Tuesday Toolbox: Bryan Cook

Good news comes to Bryan Cook in pairs. The last time we talked to Cook in Tuesday Toolbox he had just won the Steele Creek GNCC and found out he was going to be a dad. Now, he's a new father to Aimee Lynn and he just got signed to the FRE KTM team for 2010. Cook took some time out from his increasingly busy schedule to talk about the excitement of the past two months.

Hey Bryan, did you have a good time at the banquet? Yeah it was good. Did you have a good time?

I did. Did you come by the Can-Am After Party at all? I walked by and then I went to bed!

Did your wife Bonnie and the baby come too? I guess not since she only gave birth a week ago. That's right.  Bonnie stayed at home with the baby, and just my dad and I rode up.

The last time we talked to you for Tuesday Toolbox, you had just won at Steele Creek and had just found out Bonnie was pregnant. How's the new addition to the family doing? She's doing great so far!

Does she look like her mom or her dad? Well she looks a little both of us, really. Her name is Aimee Lynn. We didn't have a hard time picking out that name. Bonnie had that name picked out for a long time.

Bonnie was there pretty much all season to pit for you, she's quite a trooper. Yeah, she hung in there until the end. She had to watch what she was doing the end, though. But the doctor told her she could be active and do what she had been doing all season long.

Let's talk about your year a little bit, you didn't take another win after Steele Creek but you still had a pretty solid year. It was a good year. I put myself in the right position a couple times in the last lap but something stupid always happened like some little mistake would cost me the race. I didn't get another win after Steele Creek but I rode strong and I was really happy with the season. It gives me something to think about for next year.  Hopefully I can avoid the mistakes now that I have the support.

It seems like good news comes to you in pairs, not only do you have your first child but you also have a factory ride for next year. How did you feel when FRE KTM called you up? I was surprised and happy. I wasn't expecting a call from them but it worked out great. I'm really excited.  I've already had some time on the bike and I feel really comfortable and I'm ready to get going. I was expecting someone to call, at least. But I had actually talked to Tim Farr the Friday of Ironman.

So you knew before Ironman? It was at the Ironman I found out. But nothing had been finalized or anything. Tim just asked if I was interested.

Did you even have to think about it before you said yes? Well a little bit. There's always a little thinking involved. I try not to jump into anything. (laughs)

What made you decide to sign then? It was a factory deal which is what I had been working for. The offer was good and the level of support they have at the races is great.  Tim Farr has a lot of experience. I felt like it would be a good place to have a start.

Now that you have a factory ride, how do you think things are going to change for you? Are you still going to work full-time on the side? Well I'm still going to work some, but obviously I'll have a little more time on my hands so I will put a little more effort into the racing side of things.

And you've already started training with FRE KTM? It's going really well. I feel really comfortable on the bike and really fast.  I'm very excited.  I've been riding around the house, right now. I was going to a race a few Sundays ago but the baby was born on Friday. She came a little early so I wasn't expecting it! I'm hitting a race this weekend and I will be in Florida in a couple weeks to do some testing.

Have you talked to Tim much more since you signed your deal? We keep pretty much in constant contact. I feel like it's going to be a good year. I feel like I can learn from him and he can help me a lot. I'm looking forward to really getting to work with him.

Have you met any of your new te

ammates? Yes I have. I've met them before but we actually got to sit down and talk at the banquet.

You've never had to work with teammates really before, how do you think that's going to go? I don't know really how it would be different. It will be nice to have someone you can go to and talk to things about and they'll have an opinion on it too. I can see it being really beneficial.

How far do you think you can go now with factory support? I guess my number one goal is to try to win the championship. I have a lot more time to devote to training that I didn't have before. There are a lot of things lifted off my shoulders. Having a mechanic to work on the bike will be great. I spent a lot of time wrenching, and that took up a lot of time that now I'll be able to spend riding.  It's very feasible to make a run at the championship now. I'm sure it's going to be a tough year. A lot of guys are gunning for the championship so the competition is really deep. There's a huge group of riders that can go out and win races every weekend. It's pretty much the deepest it's been in quite a few years. It's going to be fun and it's going to be tough, but it's going to be awesome. It's going to be fun for the fans to watch.

Will Bonnie be back again to pit for you? Yes she will, she'll be in Florida along with Aimee.

And you're pretty happy with the bike, so it sounds like it is going to be a good year. It's not going to be a huge adjustment with the bike but I felt a lot faster on it than on my Honda last year. KTM from what I've seen has a real good bike. They pay a lot of attention to detail and I think it's just a really great product.

And now you just need to get your rest for that race this weekend. I bet that's a little hard these days with a newborn! It's not too bad. It's a little rough. I'm probably not getting as much sleep as I did before we had her but I'm surviving. It's like getting back to my younger days when I stayed out late and survived on just a little sleep.

Well congratulations and we look forward to seeing you in February on the KTM!