Old School

By David Porter

I don’t think many of you realize what almost happened in our sport recently. It’s something that myself and others think would have impacted the future of ATV racing greatly.

I’m talking about losing our pro riders to the AMA Dirt Bike Nationals. In case you didn’t know it, there was serious talk about completely moving the Pro class from the ATVA ATV MX Nationals.

Instead of giving you my one-sided opinion on this important matter, I thought I would do a little bench racing with some fellow old-school friends and get their opinion on this as well. I chose to talk with some old school die hards that have been the back bone of ATV pro racing for quite some time. I’m not talking about the suit and tie folk. I called in the blue collar guys that have guided our sport with their professional ATV racing programs for many years; Daryl Rath, Mark Baldwin, Jim White, Shawn Kirby, Paul Turner and Kory Ellis. I also had a long conversation with AMA Pro ATV Track Official, Harv Whipple and got his take on this as well.

Daryl Rath
First on my old school list was Daryl Rath. Daryl is the owner of Rath Racing. He’s also the owner and team manger for the factory Polaris MX and Cross Country Race Teams. I asked Daryl if he thought it would benefit the sport as a whole if the Motocross Pro class was moved from the ATVA Nationals to the AMA Pro Bike Nationals….

I didn’t support the move. Besides the Pro class, Rath Racing supports several Pro-Am and Amateur riders, who make up a major part of our race program. Financially it would be a great bourdon on our race program to attend another series. I would be turning my back on many of our riders, and I just can’t do that. We would have to somehow attend both the ATV and the Bike Nationals and that would mean twice as much traveling expenses and time. It would be very tough.

We did take our team to the AMA Steel City Outdoor Bike National for the second annual Pro ATV Open. I have to say, I wasn’t all that impressed. I thought it was a waste of time and money for us to be there. I don’t think we had ten people come down in our pit area in the two days we were there. It would have made better business sense if we spent the same money we spent to go to Steel City on some magazine advertising instead. I think it would take years to develop a crowd that would go the dirt bike races to see the stars of ATV racing. So to answer your question, no I don’t think it would benefit our sport. — Daryl Rath

Jimmy White
Getting J-Dub’s input was a must have. Jimmy is the factory Kawasaki team manager and a former Professional ATV racer himself. Over the last couple of years I’ve gotten to know him especially well and have been amazed by his past, present and future ATV knowledge. He’s also a guy that’s not afraid to get involved when he sees something that needs attention. His input at the WPSA Powersport Tour and the AMA MX Series has really been beneficial to the sport. He’s another guy that I could bench race with for hours about the sport’s history and what’s needed to make the future the best it can be. When I caught up to him he was busy at a test riding session but more than happy to comment on the subject…

Let’s face it, the Pro Quads are doing everything the Pro Bikes are doing. I think it would really open people’s eyes. But I also have mixed feelings about such a major move right now.

I really think moving the Pro ATV program would benefit the sport but only if there was good television coverage to go along with the move. For 2009 the TV package just didn’t happen, so I’m glad we’re not separating the Pros from the ATV Nationals.

Right now with the economy the way it is, I think it’s a good thing to stay with our core customers, and those costumers are at the ATV Nationals. Now I believe that in 2009 the Pro ATVers are going to be invited to a total of three Outdoor Bike Nationals. Maybe we will learn more by the end of those three events and this will provide a better plan for 2010. — Jimmy White

Mark Baldwin
Next up is Mark Baldwin. For those of you that don’t know Mark, he is the owner of Baldwin Motorsports. Mark has been sponsoring a rider in the Pro class since 1988, and it was right about this time that the two of us first met. Over the years, Mark and I have bench raced for hours. We have seen a lot of changes over the years. I knew Mark would have already weighed the pros and cons of this and carefully determined what was best for the sport so I called him up and asked him the same question I asked Daryl…

I agree with Daryl and I think he summed it up pretty well.

I believe a separation of that magnitude would be detrimental to the sport of national ATV racing. If I had to follow the dirt bike nationals I wouldn’t be with my customers. My customers are not at the bike races. I wouldn’t be able to do both series. So I agree with Daryl, I don’t think it would be a positive move for companies like mine or the sport as a whole at all. — Mark Baldwin

Shawn Kirby
Shawn is the owner of K&K ATV, and has sponsored many pro riders like Doug Gust, Travis Spader, Jason Luburgh, Cale Downing, Josh Creamer, Keith Little, and Joe Haavisto. He’s been a consistent sponsor of at least one Pro rider for 11 straight years now, so I knew he would have some valuable incite on the topic….

 

I think in time it would work, but I think it’s a good thing that it didn’t happen now. I think that without the Pro class, the amateur national program would not be able to stand alone. I think the Pro class is a big draw for a lot of people to attend the nationals. It’s still a family type sport even at the national level. Many family members attend the races to see their rider race, and greatly look forward to the opportunity to watch the Pros as well. K&K ATV needs to sponsor riders that race where our customers are. Our customers are at ATV races, so that’s where we need to be. I also need to question whether or not ATV racing is to the point where we need to make any drastic changes like this. When the economy gets better and the sport grows more then maybe it would be the way to go, but as for now I’m glad to see this didn’t get approved. –Shawn Kirby

Kory Ellis
Next up on this topic is Kory Ellis. Kory is the ATV Brand Manager for Yoshimura R&D and also the Yoshimura Suzuki Race Team Manager. Kory is the only person in a team management position that can still throw a leg over a quad and qualify for a Pro National. So I knew his input would come from both sides of the helmet….

I think it would be great for the average motocross fan to see what a Pro quad rider can do on the same track the dirt bike stars ride on. Way more people go to the Bike Nationals so the quads would be seen by a lot more people, but for it to impact the sport there would have to be TV coverage to go along with the move.

