How To Further Your Racing Career

Over the years I’ve interviewed hundreds of ATV racers, from little 6-year-olds to aging former pros turned business owners and I can tell how well each self promotes. I’m not talking about bragging to the media here, but more like understanding the importance of every interview and doing it in professional manner and realizing that each sponsor and face time counts. This self promotion goes further than interviews. It also includes pit presence, attire, attitude and even your posse. If you really want to “hit it big,” you must act like a professional.

Clearly, it takes some riders longer to mature than others, but it can be done. Here are some tips to try if you’re trying to sell yourself and grow your ATV racing career:

1. Interviews: Realize they are important for you, your family and your sponsors. Try to provide solid answers (not just “yes” and “nos”). Don’t pimp yourself out, but do try for press when you achieve something important in your career.

2. Clean your ATV. Keep it clean and polished at all times. Again, it’s about creating an image and capturing attention (from sponsors, media, fans and other racers). Have you ever seen a pro quad look battered and dirty when it goes to the line or sits in the pits?

3. Dress like a pro. I’m not talking a black-tie outfit, but a suit and tie at a banquet is a great addition to your professional appearance. At a race, wear your pit shirt/race team attire and skip wearing your MX outfit all day. Also, clean your gear so you can look good on the track, too. The cleaner you are, the better chance you have to get photographed.

4. Pits. Keep your area clean and put up your sponsor banners or even create one professional banner with all your sponsors on it.

5. Control your anger. If you think you’ve been hosed by another rider or cheated, stand up for yourself but keep a cool head.

6. Create a racing resume and keep it updated. Avoid the cute approach and go for the professional, clean look.

7. Send “Thank You” letters. At the end of the season, regardless of your results thank every sponsor and those other who may have assisted you.

8. Remain humble and be yourself. No matter what level of success you achieve, remain approachable and kind to all.

9. Make every effort not to burn bridges. I know separation is sometimes the only solution, but try to do it cordially. It’s best for everyone.

Have any other tips you’ve learned by interacting with other racers, sponsors, media or race promoters?  Add a comment about some of the steps you’ve taken to further your ATV racing career.

GNCC Pro ATV Results: 2010 Round 2

Well, two rounds are complete and the points race is extremely tight in the 2010 Can-Am Grand National Cross Country Pro ATV class. With the action from the opening weekends of racing in Florida and Georgia, which saw Chris Borich win the opener and follow that with a second at Round 2 in Georgia, I’d bet the entire season goes this way. As expected, reigning champion Chris Borich is on top on his Suzuki, but Yamaha’s Taylor Kiser has the same amount of points (55), but is listed in second. Kiser, who ended Borich’s nine-race win streak, won for the first time since the 2009 Florida opener (13 races).

Right in the mix are Can-Am’s Adam McGill and multi-time GNCC champion Bill Ballance, who is racing what is said to be his final full season. McGill, his first season on the DS450, is 16 points behind and made the podium in Florida. For McGill, he hasn’t won a pro overall since Round 10 of 2008, but continues to challenge for the podium. Ballance reached the final stair of the pro podium in Georgia and now trails by 18 points. Can-Am’s other pro, Chris Bithell, sits comfortably in fifth, is just three points back of Ballance and 21 behind Borich after his twin top five showings.

Round 2 Movers:

Up: was stuck in eighth place after the first lap and still in sixth with one lap to go. However, the highly skilled racer kicked it into another gear and moved into fourth.

Down: Bithell led the race for the first three laps, but fell fell to fifth on Lap 4 and could not regain any positions. Brent Sturdivant dropped from ninth to 15th and then couldn’t finish the final lap.

Biggest news to me thus far:

1. The biggest surprise is seeing less than 20 pros line up for the races. There were 16 in Florida and just 15 in Georgia. Meanwhile the Pro-Am class has had 23 and 24, respectively.

2. I guess this one shouldn’t be a surprise, but … Walker Fowler might want to move to the Pro ranks now! The proven racer may be young, but he finished eighth overall and beat 8 pros in the process. Sure, in Florida he had a rather uneventful ride, but that’s racin’.

