Interview:
Josh Frederick - 2007 WORCS Pro ATV Champion
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| Josh
Frederick - 10 Quick Facts |
| Birth
Date: |
04/08/1978 |
| Weight: |
165lbs |
| Hometown: |
Moapa, Nevada |
| 1st ATC/ATV: |
Yamaha 200 |
| Started
Racing: |
18 Years Old |
| Thumb/Twist: |
Thumb |
| ATV: |
CanAm DS450 |
| Occupation: |
Heavy Machine |
| Hobbies: |
Hunting &
Fishing |
| Website: |
joshfrederick.com |
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Epic/Can-Am’s
Josh Frederick came on strong in the 2007 World
Off Road Championship Series (WORCS) claiming
an impressive six 1st place finishes, which
was enough to secure him his first Pro ATV WORCS
Championship after only the ninth round of the
ten race series.
Josh
Frederick raced his first Pro WORCS race in
2003. It was only one race, but it was enough
to bring him back for the entire 2004 season
on the #44 YFZ450 in hopes of securing a championship.
The WORCS newcomer gave it all he had and
ended up securing an impressive second place
overall in 2004 earning himself and his quad
the race number “2”. Frederick
trained hard over the off season and when
he returned in 2005, he was even faster, giving
Doug Eichner quite a run for his money for
the 2005 championship, but finished out the
season once again in second place.
In
2006 traded his YFZ450 for a Honda TRX450R,
and once again Josh finished out the season
in the runners-up position behind Eichner.
What many at the time did not know was that
Frederick had signed on with Can-Am mid-season
and secretly began doing testing on the surreptitious
Can-Am DS450, which he finally debuted in
2007 at round seven of WORCS series and piloted
the machine to its first win during its introductory
race.
Now
Frederick has taken it a step further and
has secured his and the DS450’s first
Pro Championship. ATVriders.com got a change
to chat with Josh after round 9 of the WORCS
series at Pismo Beach about claiming his first
WORCS championship and what his plans are
for the upcoming 2008 season.
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Josh
Frederick in 2005 on Temecula Motorsports
YFZ450 |
Josh
Frederick started out the 2007 season
on a Epic Honda 450R |
ATVriders.com:
Josh, you may not have won the race today,
but you wrapped up the championship before
the series has even concluded. How does that
make you feel?
It feels great! I’ve been working hard
the last couple of years and finally got it.
Doug (Eichner) and I have battled back and
forth all year, and I’ve worked really
hard and made a lot of sacrifices to get where
I am today.
| |
| Josh
Frederick won on the CanAm DS450 in
its racing premiere at Round 7 of the
WORCS Series |
You’ve
been chasing after Doug for a couple years
now, so this must really mean a lot to you.
Yes, it means a lot. I think any championship
that you work hard at and pull it off means
a lot. It also means a lot because Doug is
such a great competitor and he’s been
doing it for so long and has so many championships.
Just to know that I am up there with him really
means a lot to me.
What
has been your most memorable race of the 2007
season?
Well, I’ve had some good wins…the
first win on the Can-Am was definitely a memorable
one because it was so big for them.
You
ran into a few bugs at Pismo Beach with the
Can-Am DS450. What happened?
Two hours in the sand is hard on any bike.
I kept overheating it in the back section
of the track. I tried to milk it and bring
it back in to finish. I almost made it! The
last lap it quit. I think the heat sensor
went out on it. We still have some bugs to
work out and we have a couple months to work
them out before next season so we can come
out swinging.
What
was it like racing out here in the sand?
I hate sand to tell you the truth (laughs).
Doug is a great sand rider, as he showed today.
He whooped us all! I came out and was just
riding an easy pace. I was in third, then
second. I was happy with the way I rode, but
at the end of the day, it didn’t turn
out so good.
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| Josh
Frederick at Pismo Beach on his way
to the his first Pro ATV WORCS Championship
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Was
it hard for you to make the transition from
riding a TRX450 to the DS450?
Yeah, a little bit. It’s different power.
I’m used to more grunt from the Honda
and then when you get on the DS it’s
smoother power. It took me a little bit to
get used to that but as far as everything
else, it was fairly easy to adapt.
