GNCCRacing.com: First off, congrats on your first-ever overall ATV win!
Brycen Neal: Thank you very much!

What have you been up to this week?
Mostly working on my bikes. I’ve been trying to put together three different ones and ordering all the parts for them. I have just enough time to work out in between all of that, and then it’s bedtime and I’m out (laughs).

Well, let’s take your mind off that for a little bit, why don’t you tell us a little bit about how The General went for you?
So, the race…. I hopped off to a decent start and made some quick passes that put me into the lead before the end of lap one. We were all rolling together pretty good, even though the conditions were gnarly with roots and ruts everywhere. Overall the whole thing was so much fun! I kept my head down despite the pressure from behind, led wire-to-wire and took the win.

Were you surprised that you got it at The General, or were you kind of expecting it?
Yeah, I was. I’ve always done well in Georgia and loved racing there! I’m pretty excited this is where I got my first win.

Are there similarities between the terrain in GA and the area you’re from that would explain why you like it so much?
Unfortunately, not many at all (laughs). In southeast Ohio we have a lot more rock in the soil and a lot more elevation, lots of hills and valleys. I wish I had a place back home to ride on that was like the General though!

So how many years of competing in the pro class did it take for you to finally earn that win?
This is my fifth year in the pro class now, I moved up in 2014.

What do you think made the difference this weekend? What did you do or have you been doing differently that you think helped you to win?
I believe it’s my mindset, since I haven’t been able to train half as hard leading up to the start of the season as I have in previous years. I stayed in Ohio this year, and rode every week regardless of the mud, snow and 30-degree days. Of course, all this was done in between building my machines in the shop, which is what most of my time was spent doing. My dad and I are doing all our own work this year. I really wanted to get a win this year, and I truly believe in my equipment and myself. I did the work and buckled down so I would have the best possible shot at making all of this happen.

Do you have a day job that required you to stay in Ohio this year?
Nope, I am fortunate enough to be able to race full-time.

Did you ever think that growing up you would be able to be a full-time racer?
I always dreamed about racing full-time. I grew up watching Bill Balance, William Yokley and Chris Borich, wishing that someday I would be where they were. And now I am!

Speaking of your childhood, how did you get started riding?
Well, I started off racing dirt bikes at five years old. I rode them all the way until 65s. But my dad had always been an ATV rider and raced four-wheelers at the GNCCs. So he got me a Honda 90 and I loved it even more that the bikes. I rode so much that I wore out three of them (laughs).

And when did you start following the GNCC series?
I have been following the GNCC series ever since they hosted the first-ever youth ATV race at Ironman in 2004. Coincidently, this is the same one that Walker [Fowler] got started with. Something interesting that Walker and I have talked about is how we are the only two riders ever so far to have come all the way through the youth ATV ranks to eventually claim a GNCC overall!

That is really cool! Do you have any goals for the rest of your season?
Some goals for the rest of the season are to stay healthy, win again, and maybe flip the script to actually keep the championship battle interesting for a change this year!