Man On A Mission | Rider Spotlight: Chad Wienen

Just listening to Chad express his thoughts on Doug Gust, you could tell that he had a tremendous amount of respect for him. I then asked if it was intimidating to be placed on the team with him and what the experience of becoming a factory racer was like. "Doug is a great people person and can get along with pretty much anyone. He along with everyone else on the team were very welcoming and helpful, as I learned the ropes of being on the factory team. The transition to a factory team wasn't really hard, but there were things that I had to get used to. As a privateer you have to do most of the work to your machines yourself, and having a dedicated mechanic was something I had to adjust to. Being on the team, when you come off the track all you need to do is explain to the mechanic what the bike is doing and what changes you'd like to be made. For me it is awkward to just sit there and not be working on the bike myself or at least trying to help."

After now being released from two of the sports premier factory racing teams, Chad was left again disconcerted as to what the future of his MX career had in store. It was not long before Chad's luck would take yet another turn for the better. Team Motoworks/Can-Am was quick to recognize this as a golden opportunity and ended up signing Chad on by the end of October 2009, but the difference this time was that he would be the team's Flagship rider. Where many teams seem to have struggled to get the Can-Am DS450 to perform and stay together, this team has had great success and even won a WORCS championship the year before. We asked Chad what effect changing machines has had on his career and what his feeling is for the new race machine and team. "A big part of being successful in racing ATVs is being comfortable on the machine you are riding. Going from my Honda to the Suzuki was a transition because that bike has a very planted and heavy feel, which for some is good but took time for me to get used to. The Kawasaki is by far one of the most compact machines I've ever ridden and it took me quite awhile to get comfortable on that, and once I did you could tell by my finishing results. I'm sure that the transitions that I've had to make from machine to machine definitely had an effect on my performance."

"When I first had the opportunity to ride the Can-Am, it was easy for me to notice how comfortable it was. This machine really felt as if it were designed to better accomodate larger riders like myself and has plenty of space to comfortably move around on." Aside from the bike just being comfortable, Motoworks has worked their magic on this machine to make good power and to handle great as Chad has already proven with a top 5 finish at the final round of the WORCS series in Mesquite, NV, and consistent finishes in the ITP Quadcross along with a spectacular win at the Montreal Supercross. In addition to good machines, Chad credits his success to the help of people who have supported him over the years like his father, girlfriend Danica, Aunt Barb Wienen and Hinson Racings Wayne Hinson whom he looks up to as a second father figure in his life.