A Conversation with Tes Sewell
- Updated: February 14, 2006
As far as we’re concerned July 10, 2005 will be a date of ATV importance. On that day a ground-breaking event happened to our sport when ESPN’s Great Outdoor Games included ATV Racing as one of their featured activities. And on the following week further ground was broke when the event was televised to over 150 million households on ABC and ESPN.
Our man of the hour, Tes Sewell, was key in getting decision makers at the Great Outdoor Games to include ATV racing as a big part of their future. The Great Outdoor Games ratings were the best they’ve ever been. Ever since, Tes has had a few exciting things for the sport of ATV racing up his sleeve. Originally he proposed an “ATV Super Tour Series” with Media X International (MXi), the promotional body behind the Great Outdoor Games, X Games, Supermoto among others.
Over the last few months, other opportunities came about which proved difficult for him to ignore. About a month ago, Tes left his role with MXi as their sport organizer and producer of all ESPN’s X Games motorsports events (except Snocross) and took a position with snowmobile sanctioning body and Snocross promoters; World PowerSports Association, where he was hired to plan and activate a national ATV Racing tour.
We’re thrilled to report that this new ten round ATV racing tour will be televised in ten one-hour shows on ESPN2 and will showcase ATV MX and Utility action! With the official announcement, we thought it was absolutely necessary to get the lowdown from the main man himself, Tes Sewell. Here’s what he had to say…
ATV Scene: Congratulations on your new position.
Sewell: Thanks! I think WPSA is going to give ATV racing the shot in the arm it has needed for many years by bringing it national TV exposure through ESPN2. I’m certain this will be a successful venture and I’m pleased to join an organization that truly understands racing.
ATV Scene: There were several rumors of this long awaited series six months ago. What took it so long to finally be announced?
Sewell: The real delay was in getting deals done with ESPN and then ultimately my decision to leave MXi and switch the whole effort over to PowerSports. I kept telling people that nothing was going to be done in a big hurry – it had to be done right. Now, since we waited, we have 10 original 1-hour shows starting in June.
ATV Scene: Are you trying to bring back old school GNC racing by combining five TT events with five MX?
Sewell: No, the events are all going to be MX. We are sharing dates and venues with the TT series in an effort not to conflict with any existing GNC date. There will be MX racing on the TT weekends, either on a different track or on the Sunday following the TT. So far we have a great cooperative effort with the TT promoters and I have to say a big thanks to Terry Reynolds for seeing the value in all of this and pointing me in the right direction.
ATV Scene: Is there an overall series winner?
Sewell: Yes there will be an MX series champion and a Utility series champion.
ATV Scene: Is the series ATVA sanctioned or WPSA sanctioned?
Sewell: We are still talking with ATVA since we would like to be able to sanction the races through them. I have kept in constant touch with Doug Morris and AMA president Rob Rasor to let them know what we are up to. This is a great opportunity to get the ATVA’s message out to a wider TV audience. I am a big proponent of the ATVA and what it does for our rights and access. We all need to support the ATVA/AMA’s efforts, or one day all we will have is riding virtual reality ATV simulators at the mall.
ATV Scene: What are the classes and how much will it cost a rider to compete?
Sewell: Stay tuned on the class structures. We plan to have classes for youth to pros and everything between.
ATV Scene: What are your responsibilities for this new series?
Sewell: I just have to make sure it happens and that everyone is left happy at the end of the day – otherwise I get stoned to death. Actually, given the politics I have seen so far, no one would put themselves in that situation. My job is to listen to what the customer wants and to try and give it to them. Of course we all have to understand that this is a business at the end of the day
ATV Scene: Is Donny Banks involved?
Sewell: Donny has been involved since day one and now he just has to figure out how much time he really has to spend on a race series. Donny is my mentor in the ATV world and I have a ton of respect for him. Remember – he has a very successful dealership and his own races and, oh yes, a family…..I think the guy is a superman for all he does already.
ATV Scene: Is there still plans to include utility “Terracross” competition?
Sewell: The plan is to include some ‘Utility” racing on a custom-built track. It will be more of a stock competition like Terracross was at the Great Outdoor Games, so that anyone can come on out and give it a go. We are trying to open the sport to more people and make it easy to come and be one of the family.
ATV Scene: The WPSA was formerly the WSA (World Snowmobile Association). It appears you guys have changed the name and dove into the ATV scene head first. Can we assume, with global warming and lackluster sled sales, that ATV racing is the WPSA’s future?
Sewell: WPSA has been putting on some phenomenal Snocross racing this year. If you have not seen the ESPN shows I tell you that you are missing out. Snow and ATV are just two of the arms of the company right now. We’re all just lucky that these guys have turned their sights to ATV racing.
ATV Scene: What are some of the projects you’ve worked on in the past?
Sewell: I have done all kinds of stuff from snowboarding to cycling to motocross and even worked on the Eco-Challenge back in the day. My job is to spot problems before they happen or to solve them when they do. I’m kind of like the janitor.
ATV Scene: Rumor has it you were solely responsible for convincing the decision makers at ESPN and the Great Outdoor Games to include ATV racing. Is this true? If so how did you convince them and what was their reaction after the event’s successful ending?
Sewell: I don’t think I would ever claim to be solely responsible for anything. I just kept telling the crew over at GOG that ATV was going to be a great addition. Eventually all of my whining broke them down and they put it in the Games just to shut me up (laughing). The simple fact was that we pulled off an event in a hurricane – a freakin’ hurricane! Then the ratings were up 40% when it aired! Was it the addition of ATV racing? I don’t know, but it sure was a big coincidence that we were around.
ATV Scene: Do you know if they still plan to include ATVs in the ’07 Games?
Sewell: I can not imagine they would pull ATV’s out of the Games after seeing that we could pull it off in any weather. I am sure that they are not looking at building any more expensive bridge jumps however. I still say it would have looked great in dry weather though.
ATV Scene: What ESPN programming generally rates the highest in ratings?
Sewell: Highest ratings have to be football. This might explain why Monday Night Football is on ESPN next year.
ATV Scene: What extreme sport has the highest ratings?
Sewell: I would love to say that freestyle moto gets the best ratings since I have spent the last seven years of my life trying to get it more attention on the network. I really don’t know though. I do know that skateboard Big Air is out of control and Snowboarding is huge in the winter.
ATV Scene: You know first hand what interests television viewers. And you’ve personally followed ATV racing very closely for the last few years. In your opinion, can ATV racing ever rival those rankings?
Sewell: ATV has such a huge, untapped grass roots movement which will help the ratings. The American public loves to watch good racing and that is what we have to give them each and every week on TV. I don’t think we are ever going to be football or NASCAR, but we can do really well once we build up our stars and our stories. The Executive Producer of the ATV series is the same guy who Produces the X Games Moto and Snocross and also just happens to be the Producer of the Daytona 500! That should give him a little knowledge of how to produce ATV motorsports, don’t you think?
ATV Scene: Thanks for your help in building ATV racing to higher heights. Any last words?
Sewell: I have to thank the original ATV committee – John Pellan, Wes Miller, “Doogie” Howell, Jorge Cuartas, Wayne Hinson, “Banger” Straubinger, Ray Christy and Donny “Bulldog” Banks. You guys understood what we were trying to do for the sport and really approached it with an open mind. Now we just have to build on that. I also should thank Rocco Arno Sr. for never giving up on this thing. He kept calling me until he got the answers he wanted. He is the sort of parent and fan that will help this sport grow to the top. To everyone else, thanks for your patience and for some of the fantastic rumors I get to read on the ATV Scene forums, (laughing).
