Interview:
Michael Coburn - Honda TRX 450R Pro ATV Racer
>> Continued
In
2006, Michael Coburn made his EDT debut
& finished an impressive 4th place
in the Pro Class
So
when did you start riding quads? Michael
Coburn:
I was about six years old when I started riding,
and I started racing about five years ago.
How
did you first get involved in racing? Michael
Coburn:
I actually got involved because of a guy my
dad worked with. He raced TT on a quad and had
ended up breaking his hip. He asked me if I
would ride for him in the last couple rounds
of the local series he was doing, so I did.
How
did you do those first couple of races? Michael
Coburn:
(Laughing) Not so good. I actually crashed
in the first one, but I went out there and
I won the second one.
Did
you start riding the EDT series after that
or did you start out on the local level? Michael
Coburn:
I did some local TT and ice races before I
made the jump to nationals.
Michael
Coburn racing on the pavement as he
races to the top of Pikes Peak Mountain,
which eventually switches over to dirt
before the peak (Photo
by Jay Bonvouloir)
Besides
winning the EDT Pro Championship, you had another
major accomplishment this year. You did the
Pike’s Peak International Hill Climb and
not only did you win the 500cc class, you also
set a couple of new records. That must have
been pretty exciting. Michael
Coburn:
It was pretty exciting for me. I just went out
there to give it a try and have some fun. I
had no idea I would do so well. It was a really
amazing experience.
Do
you think that racing TT all the time helped
with that type of race? Michael
Coburn:I
think so because where I made up a lot of
my time was in the corners. In the Extreme
Dirt Track races we going pretty fast out
there and we keep a lot of speed in the corners,
and where a lot of people slowed down at the
Pike’s Peak race, where I was able to
keep my speed up and go into those corners
a lot hotter than they were.
Are
you planning on going back in 2010? Michael
Coburn:
Yes! I want to build a bigger motor though
and give the Unlimited class a try. I don’t
know how I will do though because I heard
those guys are pretty tough to beat, but I
think it would be a good challenge.
What
are your plans for the off-season? Michael
Coburn:
I’m going to school for mechanical engineering,
so I won’t have a lot of time to race
except for the Tulsa Shootout this winter,
that I do every year, and maybe a couple of
local races.
The
past 2 years, the championship battle
has been tight between Michael Coburn
& Harold Goodman to the end, but
for 2010 Coburn will not have to worry
about Goodman who is switching to full-time
GNCC & AMA ATV MX Racing, which
will limit his EDT schedule
What
are your goals for next season? Michael
Coburn:
My goal is to try and match this season. 2009
was a really great year for me and it’s
going to be hard to beat it.
Is
there anything else you would like to add? Michael
Coburn:
I just want to thank all of my family and
friends back home for everything they do.
They really help me out a lot. I also want
to thank all of my sponsors that helped me
out for 2009; Sparks Racing, PEP, Roberts
Racing, ITI Performance, Laker Customs, Inter
Lakes Sports Center, Rath Racing, Fly, DWT,
K&N, Met-Tec and Go4it Graphics.
Thank
you for talking to us Michael and again congratulations
to you on winning the 2009 EDT Pro Championship! Michael
Coburn:
Thank you!
