GNCCRacing.com: Hey Mike, what have you been up to lately?

I’ve just been doing a lot of riding and training here in North Carolina. It’s been fun staying down south while the weather warms up in Ohio, where I live most of the year.

So, why don’t you start off by telling us a little bit about how you got started racing?

I started riding when I was four years old, and shortly after I started racing locally. We did locals until I started winning most of them. Then we tried our first GNCC at Loretta Lynn’s while I was on superminis. I ended up winning the youth overall, so the following year we chased the full circuit. Fast-forward a couple years, to where I was racing 250 A in my first year on big bikes. I did pretty well in the A class and grabbed some Top Amateur awards as well. Then we moved into the XC2 class. That leads up to now, where I’m still racing XC2 and having my best season thus far!

Do you feel like having older brothers who also raced when you were growing up was an advantage?

Yes, absolutely! I had three brothers that raced while I was growing up. I learned so much from them. Even the simple things I learned from them was key to improving myself while riding and racing. They were also faster, since they were older, and trying to keep up with them while practicing was a big help too.

 What drew you to the GNCCs, and how old were you when you started racing in the pro class?

Well, when I was young coming up through the local ranks, I had a dream to make racing my career one day. Lucky enough, I had a supporting family to help fund that dream and take me to the GNCCs. I am very grateful they saw something in my riding that convinced them it was worth it to chase these events. Otherwise I would probably just be a local hero (laughs). So, I started racing in XC2 when I turned 16. I can’t say that was the best decision I made, because I got smoked! But that was what I needed to do in order to start receiving some good support from KTM, which was what I was riding t the time. I did learn a lot that first season and I’m thankful that I moved up and learned how big the speed difference is between XC2 and the A classes.

It seems like your results have improved quite a bit over your results from last season! What have you done differently?

Honestly, being healthy and having a really good off-season with my trainer Scott Plessinger was key. At the beginning of the season though, I actually started off with a lingering injury which I kept quiet. I knew if I was just smart about it, I would recover faster, which I did. I still ended up third in Florida, one of our toughest tracks. So I was happy with that result. From there I wanted to build and heal up fully. I am now 100% and I think the results are coming full-circle. During the winter months Scott put me into really good shape. With that comes confidence and with confidence comes good race results. Now the goal is to keep the ball rolling and keep the podiums coming.

What do you think it will take to finally get on top of the box in XC2?

Pushing past my comfort zone is what it will take. The speed needed to win our class right now is high. Kelly is riding really well each weekend. I’ll just have to push the limits and see where it puts me!

Do you have any goals for the rest of the season? What about longer-term goals for the rest of your career?

I would really like to win one of these XC2 races! I think I’m riding well right now, but like I said to win I’m going to have to push. My year-end goals are to be top 3 in XC2 and top 10 overall for the year. My only future goal I really have in mind right now is to be the XC2 champion. I don’t want to move up to XC1 until I win a championship in XC2.

We’re getting close to X-Factor, the first race of the season in Indiana, which is where you’re originally from. Are you looking forward to having a home-state race?

Yes, definitely! The home-state races always feel special. Especially this one, since it is only 45 minutes from where I grew up. It’ll be cool to see all my family and friends there supporting me!