Chuck Debault 10-04-06

You may remember the name Chuck Debault, if not, JaspMan should ring a bell for those of you hanging out in the forum section. Chuck is an outstanding photographer, ATV diehard and all around good guy. He recently unleashed a niche in the saturated ATV media market. His creation is called Amateur Exposed Magazine. The magazine is currently online at atvexposed.com but soon to be printed as well. With his new news, we decided to talk with Chuck to get the low down. Here’s what he had to say…

How did you get your start in this incredibly cool sport?
It’s really a short story with a long explanation. It seems like forever ago. I have always been a huge fan of non-mainstream sports. I used to ride dirt bikes when I was growing up in Michigan. Then was a sponsored skateboarder for a few years. But through the years I just got side tracked and never had time for much else. I ended up getting married and my brother in law purchased a Banshee. It was cool; neither of us had ever ridden a quad. He got even further into it and later my wife and I decided it was fun so we got a couple quads ourselves. She got a Kawasaki Lakota that we decked out for MX and I got a Yamaha Blaster that I was destined to die. Less than a year later we both got Cannondales. The first national race I went to was the GNCC in Sparta, KY. It was a muddy disaster, but one of the best family times I have ever had. From that point forward I was hooked on XC ATV racing.

Chuck sees GNCC amateur, Walker Fowler making a huge name for himself in the future. How did you get involved in the behind the scenes portion of the sport?
ATV Scene’s Nathan Delabar and I hit nearly ever GNCC together the following season and a couple Maxxis 6 Hours of ATV America races. Together we helped deliver the scoop to ATV Scene. Shortly after this my wife ended up getting involved in MX and short so I found myself hitting both the GNC and GNCC series.

You’ve been a good friend and loyal ATV Scene supporter. In addition, you took over duties as our forum administrator, but recently called it quits. Our forum members miss you and wonder why you resigned.
I’ve been asked that question about a thousand times in the last couple months. There is no specific answer I can give. It’s personally political and was not an easy choice for me to make. I will say this, John Pellan has been nothing short of a great personal friend over the years and to this day my loyalty stands with ATV Scene. I’m a big supporter of what John and ATV Scene does for this sport.

What is AEM and why did you start it?
AEM is actually Amateur Exposed Magazine. It’s funny really; when I originally came up with the name it was going to be ATV Exposed Magazine. Even our web domain is atvexposed.com but after talking with my good photographer friend, Stephanie McIntyre, she suggested making sure people knew it was an amateur based magazine. So we made the name switch not realizing that the domain I would have preferred was already taken. Do not visit that link it IS NOT family oriented.

Here’s where AEM comes together, aka Chuck’s desk. Seen here are Chuck’s one-of-a-kind posters of Jason Dunkelberger.You originally wanted to make it a printed rag correct?

Yes. My original goal was to be monthly and offer a web based site and print at the same time. Due to some personal hurdles I had to deal with that plan was put on hold and the print side is VERY limited but my plan is to be full monthly print be February 2007.

What’s special about AEM?
The special thing about AEM is that we offer no forums, no product evaluations or consistent race coverage. From time to time we may tell a story or offer an editorial from a specific event, but we are not a source for race reports. We are more of a rider information database. We highlight anyone and everything quad related, but we leave the discussion groups and race reports to sites like ATV Scene.

Why did you start AEM?
Amateurs do not get nearly enough media attention in my opinion.  Don’t get me wrong, I am a huge fan of the pros. I call or email a pro at least every other day. Johnny Gallagher and I are good friends and I consider Jeremy Rice a buddy. Dunk and I joke around online and I even call people like Jackie Meadows from time to time. These guys are what make the sport fun for the spectators. But when  was the last time you Joe Blow get his photo in the middle of a major ad in a magazine? Yet these are the people actually paying for the products. I understand all the concepts and theories, but come on, give credit where credit is due once in a while! Besides that, there are more point’s battles in the lower ranks than in the pro class. It’s the pleasure of watching the proud parents scream for joy and cry in excitement that makes the amateur events so exciting. AEM is dedicated to where the sport begins – the amateur ranks.

