Why don’t you start this off by telling us a little bit about yourself?

Zack Hayes: Alright, my name is Zack Hayes and I’m 26 years old. I’m from Sumter, South Carolina. I started riding in 2006. My dad used to ride back in the 90s, and he got me a dirt bike.

Isn’t Sumter where they have one of the early-season NEPG rounds?

Yeah, it’s only about 20 minutes from my house.

Do you do any of them in addition to the GNCCs?

Yeah, I rode South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama. We didn’t do no traveling; we just couldn’t afford to do both series – that’s a lot of racing!

Yeah, it’s a packed schedule for sure. So, tell us, how does it feel to have won the XC3 title, your first pro championship?

It feels good! I won Open A in 2014 and 2015 and was top amateur. Then I moved up to the XC2 and just got my butt kicked (laughs). I was never on the podium, though I did get a few fourths and was in the top ten in championship points every year. Getting on the podium in XC2 is tough! At the last minute before this season, I went and bought two 125s, and decided to just go for it in XC3. I had no expectations and nobody to answer to, I bought the bikes. I ended up winning the first couple of races, stuck with it and it turned out to be a really good year!

Why did you decide to “just go for it”? Did you want to try something different, or think that you would be faster racing a 125?

I knew the 125 would be harder to ride for three hours. But it was something new, you know? For the longest time it was the same thing every year in XC2. The boys weren’t getting any easier to beat, I’d been on the same bike for so long… I was just getting burnt out. I wanted to change it up, and that’s what the 125 did. Between the new challenges and having a good season, I’ve got a little bit of the spark back in me!

You mentioned that it’s harder to ride a 125 for three hours. What were some of the challenges you faced with that and how did you cope with them?

Yeah, the main thing… well, I didn’t have any trouble with the motor being smaller. The problem I faced was more from the suspension and chassis, trying to figure out how to keep it on the ground, tracking and planted because the bike itself is so light. At races where conditions were good it was cool, but at the hard slick stuff it was really tough. But Tom at Coppersmith, he did really good, put a lot of effort into it!

How were your overalls this season compared with last year on the 250?

It was give-or-take. I maybe had some better races in XC2, but I was still in the low 20s most of the time. Of course, with that being said, there were a lot of XC1 riders out this season.

Do you plan on defending your title next season?

Yep, next year I’ll be riding a KTM again. I should have a few more sponsors, still to be announced so I can’t say much. We plan to defend the title again next year, but after that we’re not really sure what I’ll be doing.

What were some of the high and low points of your season?

Mechanically speaking, I had a really good season, we had zero issues. But at the first Georgia race I leaned into a tree, totally my fault, but I broke my clutch line off and we had to come in and fix it. I ended up sixth that race, but it was the only one where I was off the podium. Again, it was my fault, and it was a boneheaded move. But it’s hard to pick out just one event when the season as a whole went so well.

Do you do all the work on your bikes, or do you have help?

Me and my dad and my little brother all help each other out. Since we all work full-time, it has to be a group effort. So, if Chase is home earlier, he’ll change all the bibs, and the next time if it’s me I’ll change them.

Speaking of your brother, I saw he won the Open A title this year. Is it cool for you to see him sort of following in your footsteps?

Yes, it’s super cool! Chase and I have ridden together all our lives and at the locals he sometimes even beats me, he’s tough in the locals! He’s a good GNCC racer, I just think he needs … it’s a mental thing for him, I think, just trying to stay focused the whole three hour race. He had some good results at the beginning of the year, then a string of mechanicals, dumb luck really. Then at the end he put his head on straight at the end and was able to lock the championship up. I’m really proud of him.

Does you dad still race too?

He doesn’t race anymore; he broke his knee in 2006 at a local and couldn’t really come back from it. He pretty much just babysits Chase and me, runs our pits and stuff. Thank goodness, because without his help I don’t think either one of us would ever finish (laughs)

Last time we spoke with you, back when you were still riding A class, you were in school. But you mentioned that you’re working full-time now.

Yeah, I’m an electrician in town, that’s my main job. But we just started a winter series down here, the Carolina XC series. I’m really excited about it! We’ll race in December and January; it’ll be a four round series. I also just got married last weekend…

Oh, congrats, I had no idea!

Thank you! It’s been busy here lately, we won a GNCC title, got married and started a racing series (laughs) Anyways, my wife and I own the series together, and it’s dream of ours. I obviously have a real passion for motorcycles, and I love being able to get back to my roots, and especially to watch the youth riders and racing.

When is the first round?

It’s December 13th. The other dates are January 3rd, mid-January and then the 31st, which is the weekend before the Sumter NEPG and it’s actually in Sumter which is cool. The format we’re using is a GP-style, similar to J-Day, with two thirty-minute motos. Something different, something unique and fun for people to come do in the off-season. It’ll be a bit of everything – woods, grasstrack, even a little bit of EnduroCross. This whole race promoting thing feels like cheating almost, I’m having so much fun scoping out the venues and getting everything set up that it doesn’t even feel like I should be getting paid for it (laughs) Hopefully it works out and maybe in the future becomes something I can do full-time.