February
Only a few weeks ago, it looked like I was headed back to privateer status. I was excited to have full control over the bikes I would be racing, but I wasn’t so excited to have to purchase them myself. It was about this time when I received an e-mail from Mark Berg at GoFasters.

Gofasters is in charge of parts, warranty, and racing for the Gas Gas factory. Mark said they wanted to sit down with me and see what it would take to get me on their bikes for the upcoming season. I was a little skeptical at first, since the offer came so unexpectedly, but I had ridden an EC250 a couple years ago at a test day, and had a blast on it. The more we talked about their goals and my goals, the more excited I got. They are a company that can really use what I have to offer, and give me the tools I need to succeed.

Riding for the KTM Red Bull team was an experience unlike any other. However, when you work for a company that big, you lose a little bit of yourself. I was so used to doing my videos and promoting myself, but they didn’t really care. All they wanted from me was success. They had all the exposure they could ask for; they just needed someone to prove that the bikes worked. Also, when a company reaches that level, they start to care more about the sponsors than making sure the bike has the best parts on it. If your company has enough money, they can get their parts on a factory bike. I want to be promoting sponsors because their stuff actually works the best though. If they want to give me money for making their product look good, that’s just icing on the cake.

Gas Gas really understands this. They see my talents, and they see how I can be an asset to their company. They need someone to get the bikes out there and show what they can do. So be looking for a new video on my site, and YouTube, weekly. I’ll also be posting a little blog on here fairly often, with a picture or two.
So we worked out some plans, and I picked up Sarah in Ohio on my way to Indianapolis for the Power Sports Dealer Expo. When we arrived later that afternoon, festivities in the Lucas Oil Stadium were in full swing. We were absolutely in awe of everything there was to see, and the majority of the show was in the Indiana Convention center, which didn’t open up until Saturday.

I had the pleasure of getting more acquainted with Mark Berg and Steve Berkner, the owners of GoFasters, as well as Dale Malasek, the US importer for Gas Gas. I honestly can’t describe what a great group of guys they are. Everyone greeted me with a warm smile, and seemed genuinely appreciative that I was there. It felt like home. Sarah and I spent the next couple days wandering around and taking everything in. One of my favorite parts of the Dealer Expo is getting to see all my sponsors. It feels good to finally put a face with a name. These companies are willing to just ship me their product without even having met me sometimes, and I appreciate their trust. We also needed to figure out which products I could carry over to the Gas Gas, and which parts I would need to find a replacement for. Luckily for me, all my previous sponsors crossed over.

We saw many interesting things at the show. From street bikes with hydraulics, bicycles with motors, and even some three-wheeled cars, the Indy Dealer Expo has it all. We had a great time just checking out all the booths and what they had to offer. The expo is geared more towards dealers than consumers, but it was certainly interesting none-the-less.
Sunday marked the end of the expo for exhibitors in the Lucas Oil Stadium, and the end of the trip for Sarah and I. We worked out the final details, did some interviews, and finally signed the contract with Dale Malasek. It was such an awesome moment. Jordi Mas, the international Gas Gas importer rep, was also on hand for the event. He had flown in from Australia, and was headed to Mexico as soon as the show was over.

Did I mention I’ll be back on a two-stroke? That is one of the most exciting parts for me. Four-strokes are good bikes, but I just prefer the two-stroke as a personal thing. I’ll be on the EC300, in the XC1 class of course. It’s the perfect bike for me, and I’ll be back in the class where I belong.

Once we had taken care of business, it was finally time to load the new bike into the box van. It was a very surreal feeling to roll it up the ramp as my new team watched. Sarah tried to smuggle the new Gas Gas Halley 450 into the box van as well, but wasn’t quite successful.

I’ll be spending this week down at Vance Earl’s to get the box van painted and break in the new bike with Uncle Chris’s help. It will certainly be a learning curve, as with any new bike. I was in the same situation my first year with KTM though, and with less time. That turned out to be my best season yet.

Towards the end of the week, I’ll head towards Florida, and pick up my second bike from the airport. This is the bike from the torture test, and is already fully modified. It will give me a really good chance to switch things around and do some real hardcore testing. I might do the Gator Back FTR race on Sunday, but its up in the air right now. It will just depend on where I am comfort wise with the bike.

Do you like the new website? I thought it was about time to change things up. I still have a lot of catching up to do though, as I hardly have any pictures on the new bike. I know I promised a new video every week, but give me a couple weeks off the bat to get that started. The next 14 days are pivotal, and getting the bike 100% tuned to me is number one priority right now. Hopefully Uncle Chris can catch it all on film though.

Shoot me an e-mail with any questions or comments you have, and I promise I’ll get back to you as soon as I can. My e-mail, in case you forgot, is williamsonracingwebmail@yahoo.com.