Hunter & Cody Miller 9-13-07

 

Two of the hottest new talents in the professional ATV race scene happen to be brothers. Cody and Hunter Miller of Greenville, Texas grew up riding ATVs. Lately, all their years of seat time have been paying off.  At press time Cody is leading the extremely competitive WPSA Pro-Am class. A leg injury gave Hunter a late start this season, but he jumped into the Pro class nonetheless and finished mid pack in his first pro race. A task unheard of for most rookie pros.

One might think the above would prove grounds for an ATV Scene feature article. Absolutely, but add in the fact that the boys just finished shooting a Toyota commercial (which they play a star role in) and are vigorously preparing their Caddo Point motocomplex for this year’s new and improved 12 Hours of ATV America and it’s definitely time we sat down and interviewed Yamaha’s factory supported up and comers, Cody and Hunter Miller.

ATV Scene: You guys are featured stars on a Toyota Tundra commercial. Has it sunk in how cool this is?
Cody: I’m still blown away that there’s riders out there that actually look up to us! It wasn’t that long ago that we were in their shoes looking up to pro level riders ourselves. Our parents have always taught us to do our best, expect good things, stay positive and good things will happen. And they are! This Toyota gig is one of them.

 

ATV Scene: How did you manage to get the gig?
Hunter: Toyota had an idea to feature a motocross rider (bike or quad) with their Tundra truck. Their goal in their commercials is to make them real and not use actors that don’t even have Toyota trucks themselves, so they had called 7000 Tundra owners looking for a rider. One of their calls was made to Garth Wiebe, owner of Badlands MX near Dallas. They were looking for some experienced riders and thought he might know someone. Opportunity had struck! Garth passed our info to them and they called us.

ATV Scene: Tell us more. This is too cool!
Hunter: Since I really do drive a Toyota Tundra and Cody drives a Toyota Tacoma we were in the hot seat for the opportunity. Plus at the time, Cody and I were both in the top six in the country when they called us back for another screen test. I think that may have helped our cause as well. They ended up rewriting the whole script of the commercial to include both of us in it.

ATV Scene: They had to have fallen in love with what fell into their laps in you two. You’re not boring and many aren’t as good on camera as you guys.
Cody: Thanks but actually the directors just wanted us to do what we do everyday; hit the track, race each other and be our complete selves. It was really easy.

ATV Scene: You were probably working with an entire film crew with millions of dollars worth of camera and sound equipment. Are we right? Tell us more about the crew and how it all went.
Hunter: Yep. They didn’t skimp. They had six extra trucks there and hundred of people working to make the 30-second commercial as good as they possible could. The directors of the shoot really respected our motocross skills and took our advice into consideration to design the jumps to keep the shoot as safe and practical as possible. It was fun to watch their reaction because they were amazed watching us fly through the air! They didn’t think quads could do that kind of thing. The shoot itself was awesome and we felt privileged to be selected.  I was a bit overwhelmed at times by the people and equipment involved.  It seemed like there were four people for every job.  We were unaccustomed to having someone cater to our every need with endless sandwiches and bottles of water. I’ll never forget it. That’s for sure.

ATV Scene: How about you Cody what do you have to say about the experience?
Cody: When I think about it, we have worked our whole lives to perfect our motocross skills. We’ve put 110% into winning races to try to make racing our jobs. So actually this was our first real job, outside of racing. Most people’s first job is working at McDonalds, cutting the neighbor’s lawn or something of that sort. It was so awesome I can’t even describe it.

 ATV Scene: Are they interested in doing anything else with you guys?
Hunter: I actually landed a job for Toyota writing a bi-monthly blog on their website updating what is happening in our lives. It should be pretty cool. We’ll definitely have to keep it interesting.

ATV Scene: Will the commercial be seen on television nationwide?
Cody: It will start out in the South; Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Mississippi on a wide variety of channels.  They told us if it is successful, it may indeed go nationwide.

ATV Scene: Have you seen it on television yet?
Cody: We were amazed. It was actually the first commercial right before the Dallas Cowboys vs. NY Giants football game on Sunday!  I heard it was on during NASCAR as well. Dallas people take their football serious and everyone I know was probably watching the game. It’s beyond cool!

ATV Scene: You’re making ATV racing look really appealing in front of millions of people. You do realize that right?
Cody: I know, isn’t that awesome? I think this is going to be part of a new trend. Our sport is finally being recognized outside of the industry and growing in popularity. I love ATV racing and hope it really grows big in the next few years.

ATV Scene: It looks as though Toyota tied their Internet marketing team into the commercial and made this whole thing even cooler. Tell us more about this.
Hunter: It’s called mytundralife.com. Actual Tundra owners are featured on the site. To view our commercial just click here. On the left of the commercial, click on “My Video”, then “Behind the Scenes” and you can see how much fun we had while shooting this thing. Of course, you can also build and buy your own Tundra right there and tell a friend. They did a great job with the site.

ATV Scene: Let’s talk a little ATV racing. How’s is going with Yamaha?
Hunter: We’ve been riding Yamahas for three years now. This year Donnie Luce at Yamaha has been helping us out and we really appreciate it.

ATV Scene: Thomas Brown seems to be your third brother, especially this season. Is he getting help from Yamaha as well?
Hunter: Thomas is great. And yes, he’s also getting some factory support from Yamaha. We teamed up this year. We practice together, drive to the races together and we pit together. His dad Kent has been a huge help in our program as well.

ATV Scene: So your 6 Hours of ATV America team is still intact all year?
Hunter: Yep. We started our season as a Yamaha team at the first 6 Hours of Texas race here at our Caddo Point track and had a blast. Every since we won that race we have had a great season mechanically. Our new DASA Yamaha motors run really good and they’re reliable.

