GNCC Racing: A lot of GNCCers may not know your story about coming to the United States. Can you share a bit about that?

Antti Kallonen: It is a story of being in the right place at the right time that shaped my future.  I came to the U.S. in 2005 as a mechanic for Juha Salminen.  When Juha decided and made an agreement with KTM to race GNCC’s for the next two years, he asked me to be his mechanic so that he would have a fellow Finn [native of Finland] to live with.

What was the transition from mechanic to Team Manager like? Was there much of a learning curve?

Looking back to 2006 when I took over team management, I don’t feel like there were any steep learning curves but like with any new job, you kept learning every day. The team and structure at the time were fairly small, and I had good people around to support me. One thing that I still remember today from the first year is the long days.  Remember, I had agreed to be Juha’s mechanic for two years, and I didn’t break the agreement so during the day I was a mechanic, attended every practice session, worked on practice and race bikes, and after all that was done each day, I would work on the team manager tasks.

Your current role with KTM North America is Director of Off-Road Racing. How did you get into this position?

I was an FMF KTM Factory Race Team manager from 2006-2021.  KTM acquired Husqvarna Motorcycles in 2013 and GASGAS in 2019.  In 2021, all the off-road racing programs had grown to the level where being the race team manager and overseeing all the other KTM, Husqvarna, and GASGAS off-road race programs at the same time had some conflicts and time constraints. With the growth of KTM, it was a natural progression and position that was created to successfully continue leading a multi-brand racing organization.

In your years with the KTM Off-Road Team, what has been some of the biggest changes you’ve seen? The KTM of 2026 is very different than KTM was in 2006.

I would say the growth of the company is the biggest change.  Growing from a single motorcycle brand to a multi-brand company.  And on the race team side, today, having a program that offers our athletes everything needed to succeed, from housing and training facilities with trainers to customized engine and suspension packages.  In 2006, we didn’t have team trainers or training facilities.  I remember building Juha’s engines and putting them in the bike, riding the bike on the parking lot to make sure they sound and feel right.  Today, engines are built by specialized technicians to each rider’s spec and dyno’ed afterward to make sure they meet the requirements, and the same goes for suspension.  Everything has evolved over time.

Switching it up a bit, what is your role with the U.S. 6DAYS Team?

I’m the AMA appointed Team Manager for the U.S. 6DAYS Team.  In this role, I help in all aspects of the team efforts, selecting the trophy team riders, logistics, training camps, and securing funding to cover the expenses of the team.

How did you end up taking on your responsibilities with the U.S. 6DAYS Team?

KTM factory rider, the late Kurt Caselli, was a big advocate and 6DAYS racer himself. Kurt would tell me often how frustrated he was trying to help put a team together or raise funds, but at the same time, he needed to focus on his own racing career, and this transpired into conversations with AMA of the future of the program.  One day, AMA called and asked if I was interested in taking on the 6DAYS Team and making a plan to win.  I agreed and said it would be a 3-year plan to win. It took us 5 years, but we got it done in 2016 for the first time in history, and now we have established ourselves as one of the strongest nations in the world and since then have won the World Trophy title 3 times, Junior title once and Women title 5 times.

The U.S. 6DAYS Team is another effort that has changed tremendously over the years. What are some of the changes you’ve seen happen since you’ve been involved?

As you said, this program has changed tremendously since 2012, when I first stepped in.  Funding and rider selection are the biggest changes, along with the professionalism and general operations of the team.  In 2012, the selected riders had to cover their own expenses, and that played a major role on rider selection. Today, riders' and their mechanics' expenses are all paid by U.S 6DAYS Team, and this enables us to select and send the fastest riders to compete.  We have also improved nutrition, recovery, and the general race day support with dedicated and knowledgeable mechanics and chase crews to ensure the riders have the required support.

Tell us a bit about the upcoming fundraising efforts and why it’s very helpful to everyone involved.

We have our U.S. 6DAYS Trophy Team Golf Fundraiser Tournament coming up at Snowshoe GNCC on Friday, June 26.  This is our team’s biggest fundraiser event that generates about 1/3 of the funds needed each year.  We are very grateful for the support from GNCC racers and families that come out each year to play, and to all our partners that sponsor the event.  Supporting this event as a player or sponsor will have a direct impact on the success of our team.

Where and how can people sign up or donate to the U.S. 6DAYS Team?

Information about the golf tournament, how to sign up or how to donate if you can’t join the event will be posted on the GNCC website today.  Information about partnering and sponsoring the event can be found on the same list.

The 6DAYS means a lot of different things to a lot of different people, but what draws you to put your efforts into the event?

At the end of race day 6, when you stand there and hear The Star-Spangled Banner and see our riders on Red White and Blue standing on the top step, it motivates me!  There is no better feeling than seeing our country succeed.

What do you feel is the most important part of not just the USA, but any country, participating in the 6DAYS?

6DAYS is the only time and place where the best off-road riders in the world have the opportunity to race against each other and, better yet, in a team format representing their country.  I see 6DAYS as the “Olympics” of Enduro.  I think the most important part for us and any country is to represent our sport and athletes on the highest global stage.

Where do you see USA’s 6DAYS effort going in the coming years?

I have a good feeling about where we are headed with the program.  It does require some time and funds. We have established a very solid program that works well now, but in racing, you can never stop progressing, and we must find ways to improve and be one step ahead of our competition.  We have a short and long-term plan that sees us fighting for the championships again this year but also puts focus on developing the next generation or champions.