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At a time in his career when most riders are thinking about hanging it up or finding a job in the industry, Michael Lafferty is still all about the next race. The 34-year-old has plenty of laurels to retire on, including eight National Enduro titles and an amazing 68 National wins. And he just barely missed out on what would have been a record ninth championship in 2009, losing to KTM teammate Russell Bobbitt by a single point in the final AMA/Rekluse National Enduro Series standings. But the day after the final race of the series in Upland, Indiana, Lafferty was already making deals and planning for the upcoming season. After 15 successful years with KTM, Lafferty signed a contract with the Husaberg factory which will see him riding the new 390 FE for the 2010 season. For the likeable New Jersey native, life is simply about racing and winning. Not that a ninth title is something he couldn't live without, it's just not high on his list right now.
"I don't really think too much about a ninth title," admits Lafferty. "I'm sure that's something that will be more important to me after I retire. But right now, I just want to win races."
He's quick to add that he would like to win a title for Husaberg. "It wouldn't matter if it was my ninth or my first - I just want to win," says Lafferty.
Whether he'll just be going for "that next win", or for a ninth title, when Lafferty puts his blue and yellow 390 on the start at the series opener in South Carolina this coming January it will most likely be in front one of the largest audiences ever to watch a National Enduro. For 2010, the NEPG (National Enduro Promoters Group) has s
ecured a television deal which will see the 10-race schedule aired on the MavTV cable network. The deal calls for two one-hour shows for each event, televised in high definition - one hour will be dedicated to the pro riders while the additional hour will feature the rest of the amateur classes.
The TV deal is just the latest in a series of changes and improvements implemented since the NEPG took over three years ago. The biggest upgrade, and the one that will do the most in bringing the National Enduro Series - the oldest and longest running of all AMA championships - back into prominence is the initiation of the start control/restart format, which virtually eliminates the need for time-keeping. Now, a rider with no experience in time-keeping at all can compete and not be at a disadvantage to a rider with years of experience on the circuit.
For sure, the National series is growing in attendance and in national recognition, due in part to the great racing the series has produced over the past few years - including some pretty good battles between Lafferty and Bobbitt. Rekluse is back as the series sponsor and manufacturer participation is growing, with Husqvarna announcing that it will field a two-man team in the series for 2010. Meanwhile, Lafferty's deal puts a factory Husaberg in the mix for the first time ever.
Recently, "Eight-time" took time to talk to Cycle News about this year, next year, and beyond.
After 15 years with KTM, it was quite a surprise to learn you were signing with another manufacturer. Tell us about your deal with Husaberg and how it came about.
I feel real excited about this deal. This whole thing started when I was joking around with Clay Stuckey, sales manager for Husaberg, about riding for them. He actually thought about it and decided it was a good idea, so he made this whole thing work. Once they asked me to ride the bike and give it a try it was like, "wow, this might work out really well." Ever since the first time I rode it until now I'm still surprised with it and I'm looking forward to a new challenge in the next couple of years of racing it.
You've always said that you race your best when you're having fun. Is this a way to make things fun again for you?
Definitely, I think I do my best when I have the right attitude. With this new deal there's definitely going to be some hard times because we're making adjustments and working out the bugs, but it's gonna be fun and I'm looking forward to it. Just me getting comfortable with a new bike, there's definitely going to be some stressful times, but just the little bit of time I've spent on the bike it's kind of revived me and it's got me pumped to ride again. This being the first week of the off-season, I've never ridden this much after the last race. I'm anxious to ride and this is definitely something that's going to help out my attitude.
How similar are the two bikes - the KTM and the Husaberg?
Handling, it feels a lot like a KTM because it has a linkless shock. It has a lot of the same feel and characteristics that I like. It feels a lot like a KTM, but it reacts different in certain situations because of the way the motor is positioned. Plus, the engine braking is a little less and when accelerating over bumpy areas it feels a lot lighter. It turns a heck of a lot easier right out of the gate. But the hardest thing I'm getting used to is the fuel injection. When you mash the gas there's not a whole lot of wheel spin. This thing is like an electric motor and it hooks up so much more. It's smoother and it's all power to the ground.
