Cody Gibson 8-21-09

By Kyle Dammann
photos by Jorge Cuartas and Kyle Dammann

There is no climbing through the ranks with today’s young quad racers. At most these kids experience a brisk run through the amateur ranks, usually just long enough for them to become old enough to legally race pro. The grace and ease at which they perform is inspiring and uplifting to us all. Right now, in the ATV racing world, a star is rising. His climb has been brisk and performance dramatic.

Jumping onto the national scene and into ATV racing in general in only the last couple of years, Cody Gibson has quickly become a household name in the ATV racing community.

Cody showed up on the National scene in 2007 as a young and fast “A” class rider, eventually dabbling in the Pro-Am class finishing mid pack. This is where he caught the eye of former pro, and chassis builder Mike Walsh. Mike would soon take Cody under his wing and begin to mentor him into the national champion you see today.

The 2008 season was one of ups and downs and mixed results for the Gibson Walsh privateer racing effort. Nonetheless, the duo squeaked out a Pro-Am Unlimited class championship by 9 points. And in the Pro-Am Production, Cody finished the year with a respectable third place, sixty one points behind class champ Thomas Brown. It was said that Cody would either win or crash trying.

This all or nothing attitude is often seen in many up and coming legendary athletes of our modern era. Motocross and Freestyle legend Travis Pastrana, and skate/snowboard maverick Shaun White come to mind. Bursting with talent, and overwhelmed with a desire to win makes for absolutely spectacular television, but often leads to broken bones and bruised egos.

The big question going into to the 2009 season was if Cody could keep it on four wheels long enough to win be in the hunt at season’s end. There was never a question of speed, but rather control. With that raw aggression unregulated Cody would be destined to the list of “Should-Have-Beens” fading from history and memory. As we now sit at the conclusion of the 2009 season, the answer to that question is obvious.

Domination is an overused term these days, but it is the only fitting word for Cody and the team’s performance this year. While domination might be the word, 2009 wasn’t without its hiccups for the Walsh Monster Energy Kawasaki team. Switching to a new bike and a new race program certainly had the team working extra hard in the off-season with research and development, prototyping, fabrication and dyno testing – not to mention a ton of training.

The first few rounds saw the team dealing with some teething issues. A couple minor problems early on set the team back some, but it didn’t seem to slow down their pace as they charged forward with the points lead. 2009 also brought a new Cody to the track, a Cody that was thinking about championships and points battles. We still saw the same aggressive faster-than-hell Cody, but this year he added precision to his program.

We sat down and caught up with Cody shortly after he locked up both Pro-Am championships a round early at Red Bud, in Buchanan, Michigan.

How many championships does this make and don’t leave out the amateur stuff.
In 2006 I won the Beginner Class at I-40 MX in Lenoir City, TN. This was one of the first places I ever raced. Let’s see I won the 450 A Class in 2007 at the Nationals. I then won the Pro Am Unlimited in 2008 and got 3rd in the Pro Am Production. And this year won both Pro Am Classes.

I think a lot of people would agree, this year’s Pro Am classes were the most competitive classes on the entire circuit. You dominated both, how does that feel?
One word, Awesome! It definitely makes me happy looking back at what I accomplished this year. I’ll never forget it, that’s for sure.

You do realize that not too many legends in this sport have started their careers with such success?
Yeah, I’ve been really fortunate. Thanks to hard work, great sponsors and a very supportive family I’m winning races and having a blast doing so. It’s been great. I love the sport too. Racing quads is what I love to do, always have.

Who was your biggest competition this year?
There was a lot of fast guys to deal with this year but I really enjoyed the battles with Joel Hetrick, Chase Snapp and Devin Heimes especially. Don’t get me wrong there were many other great riders, it was really competitive this year, but Joel and I had the same kind of battles off the track as well. [Laughing] He knows I am a bad dude!

 

Last year it seemed like you were the one to watch for a dramatic get off. You would either win big or go down trying. This year you seemed to be going just as fast if not faster, but seemed to be in better control. What are you doing differently now days?
Well, after all the get offs last year, I began to learn that they hurt pretty bad so I decided to train a little harder during the off season. I think it’s working, I’m riding much smoother than I did last year.
Is there a specific Pro rider out there that you look up to?
I have a couple of favorites. Josh Creamer and John Natalie, both have been very supportive of me and given me a lot of great advice over the past year. I really look up to them.

How was the transition from the Suzuki to the Kawasaki? Did you have to change your riding style at all?
Both are good machines, but the Kawasaki was a lot lighter so it made it a lot easier for me to handle it. [Laughing] I am pretty much wide open on whatever I ride so my riding style pretty much stays the same no matter what machine is under me.

Mike Walsh has been your coach and mentor for the last few years. What can you say about the impact he has had on your riding and trip to the top of the podium?
Yes, Mike has made a huge impact on me, professionally and personally. He really knows ATVs inside and out. It has been one of the best experiences I have ever had. I can go out and destroy the bike and within just a few hours Mike and the crew have got it back together and ready to race. That’s pretty awesome, and a definite advantage. I really enjoyed working with the Walsh Monster Energy Kawasaki Crew this year. We had a lot of fun and a great year! I couldn’t have asked for a better team.

I know it’s early but what are your plans for 2010?
Yeah it’s too early to say right now, there’s a lot of stuff up in the air right now. I know I will be running the Pro class next year, but I don’t know what I will be riding yet. Of course I would love a factory ride with some money but we will see I guess. If not, I guess I will just keep on coming to the races the same way I have over the past three years.
Who would you like to thank for your 2009 Success?
Thanks for the opportunity. I would definitely like to thank Walsh Race Craft (Mike, Big Mike, Nate, Bard, Peanut Butter – everybody), my Mom and Dad of course and I would like to give a special thanks to all of my fans. I know that I say this every time I get on the podium but they make the race so much better. When I’m going around the track and I can hear them cheering for me all the way around it really gets my blood pumping. I know it does for the other racers too. Every once in a while I get the request for the ole heal clicker so I throw that in for them. [Laughing] I figure that’s the least I can do for them! I really do appreciate all of them though.

Anyone else?
Yes all my sponsors for sure; Walsh Race Craft, Monster Energy Drink, Kawasaki, Fox Racing Shocks, Maxxis Tires, Rath Racing, Hinson Racing, Crower Cams, Streamline Brakes, K&N filters, Quad Tech, Precision Racing Products, Sparks Racing, Cernic’s, Scott, Troy Lee Designs, Douglas Wheel Technology and CP Pistons.

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