Johnny Leach

Photos by Jamie Johnson

Johnny Leach is the owner of Motoworks, DWT and the Can-Am Motoworks DWT race team, which is one of the biggest ATV racing teams in the business. As you can imagine he’s one busy guy. Nonetheless, we caught up to him to see how things are going and what’s in store for next year…

Is it safe to say that ATV racing is an essential part of your business?
Absolutely, everyone here at DWT and Motoworks lives for racing. Not only is it our business but also our passion. Everyone of us came from some sort of racing. It simply is what we do.

You may be one of the busiest guys in our industry. Name some of the things currently on your plate.
Obviously I am very involved in DWT, Motoworks and the Motoworks Can Am Race Team. In addition I’m involved in putting a plan in place to get the AMA ATV Nationals televised. I’m also dedicated to helping with the growth of the new DWT Motocross Series, as well as our Cahuilla Creek Motocross park in Anza, CA.

Besides the AMA ATV Nationals and WORCS, what riders are supported by Motoworks and DWT?
We support many different series directly or indirectly. As for riders we have Dustin Nelson and Beau Baron in the QuadCross Series, Cody Miller and Joe Haavisto in the NEATV Series, Hunter Miller rides for us in several Texas series. We sponsor Chris Borich, the Wernert Can Am Team, and Tim Farr’s KTM team team in the GNCC Series. We also sponsor the GNCC with banner and track-side support. In Canada we support Richard Pelchat and in Europe we have Roman Couprie. We also financially support other races such as the Le Touquet and 12 Hours of Pont de Vaux in France.

Wienen’s final win of the year at Loretta Lynn’s has to make you happy and excited about next year’s AMA Pro ATV Championship hopes. Will there be any changes in the pro ranks for your team in 2011?
Yes, the end of the AMA Nationals were amazing. The guys really came together as a team and we started winning races. In fact, we won three of the last four big races. I feel really good about next year. The bikes are working great and the riders are fast. The team will not change for next year. We have a solid line up and we’ll be ready to compete.

Will there be any hopes of a GNCC Championship for 2011?
DWT/ Motoworks will not directly field a team at the GNCCs. However the riders we sponsor are very much capable of winning a championship.

The WORCS Championship is coming down to the wire between Beau Baron and Josh Frederick. Are you excited, or perhaps nervous about the final chase?
I think there is nothing more exciting than a close championship. This year the points battle is closer than I can remember. As a team owner, I hope we can win the championship and bring another one home for Can-Am. However, as the owner of DWT and Motoworks, I am happy either way because we support both riders. They are both class acts and I’m proud of both. It should be a blast to watch the final rounds of this year’s WORCS.

How do you feel this year is going, or went for Can-Am racers?
I don’t think it could have gone much better. Obviously we would have liked to win the AMA National Championship for them. However, Can-Am is leading the WORCS Championship, the NEATV Championship, they are third and fourth in the GNCC Championship, we have won the Le Toquet and got second in the 12 Hours of Pont de Vaux in France. We have also gone first and second in the Montreal Supercross. Things are getting better and better for Can-Am. The quad is spectacular! As with all new products there’s a period to work out the bugs. Can Am has done a great job of getting everything on the bike working spot-on and you are seeing the results. Wait until next year. I think everyone will be surprised.

What do you look for in supporting future factory-level professional ATV racers?
Dedication is the first thing. The easy things to look for are speed and talent. Everyone can recognize those qualities pretty easily. I look a little deeper. I look for the rider who has the grit and determination to win. Lots of riders say they want to win. I believe those who live to win set themselves apart from the rest. Once you are around this type of individual it is easy to spot. Josh Frederick, Dustin Nelson, Chad Wienen and John Natalie are just a short list of people that can’t imagine losing. They live for this sport and the sport has taken care of them because of this dedication. So when looking to the future, I look for kids coming up through the ranks with this kind of dedication. Like I said, there’s an amazing amount of talent out there now days, but the riders with character and dedication set themselves apart from the rest.

What’s drawn you into the ATV racing game?
Simple. It is the best racing anywhere to watch. The racing is always close and the families that support ATV racing are amazing. We have met some of the most amazing people around the world. I absolutely love watching quads race. Anyone who has not watched an ATV race needs to find a local race and check it out. I think they will be very impressed.

What do you feel sets Can-Am’s program apart from other manufacturers involved in the sport?
The number one thing that sets Can-Am apart from anyone is their commitment. They are completely dedicated to this industry. Suzuki is a great company and has done many things for this sport. However, at this time, Can-Am is all in. They will do whatever we need in order to make the bikes better. People forget that Can-Am has only had the DS450 for a few years now. It took many years to get other brands dialed in to win. I would say the biggest difference for our team are the people at Can-Am. They are so enthusiastic about racing it’s unbelievable. It never seems to get old for them.

Are there any new DWT or Motoworks products in the coming out that you can tell us about?
DWT has a really cool three-piece wheel we are introducing. It comes in a 12 and 14 inch configuration. The centers are billet aluminum and the halves are spun aluminum. The 14” wheel weighs only 11 pounds. The really cool feature on this new wheel is the halves can be bought in any offset the customer wants. If the user bends a half they can replace it without buying an entire new wheel. The offsets can also be switched to make the wheel wider or stock offset.
Motoworks has just introduced their new “G2” exhaust for all sport quads. This new exhaust system passes the stringent sound requirements of Europe but makes a ton of horse power. We are really excited about this new exhaust system.

Any special thanks for 2010?
Well obviously I would like to thank everyone who supports DWT and Motoworks. We have awesome customers. I would like to thank everyone from WORCS and the AMA Nationals. They have taken us in as part of the family and we really appreciate it. Can-Am has been amazing as well. I appreciate all their support and look forward to racing Can-Ams again n
ext year. I would like to take the time to thank Rick Willison. Everyone at the races knows him because he does our track side support. He does an amazing job and really helps us out at every race. Josh Frederick, Dillon Zimmerman, Chad Weinen, John Natalie and Jeremie Warnia are all racers that make it happen for us, and I appreciate their hard work and dedication.

Any last words?
This industry has been amazing! We are all going through tough times right now, but I hope to see everyone at the races. We will continue to do what we can to help the sport through these hard times. I encourage other manufacturers to jump in and help everyone out in this business.

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