Dec 8, 2005
Photos by Corry Weller of Weller
Racing
| Name:
Jeremy Schell Nickname: "The So Cal Hick" Number: 14 Age: 31 Residence: Hemet, CA Home: Hornersville, MO Occupation: Pro Racer Quad: '04 Yamaha YFZ Hobbies: Racing - a hobby turned career Track: Daniel Boone Movie: Forest Gump Tech Gadget: Ipod Carrier: Sprint PC or Lap: Laptop all the way. |
Truck: Ford F-250 Diesel |
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We talked to him about his West Coast quad moto dominance, his race quad, the direction of the sport and what's in his future. Here's what he had to say...
ATV Scene: So should we change your "SoCal
Hick" nickname to "Quadcross" or what?
Schell: Yeah that's three in a row. I'm
pretty happy right now. I broke my ankle and my wrist this year but still managed
to stay consistent.
ATV Scene: With that said, was this the
toughest year to win it?
Schell: By far. The QuadCross Series has
gotten more competition in its third year. Plus being hurt, coming back, then
getting hurt and coming back again -- all in one year didn't make things any
easier.
ATV Scene: Last time we interviewed
you you mentioned that ATV racing was growing enormously out on the left coast.
Do you feel that is still happening?
Schell: It's got even bigger in the last
year. And I don't see it slowing down any. It will be even bigger and more competitive
next year. Things are good out here.
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ATV Scene: Do you feel the QuadCross series
should expand its horizons and travel more?
Schell: Yes. In fact next year's QuadCross
Schedule is out and the series is indeed going to hold rounds at
additional tracks. Going to the same track gets boring after a while. And I
think a lot of riders out here need to ride somewhere other than Glen Helen
now and then. I've seen it time and time again, -- you go to a track that has
something a little gnarly and all the ITP Quadcross guys kind of freak out about
it. They're so programmed to race on that one track, I think it's hurting their
overall racing careers some. So, I'm very much for expanding the QuadCross to
new locations.
ATV Scene: How's your life away from ATV
racing going?
Schell: Things are good. My wife and two
kids are great. A lot has turned around and it's a great life. I'm really fortunate.
ATV Scene: Are you still a construction
contractor, or are you officially a full time ATV pro now days?
Schell: As of the 2005 season, I'm a full
time ATV racer. Golden West, Ryan at Epic and Curtis Sparks have really made
things good for me.
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ATV Scene: You were making some pretty
good money as a construction manager. We're assuming you've sacrificed a lot
by leaving that job to race four wheelers full time. Can you talk about this
for a minute?
Schell: I was making about $89k a year in
construction, so yes, I'm sacrificing a lot. Any ATV enthusiast out there that
does this knows that you need to make sacrifices in life. I felt that if I didn't
give it everything I had this year I might never have the chance to do it again.
I'm not getting any younger. This is another reason the third championship was
really important to me. I sacrificed my job to train and ride full time. Not
everyone knew what I was going through, with the injuries and all, but if I
didn't win after giving up so much it would have really bothered me and made
me second guess the sacrifices I've recently made.
ATV Scene: Do hicks desert race?
Schell: (Laughing) No hicks generally don't
make it to Baja. I guess growing up in the midwest, desert racing is not in
my vocabulary. I might consider it someday, but I tear stuff up on the motocross
track so I dont know how far I could go in the desert without breaking something.
ATV Scene: Tell us about your newest quad.
Schell: It's actually a 2004 Yamaha YFZ.
It was a magazine bike used mainly for pictures. When I switched from Alba to
Golden West they made it into my race quad for the year. Curtis Sparks did the
motor on it. It's an actual 450 (note: this year QuadCross Pro riders were allowed
to compete with big bore motors). A lot of guys went bigger and put big bore
motors in, but I still managed to get all but about four moto holeshots all
year with this motor. We've got it dialed it in. Precision Concepts and I are
always tinkering with stuff.
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ATV Scene: All but four moto holeshots?
That's pretty impressive.
Schell: Thanks, but I owe them all to Curtis
Sparks. This motor is incredible. The only problems I had was getting off of
a stock 450 and on the Sparks motor. It's actually hard to adapt to it. There's
so much more power! The race bike jerks your arms and gives you way more of
a workout. People that never rode a Sparks motor wont understand, those that
have know exactly what I mean. It's amazing how fast it is.
ATV Scene:
We're assuming you're going to stick with this winning combo for next year?
Schell: Actually I think I'm going to move
to a Golden West / Sparks Racing Honda 450R for 2006. I rode an '05 Honda throughout
the year and really liked it. It was fun to ride and I think it suited me well.
I pretty much rode the wheels off of it and tried to demolish it. It held up
well to my abuse. And just about everyone that is riding for Sparks next year
will be on a Honda. Curtis suggested it and that's what we'll do.
ATV Scene: Do you miss the old 250R based
machine?
