by: Rachel Gutish
Wednesday, January 23, 2019 | 11:15 AM
Drew Blackley handles Powersport Sales/Events/Sponsorship for Cometic Gasket. For those of you unfamiliar with Cometic, they make gaskets for all sorts of powersports applications, and sponsor everything from the GNCC series to Loretta’s to NASCAR. On the weekends, not only does he run the Cometic pit setup and make sure all of their sponsored riders are taken care of, he is also a racer as well, placing second in the 24+ C ATV class last year. His busy weekends are just a cross-section of his regular life though: Not only does he race and work full-time for Cometic, he is also attending school to pursue a Bachelor’s Degree in Business administration.
GNCCRacing.com: Hey Drew, I want to apologize again for calling so late, the bike clean up just took way longer than I expected.
Drew Blackley: Don’t worry; it actually worked out really well. I was out to eat with one of my friends from school who doesn’t really understand racing too well. So, when you texted me about clean-up taking longer that you thought it would, I showed her the phone and was like “See, now do you understand what we go through? This racing thing is a huge time commitment!” Finally, I had something I could show her so she’d get that it’s not just me, anyone who races puts a lot of time into this (laughs). I have friends that ride, of course, but a lot of my immediate friend group doesn’t really understand what ATV racing really is.
So, you mentioned school a couple times. Are you still in college, and if so, what are you studying?
It’s a bit of a long story, but it also explains how I got started with Cometic. I originally got an Associate’s Degree in Liberal Arts, but after that I was kind of at a standstill and wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do. I had planned to go to Ohio University, but like two weeks before I decided something didn’t feel right, so I withdrew. People always give the advice to do what you love, so I decided I would try to get an industry job. I’m fortunate enough that there are a lot of powersports companies in the part of Ohio I’m from. After a short stint at HMF Engineering, I ended up at Cometic. I started out just doing shipping and receiving at HMF and then did quality control at Cometic. This was really cool because I was around something I love and other people who are into racing, but I still wanted to work my way up and grow unto different roles in the company. I started inquiring about how people got into sales, or something like data analytics. An opportunity came up for me because someone in sales had quit. The arrangement though, was that if I would pursue a Bachelor’s Degree and continue my education, they would give me the sales job. So that’s why I’m at Cleveland State studying Business Administration. I essentially started out doing odd jobs in the factories and then worked my way up.
What advice would you have for someone who would like to someday get an industry job?
If they’re young, like still in high school, I would definitely recommend pursuing a degree of some sort. In a way, it acts as a shortcut, opening doors for you that might not have been open right away. Now, if they’re older person and not sure about college the way I was, or doesn’t have the time or money for school, if you’re really passionate about the sport, take a job that isn’t maybe your ideal job, then dedicate yourself to working your way up from that foot-in-the-door position. The nice part about being a racer trying to get a job is that we already understand what dedication and sacrifice mean. Show up early, stay a little late, put in the work and pay your dues with the company. All of these things show the employer that you’re passionate about and dedicated to the company, and that you’re willing to work hard with a good attitude. People will take notice of that. You’d be surprised how far a good work ethic and a good attitude can get you – both in racing and life!
That sounds like great advice! So, speaking of hard work, what does your average GNCC weekend look like for you, between your work for Cometic and your own racing?
Thursday, we’ll load up all the stuff for the Cometic pit setup in the sprinter. You know, easy-ups, tables, backdrops, etc. Then I go home Thursday night and throw in all of my personal stuff; my quad, my gear, all of that. I like to get an early start on Friday, I usually roll out about 6 am. Once I get to the race on Friday it’s basically a set-up day. I put up our pit display and then check on all our sponsored teams, gather any feedback they have on our product and then distribute any product that they’ve ordered. If I’m lucky, later in the day I can walk a little bit of the track before picking up all my stuff at registration. I’ll get to the track around 7:30 on Saturday before the start of the youth ATV race. I’ll race in the 10am race and by the time I get back to the pits, there’s already people there asking how I did, wanting to know about the track, people asking if I have any product because they need some. Most of the time I’m still standing there in my muddy gear and don’t even have time to get my gear off. From the start of the pro race until when I pack up, there’s people at the tent. Then Sunday is just a repeat, but without me racing. Then I won’t get home until 11 or 12 that night, and have to be to work on Monday at the normal time. Then of course I have to wash the quad after work, and deal with the gear on Tuesday, and the whole time I’m working and studying and trying to go to the gym!