What’s the AEM mission?
Our mission is to inform the world of amateur riders. Not just racers. There are a lot of great riders out there who cannot make a race or who never heard of some of the obscure ATV related stuff out there.

Has AEM taken off?
Yes our readership has been outstanding, and not just from readers in America. Currently we have 250 consistent readers from Spain, they love seeing photos, products and information that they would never get to see otherwise. In our December issue we are even doing an article on a kid from Alaska who is thousands of miles from any major race but can give you the stats of everyone in the top ranks. It’s awesome. Last month we did an article on Brad Phillips of Premis and I had some kid in the Canary Islands email me about his DVDs. He did not speak English but was interested in getting a copy of the movie. Using translating software I finally understood what he was trying to ask and sent him my own personal copy of Carpe Diem 2. It took over two weeks but he emailed me today and was so excited I couldn’t even translate his whole letter. That’s what it’s all about.

How does an amateur rider get featured in AEM?
Well at first I kind of picked the people who stuck out when I was at the races. Now I have a writer, Jennifer Albright who handles my southern area and she has become my right hand in this whole thing. We talk daily and decide who we are watching and why. Plus I lean on people like Jennifer Rath, Jorge Cuartas and a ton of loyal readers. I read every email that comes in and return every call I get. Last month I got over 500 emails from people suggesting people who they thought were special and why. Some we are watching closely, others we already have planned for future issues.

 

 Which current amateur racer has the best chance of being the next big thing in the sport?
I guess that depends on the facet of racing. In the GNCC world I would have to say Brandon Sommers. The boy is fast in the woods. He is dedicated and an all around great kid.For motocross it’s a toss up. Aaron Meyer, Dane Heilman, DJ Spurling and Jamie Luburgh come to mind.

You’ve listed links and logos for all the popular online ATV magazines in your “Partners” area of the atvexpo sed.com site. Are you working hand in hand with them as well to get amateur orientated scoops?
There is two ways people get listed on AEM. We don’t make enough to survive off advertising. We really need more advertisers, but that is each company’s choice. But you can bet if a company’s logo is displayed on AEM there is a reason why. We watch companies just as close as we watch amateur riders. There are people and companies who could not pay enough for a spot in our magazine. In our opinion they are bad for the sport and put their greed in front of the sport. As for our partner’s page, are they partners? You bet! If someone is listed on our partner’s page they have personally expressed a desire to work hand in hand with AEM to further the future of amateur riding and racing. We want to thank them all.

As far as getting exposure and further sponsorship, in your eyes, what’s the most common mistake made by amateur riders now days?
Great question. I was having a phone conversation with Jorge Cuartas the other day and we both agree a bad resume is like death to a career. Unless you are screaming through the upper ranks of racing – your resume is what can make your name known or ignored. I have redone or helped about eight people in the last two weeks redo their resumes and it’s amazing how great of a racer someone is, but how poorly they provide knowledge of it.

The next is a small pet peeve of mine. I think you have to be photogenic on your quad and personable off the track. Do your own research; see what pro riders get photo play even if they are not winning. Look at the color of the gear, the color scheme of their quad and how they act while at the races.

Finally it’s follow up. If you get a sponsorship from someone take five minutes after every race and send them an email with an update of how you did. Be positive and send them a printed photo from time to time with their logo or sticker displayed. A good sponsor is a partner not a coupon.

What is your day job?
During the day I am a network engineer. I have been working in networking for about 17 years. I started around 17 years old. I have been at my current position for about 10 years.

You’re a very good photographer. What attracts you to the art of photography?Photos speak the world wide language. Without photos it would be a boring world. Look around, photos are on every product and nearly anything that is flat! Photography is an art, nothing short of the creative mind captured and manipulated. I fell in love with it in high school and have always had a passion for it.

While we’re on the subject, I have to toss out some props too, I owe a ton of my action exposure to John Pellan for seeing my art for what it is and giving me 100% artistic freedom to help develop things at ATV Scene for a couple years. Adam Campbell, he’s a rock star of a shooter. The guy can take 20 great shots and you never see his camera move. And most of all John Howell with QUAD Magazine for finally forcing me to open my creative mind and realize pictures should have more ability than vertical and horizontal.

