Pro Rider: Santo DeRisiNational No.: 16Age: 28Hometown: Casar, North CarolinaYears pro: 8Training: Running 3-5 miles a day, eating right, light weightlifting, riding 2-3 times a weekMarital status: Married to Heather
Greatest accomplishments: Tested for Honda Corp., modeled for Yamaha catalog, established a business (DeRisi Racing), reached two GNCC podiums in 2003
Sponsors: Adapt, Big Gun Exhaust, Carb Parts Warehouse, Custom Axis Shocks, DeRisi Racing, DP Brakes, Flexx Bars, GPR, Hardkor Engineering, HiPer Technology, Houser, IMS Products, ITP, Laker Custom Plastics, Moose Racing, Motion Pro, Outerwears, PowerMadd, PRM Products, Quad Tech, REM Performance, Smith Optics, Xpress Powdercoating
When the phone rang early one Friday morning, the voice on the other end of the line asked, "When are you going to come up to North Carolina to do some riding?" After determining that the voice belonged to pro GNCC racer Santo DeRisi, I replied, "How about tomorrow?"
Approaching DeRisi's wooded mountain home with the sounds of bluegrass picking blasting through my speakers and thoughts of Deliverance in my mind, I could see why so many great woods racers from this area flourish. Its steep mountains and abundant thick wooded brush all around no doubt breed skill.
Kicking off his race career in 1993, DeRisi realized his talent while competing in the Mid-East Hare Scramble series. Two short years later, he decided to test his newly found abilities in the A class of the GNCC series and earned second place in his first season. He was hooked and collected his well-deserved Pro class status in 1998. Alongside of his pro GNCC race career, DeRisi continues to support and race the Mid-East Hare Scramble series and has dominated for the past six years. With all of his experience and knowledge gained over the years, DeRisi started a shop where he rebuilds shocks, sells various performance parts and assists riders to get their quads dialed in for racing.
Chassis/Suspension: Aside from the fact that I was going to be hanging out with DeRisi and riding his race-prepped TRX450R, I was most intrigued to learn about his suspension setup, which has created quite a buzz over recent years. Since he is a suspension master, I was itching to check out his ride and see how this Honda handled.
DeRisi crafted his very own custom gusset kit from steel and welded it together in strategic locations to strengthen the TRX frame. He has also been testing a prototype set of Houser long-travel A-arms that have a unique look and purpose. They are 11/42 inch longer than stock and have an extreme up-and-down bend allowing for maximum ground clearance. On the rear, a Houser +31/44-inch long-travel swingarm gives the 450R great stability and more travel for the shock to do its work. The swingarm is connected to a long-travel Axis shock with Houser's DeRisi-tested and -approved linkage system.
Engine: Mike Young, owner of Big Gun Exhaust, is the mastermind behind DeRisi's motor. With his past championship experience, Young has developed a philosophy that more power is not always the answer. He is more focused on creating a motor that is manageable and has good longevity.