Chad
Wienen would waste no time adjusting to his
new Suzuki LTR-450 ride as he won more races
than any one in the 2007 WPSA season, but
unfortunately for Chad, he was plagued by
mechanical issues a few rounds, which shattered
his hopes for a championship.
Soon
after the end of the 2007 ATV motocross race
season, Chad Wienen began training for the
2008 season in hopes that he would be able
to capture the national title that eluded
him last year.
We
recently caught up with Chad in Florida at
Tommy Tantillo’s private ATV motocross
track where he has been practicing during
the off season and asked him about how training
has been going, how things have changed for
him this year, and the lofty goals he has
set for himself in the 2008 season.
How
long have you been down here in Florida, Chad?
I got down here three days after Thanksgiving.
I flew home for Christmas and then came back
down here and went back to work training.
How
are you feeling about going into the 2008
season?
I feel strong. I’m trying to pace myself.
It’s a long season and it’s going
to be starting soon so I’m just trying
to take my time and pick up the pace a bit
and make things happen this year.
Is
it harder to stay motivated this year? You
were so close to a championship last year;
do you still have the same passion for it
as last year?
Definitely! I was so close last year to getting
it but a couple of races didn’t go how
I wanted them to. You just have to keep working
at it and perfect it. I’m going to put
it all on the line this year and hope for
a championship.
It
was great watching you and Jeremy Lawson out
there riding earlier…
It was a great time. It’s very seldom
that Jeremy and I actually go out and moto
together. We’ve been doing it a little
bit lately. It really pushes us. Neither of
us wants to be the guy that’s behind.
We’re pushing each other to make our
games a little better.
In
2005 you decided to move up to the pro ranks.
Your first pro race was at High Point. What
made you decide to jump up right to the pro
ranks?
I was going to make the move the following
year, but I really wanted to see where I stood.
I’ve always run classes that were too
fast for me, but it made me a lot better.
It was just a personal decision to make things
move faster for me.
