Cypress, CA (4/11/2012)
- Yamaha Motor Corp., U.S.A., has a deep
and talented team
competing in the Grand National Cross Country
(GNCC) ATV series this year
with three racers in
early contention for their respective pro-level
championships after the
first three rounds of the
year.
Led by Bill Ballance and Ballance Racing, Taylor
Kiser and Walker Fowler
are both in the running
for the XC-1 crown. Kiser is a solid second
overall in XC-1 points and is
fresh off a big win at
Steele City, while Fowler is currently in fourth
overall in his inaugural
XC1 season. Yamaha's
Traci Cecco, a GNCC series veteran and seven-time
Women's pro champion, is
a close second so
far this season only one point back from the
overall lead.
Heading into the fourth round of 2012 at the
famous Big Buck course in
Union, South Carolina,
the Yamaha GNCC racers talked about the current
season, their teammates and
competition, and
shared some thoughts and expectations for the
rest of the year ...
Yamaha:
You're widely known as the best Off-Road ATV
racer of all time, and while you haven't announced
any plans to officially retire from racing,
you're transitioning more into a team management
role - tell us about Ballance Racing and how
you approach your new job.
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Yamaha's
9x GNCC XC1 Pro Class Champion Bill Ballance |
Bill Ballance: The first priority
is the race team. Our team provides full race
support to Taylor Kiser and Walker Fowler in
the GNCC race circuit. We also provide some
support to Thomas Brown on the MX side.
The second side to Ballance Racing is aftermarket
sales and support. We
sell all of the race
products from companies that sponsor our race
program. Also, we build
complete race quads.
Ballance Racing started as me competing and
winning championships and has
transitioned into a
program that supports both riders and sponsors
on and off the track.
My role as team manager includes many responsibilities
and those change
from day to day. I
spend numerous days testing on the track, which
requires me to do lots of
riding - this being my
favorite part! Other days my time is filled
by taking orders from
customers, building shocks,
setting up race quads, talking to sponsors,
and keeping up with what the
guys are doing and
needing. A big part of my job is developing
and testing for companies like
Lone Star, Ohlins,
Maxxis, and Moto-Xperts. I even build and fine
tune maps for ECUs.
The transition has been difficult in some ways.
When we are at the races and the guys line up
on the starting line, it is hard for me not
to be a part of that. However, in some ways
it has been pretty easy because of the attention
to detail that I give to every working part
of the race bike is natural to me. I do this
just the same way I did with my own race quad.
I try to give the guys the equipment they need
and the knowledge I have gained over the years.
I want to see them win, and I strive for nothing
less
