WORCS Promoter Sean Reddish
ATV Rider: How has the series grown since its inception?
Sean Reddish: We started out with just barely 100 ATV entries at the first round in 2003, and we only offered two classes for the first couple years. Then in 2005, we split the series up so the ATV racers would have their own weekend, a different course layout and a separate crew. So they get full treatment at a national level, just like the bikes, and we are real happy with the growth of the series. We had an average of 300 ATVs entries per event last year season-our first fully separate ATV schedule. For 2006, I guess word got around, and we are averaging about 500 ATVs per event. I see in a year and a half the ATV numbers will be right up there with the motorcycles. That doesn't really matter to me, though, as long as we treat every customer with a 110 percent. It's in keeping with Dave Hamel's vision of a professional series on the West Coast. Our motto is "Start on time, go home on time." You can pretty much schedule your plane flights by our schedule because we try our hardest to stay on top of the race the entire time.
ATVR: Would you say the series is thriving and doing well?
SR: We are actually really excited about it because it is fun to be on the upswing. We feel like we made the right choice to split the program, and it has just been getting better every race. I guess that is the fun part about it, at every race we can't wait to see how many people are going to show up for the event.
ATVR: Has the ATV side grown enough yet to split off to its own separate series? As it stands now, the motorcycles run three races that ATVs don't. Is it possible for the ATV series to constitute an entirely different set of venues on a separate calendar?
SR: Well, we put it out there to the riders and asked them if they wanted to add more races to the series. This is one of the few programs in the country where you can actually get ahold of the promoter and talk to him. Right now, the ATVs have nine events, and we are comfortable with that. We might add one next year and let it grow, but what we don't want is to add all 12 races that the motorcycles run, then have too many races with a few weak rounds. We want them all to be strong. So as the ATV racing market grows, so will the race calendar, but they are run completely separate. Some venues this year have the ATV racing first and then bikes on the following weekend. It really doesn't matter which one comes first; we change the track for each. We even go as far as to modify the course for the pros on Sunday and put in a log section for that added technical value. And since they run for an hour and a half, we include a pit row for fueling or repairs.
ATVR: What advantages and disadvantages do you have running the events on back-to-back weekends?
SR: Well, the only disadvantage I can think of is the physical drain on my staff and me. Really, I can think of mostly advantages because we can control the tracks for two weeks straight versus a couple of days. It's a real advantage for the racer, the promoter and the track owner. For instance, the GNCC (Grand National Cross Country) program is different in the way the motorcycles and the ATVs race the same weekend, so the bikes share the same course as the ATVs. ATVs were made for different terrain and should be raced on a different course. Every night, we groom the entire course for everyone and water the track.