Meet New Zealand's and GNCCs latest wunderkind Rory Mead in this week's Wednesday Wrench. The newest member of the JG Off Road Crew created quite a stir when he ran the overall for a greater part of the Snowshoe GNCC, which is hailed the toughest race in America. See what changes Mead has made to get ready for an entirely new series, and maybe get a look at how long we'll see him stick around.
You're starting to become a pro at these interviews. What are you going to have left to say if you have to do a Thursday Throttle tomorrow?
I'll just say no. What else would I have left to say?
You'd have to be pretty creative I guess, right? JT told me earlier that you got 30 new Facebook friendship requests since the race. Nice to see you took a good three weeks to accept mine!
Yeah I have gotten a few. I just take my time to accept them so I can see how many I have. (laughs)
Likely story! Anyways, congratulations on an awesome ride at Snowshoe. For your second GNCC ever, I'm sure you felt pretty excited about running in the overall lead.
That was wicked. I didn't have any idea how it would have gone. But in the first 10 minutes I knew how it was going to go.
How did you feel out on the track? You said it was a lot harder than you thought it was going to be.
I didn't realize it would be so cut up after the 4 wheelers and the morning race. I thought it would be slow going, but it was pretty technical.
How does racing your series in New Zealand compare to the GNCCs?
Is it the same kind of track set up and terrain? It's sort of hard to say at this stage. The two that I have done, they tell me that it's completely different from the other GNCCs. Rock Run was, well, rock and run! (laughs) This was slow and technical, so I have yet to really see what they are like. I'll be able to compare them I think after a few more.
Is the format different then?
We run pretty much enduro format. It's not a huge series because it's a small country and the racing there is not that big. We have fewer riders, too. We also have a lot of different terrain, so we have sand and clay, bush, and forests. It's quite good to come here and do everything. Nothing here feels too different.
Not only did you switch series, but you also switched bikes- how was the transition from Yamaha to Honda?
I think the bikes are pretty much the same. As a standard bike both are pretty good, but the set up is different. It took quite a few rides before I knew what I wanted to change and how to change it. Once you've changed a few things, and gotten used to it, the bikes are pretty much the same.
Have you found yourself making a lot of changes to the bike for the GNCCs than you would have with the same bike in your home series?
Not a lot, just little things. It's mainly been just setting up for the different races, like how the bike was going to go at Snowshoe. We did a few things to make the bike more enduro friendly. We spent a couple days during that week on some gnarly terrain.
What do you like particularly about riding the Honda?
It starts well. It feels really light. It's a really nice bike to ride.
Have you had to change a lot with the physical side of training since you came here?
Not really. I've probably just had to step it up a level here. You ride back home and think fitness is pretty good, but then you come here where everyone is training every day, so it's a different game. I haven't done a lot of changes just yet, because I don't want to train so hard during the week that I'll be tired on the weekend. In the off season though I'm sure I'd step it up and do some different things.
Now that you've got your first two GNCCs under your belt, do you think your set-up is working, or have you had to change a few things up?
I think we'll probably make a few changes for the faster races. I think we know the bike pretty good now, so we'll know which way to go with it.
How have you liked working with the team? I'm guessing that's a different format than you are used to.
It's been great. Everyone's really easy going. Jimmy has a lot of knowledge and years behind him, and is a great help. This is my first time on a real team and I like it. I'm not going to say you just have to show up and ride, but it's not as much pressure on yourself to get everything ready. It does take the pressure off.
Let's talk about your racing roots. How did you get involved with off-road racing?
I just started like any other little kid on a pit bike in the backyard. Then I moved on to trail riding, and messing around in the bush with dad and friends. Then I got into riding motorcycle trials for about seven or eight years. Then I just wanted to go fast, so I did some enduros and it just sort of progressed from there.
You've got some pretty big accomplishments- you're the 2009 New Zealand Enduro Champion, and you've got a 6th at Erzberg, but what's your proudest moment racing?
It would have been 6th at Erzberg. I was a local racer back home, and it was awhile go, before I had really thought about coming over here. It was just huge. It sent me in a new direction for awhile, wanting to do the extreme stuff. But then I just wanted to go fast.
So why did you decide to move away from extreme races like Erzberg?
I felt like it was more of a challenge. The extreme stuff was fun, but I didn't really like pushing my bike in those races. I'd rather be racing in a proper race.
I have to ask, Why did you decide to come over in the middle of your own season to race the GNCCs? That had to have been hard to do.
It's not a huge series, and you don't get a lot for winning it. You have to make that sacrifice to say you're going to try something else. It's good to win in your own country, but I wanted a new challenge.
You do still go back to race though between the GNCCs. Has it been hard to jump between countries to keep up with both series?
Definitely! I signed up to do the whole series back home so I have to do those races. I have to go home again after Millfield. It's really hard with the jet lag. It screwed me up for a good 10 days before Snowshoe. It's like 17 hours ahead there, so it's like I would be getting out of bed right now. So it's pretty far behind.
What has your experience been like working for Gretchen and JT?
What do you like about being a part of their team during these past few races? They're just really nice people and great to stay with. It's great to come over to another country, where you don't know anyone, and they've taken me in. It's a great team feeling which has been cool.
That's great! You're lucky I guess that you'll be able to do a lot of the races then. Is there anything else you'd like to say before we let you go back to riding with Jimmy?
Can I thank Kenny Gilbert and Dave McIntire from R2w Racing for helping me out when I first got here. They're just great. I thanked pretty much everyone else on Tuesday Toolbox, and didn't want to leave them out.
Great! Thanks for taking the time out to talk to us.
Thanks!
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