3. Brandon Sommers, currently in 11th, is out of the top 10 in points. I know he has the skills and I expect him to climb the ladder and get back in the top six.

4. Jeffrey Pickens has been a pleasant surprise on his Yamaha with two seventh-place runs. He’s a crafty GNCC vet, has the speed, but can he remain consistent?

5. Where are all the Hondas? Four pros ride “Red,” but have failed to crack the top five at either event.

Top 10 XC1 Pro  Points (2 Rounds complete)

Rank, make, number, name, total points (wins)

1. SUZ 001 CHRIS BORICH, 55 (1)

2. YAM 002 TAYLOR KISER, 55 (1)

3.  CAN 003 ADAM MCGILL, 39

4. YAM 004 BILL BALLANCE, 37

5. CAN 013 CHRIS BITHELL, 34

6. YAM 015 JEFFREY PICKENS, 28

7. POL 010 JARROD MCCLURE, 27

8. KTM 005 BRYAN COOK, 26

9. YAM 012 JOHNNY GALLAGHER, 26

10. YAM 007 DONALD OCKERMAN, 23

For complete results and individual classes, visit www.gnccracing.com.

Unusual Mud Protection: 6 Quick Tips

If you had plans to go riding or racing and the weather snuck up on you (although I can’t quite fathom in this day and age how that could happen), then try these tips to help your sport quad survive the slop.

1-gallon Milk Jugs

These make for quick-fix handguards if you failed to install or pack yours. We’ve seen a few racers install these makeshift protectors. The larger jugs work best because they are more flexible and easier to custom fit to your quad’s bars. Talk about recycling!

Scratch Pads

Some racers I know add kitchen scouring pads to act as a makeshift glove cleaner. In a really muddy race, your gloves will get wet and muddy, but by adding a pad like this to the top or upper rear section of your helmet, you could keep riding instead of stopping for new gloves.

Extra Lens

Many GNCC racers tape an old goggle lens on to their visor to improve its length and mud protection. Roost is one of the biggest culprits of slowing you down. Another rider can roost you with mud, which always finds a way of hitting you in the face, goggles and hands. This longer custom visor can help you, but it can also get super heavy if too much mud comes your way.

Duct Tape

I know it can be used for practically everything, including clothes, automotive repairs and wallpaper, but I’m talking about covering parts of your ATV. I’ve seen several racers run duct tape on their front bumper to the plastic and then coat it with PAM cooking spray to act as both a radiator guard and anti mud shield.

Paper Towels

Believe it or not, if you keep a few extra (and dry) paper towels in your waterproof jacket (if you wear one), you can also improve your hand grip – at least temporarily – by using the paper towels as grip covers. I’ve seen several of the top ATV racers go through their pits and grab two paper towels for the final lap instead of stopping to clean their grips or get new gloves.

Garbage Bag

Yes, this one is for you more than your quad, but any heavy-duty yard waste bag will work as a rain poncho during a long race. The downside? Someone may call you trashy or toss you to the side of the curb. Oh, and it gets really warm under one of these plastic sacks.

These are just some of the basic off-road racing/riding tricks I’ve learned over the years. Although some of them are quite simple and rather obvious, many riders can forget to pack parts and accessories and need fast fixes. Do you have any tips of your own to improve your sport quad’s mudding abilities? How about something you wear during a muddy event?

Aftermarket Companies Practicing Grassroots Marketing-Customer Relations

FASST Co. announced The Flexx Handlebar Experience Tour recently. It will be at Glen Helen this weekend (March 5-7) for the second round of the Big 6 series. This program gives racers the opportunity to install the high-end, comfortable handlebars on their machine and try them. If you’re planning to race at Glen Helen, stop by, say hello and tell them we sent you.

I love it when companies do this sort of grassroots marketing and customer interaction. I’ve seen this done by ITP tires at Brimstone Recreation last year as trail riders could install a tire-and-wheel kit on their ATV and then take the kit for a trail ride. Now that’s firsthand experience. The best part is it’s on your machine, not someone else’s.

