by: Rachel Gutish
Tuesday, January 15, 2019 | 4:35 PM
As many of you know, the GNCC series recently added a new and exciting class of racing to the weekend program in the form of the Specialized Turbo eMTB GNCC National Championship. The eMTBs first became popular with the GNCC Nation when they were made legal for course inspection several seasons ago. Given how many racers and how many eMTBs there are on a given weekend, it comes as no surprise that people would want to start racing them too! While there were some one-off races in 2018, this year there will be a full 8-round eMTB series held on GNCC race weekends (plus one event at Loretta’s). With all the excitement in the air surrounding the eBiking scene, now seemed like a good time to talk to some people who will be heavily involved in the GNCC eMTB racing in 2019.
This week I talked with Steve Brunton, who ran the Gear Bicycle Sales pits at the GNCCs last year. He will be heavily involved with Gear in 2019 as well.
GNCCRacing.com: Some of us may recognize you as the guy who ran the Gear Cycle Sales pits on vender row all last season, but most of us don’t know much about you. Can you kick off this interview by telling us a little bit about yourself?
Steve Brunton: My name is Steve Brunton. I have been racing all my life. I’ve done everything from motocross to enduros to GNCC. Now I race bicycles. My parents owned a Honda Motorcycle business, which is how I first got involved in dirt bike racing. While I raced dirt bikes, I always did my physical training on a bicycle, which in turn is what sparked my interest in mountain biking and eBikes.
How long have you been working with John Ayers at Gear Bicycle Sales?
I have known John Ayers about 40 years now! We raced and trained together years ago and now we work together as well. I have helped him out with MotoTees, the Pro Motocross Series, and now Gear Bicycle Sales. At this point not only do we work together, but I also consider him a personal friend.
What does working the Gear Bicycle Sales tent at the GNCCs involve?
Well, I arrive and get the display set up, the bikes unloaded, and make sure all of our rentals are charged up and ready to go. Then, if anyone wants to purchase a bike during the weekend, I handle the setup and the sale. I also have some work to do during the week. People will call to reserve rentals or tell me they want a specific bike to demo. We also do financing both at the event and in advance, that way the customer can actually pick up the bike at the race instead of having it shipped to them later. When I have free time, I’ll also help people fix their bicycles if it is a minor problem. If they want me to fix a major issue, I’ll pack it up with the rest of the bikes, fix it during the week, then ship it to them or bring it to the next GNCC.
Have you enjoyed being at the GNCCs? A job is still a job, but it is a pretty cool atmosphere, right?
Yes, it definitely is! The GNCC family is my family; that’s what I love most about the series. You don’t find a sense of community like that very often.
Can you tell me a little bit about Gear’s sponsorship application and the program for GNCC eMTB racers?
We will have two factory teams: Specialized and Fantic. Both of the teams will fall under the single awning of Gear Bicycle Sales. If anybody wants to apply, all they have to do is go to our website. The application process is really simple and the deal you get if selected is really good! The cost of the eMTB for racers is actually under dealer cost as we are getting support from the brands themselves. We will also supply Race Team Jerseys, tech support and 20% off all parts and accessories. I will be at all events to give support and to help with any issues. Another thing we will be doing is renting eMTBs at the events for people to ride in the pits and preview the course with. The only thing you can’t do with them is race them in the eMTB events.
What are you hoping that the Gear Cycle Sales race team will accomplish in 2019?
Our main goal is to use the team as a tool to bring more people into the sport and draw attention to the new eMTB series, so that they can enjoy the experience of eMTB riding and competition.
And what is it you enjoy the most about the experience of eMTB riding and competition?
It’s very similar to what I enjoy about motorcycle racing; the physical demands, the skills involved in riding well, and the thrill of competition.
Did you foresee eMTB becoming this popular as quickly as they did?
I can’t say that I foresaw it, exactly… but we hoped that they would and we are really pleased with the results!
How do you think the Specialized Turbo eMTB GNCC National Championship will go? It is a new addition to the GNCC series and anything new inherently comes with a little bit of risk….
I think the between the support from Racer Productions and the GNCC family, plus the increased advertising brought about by the series will make it successful.
Speaking of advertising, how significant do you think having Specialized involved as a presenting sponsor will be for growing the eMTB scene?
I’m positive this will be a good thing for the series and the sport. In my opinion, right now they have the best product in the market and stand behind it 100%. Who wouldn’t want to have a company like that as the presenting sponsor?
Looking out into the future, where do you see eMTB racing going over the next five or ten years?
I think the market is only going to grow as people learn how fun these bikes are. Anyone who has ever raced a dirt bike loves them and can adapt super quickly. The other benefit is that anyone can ride them, and I mean anyone! Men, women, grandparents, literally anyone can enjoy eBikes. There are just a lot of positive things about them. Not only are they a great source of exercise and enjoyment, they are also pollution-free and make no noise. I imagine that those last two traits will make it easier to get property access too, which is always a struggle for the motorcycle community.
I bet you’re right about that! Is there anything else you want to add before we conclude this interview?
On behalf of Gear Bicycles, I would like to thank you for the opportunity to have this interview.