You’ve got a very impressive photo portfolio, which includes a few ATV Scene Girls. We have to ask, who is your favorite Scene Girl?
Miss September 2006, Jessica Ruestle. She’s my doll. I try to talk to her weekly and I have shot her for PowerMadd posters and even took shots for a classy mainstream Maxim style magazine that we got call backs on. She is a sweetheart and is probably the best model I have ever worked with.

As an ATV enthusiast and industry insider, in your opinion, is there anything concerning about the industry or the sport’s future?
The pissing and moaning that goes on in the lower ranks. It’s bullshit. If a track is bad or if there needs to be a change stop bitching and work together, speak like educated people and change things. Otherwise shut up and deal with it. I have a five year old who doesn’t whine as much as some racers do. This sport owes no one anything. Remember it’s a privilege to race any series – local, regional or national.

What’s the best thing about the sport?
I would say the family aspect of the sport. The friendships created. It seems like no matter what series I go to there are always people offering drinks, food or a place to sleep. The friends I have made at the races are loyal and honest. They know I rarely care enough about politics to talk about them, and it seems like most feel the same way. I respect almost everyone and would do anything I could for most of them.

What’s the worst?
To me, it’s mostly personal stuff like crappy cell service, long boring drives, weather, over priced camping at a couple tracks, gas prices etc. Mostly stuff that makes me realize my wallet is too small.

Is there any certain type of ATV racing that you prefer to be around? In the past it seemed like you were partial to the GNCC series.
I love the GNCC series. I have a spread sheet from every race last season that shows how long the tracks were, lap times, average MPH and even if people reported bad bottle necks. It’s a racers race. It’s person and machine against the trees, hills and all elements in between. I like motocross racing for the photography aspect, it seems like my favorite shots are all from the WPSA or GNC series. But to visit a race and get excited I have to say it’s GNCC. I go down the rows and smack helmets, tell my friends good luck and shake hands with each pro. It’s raw and it’s rough.

Why don’t you ride ATVs anymore?
Time mostly. I just don’t have time. I also sold my quad to help pay for my wife’s 2006 GNC racing season. Probably a silly thing looking back, but given the timing I would do it all over again. Either way I used to ride a lot. I even ran in a couple GNCC races. I’m not competitive so racing was a waste of time for me. But I have actually been riding a couple times in the last month. In fact, me and a buddy of mine are building a machine for the first 6 Hours of ATV America race next year. Neither of us care about winning, we are more interested in having some fun and then tossing a few beers back laughing about how sorry we were on the track.

This is all about the amateurs, but do you have a favorite pro rider?
I like them all but several for different reasons. I am good friends with Johnny Gallagher so I always like watching him race. Bill Ballance is a smooth, smooth rider. My favorite rider to take pictures of is Dunk. Kory Ellis is fun to hang with. Keith Little is the most fun to joke with. Lot’s of props to Donny Lysinger for the choice he had to make. Jeremy Lawson for being the come-back kid. I respect Gust for his dedication to all these years. It’s really hard to nail down one person. I am all about the amateurs, but when I am not on the track with a camera I am just like everyone else lining the fence screaming for the underdog pro.

The WPSA Powersports Tour and the ATVA Grand National MX Series seem to conflict on more than one date next season. If you were an amateur rider, which national series would you run?
That is a really tough question. I had a couple of amateur riders at my place a week ago and this same discussion came up. We ran up to Staples and purchased a huge map of the United States. We made little flags and put numbers on each flag placing them on the map in the order of event. What it really all comes down to is money. Forget politics, prize money (unless you can win cash in your class), or other people’s choices. If you can’t afford to run either series go for all the close races. If you can afford to run one or the other it all comes down to what tracks you want to run.

How do you feel about small local and regional events and tracks?
I think the local series events are just as important as the national races. Support your local tracks that support you back. Don’t buy into the bullshit of prizes or banquets and all that crap. Go to tracks and local facilities that are worried about your safety and your fun. It’s up to the racers to support those businesses that are making sure their greed does not override their love of the sport.

Good luck in your future and long live the amateur rider!
Thanks ATV Scene for everything. See ya at the races.

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