Interview:
Bill Ballance - Wins 9th GNCC Pro ATV Championship
- Cont.
ATVriders.com:
What are your plans for the off-season? Are
you going to be putting on any riding schools?
Bill Ballance:Jeremiah
Jones and I have done two schools in the last
couple of months and we have a couple more
scheduled this winter. Jeremiah basically
puts them together and gets them going and
then I show up and help out at the track.
We’ve had good turnouts and we hope
it takes off even more. We are even thinking
about have a few of them here at Ballance
MotoX and even going to some different parts
of the country.
ATVriders.com:
You’re also an avid hunter ad usually
do some hunting during the off-season. Have
you had a chance to do any hunting yet this
season?
Bill Ballance:
Well, our season started about month ago and
I’ve only been able to get out there
twice, so now that I have the championship
wrapped up, I think I’m going to have
to spend a little more time out in the woods.
ATVriders.com:
What about training during the off-season,
will you be stepping it up a bit?
Bill Ballance:
With the new bike and all the testing we’re
doing, training for me is going to be pretty
much non-stop this year.
| |
| In
2006, Bil Ballance tied Barry Hawk's
7 Straight GNCC Pro ATV Championships
at Powerline Park, and Barry Hawk Congratulated
Bill Ballance on the Podium |
ATVriders.com:
Last year you broke Barry Hawk’s record
by winning your eighth consecutive GNCC championship,
and this year you just broke your own record
and have now claimed your ninth consecutive
championship. What are your plans for next
year, are you planning to go for number 10?
Bill Ballance:
That’s what I’m hoping to do!
I’m looking forward to it. I’m
kind of excited because I get to be on the
new Yamaha that’s coming out. That’s
got me pretty pumped and now I’m feeling
a little rejuvenated, so now I’m just
going to concentrate on going for ten.
ATVriders.com:
The Yamaha team has some very talented riders
and now Donald Ockerman stepped up to the
Pro class with some amazing results at Powerline
Park. What are your thoughts on the team for
next year?
Bill Ballance:
I’m pretty excited about it. We have
some really great riders and they are all
really good people. With Donald Ockerman,
Traci Cecco and Brandon Sommers, it’s
really a winning program. As for me, I’m
working my contract out with Yamaha right
now to do the one more year of racing the
GNCC’s and then I’m going to be
taking over a management role. It’s
going to be something like Randy Hawkins does
with the bike guys in the GNCC.
 |
 |
Yamaha
has been a dominate force in the 2008
GNCC Series with Bill Ballance winning
the XC1 Championship & Donald Ockerman
winning the XC2 Championship. In Ockerman's
Pro Debut he finished 2nd Overall behind
Bill Ballance at Powerline Park, and
Brandon Sommers has been on fire in
his rookie Pro year securing 4 Podium
finishes, and he is currently 4th Overall.
Also, Traci Cecco is one race away from
possibly her 7th Women Championship
|
ATVriders.com:
You were at a couple of the AMA ATV Motocross
Nationals helping Pat Brown during the GNCC
summer break. Were you kind of getting your
feet wet for that management role?
Bill Ballance:
Next year, Yamaha is going to all be under
one blanket. I will be helping out doing some
suspension testing and stuff like that with
some of the motocross guys, but my main focus
is going to be on the GNCC side of it.
ATVriders.com:
When you make the move to a management role,
are you still going to be doing some racing
and if so, what races?
Bill Ballance:Yes!
I told Yamaha that I would be a pretty miserable
person if I had to quit racing cold turkey.
They want me to run the team, but they are
still going to give me a few bikes so I can
go out and race three or four cross country
races a year and maybe a couple of WORCS races
and team races; maybe even a motocross race
or two a year. I definitely want to stay active
on the quad doing testing and riding and stay
in shape for racing and still have fun with
it.
ATVriders.com:
Thank you so much for talking to us today
Bill, again congratulations on winning your
ninth GNCC championship!
Bill Ballance:
Thank you!
