How hard was Snowshoe this year? I’ve never made it to that round, is it really as hard as everyone says it is?
Yes and No. It’s for sure the hardest event of the series in technical terms. But as a whole… it’s not a super tough course, there’s just tough sections. The length is what makes it tough I think, and when the tough sections get chewed out they get REALLY hard. I just came into that race as prepared as I could be for the conditions, and it worked out in my favor for sure.

Now that you have a few weeks off from the GNCC schedule, what are your plans until the next round at New Berlin in September?
I’ve been racing every weekend since the last race. Mostly just local stuff, but it’s good to hit the races I grew up doing. We are a little over a month out from Unadilla, and Kanney is already talking trash… so I have some stuff I need to get done next week, then I’m heading to the GDR/Ride PG shop in NC so Ben can get my bikes freshened up, then its straight up to Nate’s house in New York to learn all his secrets so I can use them against him at ‘dilla. :-) haha.

Give us a quick look into your training schedule during the season. What do you do to stay in shape and be able to keep that pace for three hours?
Play chess. C’mon man, you know I can’t give out that info!

[SinglePic not found]Any top secret plans to race the new KTM 350 next year? Have you gotten to ride one yet?
I actually have no offer of any sorts from KTM to ride any orange machine in 2011, so I’m a free agent as far as I know… So I could actually be riding the couch next year, haha. Well, not really… I’m racing next year for sure because I know I can be a championship contender, and if it means I have to buy my bikes again like I did this year and hammer out podiums, so be it. But hopefully one of the teams in the pits recognizes the effort we are putting in over in my camp and I can get a job. I would like to stay orange for sure… it’s what I’m used to.

I have rode the 350, and it’s sweet. KTM has done a great job with the new chassis, linkage, and EFI. I won’t be on one this year, but don’t be surprised if you don’t see one lining up at a GNCC.

Looking ahead to next year, what is your game plan to be the top XC-1 rider?
I think we are just going to keep the program we have right now and just keep doing what we are doing. In the off season we will break down the program and our 2010 season, find any holes we can, and plug the holes and get to work on making it a better deal for next season. I have great people around me that make this all possible, they have the hard jobs: I just ride the bikes. My progression this year has been HUGE, and if the season ended today, it’s a great year for all of us, and we are all excited for what the future has in store.

Not including riding/racing dirt bikes, what do you like to do in your spare time?
Spare time?? What’s that? I wake up in the morning and train, I work on bikes, I eat lunch, and I ride in the afternoon… by the time I get home at night and showered up, its 8:30-9pm… And time for bed!

Do you remember your first Offroad Junkies interview at the River Ranch round? We want to know how much Charkie paid you to wear that ORJ hat!
HAHA! Charkie didn’t pay me anything… I think the site is cool and it’s a nice break from the typical moto site, so I’m glad to do interviews with anyone from ORJ, anytime.

What is your favorite offroad racing website? (Hint – it must end with the word junkies…)
ORJ.com!

I know you just getting started in what looks to be a long racing career, but have you thought about what you want to do when you retire? Maybe write articles and do interviews like this for Offroad Junkies… They keep telling me my check is in the mail???
Man… IDK about that “the checks in the mail” stuff. Long term I would love to step into a spot like Rodney Smith @ Suzuki… I think his job is sweet. Or Randy Hawkins… he also has a sweet job… or even Jason Raines. Those guys all had great racing careers, and then stepped into positions that are still very involved with the racing community. This is my life… I can’t see myself in any other line of work.

[SinglePic not found]Anyone you want to give a shout out to or thank?
This list is HUGE. Everyone knows the big sponsors, so I’ll save those for last.

I really can’t thank everyone around me enough. Bart Hayes, Ben Weathers, Jeremy Ketchum, Performance SuperCycle, Kevin Schuler @ Clockwork KTM, Troy Ross, Tyler Thompson and Thompson Training Facility, Everyone at WMR Competition Performance in FL, George Pollard… These are the people that are the core of this program, and they are the ones who pulled every string, every favor, and really made this happen for me this year.

For the political stuff…. I have obviously been blessed with some great sponsors this year. Without them I wouldn’t have the machines that are GNCC podium quality.

Performance Super Cycle, Clockwork, RidePG, GDR, WMR1.com, Renthal, Maxxis, Rekluse, FLY Racing, Scott, RPM Racing Team, KTM North America, Cycra, FMF, Fluidyne, TireBalls, Sidi, TM Designs.

Thanks for your time Chris and we’re looking forward to you staying on the podium for the last part of the season!