I also know that other companies like Hinson Racing, Triumph Motorsports, Duncan Racing and others. In fact, Hinson Racing has been going to local Southern California motocross tracks for the last few years to interact with its racers and other riders, and even assisting them in some cases.

Clearly, more companies should — if they’re not already — create their own track-side support program or at least visit a local motocross, desert or cross-country series once in a while to remind riders of what they do, the product they offer and, most importantly, that they support the sport and the riders. I applaud the companies (and those that do similar programs I failed to mention) for their initiative.

Say It Ain’t So, Digger

I knew one day it could happen. I expected there would be a time – obviously – when “Digger” Doug Gust would retire (hang ’em up, walk away, call it quits). While I don’t know the real reasons behind Digger’s rumored retirement, I doubt it had anything to do with old age. An ATV legend and legitimate hero like Gust can’t stop racing —it’s not fair to the fans or me!

I’ve always been impressed with a guy, from the Midwest, who could whip other MX riders, many of which are half his age, and remain the constant professional and all-around good guy. Cockiness was always a trait foreign to him. And talk about approachable! While other past GNC Champions like Tim Farr and Shane Hitt left the game several years ago, Gust continued to pound the dirt and help raise ATV racing to another level. Sure, in recent years Gust has lost out to a the more youthful riders like Dustin Wimmer, Chad Wienen and Josh Creamer, but he still was a threat to podium and challenge for a spot in the top three at the end of the year.

What I find the most shocking about Gust’s retirement is that fact that no manufacturer or major aftermarket companies gave him a good enough deal to keep him on the track — at least to my knowledge. Suzuki went with Wimmer and Creamer and rumors of Polaris deal have yet to pan out. Like I said, I don’t know all the details and whether or not Gust has officially turned down any companies, but it will be disappointing not to see him race if that’s how it plays out.

I know Gust has the right to end his career. Clearly it’s his body, his time and his choice, but that doesn’t mean I can’t be saddened by it. Believe me, if I had the resources and funding, he’d be on my race team. His leadership, popularity and professionalism make him invaluable in my opinion.

If we don’t see No. 55 on the track in 2010, he will be missed. Oh, and I beg Doug to prove me wrong. If this is the end, he put on quite a show, deserves recognition for his contributions to this sport and a round of applause.

2010 GNCC ATV Pro Class Results – Round 1

It looks like Chris Borich is still the rider to beat in the GNCC XC-1 Pro ATV ranks, as the Sunbury, Pa., racer won the opening round of the 2010 GNCC series in River Ranch, Fla on his Suzuki.  Mounting a come-from-behind charge, Borich passed his way into the lead on the final lap and never looked back. Out of 16 pro riders, Borich was in fifth place after lap one and still “stuck” in fourth place as late as lap three. However, the reigning champ kick it up a notch after that moving to second place and then first on the final lap.

Multi-time champion Bill Ballance earned fifth aboard his Yamaha. Ballance’s teammate, understudy and Florida-native, Taylor Kiser finished second on the YFZ450X (roughly a second behind).  The Can-Am tandem of Adam McGill and Chris Bithell finished in third and fourth, respectively.  McGill ran a great race aboard his DS450, leading the first four laps and earning the third stair of the podium.

Other notables: The top Polaris rider was Jarrod McClure in sixth. KTM’sBryan Cook, in his debut race on orange, earned 10th. The top Honda rider was Brent Sturdivant, who took 11th. Brandon Sommers – overcoming his sickness, earned  12th in front of Harold Goodman, who has said he compete at all the GNCCs this season. The biggest position changes during the race were recorded by Johnny Gallagher (from 14thto eighth) and Donald “Big D” Ockerman (Holeshotwinner; third place on lap one and ninth at the end). For the complete Round 1 wrap-up, click here!

