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GNCC Pro
ATV Racer William Yokley - Then & Now
::Continued::
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William Yokley racing the custom Kawasaki
KFX250 |
In 2000, however, Willaim Yokley was about ready
to give up on trying to be a career racer and
start pursuing other avenues. “I had been
riding a long time and wasn’t really making
any money at it. I was working a lot and I was
ready to start pursuing some sort of career or
something because at that time there was no money
for me in ATV racing.” Said Yokley. “Then
Doug Roll contacted me about riding for Kawasaki
and that was basically my chance of a lifetime.
I took the opportunity and it really paid off.
Kawasaki is awesome to work with. They were great
back then and they still are today.”
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William Yokley
still has his KFX 250R & when you
compare it to the newly released KFX 450R
there are many similarities, but the most
obvivious is the narrow lower frame rails
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A few faces have changed at Kawasaki over the
years but Yokley is still as excited as ever to
be a part of Team Green. “I’m working
with Jim White, the team manager at Kawasaki now.”
Stated Yokley. “I remember him and Marty
Hart racing at Loretta Lynn’s back in the
early 80’s when I was a kid watching from
the sidelines. They were all like super heroes
to me. It’s really cool to be working with
all those guys.”
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| William
Yokley's KFX 450R |
All though working with veterans in the industry,
such as White, offers a bit of nostalgia for Yokley,
there is no denying the improvements in the equipment
used today. “The design on the new Kawasaki
(KFX450) is awesome. There’s no bump steer,
and anyone who races knows how important that is!”
William stated enthusiastically. “You get
less fatigue and it’s safer to ride. It’s
been a really good bike to work with. The only thing
is that I’m used to working with a carburetor
and jets, not fuel injection, but Kawasaki R&D
has been really great about working with us on it.”
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The
Army / National Guard attended several GNCC
Races in 2007 with William Yokley |
Kawasaki may be Yokley’s main sponsor, but
he is equally proud of all of them, especially his
new sponsorship with the United States National
Guard who has also recently sponsored NASCAR’s
Dale Ernhart, Jr. Yokley is the first professional
ATV racer to be sponsored by the National Guard,
and couldn’t be more pleased. “They
are a great group to work with. They do so much
for our country and they have a lot to offer; a
lot of training and educational opportunities.”
Not only does the guard offer opportunity for the
ATV community, but Yokley’s sponsorship with
them also gives a lot more exposure to ATV racing.
“We’ve set up booths at state fairs
and at races and such and had a really positive
response from everyone. We’re reaching a whole
new crowd and getting families involved that normally
don’t follow ATV racing.” William said
earnestly.
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William
& Tina Yokley are the proud parents
of twins, Carlee & Gage, and the pair
was born in July of 2007 |
Family involvement has always been a huge part
of ATV racing and is a big part of the sport’s
appeal, which is more important than ever to William
since he is now a father himself. “I really
enjoy my kids and they keep me busy that’s
for sure! I used to be able to just get in my
truck and go race or do whatever, but now I find
myself having to work around their schedule, but
I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”
He said with a smile. Yokley’s racing career
began as a family effort, a tradition that he
plans to carry on with his children. “I
really want my family to be a part of it. They
will be traveling to races with us, and when they
are older, if they want to race, I will definitely
let them!” He said optimistically.
William Yokley’s future looks like it is
shaping up to be a very good one. With the incredible
support from his family, sponsors, and his fan’s,
it looks like there are no limits to what Yokley
could accomplish.
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