Old School
- Updated: April 10, 2009
By David Porter
Photos by Jorge Cuartas
It was only about a month ago when I still didn’t know what was in store for this race season. I was working on getting a couple of jobs at the track wrenching for a few Pro riders. I was also digging deep for sponsorship for my son (and myself just incase I decided to race again). When the season started it looked like I would be doing more racing than spinning wrenches in the pro pits.
Then with just a week or so before round one of the Nationals I got a call from Jason Dunkelburger. His plan was to race whichever series he got the most support, that ended up being the ITP QuadCross Series out west, so I was a little curious as he was proposing a gig for me. It seems that with just week to spare he got an offer which would allow him to race the AMA MX Nationals and wanted me as his race-day mechanic. His plan was to race only the AMA motocross races that didn’t conflict with his QuadCross commitment.
Just when I thought I had a grip on what my role would be this season, two days before the Pell City GNC Dunk crashed and broke his arm when the axle on his practice quad broke. Believe me I’ll have a lot to tell and write about when Jason and I are working together after he has recovered and ready to race again. Jason and I have a great history together, speaking of this, Dunk Hunting comes to mind. We certainly have had a lot of fun together over the years and since we both sort of like to raise hell a little, I think we can ruffle some feathers and have a blast together this year. Jason has spent a long Winter thinking about just how the wheels feel off his race program last year. It pretty much happened right after his podium finish at the Danville race last year. So with that in mind and a new race program controlled by him, along with a little bit of an attitude, I think we will be rolling and I can’t wait.
Dunk or no Dunk, I wasn’t about to miss the first National, so off to Alabama it was where I would race the +40 class, help out my son Matt, Preston Young and a Pro-Am rider, named Cody Grant.
Over the Winter Jorge Cuartas hooked us up and I’m proud to say Matt and I are on the Media Allstars team this year, and that’s how I got to know Cody Grant better. Cody has been a big part of the Media Allstars Team for several years now. Anyway, Cody and I talked a lot over the off season about bike set up, gearing, holeshots, you name it – we went over it at least once. So going into the first race we had a good weekend game plan.
All along I knew he would be fast but I didn’t realize just how fast and just how hungry and physically ready this kid truly was. People tell me all the time how hard they’re working before the beginning of the season. And to tell you the truth, for the most part it’s usually all crap. It’s really the same stuff I’ve heard year after year so when I hear someone hyping themselves up now days it sort of falls on deaf ears if you know what I mean. By the time the second race of the year is over I can tell who the guys are that were actually working their butts off compared to the guys that were talking out of their butts.
Cody Grant is not one of those flashy “me-guys”. He’s more of a humble guy that doesn’t talk about himself much. I can relate to this kid. He’s actually one of us normal guys that don’t have endless money to work with. He’s worked hard for a long time, and I’m not just talking about racing. He works on his dad’s farm and pays all of his own bills. There’s no spoon-feeding here. This kid has earned everything he has and never complains about anything he doesn’t have.
Well, I’m happy to see it all came together for good-ole Cody at the second race of the season where he won his first-ever Pro-Am race at his home track in Kentucky.
Now the reason I felt the need to devote this Old School column to Cody is the feeling I got watching him on the podium just after he won that big race in Kentucky. We tend to look at people that win Pro and Pro-Am races as people with more means than us average guys. You know what you think a lot of time while looking up at the guy spraying champagne all over the place, “Of course he won he gets all his quads and parts for free, he doesn’t have to pay for anything, he gets to ride all week, he’s spoon-fed.” I’ll admit I’ve thought that, I guess maybe it’s human nature to think that way. In this case, if you thought that of Cody, believe me you’re way off. This kid is one of us. Just like you, he’s the average guy barely making it in this hard economy. He works everyday between races and barely makes it to each race, all in the name of living the dream.
I’m Baaaack, and 4-0 so far in the +40 class.
While loading up after the Kentucky round he told me that he had some set-up ideas to try out before the next round of the series. He nonchalantly said he was looking forward to making the changes next weekend. I thought about it for a minute and laughed to myself. Most front runners in the Pro and Pro-Am ranks would be talking about making those changes while they tested all week. Not Cody, he spoke of next week because he would be busy working all week. I thought to myself, this kid is old school all the way!
Don’t get me wrong here, I’m not saying that everyone but Cody in the Pro-Am ranks are spoon-fed. There are a lot of guys that are in the exact same boat. They pinch their pennies and struggle each and every week just to get to the track. I certainly know what that’s like, and I’m sure many of you do too.
I’m really happy for Cody and thrilled to be a small part of his first big win. Over the last few months we’ve talked on the phone at least five time per week and we text each other all the time. Every conversation has the same theme. It’s always about his hunger to go faster and ways to get it done.
The last guy I worked with that was as hungry as Cody is right now was John Natalie. It was ten years ago but I still remember it like yesterday. It was exciting to be a part of Ironman’s program, and to see first hand how bad he wanted it and how hard he would ride to be on top. John had nothing when I wrenched for him. His raw determination to become a National Champion is something I will always respect about him. He struggled with being able to afford his dream, but his pure determination and hard core work ethics prevailed. He’s now an ATV racing icon and legend.
I’m not saying Cody Grant is or isn’t the next John Natalie. What I am saying is that their similarities remind me of each other. Their determination to outride their lack of funding is like watching a Rocky movie.
If you get a chance to watch a Pro-Am race this year look for the number 18 Media Allstars Suzuki of Cody Grant, I’m telling you he’s old school and you’re going to love him.
