(Click to watch)
Hi everybody. I'm Justin Williamson, a member of
the Red Bull KTM Factory Off-Road Race Team. This year I am the
defending champion of the GNCC XC2 Pro lites class. I'm fortunate
enough to be one of the top Professional off-road motorcycle racers
in the country. Considering the other highly respected and truly
talented men in this group, it's my privilege to be among them.
For as long as I can remember, I've been passionate
about motorcycle riding and racing. I'm grateful to have learned
so much from so many wonderful people. This site is a great opportunity
to show my appreciation by sharing our knowledge, experiences, and
joy of racing and riding off-road motorcycles; and for me, thats
what racing is all about!
Last fall we wrapped up the National #9 ranking
for the '08 GNCC
National season, along with the #1 plate in the XC2 pro lites class.
And I'll be running the National #2 plate in the East Coast AMA
National Hare Scramble series. But the high-point of my eight-year
racing career came in June, 2006, when I became the youngest podium
finisher in the history of GNCC racing, at "The Wisp".
I greatly appreciate all the help from my friends,
family and sponsors. My successes
have been in large part due to their dedicated and diligent support.
My buddies Ronnie, Dee, and Brandon
I believe Off-road motorcycle racing is a wonderful
sport, and I hope it continues to grow; "the more, the merrier."
I also hope to have a roll in helping people enjoy it as much as
I have.
We designed our site to be both entertaining and
informative. And most important, I like hearing from my viewers,
so feel free to contact
me.
I hope to play an important role in the success
of the people and organizations involved in the advancement of our
sport. In this great "land of opportunity", what could be more exciting
and rewarding... Ride on!
Hanging out with my buddy Phil Smith
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Current Topics Of Interest
NEWS UPDATE
July 21, 2008
I've got several really great races to report on. It wasn't easy
though, so let's go back to a few weeks before and look at how I
got here.
Between AMA National Harescrambles, East Coast Megaseries, OMAs,
and KSRs, I have been super busy racing. In addition to these, I
plan on racing in at least two more series before the year is over,
including the EnduroCross Triple Crown. I race every weekend, sometimes
twice, and it really keeps me on my game. Practicing is great, and
its completely necessary, but it's also really important to get
out there and actually race on your weekends between Nationals.
Plus it's really great to go out and support different series.
Training, Training, Training. This is one of the most important
things to do during the summer break. One of my favorite places
to work out is the WVU rec center. However, with gas prices at a
crazy level, and with a new $10 entrance fee, I've tried to spend
more time utilizing the exercise amenities provided by my friends
the Michael family. When I do head to the rec center, I usually
do rock climbing first to loosen up, and then 45 minutes of cardio.
I follow up with a series of abdominal and midsection workouts,
and then a succession of weight training, sums up my two-hour trip.
I still try to follow a similar pattern when I work out here; it
just takes a little more creativity without all those fancy machines.
I then grab a healthy lunch, such as a sandwich from Chick-Fil-A
or Subway.
No day is complete without a good ride. For me, the goal is to
burn a tank of gas, riding fast and hard. It's important to make
the most of your riding time, and ride as fast and as hard as possible,
then be done with it. Playing around is fun, but I'm sure you won't
want to be paying $4.15 a gallon for playtime too often. So after
riding, I head to Sarah's for some swim time. There's one toy, like
a torpedo, that is an absolute staple of swim time. Someone throws
it, and then we race for it. Whoever gets it first gets to throw
it, and the cycle goes on and on. We play for hours and hours, or
until we get too tired. Even though it's a great workout, you hardly
even notice because you're having so much fun.
Speaking of fun, I spent the week before the NC GNCC riding and
training with Layne as usual, but also with McKinnon Welborn. We
had an awesome time tearing it up at Layne's, and also headed out
to Logan and Jordan Martin's house a couple times. They have a really
sweet motocross track, and we had an absolute blast.
So the few weeks leading up to the Yadkinville GNCC were busy and
productive. The trip down was a little long, but smooth, and after
testing with the team on Friday, I felt better than ever. I went
to bed content, and excited for the day that was ahead of me.
I woke up and walked the track, business as usual. I could tell
the race was going to be a very hot and dusty one, and I cut holes
in my pants for airflow. It didn't feel different from any other
race. I wanted to win just as bad as always. I got a decent start,
heading into the woods in fourth position. I lost a few positions
in the first two laps due to dust, dropping as far back as eighth.
