Welcome to Wednesday's Class Act - the all-new exclusive feature on ATVmotocross.com. Here you will get to know some of the best amateur riders in the 2007 ATVA/ITP Moose Racing National Motocross Series. Now, for the first-ever Class Act, meet Chad Raymond!

Chad Raymond is one of the brightest champions, but he’s far from typical.

““I am a nineteen year old who loves to race,” said Chad, the 450 B Champion and Production B runner-up in the 2007 ATVA/ITP Moose Racing National Motocross Series.

When Chad started racing the ATVA series in 2004, he realized early on that preparation was the key to success. ““Always be prepared,” he said. ““People don't realize how much time and commitment it takes to keep yourself in shape, the bike working properly and maintaining all the other equipment.”

Three years later, Chad captured his first-ever championship after some hard-fought battles with his friend Matt Shapaka in both the 450 B and the Production B classes.

““Racing with Matt was fun,” Chad said. ““We have known each other for a while now. He is a good competitor. We battled back and forth all year long.”

While Chad clinched the 450 B championship with five wins over Matt who finished second also with five wins, Chad was declared the runner-up in Production B and Matt would be crowned the champion!

““450B seemed to be my class this year””everything went right,” Chad said. ““Production B was more difficult because it seemed like all my bad luck happened in that class””I just could not catch a break. With 450B it was the opposite, it seemed like everything always worked out.”

When asked if their friendship stopped when the gate dropped, Chad said, ““Yes and no, because I want to win, but at the same time I have respect for Matt and his racing ability.”

Chad will always remember the second-to-last round this year at Unadilla for one reason. ““I locked up my first National title in 450 B there and still had one more race to go,” he said. ““I will never forget that race.”

Chad takes racing seriously when it comes to his fitness; he lives a very disciplined lifestyle. ““I lift weights five times a week, run every day, and ride three times a week,” he said.

““Preparing for the next season is very time consuming,” he said. ““All of my spare time is spent on preparing for racing. Either working on the bike, working out, practicing or racing. Racing is pretty much all I think about.”

Still, he does admit to studying while classes are in session at the University of Akron in Akron, Ohio. ““During the off season, when I am not racing, my time is filled with college courses,” Chad said. ““But mostly [I am] working out and working on my bike””getting it ready for the next season.”

Chad is majoring in Business Administration and minoring in Communications, which brings him plenty of insight to his racing career.

““There is a lot to take care of,” he said. ““Another important part is keeping in contact with your sponsors and promoting their products.”

Chad used the downtime in the ATVA series this year to his advantage, by entering a few races in the Team Green Pennsylvania State Championship Series. ““I wanted to race the PAMX races to check out the tracks and to get some practice,” he said.

The 2007 Baldwin Motorsports-backed Honda TRX 450R machine brought Chad to the top in the B class, and he looks forward to racing next year and moving up to the A class.

Now his number 11 means something more to him after his first-ever championship season. ““That was just the number I liked and started using,” he said. ““Now it means a lot to me, so I hope I can hang onto it next year in the A class.”

Of course, Chad still has to iron out a few things. ““After I get the holeshot, I need to calm down and stay focused,” he said. ““I do like to have my own time to think before the race.”

One of Chad’s favorite riders is the #4 ride of Tim Farr. ““I like his style of racing and look up to him.”

The best thing about the races is a toss-up for Chad. ““The rush and the excitement of the race can't be beat,” he said. ““Spending time with family and friends at the races is a close second,” he said.

Chad would like to thank his sponsors: ““Danny at Maxima racing oils helps us out with our oil and the Maxima product SC1 always makes my bike look great. Mark at Baldwin Motorsports makes my bike run great. I love getting the holeshot. Scott goggles, Renthal, Six Six one, Rath Racing and Berik boots. Of course my mom, dad and sister (3R Racing,) who help out all the time. Lastly, just picked up Blaster Chemical for this next year.”

Look for Chad at the ATVA banquet on November 10th in Tennessee and again in 2008 when he will be racing the A class in the 2008 AMA/ATVA ITP/Moose Racing National Motocross Championships Presented by Parts Unlimited.

About the ITP/Moose ATV National Motocross Championship Series

Presented by Parts Unlimited:

The AMA/ATVA ITP/Moose Racing National Motocross Championship Series Presented by Parts Unlimited is the nation’s premier amateur and professional ATV motocross series, and is hosted by many of America ’s premier motocross facilities. The 12-round series includes stops all over the nation, drawing the top racers, teams and sponsors in the sport, and making it America ’s largest and longest running ATV National Motocross series. After over twenty years of growth, the ATVA series gained AMA Pro recognition in 2007, crowning Joe Byrd as the first-ever AMA Pro ATV Champion. The series continues to expand and produce top talent from the amateur ranks, while keeping close to the grass-roots fun that makes people love to go to the races.

 

Series sponsors include title sponsors ITP Tires and Moose, and presenting sponsor Parts Unlimited.  Premiere and Feature sponsors include ATV Sport, Moto Tees, Scott USA, Maxxis Tires, Elka Suspension and H-Bomb Films/Division Four.  Associate sponsors include Weekend Warrior Trailers, Denton Racing, and Hinson Racing.  Media partners include ATV Insider, ATV Rider and ATVRiders.com.

 

About AMA Racing:

AMA Racing is the competition arm of the American Motorcyclist Association and is the leading sanctioning body for motorcycle sport in the United States. Its professional properties include the Amp’d Mobile AMA Supercross Series, the AMA Toyota Motocross Championship presented by FMF, the AMA Superbike Championship presented by Parts Unlimited, the AMA Ford Quality Checked Flat Track Championship, the AMA Supermoto Championship and the AMA Pro ATV Championship. In amateur and pro-am competition, AMA Racing sanctions over 4000 events in 24 different disciplines and supports over 260,000 active members. For more information about professional racing, visit www.amaproracing.com. Accredited media outlets can also access an on line Press Room at www.amaproracing.com/pressroom. For amateur racing information visit www.amadirectlink.com/amrace/amasports.asp.

 

About the ATVA:

The ATV Association (““ATVA” ) is the official sanctioning body of the amateur division of the ATVA ITP/Moose ATV National Motocross Championship Series Presented by Parts Unlimited.  The 9,000 member ATVA is the sister organization of the 260,000 member American Motorcyclist Association (““AMA” ). ATV racing has experienced phenomenal growth at the rate of 25% in the past two years alone, and continues to gain momentum and support, outselling off-road motorcycles annually. Each round attracts hundreds of racers who compete for bragging rights to one of 31 amateur national titles. For more information about ATVA, visit www.atvaonline.com.

 

About the ATVPG:

The ATVPG is comprised of the 12 individual promoters that host the AMA ITP/Moose ATV National Motocross Championships, presented by Parts Unlimited. The goal of the ATVPG is to raise awareness of ATV motocross through the production of professional and amateur championship racing events.  For more information on the ATVPG and the ATV National events they produce, go to www.atvmotocross.com.

 

 

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