There is also another side of this to consider before such a big change is made. I believe the ATVA Amateur National Series would suffer from this. There are a lot of people that go to the nationals to not only race but also to see the Pros. Without them there I think the amateur program would be in a lot of trouble. So I guess I’m saying it would be both a good thing and a bad thing, a bad thing for the amateur riders but a good thing for the pros. – Kory Ellis

Harv Whipple
I thought it would be good to get the opinion of someone that’s not been around the sport very long, although he has been around the sport of motocross and has been a big part of its growth. Harvey Whipple is the Pro referee at the ATVA MX Nationals. He’s a no-nonsense fair guy that has gained my respect, and I think he’s been a great asset to the sport. So I knew I’d get a straight up answer from him. Here’s what he had to say on the issue….

 

The tracks at the motorcycle nationals are built for professional racing. With the ATVA circuit the tracks are built for 600 amateurs and then converted twice a day for the pros. Some of the venues have both ATVA & AMA nationals. As good of a job as the track crews already do, it is unfair to expect the race course to be prepared as well as it is for the bikes. There are 80 races in the period of a weekend for the ATVs, and only four for the bikes.

At first I thought it would be a good move, but realistically why should the motorcycle industry have to withstand the change? If they are willing to then great, it may end up helping both disciplines, but then again it may not. Many people are under the misconception that the premier dirt bike MX racers are conceded. They have closed off pit areas, private motor coaches, fans have limited access, and autographs are cut off at a certain time. In reality they are not conceded, this is done for a reason. Did you ever go to an NBA game and sit in section 212 with Michael Jordan and share Gatorade with him before he went on the court to perform? Have you ever been to a NASCAR event and drank Pepsi with Jeff Gordon in turn three before driver introductions? Fans would love to be able to do that but they can’t for a reason. Professional athletes are kept secluded from the general public so they can remain marketable. There are times their agents may allow it, but not all the time.

Not that it is a bad thing, but if you go to an ATV National you can walk up to almost any pro racer and get an autograph at just about anytime. You could probably sit down and have lunch with most of them if you really wanted to. ATV Pro racers are professional athletes, but until they have their own events not shared with any others, including bikes, I’m not sure the sport will prosper as quick as the hardcore enthusiast feel it should. Patience is the key now in these times especially. The sport of ATV MX is in the hands of the right people, we’re carefully considering everything and that’s why we haven’t fully committed to a major move like this. – Harv Whipple

Paul Turner
There are few mechanics over the years that have lasted the test of time. Paul Tuner is exception to that statement. Paul has spun wrenches for riders such as Travis Spader, Doug Guest and Pat Brown. I met Paul in 1999. We hit it off from the start and have been good friends ever since. Paul may not have customers to worry about but he does have a really good handle on what’s going on with the ATV Pro Nationals. So I felt his input would be a nice addition…

I think we need to concentrate on our own ATV series. I really think we need to support our amateurs. The amateurs are our future and I think this would sort of be like turning our backs on them. We have come a long way and I don’t think we should give up on the progress we’ve made in the last few years. It has been the best it has ever been.

I also have to agree with Daryl, I wasn’t impressed with the Steel City event either. The only people that came to see our set up were a few dirt bike people from Yamaha. I’m not totally opposed to the idea, but I just don’t think it’s the best thing for our sport right now. – Paul Turner

Yours Truly
Okay I guess it’s my turn to weigh in on this. To do something like this right now I believe would be crazy. I’ve attended more ATV nationals than I can count. If the Pro class was eliminated from the program the event’s atmosphere would greatly change. I believe the change would not be for the better. People in general are excited to attend the ATVA MX Nationals. A big part of that excitement is being there with the best ATV racers in the World. Without that excitement it’s just another race. It’s been said that if the Pro quads were to race in front of the big crowds that are at the Bike Nationals, it would turn the rider’s into stars, attract more outside sponsorships, lend brand awareness for the manufactures and more. All this may be true, but here is something to think about. Do you know any names of the Pro woman dirt bike motocross racers? Do you know what brand any of them ride? Do you know what any of them look like? I really doubt it. The reason I ask is the Pro woman have been a part of the Pro dirt bike program for years. See my point?

To wrap this up I’m going to go someplace I went in one of my other articles. That article kind of got me in some hot water. It created a little stirring of the pot if you will. Well, here we go again. If people think the Pro ATV class needs to move to another series to gain more attention than what does that say about the effort that preceded that thought? What type of work has been done in the past to get us to this point in time? Are the current ATV national promoters saying there’s nothing more we can do to promote ATV racing to the next level? With this drastic move one may assume the ATV promoters were throwing in the towel and giving up on trying to take the sport to higher levels by simple leaving the task up to the dirt bike people.

I think there’s a hell of a lot more that could and still should be done instead of taking what appears to be the easy way out. There are many things that could be done to move the sport to the next level, other than moving the Pro class to another series.

I understand that television is a big part of accelerating our sport. The WPSA certainly proved how important professional mainstream television coverage was to the sport. Just look at how much the sport grew in the two years that they promoted events. In my opinion, that same desire and commitment, (with a little better long term vision), is what’s needed now.

I also believe that we as a media group have been failing to make bigger stars out of our sport’s Pro riders. The ATV media group as a whole have failed to consistently push our Pros to the forefront. Look, a very simple example of this is the fact that this very story is weeks old and no one has covered it at all. We came very close to loosing the Pro class at the ATV Nationals and very few people even know about it. This is a story that should have been covered inside and out by all of our ATV media outlets.

Eventually something drastic is going to change with the ATV Pro class. I hope Harv is right when he said that the sport of MX ATV racing is in the hands of the right people. I also hope that those people take time to carefully listen to the concerns of the old schoolers that have nurtured this sport through good and bad times for many years.

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