Tuesday Toolbox: Chris Bach

There will be a new face on Pro Pit row this weekend in North Carolina. Chris Bach, last year's top amateur and the biggest surprise this season so far, is moving on up.  Bach surprised many by landing on the podium at both the Florida and Georgia rounds and was rewarded with new sponsors and a new place beside the KTM rig. Read on to find out about Chris' first two races and what his plans are for the rest of the season.

I guess the first thing to say is Wow, way to go man. When you told me you were "too good not to race" I guess you were right! I suppose. I mean, I didn't mean it in that kind of sense. I meant I knew I had a chance to do it, and I was foolish not to act on that chance. It really went better than I had expected. I'm still riding the wave from Florida for sure.

Let's take a quick run through of your races, starting with Florida. That was a great race for you, with a second place finish. Florida was awesome. I just got done watching the video recap on the website. I didn't realize how far back I was at one time until I watched the video. I did a lot of work in that race. I had a good start but I got frustrated because I made a bad decision coming off the start. I found myself way, way back where I didn't want to be. I got angry with myself and thought "this is just never going to happen." Then, I saw myself in the lead pack of riders. I was up with Josh in the last hour and I just kept doing what I was doing the whole race. I made a pass on him, which I think I took him off-guard. We went back and forth a few times and I thought I was going to have it in the last few miles. But his experience in the Pro class definitely paid off for him. But I'm definitely happy with second.

You only had a few days between the Florida and Georgia race to recover, but it seems like the limited space of time didn't really bother you that much.
I'd had time to prepare for the first two races. After Florida, I wasn't that beat up. My training during winter really paid off. I went into Georgia at 90 percent, while others might have felt about 70-80 percent. Then, toward the end of Georgia I cut my hand and it was pretty nasty and bleeding pretty good.  It's been harder to recover after Georgia for the North Carolina race than after Florida for Georgia.

You said you training over the winter really paid off. Where were you training? I went down to Florida in January and I started riding and cycling. I felt like I had started where I left off last year. A lot of people said that I was only going to be good in Florida but nowhere else. I'm not a sand rider, and I needed all the help I could get. I'm used to riding in clay. Once we get back to the real races things will be even better.

Wait, did you just say "Once we get back to the real races?" Well, Florida is big, but it's not a real GNCC. There are different people that come in, more foreign riders, Motocross guys.  It's the only sand race and people go really fast to start the year. Florida is more of a circus, in my opinion. I feel like these next races are way more important than the first two. Now, everyone's settled into what they're going to do for the year. Really, they've settled into their speed.  Having good finishes the next 2-3 races is key for the long-term plan for the season. I have a lot to learn in this Pro Class. I did very well and I just hope to keep learning and put it all together at one point. (laughs)

Don't take this the wrong way, but a lot of the guys we saw running in the top places had mechanical problems, or crashed. Do you think things would have ended up the same way if they had made it through the whole races? It's a 3 hour race. You have to be in it to win it.  It's a 13 round series with 3 hour races, and anything could happen. I want to be in it until the end. My goal is to be top 5 and see how that pans out. I feel like I'm going to put myself in the best position I can, whether that means 5^th place or 1^st place. I'm ok with either one. I'm not going to risk making a bad decision and making 12^th. I have a lot less to lose. This is my first year in the Pro class, so no one is really expecting me to be where I am. The top guys are expected to be 1-2-3 so they take chances, I don't have to take these chances. I don't think it was luck. This is a pretty well-known quote, but "Luck is when preparation meets opportunity."

The last time we talked to you in Tuesday Toolbox, you hadn't decided which class to ride. Why did you decide to make the jump to XC1? I can't ride a 250F, basically. I've never been good on small bikes. Whether I'm too big for them or I don't like the power on them, I just can't ride them. Kailub and Jason are extremely talented on the 250 2-strokes and 250F's. At some level, you have to have some kind of symmetry on your motorcycle. I don't feel like my style racing matches that bike. I want to be the best in the world. I'm just trying to ride with these guys and be the best.

You got some good sponsors in the office season. Clockwork KTM and Performance Supercycle.
In the off-season, the last time I talked to you guys, I had nothing in terms of support for this year. Mullins and Whibley and all these guys were fighting to get jobs, but I knew the likelihood of me getting one was very slim. At an awards banquet in Indiana, I approached Rob Jordan about 2010. It turned into some serious talks that led to Jeremy Ketchum from a KTM dealership in Tennesse that got me bikes, so it worked out well.

 

So now you have great sponsors and you've landed on the podium the first two races of the season. Did you have any idea that this was a possibility? I've had an outstanding long-term relationship riding KTMs. Last year was actually the first year I hadn't been on a KTM. So, I have a little bit of a safety net with the KTM Family. With Supercycle on board and Clockwork, it all came together kind of effortlessly. I could focus on riding and not whether or not I was going to have parts. I'd like to add that I will no longer be dressed out of my van in the auxiliary pro pits.

Moving on up? Yes! I'm moving on up to the East Side. Can we get a sound clip of that song? That would be epic! So, anyways, I will be pitting next to KTM trailer, through Team RPM. After the Florida and Georgia rounds, I was actually planning going about the series on my own with the van. But before the season started, I approached the owner of RPM, who fields Maria Forsberg.  At the time, they didn't know what they could do with their budgets so we went around it in our own way. Then, with my outstanding results at my first two races, the timing worked out, and RPM will be helping me out, and I'll have new graphics. Everything will be the same as always, but I'll have my own easy-up and will be pitting right by the KTM rig.

That will be awesome being right by the KTM guys. Those guys have always helped me. If there was a bad spot on the track, if they had spotters out there they always helped me out. They always helped me out of the semi too. I will have my own pit crew, too.  Bart Hayes and Ben Weathers will be my official pit crew, so when you come looking to do pit reports get Ben, because he's the man. He's a super sweet dude.

Alright, is there anyone you'd like to thank? Let me pull up my  official sponsors list! RPM/Performance Supercycle KTM, Clockwork, WMR, Fly, Ride PG, Maxxis, FMF, Sidi, Rekluse, Scott Goggles, Renthal, KTM SpareParts, KTM PowerParts, KTM PowerWear, Service Master Incorporated, Advanced Auto Car, HTR.