Speaking of having to do all this stuff, how do you manage to balance all of this?
Well, I guess its just dedication. There are a lot of people that are putting effort into you or your program and you don’t want to let them down. You can’t forget that. You just kind of have to get after it. No one is going to do it for you. For me personally, a lot of it is so routine now I don’t have to think about it, but I use it to keep track of all the little things too, like washing the backdrop and chairs at the pit setup. I’ll also set reminders on my phone so I don’t forget. I have time in the morning and evening when I’m not working to take care of all my non-work responsibilities. You just have to do it. There’s no other way around it.
That’s for sure! Moving toward the racing part of this interview, how did you get started?
I wanted to ride dirt bikes for the longest time, but then my dad came home with a TRX 90 ATV, so that’s what I started doing. I was fortunate enough that there were a lot of guys in our area who were involved in racing. In 2003 I discovered the GNCC series on Speed Network, and I kind of became obsessed with that. My first GNCC was in 2007 and then I won my first National in 2008 at Powerline Park on my 90. Ten years later, almost to the day, I won this year’s Powerline Park race, which was my second win. I had a bit of a dry spell there (laughs). I was never able to run the full series until I started working for Cometic, and that’s been a very rewarding part of the job.
Even without taking Powerline into account, it seems like you had a pretty consistent season with plenty of podiums. Want to tell me a bit about it?
Yeah! I was fortunate enough to attend most of these races through Cometic. As much time as you spend in the gym, nothing really replicates riding itself. At the beginning of the season I’m usually a bit slower because up in northeastern Ohio, the weather is often too bad to ride. Even though I was a little rusty, it was a great experience getting to go down to the Carolinas to race, and I even got to stay down south for a little while! During the summer once I was able to ride, my speed started to pick up. I have a lot of great people and companies behind me too, which always helps. I actually didn’t have a single mechanical failure all season. I ended up finishing second for the year, just four points off of the winner. I didn’t get to hit all of the rounds, which I think would have helped, but all in all it was a good year for me. We ended up with a great group of friends by the end, and I had a great time!
And what are your plans for racing next year?
Next year, the plan is to still attend as many GNCCs as possible. The schedule for Cometic is busy but we are completely committed to the GNCC series. I think next year I’ll be building a hybrid ATV which I’m really excited about. I’m still not quite sure what class it will fall into, we’re still talking to the rules people. But that should be good. Aside from the GNCCs, we will be at a lot of other different events as well. It’s nice because I get to go and see a lot of different things, but the downside is that I lost a weekend of prep or training. But in no way am I complaining about getting to travel like this!
What are some notable events you get to work that aren’t GNCCs?
First would be Daytona Bike week. That’s awesome because not only do I get to escape the snow, I get to meet all sorts of riders, watch the Daytona Supercross, the Ricky Carmichael Amateur Supercross, a flat track event and an ATV Motocross race as well. It’s an action-packed week of motorsports Second would probably be going to Loretta Lyn’s. There’s always racing going on and you never know who you’re going to run into!
That definitely sounds like a good time! Now, who would you like to thank?
Obviously, I want to thank Cometic Gasket for giving me the opportunity to attend these races. It’s a real privilege to be able to work with so many like-minded people and with a family that is so invested in the motorsports industry. That would be the Gorman family – Bob, Cindy, Jeff and Kristen. It’s a great feeling to walk into work every day knowing that we all share the same passion. I also want to thank my boss, Scott, and my friends and family. Thanks to Fisher Racing, Bud, Dave, and David. They are a huge part of what I do and it wouldn’t be possible without them. Wossner Piston, Kenda Tire, Derisi Racing, Twin Air, Klotz oil, SSI, DP Brakes, Tire Spine and SSR Powder Coating.