Interview:
Andy Lagzdins - 2007 OMA Pro ATV Champion
- Continued
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Andy Lagzdins
OMA Pro ATV Champion |
You
had a pretty grueling schedule this year running
both the GNCC and the OMA series. What made
you decide to race the OMA series this year?
Mainly to get more exposure. I have been running
the GNCC’s so long and I wanted to mix
it up a bit and get on some different tracks
and meet some new people. It helped to freshen
things up for me. I felt like I was getting
into a certain kind of rut. It really helped
rekindle my interest.
You
were leading in points the whole season in
the OMA series, how does that make you feel?
It feels great to win! In the GNCC it’s
so hard and so competitive…you can be
in the top 10 on any given day but it’s
still not the same as winning a race. There
aren’t as many riders at the OMA series,
but the tracks are just as good and just as
technical. It makes me feel really good to
win an OMA race. It really helps to get my
confidence up.
Who
has been your stiffest competition in the
OMA this year?
Rob Zimmerman. He won the series the last
three years in a row, and he’s been
concentrating on that series and he’s
really good at setting up his quad for those
races. We battled quite a bit this year. He’s
a great rider and he definitely made me work
for it!
The
one thing that really set you back this year
was when you fractured your thumb. How did
it happen and how has your recovery been?
It happened back in May at an OMA race in
Ohio. I won the first two races and in the
third round we had a lot of pro’s show
up and I really wanted to get up on the podium.
I was chasing Brandon Sommers from pretty
much most of the race and I was trying to
catch him to make a pass. We were coming across
the field section and when I went to pass
a couple of lappers in the dust I hit a big
erosion ditch. It was a hard impact and it
broke my thumb and hurt my shoulder. I had
to kind of take it easy for a couple of months
after that. It was a hard set back to swallow
but it all worked out in the end.
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Andy
Lagzdins Thumb Fracture X-Ray displaying
the 5 screws & plate holding together
the thumb bone |
Your
injury gave Zimmerman the opportunity to take
over the points lead, so you had to be consistent
to take the championship at the end of the
season.
When I got the news after the x-ray and they
said my thumb was broke, I really thought
that was it. I thought Rob would get an insurmountable
points lead on me. I really doubted the outcome
at that point. I just tried to recover as
fast as I could. I came back as soon as I
could to try and salvage points. I trained
really hard over the breaks and came back
and won three races at it really put me ahead.
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| Andy
Lagzdins was the first person to race
the KTM 525XC in the GNCC Pro Class
at Yadkvinville and finished in 31st
Overall on a nearly stock KTM |
You
kind of took it easy at the GNCC then and even
tried out the new KTM quad, was that your testing
ground at that point?
Yes it was. I looked at the big picture and
it looked like I would be able to make a run
at the title for the OMA and I didn’t
want anything to get in the way of that. At
the time the KTM’s were coming out and
I figured I would take the time to get on one
of those and see what it was all about and see
if it was something I wanted to race next year.
I raced a pretty much bone stock KTM and finished
in the top 30. The KTM is a great bike and I
think it’s going to make a big impact
next year.
For
the final race of the OMA, you came in second,
was it a case of winning the war and not the
battle?
Yeah, there was still an outside chance that
something could happen and I didn’t
want to blow it so I wanted to make sure I
finished the race. I just finished where I
should to make sure I wrapped up the championship.
How
big was it for you to win this championship?
I’ve been racing for over 20 years,
so to finally win a national series is real
satisfying. I’m going to go back to
it next year and try to win it again. I’m
also planning to go back to the GNCC and try
to get in the top 10 there also.
What
do you plan on doing over the winter to get
you up to speed?
I plan on riding Honda again next year. We’re
going to focus on suspension updates.
Do
you plan on heading south to do some training
and testing?
I’m kind of taking it easy for a little
bit but in a few weeks I’ll be back
riding as much as possible. Probably in mid
January I’ll be heading down south pretty
much every weekend where it’s warm so
I can train.
Who
are some of the main people, besides Duncan
Racing that helped you out this season?
I can’t thank my mechanic Jim enough.
He puts in a lot of extra time. He takes a
lot of pride in prepping a flawless machine.
Duncan has bee standing behind me since early
2000. Moose has really stepped in and helped
me, ITP has stood behind me a lot and so has
Douglas Wheel. Roll Design and Elka have done
a great job, they have great products.
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| Andy
Lagzdins also is a top level motorcycle
racer as well and races at many local
District races |
Besides
racing the GNCC and OMA series’, you
also write up the GNCC and OMA race reports
and do some test riding for ATVriders.com,
which we really appreciate. How much do you
enjoy being on the journalist side of the
sport?
I like it! For anyone that has grown up on
ATV’s and dirtbikes and have the chance
to go out and test out brand new quads, it’s
like a dream come true. That’s what
any kid that rides dreams about at one point
or another. I like writing about it and I
always try to add a little bit of humor to
it. It let’s me get stuff out that I
wouldn’t express in normal conversation.
Thank
you for all your work you have done over the
last couple of years, we really do appreciate
it and congratulations on your 2008 OMA championship!
Thank you!
