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December Interview with Arkansas' Zach Ingram

 

For the second straight year in a row young Zach Ingram won the Arkansas Hare Scramble Championship - and put in some good rides in an A class at some GNCC's.  We took a few minutes to catch up with Zach...enjoy:

 

 

 

Racing Highlights:  '10 Arkansas Hare Scramble Series AA/Pro Overall Champion

2009

Arkansas Harescramble AA-Pro champion- 1st overall

Arkansas Harescramble Rider of the Year
Perry Mountain 24 Hour Challenge- 3rd place overall Elite team
OMA National- Festus, MO- 3rd place A-Lite
Forward Motion Harescramble- Sedalia, MO- 1st place- AA-Pro
Louisiana Cross-Country Series - Plain Dealing, LA- 1st place- XC2 Lites

2008

Arkansas Harescramble A Open champion- 2nd overall
Arkansas Harescramble Rider of the Year
Black Jack Enduro Circuit A Open champion- 2nd Overall

 

2007

Arkansas Harescramble B Open champion
 Arkansas Harescramble Rider of the Year
 Ironman GNCC- Schoolboy- 5th place

 

 

 

AR: So getting right to it how does it feel to win your second straight Arkansas Hare Scramble Championship Series Title?

Zach: It feels great. It has been a really tough year for me with all of the mechanical problems I went through. I had 3 races with bike problems, and then also missed a couple races due to conflict with the GNCC's. It's really hard to balance being a high school senior preparing for college, attending church as much as possible, and then racing.  I'm so glad I was able to pull it off at the last round, and make myself a two-time champ.

 

 

 

Tell us about the GNCC's, how rough do the courses get?
The GNCC's were definitely a reality check for us. I thought I was pretty fast until we went to those, and there are 40 other riders who are just as fast, or faster. The tracks are completely different than what we ride in Arkansas or Missouri. It's pretty much all 4 wheeler wide, then rutted and whooped out like crazy. First there are about 500 ATV's that race on Saturday, then another 500 bikes on Sunday morning, so you can imagine what the track looks like by the time we get to it Sunday afternoon. So yes, the tracks are very rough. Also, the races are 3 hours long, which make it even harder. All in all, the GNCC's are a fun atmosphere to be around, and good experience, but very competitive in all aspects.
 

 

 

 

...High School, grades, and plans for college:
I go to Southside High School in Fort Smith. It's a pretty big school, with about 1500 students. I would say I'm a good student, with a cumulative GPA of 3.76. Next year I'm going to either go to the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, or stay here at the University in Fort Smith. I want to continue to race, so it will be easier to stay here, but I think I would enjoy Fayetteville a little more. I plan on majoring in mechanical engineering. Math and Science are defiantly my strong points in school, so I figure engineering will be where I'm most effective. After college I want to work with a company that has something to do with the motorcycle industry. I think it would be awesome to be somebody who helps design a product like the Rekluse clutches, or something like that.

 

 

 

 

Or after college make it to the Pro's and make a living doing that for a while!  We realize the off-road guys don't make near this but what do you think of Chad Reed making 7.5 Million last year?  What would you do with that kind of money??
I would love to make it onto a real factory team, but I really don't see that happening. If you would have asked me this same question a couple of years ago, I would have been all over it. I thought I had what it takes to race at that level, but I have realized that those guys are on a complete different level. I think that the money that the supercross guys make is ridiculous. In my opinion, woods racing takes a lot more skill than supercross where it's just about being brave enough to do the jumps. I mean it does take a tremendous amount of skill, but the fear of jumping is a big part of it in my opinion. I’m not sure what I would do if I was making that kind of money doing something that I love so much. I would probably have a huge farm, with a big house and  an awesome barn where the bikes were kept. I would have an MX track, and then a nice cross country loop to practice on. Sadly, that's going to have to remain a dream for now...

 

 

 

 

Always fun to dream...so out of all of the places you've raced which one do you like the best?
The OMA national in Newark, Missouri this year was awesome. It was by far the most fun trails I had ridden in a long time. The dirt up their was perfect. There were not any rocks, and just a few roots. It was pretty much all single track, but it was fast single track. The woods were very open, so it allowed for many lines to develop. Also, it was my first good ride after a string of bad luck, so that made it even better.
 

 

 

 

 

Other hobbies besides racing?
In the summer I spend a lot of my time at the lake. I love to just chill on the lake, and wakeboarding is pretty fun as well. This past summer I started jumping off cliffs a lot, and learned to do a gainer off the 40 foot one, so that's pretty cool. My dad has always been able to barefoot ski on the water, so I thought I would give that a try this summer, and it is so much harder than it looks.  Almost every spring break we go snow skiing in Colorado to tear up the slopes, which is really fun. Oh, and I snowboard, not ski. I enjoy basically any type of outdoor sport. I like to go long boarding, mountain biking, frisbee golf, and play some soccer just to name a few.

 

 

 

 

Wow, so with all the racing and other hobbies do you have time for a girlfriend? (our female viewers might like to know)
Haha, well I haven't had a serious girlfriend in quite some time now, because it is hard to make enough time for them. The dirt bikes and everything is kind of a babe magnet though. They all think it's really cool and say they want to come watch sometime, so that works out pretty good. I think it would be awesome to find a girlfriend that was really into racing, and could go with us to the races.
...or a girl you could actually train with!  Ok, don't know if these are your age but Ashley Fiolek or Kacy Martinez?
Haha, I think they are just a little bit older than me, but if I were to choose, I would say Kacy Martinez. because I prefer the brunettes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So getting back to the racing, what are your immediate goals for the next couple seasons?  Will you be staying on KTM?
I will definitely be back on a KTM in 2010 thanks to Bill Eddy's Motorsports. Next year we are planning on doing the first 5 national enduro's, along with any other local races whenever possible. Look out for some race reports from the enduro's consisting of a report from all of the members of "Team Gnar". It's going to be the Ingram's and a few of our buddies from Fort Smith. When summer break comes around, we will reevaluate and decide on continuing with the whole enduro series or not. I really don't have any specific goals for the next couple years, but I want to improve my overall speed, and try to get on some type of team in the coming years.

Have you ever thought about trying an ISDE?
The ISDE is something that I would love to do if I had the opportunity. I would definitely go if I was able to round up some good sponsors to make it happen. Last year I was thinking maybe I could go in 2011 to Finland, which would be awesome, so we will see. If I got to go I would need to practice some more tire changes, but I think I could do pretty well.

 

 

 

 

 

Well thanks for taking the time and good luck - anything else you'd like to throw in?

I just want to thank everyone who has helped me out over the years. My friends and family have been behind me all the way, and I can't show enough appreciation to them. Also, all of my sponsors: Bill Eddy’s Motorsports, KTM, Moose Racing, Rekluse, Enduro Engineering, Source MX, Alpinestars, Smith, Sixsixone, FMF, Clockwork KTM, and most importantly, God.

Also, thank you for taking your time to talk to me like this.

              

 

 

 

 

More Pictures:




2010 Perry Mountain 24 Hour Challenge

 
















 

 

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