For complete 2010 Can-Am GNCC ATV racing results, visit GNCCRacing.com

Westgate River Ranch

River Ranch, FL – Round 1

XC1 Pro – Class Results

Place Nbr Name Hometown Brand Laps Elapsed

1 001 CHRIS M BORICH SUNBURY, PA SUZ 5 02:05:14.437

2 002 TAYLOR M KISER ALVA, FL YAM 5 02:05:15.843

3 003 ADAM K MCGILL WEST UNION, WV CAN 5 02:05:17.656

4 013 CHRIS P BITHELL IRWIN, PA CAN 5 02:06:10.359

5 004 BILL V BALLANCE SMITHS GROVE, KY YAM 5 02:09:51.953

6 010 JARROD M MCCLURE KASKA, PA POL 5 02:13:55.171

7 015 JEFFREY E PICKENS UNIONTOWN, PA YAM 5 02:14:44.359

8 012 JOHNNY F GALLAGHER AURORA, OH YAM 5 02:15:28.515

9 007 DONALD S OCKERMAN MARSHALL, IL YAM 5 02:17:04.171

10 005 BRYAN COOK CASAR, NC KTM 5 02:17:44.203

11 149 BRENT STURDIVANT MONTROSE, WV HON 5 02:22:06.937

12 006 BRANDON SOMMERS MILLERSBURG, OH YAM 5 02:24:09.250

13 708 HAROLD L GOODMAN ROMULUS, MI HON 5 02:36:00.484

14 040 CRAIG A BOWMAN LEBANON, IN HON 5 02:39:50.875

15 023 TODD S DEMAREE VERSAILLES, IN SUZ 5 02:40:01.093

16 330 SLOAN JACKSON LEBANON, IN HON 3 01:33:47.140

The morning podium consisted of two women and one talented Super Senior class racer. Lexie Coulter won the overall on her Can-Am. The Suzuki mounted Glenn  Pritchard took second ahead of another Women’s class racer in Jennifer Albright. See more Amateur results. Levi Coen (90 Mod 12-15) won the youth division.

ATV Racing Sponsorship

Don’t give up hope, young racers and ATV racing fans. It’s sad to hear the news of some racers not getting factory deals or having to retire because the level of support is no longer happening. However, we must be mindful of how much support this sport still receives. Although we have less factory support this year than in previous racing seasons, it’s good to see a few positives from the ATV racing industry. To hear about sponsorship from the ATV aftermarket and ATV manufacturers is always good. And I know there are certain “contracts” and support systems we don’t get to hear about, whether secretive or not.

I recently saw on Facebook that Lone Star Racing became the title sponsor for the Media All-Stars team, which is run by ATV racing die-hard Jorge Cuartas. Both ATV pro Pat Brown and Cody Grant will benefit from the support. This reminds me of the years before factory support, where race team names were very long and often showcased ALL the companies behind the rider. (Example: Pat Brown aboard his Lone Star Racing/Media All-Stars/XYZ/PDQ/123/ABC-backed race quad as opposed to Factory XX’s Pat Brown).

It’s also encouraging to read about Can-Am signing on with the GNCC Racing series for another three years of sponsorship and adding to its level of support. That agreement (click here) shows a level of commitment to the sport from an ATV manufacturer and also sends the message of support, the belief in ATV racing and more. In fact, any quad maker supporting the sport’s racers (like Can-Am, Yamaha, Suzuki, KTM, Polaris and others) and racing circuits deserves credit, whether it’s on a national, regional (Yamaha with ITP QuadCross) or even a state or niche level (example: mud racing, Baja). They all should be thanked for these partnerships.

Although the support has dwindled, we still see signs of hope and a level of attention and support we should appreciate. Sure, you could say, “They sell to racers, so they should support our sport.” That wasn’t always the case, remember? Let’s keep everything in perspective and focus on the positives and opportunities we currently have, not those we’ve lost.

American company acquires foreign company? Polaris?

It may seem shocking to most, especially in this recession as well as the state of the country where typically the news headlines talk mostly about American companies leaving or being acquired by foreign entities.  The somewhat shocking news of the exact opposite happening raises and eyebrow for me.  This company is Polaris of all companies.  Now not being a hard core fan or follower of Polaris’s development of machines over the years I will be brief.  My perceptions of Polaris’s ATV’s are mixed.   I see the small displacement and older models very problematic, while the newer models are light years ahead of previous models and fairly reliable in the long run.  What does this have to do with the recent acquisition of Swiss Auto power sports?  I think Polaris will be coming out with some very exciting and probably radical ATV and motorcycle designs that people actually want to buy.  Even though I probably will never buy a Polaris I am excited in them taking a risk in developing new engines and technology that can only help the industry as a whole in the future.

