by: Ken Hill
Wednesday, April 9, 2014 | 11:10 AM
With two rounds in the books, we decided to hit Woskob up and see what he thought of this ATV racing thing, after all, the opening round was only his 2nd race aboard a quad! Up to this point, Alex has been hammering dirt on a two-wheeler so the switch poses some serious challenges as opposed to putting a quad through the demanded of a national level motocross race.
ATVMotocross.com: Alex, first off welcome to our series, we are very happy to have you be part of our racing family. Jumping from two wheels to four and competing in the nationals has to have brought some serious challenges both with how you ride and race versus what you were doing on a bike. What have you picked up or learned now that you have two rounds under your belt?
Alex Woskob: Its great to start a new adventure in my life. The great people I have met thus far overjoy me. A few things I have learned are that I tend to over ride the quad. I'm used to throwing the motorcycle around a lot more. I've learned that sprinting and trying to win the race all in the first lap isn't going to work. Sometimes slower is faster. You have to think about your equipment and possibly damaging it on the track. It’s much harder to pass and the tracks are a lot smoother and not as many line choices. There's not a lot that sets you apart so learning patience to get to the front and to not be so aggressive are just A few things I have learned so far.
At round two, Muddy Creek, we saw you break an axle, your first I believe? Coming from the bike world, keeping a quad together moto after moto poses some serious challenges of its own doesn't it?
Yes it does, the durability of a motorcycle is just not the same. I have excellent equipment and awesome sponsors but that only goes so far, I need to smooth out my riding style in order to reach my goals.
Having John Natalie in your corner has to be a huge plus to your program. We watched John trackside giving you advice before the motos and while you was on the track. What would you say is the biggest thing you have picked up from being under Johns wing?
Having a multi-national champion teaching, mentoring, and sharing his knowledge with me on a daily basis is what is going to allow me to reach my goals. There are too many to list but if I would have to say one, it would be his cornering techniques.
Pro-Am is no joke, the talent in that class is the best in the world second only to the premier Pro class. You had a solid day at round one that had to be a big ego boost knowing you could put it on the box against top talent. At round two, you didn't fare as well. What are some of things you are taking away from the first two rounds that you will be working on for the remainder of the season?
Every time I get on the machine I feel more comfortable and take away so much. I plan to not make the same mistakes twice and continue to put my Honda on the box. My goals would be to improve each weekend and be consistent. It's hard to jump into such a new sport, lacking seat time and experience on a new machine. There is a lot of competition out there; with a class this stacked you cannot make any mistakes.
It will be interesting for all of us to watch your progress throughout this season. We are sure by the end of it you will have a solid grasp on what things you need to do behind the bars as well as behind the scenes to make your program work. We know you have some people to thank for making all of this possible. We will be watching closely as your rookie season continues and wish you the best of luck this year!
Being so new to this sport I'm so grateful for all the support I have behind me. From John and Michelle Natalie with the Natalie Experience, Freddie Reiser, my family, my girlfriend Kailey Gibb, Motorsports.com, Root River Racing, Ford Brothers Racing, Fly, Number One atv, Fourwerx Carbon, Fox, Epic Construction, FTR, Pro Armor, 100%, DASA, Maxxis, ATVriders.com, Walsh and Rage Racing.
