I remember dreaming of what it might be like to be a factory-backed quad racer. Correction, who am I kidding? I remember wanting to be a factory backed three-wheeled racer – man time flies. Boy, that old dream sure did come and go. Now days my ATV dreams are more geared toward simply getting out of the busy office and hitting the trails with my buddies.
A few weeks ago I got the call from KTM asking if ATV Scene would be interested in racing their new white 525 at the Millfield GNCC. “Absolutely,” I quickly answered. I then told them that I would let them know who our choice rider would be in a few days. I went back and forth on who might be the perfect rider for this incredible opportunity. I even text messaged Tim Farr’s phone. Tim responded with, “I think you should ride”. It stuck with me. Tim was right, this time it was my turn to ride.
While pondering what I just got myself into, it dawned on me; I hadn’t raced a GNCC in twenty years! Unreal, it was the Blackwater 100 in 1986. I finished 20 of 50 in the Amateur 3-wheel Four Stroke class. That’s right the last time I raced a GNCC was on a 200X! After realizing this was in fact the truth I sat there asking myself, “How bad are you going to disappoint KTM and embarrass yourself?”
What’s worse is I haven’t rode but twice all year. The more I thought about it - the more I thought I made a big mistake here. I could really do some damage. I could do far worse than embarrass myself -- I could end up wadding up the brand new quad they were about to loan me. This whole thing could be a real disaster in the making. I asked myself again, what did I get myself into? O well, there was no backing out. I told them I was the rider for this thing and that was that.
The boys at Powersport Grafx were in on the deal. They hooked us up with three sharp-looking custom number plate decals.
We agreed it would be best for everyone if I raced the morning race in one of the age classes. I went with the +30 class. GNCC crews have sign up dialed in very well. There must have been 500 riders signing up, yet the line moved right along. New for 2008 is an affordable transponder. For just ten bucks I rented my transponder, which you can buy for $60 – not bad at all. For less than $100, (including an ATVA yearly membership) I was officially entered in the race, and it was time to head back to KTM trackside headquarters.
One of the reasons KTM set ATV Scene up with this “Factory Racer for a Day” ride was to show off their new white plastic, which is currently available at KTM dealers. I later learned you can get the plastic in black as well. Orange is cool but in my opinion the white and black look a lot better, and match up with the black DWT wheels that come stock on the KTM. Here’s the best part, the complete kit is only $259.99 and includes front and rear OEM plastic. The rear also includes the air box assembly. That’s a lot of plastic for 260 bucks. If a great deal on plastic isn’t enough for you to seriously start thinking KTM as your next quad, read further.
I chilled in the back of the KTM box van like a rock star tinkering with my new gear -- all the while trying to wipe the ear-to-ear grin off my face. Meanwhile KTM, Magura and Ohlins crews tended to every small detail on my brand new white 525. I looked out several times in disbelief as I watched them dial in this quad to my exact needs. “John come check this out!”, “Hey John how much do you weigh bro?”, “John, where do you want this?” What a difference from the days I last raced. I remember how I dialed in my ride. It usually involved swinging a sledgehammer as hard as could in an effort to smack an old stock part back into usable form. Now I had three crews tinkering with top-of-the-line brand-new go-fast-goodies all in the name of offering me the ultimate quad. It was just too cool to say the least.
While the Magura boys went over the front and rear brakes (for what seemed like the third time), Shane Hitt, (who has been helping Tim Farr and the FRE KTM pro team of Adam McGill and Taylor Kiser), stopped by for a minute. I decided to have some fun with my buddy and waved him away. I told him I wasn’t signing autographs just yet. :)
Seen here is the only bolt on part used that didn't come on the machine stock. It's an Öhlins Steering Damper. I strongly suggest you get one for your ATV as well. Also seen here is the new transponder that the GNCC scoring teams are using. You can rent one for $10 per race or buy it for a reasonable 60 bucks.
