Tuesday Toolbox: Jacob Keck

A little more than a decade ago, Hans Keck hung up his GNCC racing boots and became a fan of the sport that gave him some of the best memories of his life racing with the likes of Chuck Delullo (GNCC ATVs First Champion), Bob Sloan, Mike Holbert, Barry Hawk and all the early greats. Now Hans has passed his passion for racing on to his son who began racing the Youth ATV only 3 years ago. This 12 year old has a brand new bike and a desire to be a champion. Meet second generation GNCC ATV racer, Mt. Pleasant Pennsylvania's Jacob Keck.

 

(Note: interview took place Saturday after Can Am Unadilla GNCC in New York)
GNCCRacing.com: What are you doing today?
Jacob Keck: Today was my first race on my Yamaha 125cc in the Youth ATV race. I have been racing the 90cc Honda up till now.

 

How did you get involved in the GNCC racing scene?
It all started with my dad really. He used to race and I thought that I would like to give it try. I started racing about 3 years ago.

 

What kind of racing did your dad do?
He raced in the woods mainly but also raced MX, TT and of course GNCC. He won a GNCC Championship in 1993 in the 25+ class.

 

Why do you like coming to the GNCCs?
I like going to the GNCCs races because it's fun to travel and to see all the different stuff. We try to stop and look at something new each trip. In North Carolina we stopped and saw Charlotte right in the middle of the city. All the history was really neat. Then in West Virginia we stopped at the New River Gorge and saw the arch bridge. One the way home from New York we are stopping at Penn State because that is were I want to go to college. When we go to the Tennessee race we plan on seeing the Mammoth Caves!

 

Photo By: Amy McConnell(Xcountry Photos)
Jacob loves the suspension on his new bike.

You said you raced the new Yamaha 125cc youth ATV, tell me a little about it.
We actually heard about the bike when we were looking at the Pitster bikes. A friend told us about the Yamaha, so we went to look at it. The bike was released about 4 weeks ago. I really like the new bike. It has a lot better suspension than the 90cc which makes the ride a lot more fun. Also with it being a 125cc motor it is faster than the 90cc. I think it is easier to ride with the extra power. The hard thing to get used to is the clutch because the 90cc I rode before was an automatic.

 

How was your first race on the new bike?
Well off the start I was second. Then we got to the woods I dropped to fourth place. Then on the last lap I stopped to help a girl that had crashed. The quad was on top of her so I got it off of her and I got passed. Then at the finish line I was only like 5 seconds behind 4th place.

 

Did you think that you should not have stopped to help since you ended up losing a 

Jacob Keck is already a Racers Hero!

position? No. It didn't bother me to lose the position because I had stopped to help somebody. When I saw her I thought she might be hurt so I had to get it off her. She said no one would stop to help her and then she thanked me.

 

Is that something your dad would have done?
(Laughs) No! (Dad bursts out laughing in the background and says "He's Right!")

 

So who is a hero of yours that you would think would stop help someone like that?
Brandon Sommers. Brandon is great. He always come to the starts in the morning and wishes us good luck.

 

How are you doing in your class this year as far as the series goes?
Well before Unadilla I was in 10th place in points. I moved up to 8th place after the race. I am hoping to be able to finish top 5 when the season is over.

 

What are your goals for the next season?
Next year I hope to be able to win my class championship. I haven't raced as many races as I would like to this season, but every race I get better.  And now I have the new Yamaha 125!

 

Thanks Jacob for taking the time to talk to me today. Good luck with the new bike and have fun.
Your welcome Rodney. I would like to thank Millers Yamaha and Dusty the best Parts Manager/Expert ever. The Oplingers for letting us sleep in their camper and the good pits. Gino at VPS. Also FOX Racing, my dad and my pit crew Corey, Denny and Kyle.