Around the beginning of the third lap, I had made enough passes
to tap into some clean air. This gave me the ability to charge hard.
Slowly I passed other riders in my class, one by one. On the second
to the last lap, I caught the leader, and made a clean pass. Only
seconds later, I took a bad line, and found myself tangled in a
series of grapevines. It took me around twenty five seconds to get
loose, but that's all part of off-road racing I guess. By the time
I had freed myself, Jason was long gone. I caught back up on the
last lap, but he made all the right moves that prevented me from
making another pass.
It was a really fun race, and I can't even tell you how good it
felt to be back up on that podium. I would have rather been standing
in the middle, but it's a good comeback. The podium finish gave
me the motivation to train even harder the next two weeks. I started
running a little less, and mountain biking a little more. I rode
with Kurt Caselli and David Knight a week before the Somerset race,
and my lap times were right on par with theirs. After more training,
and another riding session with the team the Friday before the race,
I was totally pumped. I took a little time out to watch the fireworks
display here in Morgantown, and as I stared in awe I thought about
how everything was finally coming together the way it should be.
I didn't have to just hope the race would go well, I knew it would.
On Sunday morning, I begrudgingly answered the phone when the wake
up call came in. It always feels like it's an hour too soon. After
I verified the time with the clock on the nightstand, I remembered
that it was race day, and my drowsiness fell away. My excitement
started to build as I ate breakfast, but Sarah was apparently more
excited, as she ate her breakfast in record time and insisted on
driving to the track while I finished my own. When we arrived, we
immediately set out to walk the track. The anticipation of the race
had me speed walking the track, but Sarah apparently lost her excitement
somewhere along the way, as I had to practically drag her up the
hill by the end.
A few hours later, the green flag dropped, and I was off...to a
bad start. The start is one of the most exciting parts of the race,
but I didn't let it phase me. I recovered quickly, and in a few
short laps, I was up to fourth, right ahead of my good buddy Ryan
Echols. The next lap, Kailub and Dustin stopped for gas. Sean, my
mechanic, decided the best thing for me was to go another lap without
it, and it paid off. I pulled into second when they stopped. However,
they made it around me, and when I had to stop for gas on the next
lap, I lost precious time. I gained most of it back in the rocky
sections, but in the wide open parts they would pass me again and
pull away. It was a constant game of tag. I made it the rest of
the race without having to stop for gas, and it probably secured
my podium position. Kailub took a spill on the last lap, and Dustin
and I pulled ahead. On the last stretch, Dustin was only a few feet
ahead of me, but Kailub was right behind me. In the turn right before
the finish line, I turned my head long enough to see Kailub's front
tire a mere inches behind me. I gave it one last shot of gas to
propel me over the finish line and onto the podium. That's two in
a row, and I won't stop there.
Two podiums in a row is quite an accomplishment, but this season
has obviously not gone the way I wanted it to go. This is the first
time this year that I'm really excited about how things are going.
I'm on a roll, and back to my old consistent self. This Spring I
just kept hoping the problems I was having would just fix themselves.
I thought other people knew what was best for me better than I did.
Normally I wouldn't have, but I want to be the best. I want to be
the fastest period, not just the fastest XC2. So I started training
different, and riding and testing different. I thought if I changed
to a program followed by the faster riders, I could beat those faster
riders. After Kentucky, I went back to square one, and I realized
that what I had wasn't so bad. I should not have expected to gain
speed by doing squats instead of push-ups. What works for me does
just that: it works for me. So I'm back. I'm better than ever. This
is where I belong for now, but I still won't give up until I'm the
best.
Have a great summer break! This is a wonderful time of year, but
just remember to stay safe. I'll keep you all up to date on our
activities, and feel free to let me know what you're doing as well!
Send it all, maybe even some pictures, to my new e-mail address:
williamsonracingwebmail@yahoo.com
. I had to get a new e-mail because my old one was being constantly
bombarded with spam.
Sarah's getting geared up for the big move to college, but she
promises the new video should arrive any day. She wants her first
production debut to be a good one, so she won't let anyone see it
until she's satisfied. I can't wait to see all of you at Snowshoe!
"News
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