Cody Webb’s first National Trials Championship was a long time coming. The 22-year-old Californian won his first national event in 2006, finishing the season in second overall behind 10-time Champ Geoff Aaron. Webb appeared to be the heir apparent when Aaron retired before the 2007 season, however, Pat Smage stepped in and claimed the next three titles, leaving Webb with four straight years at number two.
After nearly quitting the sport, Webb gave the national tour one last try, amping up his fitness and nutritional programs for a final shot at the title. The hard work paid off as Webb won eight of the 10 rounds to win the 2010 AMA/NATC National Trials Championship.
For 2011, Webb has signed on with Beta to contest the national trials series, in addition to the AMA Endurocross series.
How did your Beta deal come about?
Dale [Malasek] of Gas Gas USA sold the importership of his enduro bikes and he wasn’t able to help me next year for Endurocross, and I talked to Clay Stuckey, the guy who took over the Gas Gas enduro bikes, and and he made me an offer. We knew that Tim Pilg had just taken over the Beta trials line so we talked with him and at first he said we couldn’t do anything because the factory really wasn’t interested in a trials rider over here. But then Jeroni Fajardo, who was with Beta last year, signed with OSSA for next year and that opened up some money at the factory and that gave me an opportunity to get in with Beta.
How does the Beta feel?
It definitely feels different, but it’s good. The motor feels strong like the Gas Gas and I really like the bike. I want to do some stuff to set it up for me, but you do that with any bike.
What are your plans for the off-season?
The factory wants me to come over to Italy and ride the new bike and meet them. Beta is a family oriented company and they want to find a way to help me help them. I’m going to go over to the factory and meet everyone and kind of discuss what they want to do with me. I would like to ride Erzberg or maybe a couple of world rounds next year, but I just need to go over and meet them and discuss what want me to do. I might ride an indoor while I’m over there, too. I think that would be a big opportunity.
You have been attending school while you compete in the national series. How is your school going?
I still have one more semester to go at the community college. Then I will be able to transfer to a four-year school. I’m an engineering major and what I would like to do next summer is see if Beta will allow me to work for them as an intern. That way I can learn the ins and outs of the engineering business. I hope they like my idea because it would be a great learning experience.
Let’s talk about your championship year. You signed with Gas Gas just before the start of the 2010 season.
Yeah, I started riding the Gas Gas, getting a feel for it right before I officially signed with the team. I was really happy with the bike right off the bat, and I was comfortable on it right away. It didn’t take any adjustment time at all. I also started eating a lot better – just focusing on eating healthier. Every morning before I go to school I work out in the living room with free weights. I don’t have a trainer, I just do it myself. So, I eat better, work out every morning, go to school for a few hours and then I get home and try to put in about an hour of riding every day. I ride in my back yard or about 45 minutes from my house there is another place I ride.
I basically work on all my technical riding skills in my back yard. We’ve moved a lot of rocks around and put new lines in at my back yard, sometimes you get bored riding the same things all the time. I really worked on my technical game in my back yard, the rocks are smaller and I worked on my precision. I was a lot more precise this year while setting up and hopping. All the time on the bike really helped this year. I also do a little cross-training on the moto bike. I did that earlier in the winter, before January, to work on cardio and intensity. I basically just put the time in this year and it paid off.
