Tuesday Toolbox: Walker Fowler

Walker Fowler seems to have made the right decision to stick to quads. After battling it out on both bikes and ATVs each weekend, he finally decided to stick to quads, hoping to make a name for himself. And this year Walker has grabbed the Top Amateur Award numerous times and he's poised to wrap up the College A Class and move to XC2 .But what else has the coolest name in GNCC been up to? Let's check it out.

How was your first day back at school? It was great. I love it!

Are you being a little sarcastic, Walker? (laughs) Yes. Sarcastic.  But school doesn't bother me too much.

Do you have a favorite subject? And you can't say recess! Dang it! Lunchtime then. No, last year I took a biology class and I thought that was pretty cool. Outdoorsey stuff. Next year I'm going to take a  field and aquatics class.

What do you learn about in that? Grass and water? Birds and stuff, and go to lakes and test water. It should be a good time.

What grade are you in now? I'm a junior this year.

Ahhh, so you can almost taste freedom! Is it hard to pay attention, or would rather go out and ride? At least today I'm trying to focus on school. As soon as I get out though I switch modes. I need to get to the gym yet today and do that kind of stuff.

This is the first year you've  raced just quads. What made you finally decide to make the pick? Um, well what it was what I originally started with when I was younger. When I was racing both at the same time I always seemed to have less pressure and more fun at

quads. I'm not sure why but that's what felt right. Hopefully I made the right decision!

What is it about quads versus the bikes? Well, maybe that there is more opportunity on the four wheeler side. There are more middle age guys that ride and the dirtbike guys you can see them come up through the ranks. You can tell who is going to be pro early. I didn't really see that on the four  wheeler side. And as far as pressure goes, I don't know why.

How is racing quads only working out? Is it better? I really like it so far. I did make the right decision. I can focus on one thing. So it's that much less to get ready for on the weekend and I'm not getting bike parts and quad parts mixed up! I love it. I seem to fit in with those guys more, too.

Well, do you still talk to the bike guys like Cory B and that crew? I do! And I just did a motocross camp near Wooster with Cory. I spent a week with him as soon as Snowshoe was over at his house, hanging out and having a good time. I still see a lot of my dirtbike friends and I still keep a bike around, but just to do trail riding. At least they don't hate me yet!

So you aren't considered a traitor yet? No, not yet.

So what's the competition like in the quad class, is it what you expected? I thought maybe it would be easier. It always seemed like when Brandon Sommers was going through, he would win all his classes until he got to the pro ranks. And Donnie Ockerman was the same way. Now that I'm in it, it isn't easier, it was just that they were that good. The competition is definitely stiff. But I make it work for me. Jamie Bithell and Aarol Bright, are in the A class, and they are tight competition. Hopefully I can get another win at Unadilla. But I'm not going to count my chickens before they hatch!

Well, you've definitely been doing well. You've gotten Top Amateur several times this year already. That has to feel good. It's an accomplishment. People probably get sick of hearing it but someone has to do it!

Now that you're 16 you're racing a full-sized quad this year. How has that transition been? The week after Ironman actually I turned 16. I've been 16 for awhile now. I definitely like riding it. The smaller quads were a good time. It's my first full year on the big quad, and it's a lot more comfortable then the smaller one.

You just raced the Heartland Endurance Race. How did that go for you? We actually had little problems the entire race. Brian Wolf raced the first 5 laps and that, I think, was about an hour and 15 minutes. His bike couldn't start then and we couldn't figure out why. Then Donnie went out and then I had rear shock issues. Brian went to get his bike 3 hours in and then it started up! Then Donnie rode again and I think he was still smooth, he's a pro and he knows what he was doing. Then my bike wouldn't start so I rode Brian's and the gas cap fell off and then I broke the brakes. I had to get off Brian's because I kept breaking things. So he rode four laps without brakes. He made up 2 minutes in the dark. We probably would have been pretty solid but everytime we got a lead, we'd get sliced. For 9 hours and 10 minutes we were right there. But with 50 minutes left, you just don't win it.

How did you get hooked up with Wolf and Sommers for the race? Well, obviously we are all Yamaha guys and Brian is a GT Thunder guy with Laz Summers and Brian's also a local guy. Donnie is in Illinois and I had never said a word to him until Thursday, and he's a really neat guy. So with the guy who won 10K at Snowshoe, and that's just awesome, and Donnie, who has had some bad luck and is actually one of the fastest guys out there-it was just an awesome experience. I felt like I learned a lot about how pros treat situations. It was very cool to be with that team.

Did you race the challenge last year? I did it last year too and we didn't have good luck either. I ran the A class last year. We were really fast but we couldn't get our bikes to run. At GNCC it's a lot easier but on that 8th-9^th hour you're relying on luck. You have to prepare the bike pretty well. Then it's a lot about being smart. We had a good time though, I love that kind of racing.

What else have you been up to during the summer break? Me and my cousin, we have, well it's not a club  or a gang or anything but....it's the toddler bicycles. We are "The 12 inch riders of Ohio." We try to go around and do 360's. We're on Myspace too.

So it's like BMX? Like mini BMX. Maybe we can get ahold of Pastrana and he can get us into a movie? (laughs) It's a great training thing. It takes a lot of leg pump. I'm into stand-up jet skiing. My mom's boyfriend has one. A little dirt biking. I built a jeep Cherokee. Maxxis hooked me up with tires. It's a 1992 just like me. Me and my jeep, getting in the mud. Other than that a lot of travelling and having a good time. The summer went by too fast! I still have a lot I want to do.

What are your plans for when you come back? Hopefully at Unadilla get another A class win. My highest overall is 14^th right now. It would be cool to break the top 10, which is highly unlikely. I've been telling Brian Wolf I'm going to beat him up in the XC2 class at the end of this year. Hopefully in Yadkinville I can do the XC2.

So after you wrap up the Championship you'll do XC2? That's the plan. But I know Jamie and Aarol have been practicing a lot this summer so it's probably easier said than done. And then for 2010-XC2.

Ok! You're done. I can let you go ride now! It's still broken from the Heartland Challenge!

Well then go do your homework! Yeah, I do have some of that. Thanks, Rachel!