Schell: From a maintenance standpoint I
do. The only issues I have with the new production quads are the frames. I break
them too often. And with a thumper you're in trouble if you blow one up. With
the two stroke if you blew it up it still wasn't that bad. Now you're in serious
trouble when you grenade a motor - the whole thing is usually ruined, not just
a cylinder.
ATV Scene: The ATV sport performance industry
is no longer playing second fiddle to the bike industry. What's next in your
opinion?
Schell: I think by 2007, there's going to
be at least six different OEM quads that will even be a step above the current
YFZ and 450R. I'm sure everyone will follow suit. Competing manufacturers aren't
going to lay back and let others reap the benefits of this market. After all
this is a 900,000 unit a year market. The bikes aren't even close to that and
they have 4-5 good racing choices right now. So I see it getting better than
many might imagine.
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ATV Scene: Do you think there will be more
motocross race ready quads available off the showroom floor like Suzuki's new
Quadracer?
Schell: Absolutely. I dont know if others
will go as motocross race ready as Suzuki seems to have done, but when you think
about it it's safer to have it wider right off the showroom floor -- so I hope
they all follow Suzuki's lead. We (motocross riders) have had to widen them
for a long time. Maybe it's not so bad that cross country guys will have to
narrow them in the future.
ATV Scene: In total, how many championships
do you have to date?
Schell: This one makes seven, but I have
a few more little titles like an Arenacross Championship I won in the late nineties.
ATV Scene: How did you get your start in
ATV racing?
Schell: I started racing in '94. I was racing
the B class back then. I started with a few TTs and moved into MX. I rode all
my life though -- three wheelers and everything.
ATV Scene: What's your word of advise to
the guys and gals just coming into the sport?
Schell: I think there's a big future ahead
of them. The younger guys need to carry the torch for us old vets. It's been
a long run for a lot of us like Farr, Hitt, Byrd, Gust, Spader and others. I
think they really paved the way and gave up a lot of their lives to racing ATVs.
We all know the money really hasn't been there for them until recently. And
I would like to think I paved the way on the West Coast like they did at the
GNCs. I guess what I'm saying is they should stay motivated, work hard, be respectful
of the sport and make us all proud.
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ATV Scene: Last year you had big plans
to chase points in the GNC series, but you broke your ankle just prior to round
one and scratched the whole idea. Are you planning to return to your GNC roots
in 2006?
Schell: No, we're going to go race the new
ATV Super Tour, the Pro Quad Stadiums and we'll go for another QuadCross championship.
I'll be training, racing and traveling a lot in 2006. I'm really looking forward
to it.
ATV Scene: What are you looking forward
to the most in 2006?
Schell: Everything actually. I cant wait
to see the new series on the block. If it's anything like the Great Outdoor
Games, it will be phenomenal. And now the QuadCross is affiliated with Yamaha,
so we have a major manufacturer that's helping to support the West Coast scene.
It's a step forward for all of us. This thing is really taking off and getting
more recognition. The only thing is the magazine editors out here seem to not
show up from time to time.
ATV Scene: What do you think of three different
motocross champions in 2006?
Schell: I guess it's just advancement of
the sport. I dont know, I guess that's a good thing. It wasn't long ago when
there wasn't anything out here to race at. We no longer have to sit back and
watch it continue to get bigger out east. ATV racing is growing and I think
having three motocross series to choose from will make the promoters of each
series step it up. Competition is a good thing.
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ATV Scene: Is it possible to compete at
all these series?
Schell: I dont see that you can do every
event. There's going to be conflicting dates, not to mention, there's not much
time to train and practice if you're doing nothing but traveling and racing
every weekend. I guess if you're living out East it might be possible to chase
points in the GNCs and the ESPN Super Tour. My hat's off to those riders that
can last through the end of both those series. It's 23 races, plus training,
traveling and having some sort of life. I certainly respect any rider that can
do that.
ATV Scene: You know a lot of the pro riders,
what are they saying about this new choice?
Schell: A lot of the guys are interested
in the new ESPN Super Tour Series. I've heard rumors that several of the pros
are going to try to race both. For me that's out of the question. The way I
see it, anytime that you bring major television to the sport it's a plus for
us. I really liked how they ran the GOG so it was an easy choice for me. To
tell the truth since I heard how big they're going with it, It's been a shot
of adrenalin for me. I cant wait for 2006.
ATV Scene: Well let's wrap this up. Any
last words?
Schell: Things are going good for me. I
know quitting or fading out has crossed a lot of people's minds in this sport
over the years. It happened to me I had to quit for a few years. When there's
no money in it - it's hard to keep going year after year. I never had rich parents
with infinite money to support it. Now days a lot has changed. I can't tell
you how great it is to get the chance to pick up where I left off and go at
it again. I'm thankful to everyone that's helped me and the sport as a whole
all these years, and happy to be a part of it.
Past Jeremy Schell Interviews:
Dec 24,
2004
