by: Rachel Gutish
Tuesday, June 19, 2018 | 5:30 PM
The smiling face of Keith Weimer, from Rockwood, PA is the first thing most GNCC racers and fans will see when they arrive at the track for a weekend of fun. Keith has been in charge of gatekeeping at the GNCCs for sixteen seasons now. Since almost everyone knows him, but few people know much about him, he seemed like a good Tuesday Toolbox candidate. I spoke with Keith during the PM bike race of The General - one of the only times he didn’t have to be out watching the entrance to the track.
GNCCRacing.com: Since you work for the GNCC series, my first question is whether you ride or race at all.
No, I don’t.
Really? You don’t ride?
Nope. Until I started with Racer Productions I had never even ridden a quad (laughs)!
So if you don’t ride, how did you get started working with them?
Well, I was looking for some additional work and a guy who does event security needed some extra help at Loretta Lyn’s [Amateur National Motocross Championship] for a week. That week turned into two weeks and now it’s been sixteen years that I’ve worked with Racer Productions.
Wow, that’s quite awhile! So is this all you do for Racer Productions, and do you have other jobs besides this one?
I actually own a security company back in Pennsylvania called Bull’s Eye Security. Working for Racer Productions is actually just a part of what I do. I also work fairs and festivals, and other events that need security teams. The gate is really all I do for Racer Productions. I work with them for about 23 - 24 events per year, between the GNCCs, the some of the Outdoor Nationals and Pro ATV Motocross series, plus their local races at High Point.
What is your favorite part of the job?
The people. All of the people coming in through the gate is my favorite part of the job. I don’t know the racing side of it that well, but I do know the great people who come to the races. They’re what keeps me coming back.
And what’s your least favorite part of the job?
The weather conditions that we have to work in. Because you’re out there long hours, and it doesn’t matter how bad the weather conditions get; you still have to be out there in it.
One thing I’ve noticed is that you always seem to be in such a great mood when I’ve come though the gate - bad weather conditions or no. Do you just have a naturally sunny outlook on life, or do you just enjoy what you’re doing that much?
Well, it’s a little bit of both. I see it as my job to greet the people. A lot of them have driven a long way to get to the race, some of them may have had a horrible time getting here and I think if I can brighten their day a little as they come through the gate it makes for a much better start to their weekend. So that’s a part of my job, but I do enjoy being here too.
And what is the most interesting thing you’ve ever see come through the gate at a GNCC?
Let me think… wow, that’s a hard one to answer, because you see so many different things... the people themselves, how they act, the types of vehicles they bring… . One thing I do think is pretty cool is when you see the people who have taken one of those short busses and fabricate it into a race vehicle. That’s pretty cool to see, when people use their brains to modify things like that. I remember in Kentucky somebody brought a bus, a full-size bus, that they cut the back out of and had the whole thing flop down on the back for the ramps. I think that was one of the most interesting.
Last question - where do you get your cool aprons at?
(Laughs). Actually, my ex-wife made them for me, so …. anyway I have two of them, my main one and a spare in case I need it. I wouldn’t feel right without them.