Tuesday Toolbox: Jeff Canfield

There's a new face on the GNCC Racing scene. Jeff Canfield was recently appointed as Technical Director for the series. Canfield knows a lot about racing. He grew up racing bikes in upstate New York and spent several years in Pro Racing, as an observer and then as Series Manager of Motocross and Supercross. In Tuesday Toolbox, Canfield talks about his excitement for taking on a whole new challenge.

Jeff, not everyone out there in the GNCC community knows who you are. Little did they know, you raced the Ironman this year. What was that experience like?
Honestly, I was a little bit nervous. It had been so long since I had been lined up on a starting line for a race. It was my first GNCC in probably six years or so. The last race I did was in Okeechobee, Florida, the opening round in 2001.  I didn't really get the start that I wanted. I was about mid-pack off the line. Racing it was a blast. I had so much fun. I'll be better prepared for next time.

When did you start out riding? I got my first motorcycle when I was 9 years old, and entered my first race the following April. It was an Enduro, and I was second in that race. I raced for the next 10 years, doing pretty much raced flat track and hare scrambles. My dad and I were really into that and we did it all year long in upstate New York.

If you just did flat track and hare scrambles, how did you find out about the GNCC series? I found out about it through working at AMA Pro Racing. We would have our bikes on the truck for Daytona Bike Week and we'd go down and race the GNCC. I also  heard about it while working with the Coombs family at the High Point and Steel City Outdoor Nationals. I figured a GNCC wasn't that far off from a hare scramble, so in 2001 I entered the Florida round.

So you've only ridden 2 GNCCs? Four total, three in Florida and one in Indiana.

So you grew up racing, but how did you get a job in the industry? In 2000 there was a position opening up at AMA Pro racing for an observer for Supercross. Basically you sit upstairs in race control and run the action on the floor. My job was letting everyone know when they could start, if someone cut the track and other problems on the track.In Motocross I was the Sponsorship Implementation Manager, and I made sure that vending areas were set up and track signage was up.

But that wasn't your first job in the industry right? Through college for the East coast Motocross Nationals I'd run results from the finish line to the AMA trailer. I was promoted to Infield Observer in the early '90s.  I did that for several years until I went full-time with the AMA in 2000.

Where you were Assistant Series Manager? How long did it take for you to move up from observer? It took about 4 years for me to become Assistant Series Manager.

What did you do as Assistant Series Manager? Basically I was in charge of staffing at the Motocross and Supercross races. My job was building relationships with race teams and riders and working with the promoters with track concerns and issues. I'd do anything the Series Manager needed me to do.

And then you moved up to Series Manager. I took on a lot more responsibility. I was still working building relationships with teams and riders. Basically, I oversaw the day to day operations of Motocross and Supercross.

You got to meet a lot of big name riders. I was around when Ricky Carmichael came along, and James Stewart, Ryan Villopoto and Travis Pastrana.

You probably have some good stories then. I've had some good times with those guys and some not so good times. You never really want to penalize riders, but at the same time you want to keep the playing field as level as possible.

Then your next move was to MX Sports, the sister company of Racer Productions. How did that come about? At the end of the 2008 MX season, I started talking with Carrie Russell and Davey Coombs about the possibilities of coming to work at MX Sports. We talked for awhile, and I finally made my decision in September of 2008, when I was in England for the Motocross of Nations. I started working for MX Sports in November 2008, starting the day before my birthday!

Did they throw a party for you? They did! They had a cake for me but no one really knew who I was.

And now you're into the GNCCs. How do you think all of this experience prior to this is going to help you as Technical Director? Well, what my experience has taught me is that there are two sides to everything, and in the heat of racing, riders and team managers are all fired up and you've just got to sit and listen to them and try to figure out what they're looking for. You have to figure out what they're trying to tell you and also trying to calm them down. You don't get anywhere yelling at an official, and an official doesn't get anywhere by yelling back at the rider.

So you're calm enough then for this job. That's one thing that I try to tell the officials that work with me.  Keep your composure, just answer questions. If you can't answer their questions, send them to me, and I'll handle the problem.

What are some of the differences you'll face with GNCC as opposed to Motocross and Supercross. Honestly, the motorcycle aspect shouldn't be really that much different than Motocross and Supercross. The biggest challenge that I'm facing is learning the ATV side of GNCC racing. I'm really excited and every day I'm trying to learn new things about ATVs and how they operate and what can change. I look forward to going out there and meeting the riders and the teams and building a good relationship with the ATV and bike teams like I have with Motocross and Supercross riders.

How do you think you'll handle ATVs, since you've had limited experience with them? Quite a few people in the office do have the experience, like Jason Weigandt or Jeff Russell, and I can pull knowledge and information from those guys to help me make a decision and a ruling.

What are you most looking forward to with this new title? I'm hopefully going to help bring GNCC racing to the next level. Racer Productions has done a phenomenal job running and managing the series and now by having one more person in charge of tech, it should make it easier for riders and the teams to voice their concerns. I'm absolutely open for people contacting me with their questions.

Any plans for Ironman 2010 then? For Ironman 2010, I will be better conditioned and I will train more. I hope to finish within the top 15 in my class.

Can I still pit for you next year? That's the deal, you have to pit for me next year.

Good. Last time I did, you were so out of it during the race I had to remind you that you weren't in the office, you were racing a GNCC! Right, just remind me I'm at a race. (laughs)