To read the press release follow this LINK.   To read a more in depth analysis on the acquisition CLICK HERE

Yoshimura/Hinson Racing Partner With Jeremiah Jones

PRESS RELEASE
Chino, Calif. – March 11, 2009 – Yoshimura just announced a new partnership with Hinson Clutch Components and racing legend Jeremiah Jones. At a recent Press Conference for Team Rockstar Makita Suzuki’s Factory Racing ATV team, Brant Russell of Yoshimura and Wayne Hinson announced that the two companies have teamed up with Jones for race support.

“Wayne Hinson and I have thought about this for a long time,” Russell explained. “We came to the conclusion that there is no better person that we would rather have represent our products than Jeremiah Jones. ”

Jones will be out on the road at various ATV racing series representing these two companies with on-site support for pro and amateur racers. It is planned that Jones will be attending many AMA ATV Pro, Can-Am GNCC, Yamaha/ITP QuadCross, and WORCS series races plus as many large amateur events that can be fit into the schedule. In addition, Jeremiah will manage the amateur and pro race support programs, provide technical assistance and overall help and guidance to racers.

Wayne Hinson was equally excited about the partnership. “This is coming at the perfect time for us. We’ve had a lot of success with our new Back Torque Limiter (BTL) Hinson clutch plus we also have a new FSC Clutch kit which offers superior performance and durability for racing ATVs. We know that Jeremiah will help spread the Hinson name to all the amateur racers across the country in addition to the pros.”

Jeremiah will also be running all of the ATV sponsorship programs for Yoshimura. Quad racers in any category should contact Jeremiah to be considered for the Yoshimura support team.

“I’m very excited,” Jones said. “I always enjoy working with amateur racers and up and coming pros. It’s very gratifying for me to help bring them up to the next level. I’m going to be looking for not only fast riders but quality individuals who can represent these fine companies in a positive manner. ”

Jones will continue to run his Jeremiah Jones racing school with continued support from these companies – All Jeremiah Jones Racing School graduates will receive a sponsorship package from Hinson and Yoshimura.

Jones kicked off the job by attending the opening AMA ATV race at Glen Helen, California, and is scheduled to attend the Mill Creek this coming weekend. Look for Jeremiah under the Yoshimura / Hinson pop-up tents or cruising around the pits on his Suzuki Rockstar KingQuad.

2009 ITP/Moose Racing AMA ATV MX Championship at Glen Helen

We’ve created these action photo galleries that recap Moto 1 and Moto 2 at Glen Helen. Twenty pro riders competed in SoCal.

Moto1_GlenHelen2009

Moto2_GlenHelen2009

Final Results
Rank, rider, brand, moto 1-2, pro points
1. Dustin Wimmer, Suz, 2-1, 47
2. Josh Creamer, Kaw, 1-3, 45
3. Joe Byrd, Hon, 3-2, 44
4. Thomas Brown, Yam, 9-4, 30
5. Clay Holmes, Hon, 8-5, 29
6. John Natalie, Can, 5-10, 27
7. Jeremy Lawson, Can, 10-7, 25
8. Doug Gust, Suz, 13-6, 23
9. Josh Upperman, Hon, 6-14, 22
10. Greg Gee, Hon, 14-9, 19
11. Keith Little, Kaw, 7-16, 19
12. Chad Wienen, Kaw, 4-19, 20
13. Pat Brown, Yam, 11-13, 18
14. Brandon Smith, Can, 15-11, 16
15. Harold Goodman, Hon, 19-8, 15
16. Russell Shumaker, Kaw, 12-15, 15
17. Nick Denoble, Hon, 16-12, 14
18. Richard Pelchat, Can, 17-17, 8
19. Cody Miller, Yam, 18-18, 6
20. Mitch Reynolds, Pol, 20-20, 2

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