A lot of people don't know that, even though you were a KTM factory rider, you still worked separately from the KTM team, unlike Russell Bobbitt, whose mechanic worked out of the California offices. Tell us about how your deal with Husaberg is set up and how the KTM deal worked for you.
Basically, I'm riding for the Husaberg factory and this is the first Husaberg factory deal in the U.S. We get a lot of support through the factory, but I have my own mechanic, Evan Yarnall, and he stays here at my place and works out of my shop and the factory and I split the costs of paying for him.
Evan does my motors and Factory Connection does my suspension. So I don't use the factory suspension components and I don't use factory motors, so basically, to have the factory run the program would be kind of useless for them. So I think it works a little better having everything here at my house. We use a lot of stock stuff, and our motors aren't tricked out a lot, plus, it works out better dealing with Factory Connection because they're here on the east coast and I can work with them a lot easier - a lot more hands-on. We're still a factory effort, just a lot more in-house. I've tried a lot of other ways, but this is what I'm comfortable with. This way I can set up the components the way I like them. I've done it this way for a long time, and a few years ago Alan Randt was my mechanic with KTM and we kind of did the same deal, except Al worked out of Michigan. But for 15 years, I've done my own thing and now with Husaberg I have even more freedom.
You were one of the first guys to jump to the four-stroke in enduro racing, while a lot of your competition - Bobbitt included - ride the lighter two-stroke. Why did you make that jump and what do you like about the four-stroke for woods racing?
This all started when KTM came out with their RF-S a few years ago and I happened to have the series all wrapped up at the end of the year and we wanted to change things up so I finished out the year on the four-stroke. Then I went back and started the new season the next year back on the two-stroke. One year I switched up at the end of the year and I rode a couple of GNCCs and a couple of enduros and I won and I felt confident and I started having fun on it. I went full time on the four-stroke in 2001 and it was a good move for me. It put some excitement back into racing for me, kind of like what this Husaberg is doing for me now. I think a four-stroke suits my style. I don't think there's an advantage or a disadvantage with the four-stroke, one way or the other. It all boils down to having fun, and I enjoy riding the four-stroke.
What are the differences between a four-stroke and a two-stroke in the woods?
Of course, the weight is a factor - back and forth in a long 10-mile section - it's going to be a factor with the heavier four-stroke. But then again, you let the power of the four-stroke work for you and not ride it so aggressively. I'm a big guy and when I get on a two-stroke it feels really small and nimble and I'm almost working too hard to keep the thing working right. Where on a four-stroke I can just let it do its thing and it almost just pulls me a around. So depending on the rider, there's a difference. The weight is a factor and the power is a little bit different, but the four-stokes hook up so well and comes out of the hole pretty darn good. As far as speed, the point A to point B speed is different between a two-stroke and a four-stroke but our point A to point B is only in first or second gear sometimes. So it's all rider preference.
I know from being around you the past few years that how the bike feels is super important to you. You notice the slightest difference in suspension and if effects how you ride.
Yeah, it definitely makes me lay in bed awake at night wondering if I have the right position, as far as set-up. I know a lot about the bike, from working with the bike for so long, and I know where my comfort zone is and I think that's what it all boils down to, if I'm comfortable on the bike and how the bike reacts. I've struggled to get the bike to handle the way I want it to and the hardest part is to practice Monday through Friday at the right point and then getting it to the point where I can start the race and it's spot on. That's mainly what I struggle with. I don't want it to take me all day to get it right, that can definitely work against me, but I try a lot of things and I try to keep it simple.
We're starting all over with this new bike and it's going to take all winter to get it sorted the way I want it and get me comfortable. It all boils down to me being in my comfort zone. If I'm not comfortable going the speed I want to go, I'm not going there. I just know I'd rather back it down than risk crashing and getting hurt.
You've got eight National titles and you know how important consistency is. And actually, you had more second place finishes than Bobbitt did, and you both had five wins. But the thing that hurt you was the opening round at South Carolina, where you finished fifth.
