Tuesday Feature: Big John
Tuesday, October 28, 2008 | 12:00 AM
There are countless things that need to happen before a rider can race his way to a title in the 2008 ITP Tires/Moose Racing AMA ATV Motocross Nationals. He needs to be in shape, his mechanic has to have the machine ready for two 20-minute motos, and most importantly, his machine has to arrive at the event in one piece. While that may seem like the most simple task in a championship pedigree, the onus placed on the hauler driver is quite grand. “Big John” Shelburne drove the Rockstar/MSR/Suzuki/ Yoshimura/Pro Taper 18-wheeler on the way to the 2008 championship, and he performs much more than simply driving. John explains that making the pit area around the hauler look cool is more work that it seems, and winning a title requires a total team effort. We sat down with one of the guys behind the scenes and learned what life is like on the road.
How did you land in your role as the transport driver for the Rockstar/MSR/Suzuki/ Yoshimura/Pro Taper team?
Well, I used to do a little racing, but I was never that good at it. My brother (Brent McKim) was much better than me so I just started helping him out at the races. I was always really observant and just tried to involve myself with as many things as I could. Next thing I knew I was driving the Nac’s Racing hauler, and now the factory Suzuki hauler.
Take us through a typical race weekend.
Once get into town I immediately find a place to fill up the water tanks. It’s best to find a place you can revisit if you need to go back. When I get to the track I drive the rig into the parking spot and get out the wash tanks for the power washers and set up the awning. After that I get all of the tables and chairs out for the hospitality area and make sure it looks organized and professional. All of that takes place Friday night.
I get up early Saturday morning and make sure I have all of the tool boxes out for the mechanics. Then I’ll set out all of the garbage cans and do everything to make sure that when the riders and mechanics arrive they can get right to work.
Once the team shows up, I jump in the rental car and head to the grocery store and gather up everything for lunch. When I get back I get started grilling and cooking lunch then I’ll get the coolers filled up with drinks and ice and get them in their place. In between times I get the pressure washer out and hooked up so we can clean the quads off after practice.
That is basically what happens at each round for me. After everything is set up and running I usually run tires and spare parts to the infield and get back to the hauler to provide security for everything.
Being the driver of the championship winning team has to carry a certain amount of pride. What is that like?
It’s exciting for sure. Hopefully we can keep rolling and winning, because it’s fun. But winning isn’t everything, you know? I’m more concerned about everyone on our team giving 100%. Getting the job done is the main thing as far as I’m concerned. If we get the job done, the wins will come, then they are just a bonus.
Would you consider yourself one of the most experienced drivers in the pits?
No, I don’t really like the sound of that. I mean, yeah, when I drove the Nac’s rig it was one of the first real race rigs in the pits. But I look at a guy like Mark Baldwin as having much more experience than I. There are still times when I’ll see something I like or need some help with and I’ll go to Mark. That is what makes our series so great. We all work together and learn from each other to make our jobs better across the board.
How many miles did you drive this year?
I put about 40,000 miles on the rig in 2008. That isn’t really that much and a lot of that is due to the schedule they had for us. We only had to go to California for one round, and I stayed back east during the series instead of driving all the way back to the shop.
Having the schedule set up the way they did was really nice with gas prices the way they were and everything. I mean, I don’t pay the bill [laughs] but I always do my best to find the cheapest gas on the road.
Speaking about being on the road, what was the coolest thing you experienced this year?
I drove the northern route to the West Coast for the first time and it was awesome. It was some of the most beautiful countryside I’ve ever seen. Driving through Colorado, Utah, and Nevada for the first time was my favorite part of the year by far.
Oh come on, you had to experience some crazy stuff! We want the dirt. Spill it!
I don’t know, man. I think truck drivers are liars because I never got flashed or propositioned at a truck stop one time! I always hear these crazy stories about college girls driving past the rig and “waving” to the drivers, but I never got any of that. I think they freeze up when they see the professional hauler and all of that. [laughs]
But, nope. No lot lizard stuff or anything like that. It was pretty uneventful actually. I didn’t even have any trouble with mechanical stuff with the hauler.
Well, that’s good. What will you be doing to keep busy between now and the beginning of the series?
I’m just hanging in California working at the shop. We have a lot of things to do to get ready for 2009. We have to do the regular maintenance on everything, and do some improvements to the trailer and various other things. You wouldn’t believe the all of the little things like new wheels for the grill, parts for the pressure washer, just everything.
Anything to add before we say goodbye?
I owe everything about my job to Wayne Hinson. We met at Loretta Lynn’s when I was standing along the fence line watching practice and he helped guide me into the scene 100%. I’d really thank him for that. I’d also like to thank my teammates for such a great time in 2008. I guess that’s it ¯¿½“ just want everyone to know we are working hard everyday to make our team stronger than ever for 2009.