So I decided that if I couldn’t do it all, I would at least get in as much racing as I could every weekend I could make it to the races! I actually started doing halfway decent, a lot better than I thought I would, and it stuck.
Better than halfway decent, I would say! You’ve actually knocked my fellow WXC riders off the AM podium twice in a row – and that doesn’t happen often! Obviously Snowshoe and the John Penton went well for you; can you tell me more about them?
Well, I had high hopes for Snowshoe last year. I felt like I ran my guts out on that 250cc, but didn’t have a very good result. This year I was finally strong enough to start getting back on my 450cc. I took off, got the holeshot, but got passed right away. But as soon I got into the woods I started feeling pretty good – at least until I realized I’d gotten a flat back tire. The whole day I was just trying to preserve that tire. Between that and the faster-than-usual course that was heavy on the fire roads, I didn’t really feel like I was having a very good race. The main thing that I think helps me out though is that I’m pretty good at getting through bottlenecks. I don’t know how, but usually I manage. You can’t just look at one place, you have to look everywhere. I don’t ever sit around, I’m just constantly looking for a way through. Honestly, that’s what I think helped me out at the Penton too.
And that pair of thirds are your best ever overall finishes, right?
Yeah, it was. The closest I’d come before was a fourth at the Mountaineer Run last year. It was a bummer to come that close, especially since that and Snowshoe are kind of hometown races for us. Then I got another fourth at the X-Factor this year. I was wondering why your name sounded familiar when you contacted me to do this interview… then I realized you’re the one who knocked me off the podium there! (laughs)
Well, what can I say, WXC riders haul tail!
Yeah, I have nothing but respect for you girls. The physical and mental strength you’ve got to have to be out there …. well, I’ve always been impressed!
Well congrats on those podiums for sure. Getting two best-ever finishes at two consecutive races is pretty cool. Last question for you today: Who would you like to thank?
I would like to thank the good Lord for keeping me safe, Ron, Sterling and Jordan at Elkins Motorsports, Bill and Andy at Outlaw Motorsports. I also want to thank my wife Heidi Hawkins for all she does for me on race day, all my friends and family who support me, and all the race fans that cheer this old man on! I love it when the crowd gets into it, even when they don’t know you. Thanks everyone!