ATV Scene: Let’s talk more about your season. How has 2007 been for you guys?
Hunter: Like I said, we started out racing the 6 Hours of America. It was all about having fun and working together on a varied terrain, with no pressure for overall season points. We won the race and carried over that same mentality, teamwork and success with us all year.

ATV Scene: Why did you choose to chase points in the WPSA Series?
Hunter: We raced the Texas GNC which was fun and close, but we had to make a decision which venue to stick with for overall points.  We chose WPSA which better fit our schedule and have had a great, injury free, season!

ATV Scene: Talk about moving to the Pro-Am and Pro ranks.
Cody: I am currently leading the points in the Pro-Am class and have hopes to secure the title this weekend at the final round. It has been a very trying season for me and I have had to work hard. I really want to win the race and the Championship this weekend.
Hunter: I moved to the Pro class about four races into the season. I felt a little intimidated at first especially when I got a good start and realized where I was!  Since the last few races, I’m feeling a lot more comfortable and getting valuable seat time and experience for my first season in the pro ranks.

ATV Scene: How is it both Miller Brothers were invited to race in the recent AMA Pro ATV Open Invitational?
Hunter: Again, opportunity knocked and we took it.  We were racing the GNC at Loretta’s. After the rider’s meeting Harv Whipple and Donnie Luce offered us the two spots that Yamaha had left. Of course, we said yes. We were on the same team as Pat Brown and Travis Spader! Now that’s cool!

ATV Scene: And how did you do there?
Hunter: Cody was doing great in seventh place.  On the fourth lap he came down hard on the triple jump and busted his frame.  He had to pull off and watch. I finished 10th and was happy with that since there were twenty hand picked pro riders there.  It was another great opportunity for quads to showcase what they can do.

ATV Scene: What are your plans for next season?  We’re hearing rumors that you guys are being offered sponsorship from manufacturers other than Yamaha. Is this true?
Hunter: We are training hard and taking one day at a time.  We have one more race this season and then we plan to race locally and get ready for the 12 Hours of America.
Cody: We hope to stay together next year with the same Miller Brothers Team. I think we work well together and offer more this way.  We have enjoyed our relationship with Yamaha and are talking to them as well as some others.  Nothing is on paper at this time though.

ATV Scene: ATV Racing’s Grand Finale, the Maxxis 12 Hours of ATV America, is literally in your back yard on November 10th. What do you have to say about this?
Hunter: We’ve been a part of this great event for many years. It is like a big party where everyone has a key role in the team’s journey throughout the day. I love the camaraderie and anxiously waiting together at the pits to see who will emerge first out of the woods. It’s unlike any race I’ve ever seen. Again, opportunity knocked and we’re now no longer just fielding a team in the race – we’re helping build the event. It’s a great sense of accomplishment to be a part of something bigger than our own personal racing team. We’re doing our best to help make America the home of the biggest ATV endurance race in the world.
Cody: There is never a dull moment for the whole 12 hours because the race is so interactive. I’m especially looking forward to the new multi-quad rule. We were done last year after a fluke transmission problem before the first session was over. I think this new rule will bring a lot more competition.

ATV Scene: What can someone expect to see if they make the trip to your back yard for this year’s 12 Hours?
Hunter: The track is going to be really cool this year. We’re adding a few more man made obstacles. The “Suzuki King of the Hill” will include a waterfall this year believe it or not and we’ve got some short cuts for 4×4 riders that just might put them into the mix for the overall.
Cody: All that is great [laughing] but I’m looking forward to the Miss ATV America Beauty Pageant more than anything. Actually it will be pretty cool. We’ve got a few live bands, the new 4×4 ATV America side bar event is going to be killer and I’m looking forward to the ATV Scene Post Event Party at Greenville’s Hanger Bar and Grill.

ATV Scene: The post party includes the awards banquet and the Miss ATV America finals – the bikini round. So you’re probably not the only one looking forward to this portion of the event. Back to the interview, how many teams are you guys predicting this year?
Cody: We have a huge amount of riders in this area with David Culpepper’s ATVCCS. TQRA riders, STQRA riders and the very helpful OCCRA group or riders from Oklahoma – when you combine these riders with riders all over the country, I think we’ll see 80-some teams come race day.
Hunter: I think it’s the biggest value in ATV racing history. We’ve cut the rider and spectator gate fees in half, raised the purse to $20,000 and lowered entry fees to only $100 per person for all classes! And everyone’s now eligible for the purse money, not just the pro teams. Plus there’s tons of side attraction entertainment included in the ten dollar admission this year. I think we’re going to have cars parked all the way to Greenville.

ATV Scene: We’re hoping you’re right. America should indeed have the biggest and best ATV endurance race in the world. We’re equally thrilled to be working hand in hand with your family and the many people down south that are doing their best to help this one-of-a-kind event succeed.
Let’s wrap this thing up. Any sponsors you want to thank?
Hunter: Yes. All of our sponsored parts have worked really well together including our GYTR pipes and components, JB Racing Suspension, Hi-Per Wheels, ITP tires, PEP shocks, Team axles, Rath nerfs, Motul Oil, a few little trick Walsh Racing parts, Oury grips…[take it from here Cody]
Cody: Of course we need to thank Chris at Fly, he’s kept us looking good all year with our flashy gear and helmets which KFab customized for us.  Scott goggles keep our eyes safe and we love their new Storm Trooper boots! We can’t say enough for Paul Turner.  He’s our hero!  He really taught us a lot about how to set up our Yamahas and he and Donnie Luce have been very supportive. We also want to thank our parents for the many years of putting up with our expensive passion.

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