ATV Rider: You've been around the ATV industry for a long time. Has the sport come a long way? Or do we seem to be spinning our wheels?
Brad Phillips: Yes and no. The sport has come a long way in the racing segment from when I first started racing. I still remember going to Loretta Lynn's my first time in 1998. It was 98 percent TRX250Rs with a few Banshees and LT250Rs in the mix. There were only 500 entries (compared to the 1000 or so they get now) and it was a much more laid-back family atmosphere. I still recall how amazed we were when we saw Tom Carlson (TC Racing) pull into the track with a 40-foot enclosed trailer, which was all but unheard of back then. Now it's pretty much par for the course. The factory involvement plus the increased television coverage has also benefited the sport a lot. I would say the most important thing in the past five years has been the WPSA involvement. It hasn't only brought ATVs into millions of households via ESPN 2, but it also gave the GNC series competition. Everyone knows competition is good for the consumer (racers and fans). When the WPSA joined the game there were problems with the GNC, but once the GNC had competition they improved and grew by leaps and bounds. I sincerely commend them for that. Now racers are deciding which series to run next year; you can't have two major series, one has to fall (or they could merge). I've heard from several of our racers that the GNC series is looking more and more attractive again. Now we have to ask ourselves, If the racers and fans start to support the GNC series again, will the WPSA go away?
ATVR: With that said, will the GNC, with no competition again, regress?
BP: Given my business education and past experience I think it's likely, but I suppose only time will tell. Another major factor is the economy. ATVs are a luxury item; when there's less disposable income, we suffer. In the racing segment fuel prices along with the economy really kill us. Your average racer may travel 10,000 miles in a year to hit all 14 rounds. At current prices, that's over $3400 in just fuel to get to the race! Add in gate and entry fees, lodging, food, parts, etc., it becomes really difficult for the average amateur to make a run at it. The sport was spinning its wheels for years but is now steadily growing. I think we still have some problems in the recreational realm, though. Frivolous lawsuits are killing the sport's image and the people involved in it. Sales have been fairly flat over the past few years (even though ATVs are the top-selling segment in the power sports market), and we're getting a bad image in the mainstream media. This all has to change.
ATVR: Do you see the creativity factor in the media world as being dry? We hear so often that someone is copying another or an idea was stolen. How realistic is that?