Chad Wienen Interview:
2008 Suzuki Pro ATV Racer - Continued
That
following year you had a really good moto
at Budds Creek and were noticed, but you didn’t
really have the conditioning yet that you
needed. What was the turning point that made
you decide to really commit to it?
It was the last WPSA race of ’06. At
the end of the last race I was so tired and
overheated. That’s when I made the decision
to go home and just really work my butt off
and make a living out of this and work as
hard as I could to make that happen. I didn’t
want to be sitting there spinning my wheels
through my whole career and not be able to
make it. It was a big relief just getting
over that hump.
|
|
| In
2006, Chad Wienen focused his attention
on the ATVA Motocross Pro Class, and
he scored his first ever Pro Class Podium
at his local track, Sunset Ridge, which
attracted the attention of the local
press, and it motivated Chad Wienen
to take his training to the next level
over the winter |
You
went to Texas and trained with Dee Manshack.
What was a daily routine like for you?
It was a lot of early mornings and late nights.
I’d get up and start training and running,
and doing all kinds of thing, plus I was at
the gym 4 days a week.
How
influential was Dee in helping you get to
that opening round of the season?
Dee is a great motivator. His whole family
was behind me. Without him and his family
I probably wouldn’t be here today.
| |
| Chad
Wienen made his Suzuki LT-R450 debut
at Round 1 of the 2007 WPSA Series at
Silver Dollar Raceway |
Did
you anticipate coming on board with Suzuki
in mid season like you did?
Definitely not, it’s almost unheard
of for anybody and I believe it opened everyone
else’s eyes and showed that you can
have a really great off-season and come out
and turn heads. I really can’t thank
Suzuki enough for putting their trust in me.
Does
it take a lot of pressure off of you with
the factory backing and knowing that all you
have to focus on is riding?
It’s huge! If I’m down here training
and I have an issue, I get the stuff I need
the next day so I can keep up with my training.
For them to step in and have you just focus
on riding, it’s the greatest thing that
can happen to a rider. It’s a time consuming
thing to build a bike and maintain it, and
to be able to have a carefree situation with
that is very stress relieving.
| |
| Chad
Wienen on a stock 2008 LT-R450 at Doug
Gust's House during the Press Intro |
Suzuki
made a lot of changes to their ’08 LTR-450
ATVs. Can you tell a big difference between
them and the ’07 Quad Racers?
Definitely, the ‘08’s are working
a lot better for us. They have a lot more power
and the handling is better. The LTR450 feels
real solid.
You
have Doug Gust and Dustin Wimmer on your team
and you’re all looking for a championship.
What’s that like for you?
It’s all about being competitive. We
wouldn’t be here if we didn’t
want to win. We’re not going to want
to give an inch even though we are all teammates.
We’re going to go out there and put
it on the line and try to take it. You just
have to keep your head on straight and focus
on what you’re doing and not worry about
what everyone else is doing.
Do
you still work together as a team though?
Yeah, the last round of WPSA last year, Dustin
Wimmer actually pulled the holeshot and I
was in second and I passed him. A lot of the
guys were actually freaking out because I
wasn’t supposed to be passing him because
he had a shot and the championship. I was
just out there proving my point that I’m
out there for myself and in the last corner
I let him pass. I just hope he would do it
for me to and we can work as a team. It’s
not all about yourself when it comes down
to winning championships; it’s about
teamwork.
Thanks
for talking to us Chad; we wish you the best
of luck for 2008.
Thank you!