Two years ago we went there and I rode really well and won the race and to beat Russ in his back yard was real important. This year we changed a few things around and I just got caught off guard not being up to pace early enough. Looking back, I think I rode too much. I had too much seat time and not enough racing in. It just snowballed and the harder I tried the more I got out of my comfort zone. Once we got things squared away I was right back in the hunt. In Georgia, the following race, I was ahead and I should've pulled that win out. But I just looked at it as a learning experience and I learned from it. I'm definitely going to take some time off before that round next year and I'm not going to try to reinvent the wheel. Hopefully, next year we can start a little quicker. We don't need to win the race but we need to be up near the front.
In the middle of the year you made the decision to switch from your more familiar 400 to the 450, and it was probably a bad choice. Why did you make that decision?
It just goes back to me wanting more out of the bike. I got real close in Georgia and I won the Alligator and I won in Louisiana and it seemed like I was on a roll, but I still wasn't pleased with how the bike was running - the way the bike reacted. I had a 450 at home and I came home and got on it and it felt good and I thought it was the answer. But, again, I got ahead of myself and - be careful what you wish for - I got to Tennessee and couldn't get the thing slowed down. But you never know, I could've ridden the 400 and still got second. So I look at the Tennessee race and the one in Marquette as the two I should've won. Definitely at Marquette, I was leading going into the last test and I crashed. That was where it was won or lost and I just made a bad move there.
You gained some momentum when the series went out west.
Yes, my set-up was a little off at the first one in Wyoming, but I got a second and then I won the next week in Montana and Russ got third, so I went into Blaine with a little momentum.
The schedule has just been released for the 2010 season and it's very similar, with a few exceptions, to the one this year. How big a factor is the schedule when it comes to competing for a title. Some rounds are always going to be in someone's back yard and some are going to be in your back yard. But there is always a lot of good variety to the schedule and that favors the all-around rider.
Yeah, it's a factor. But to me, I don't think there's much advantage. For sure, the first four races are SETRA races, which are in Russ's territory. But I love the Alligator and Georgia I've won. I like the dirt there. But for me, the schedule is good because I've been to all these places and it's the same situation. We know what it's going to be like and what it's going to be like if it's wet or dry. It's comfortable for me because I've done it before.
I think the NEPG tries to change things up as much as possible and there's a new round in Maine this year which will make it interesting - a little variety is always good. But there has to be some continuity to it too.
The series seems be much more professional now that the NEPG is at the helm.
They do a good job with it but they have a lot to do each weekend. The clubs still set up the courses, but the NEPG has four or five guys who go out and ride the course and check for markings and make sure it's safe for the pros as well as the C riders. They have a tough job because some of the clubs can be stubborn, but I feel safe knowing [the NEPG] has ridden the course and it's good and doesn't have anything crazy that's going to get someone hurt. Some club members really want to work hard to make a better race and some just want to make it gnarly and hard and they think that's what it's supposed to be, so the NEPG sometimes has a battle on their hands. It's rough but they do a great job.
The NEPG tries to make things as uniform as possible from race to race and their job is to make sure the pro riders don't finish a section early and, still yet, that the C riders don't hour out the event.
It's been three years now that the series has been running the new rules, which basically eliminate time-keeping. Has this change helped the series and does it change how you prepare for a race?
It's been great for the series. As far as preparation, I don't spend as much time taking the race apart before hand, but I do a little more walking on Saturday, checking things out. I've gotten used to it and I don't see much difference. It's a lot less work, which I like, as far as setting up a computer and figuring check-ins. It's just cut and dried - the fastest guy wins. I like that a lot more, because, before, if you went to a guy's territory, they would have a big advantage just because they would know how the race was going to be set up just from general knowledge from other races. I think it's more fair now. We use transponders and there's no guess work, there is no imaginary line you have to cross. It's all done electronically.
How big is the TV deal with MavTV?
That is huge. I think with the economy the way it is, that will help getting sponsors and it will bring more exposure and more people into the sport. I think it's going to help the series in leaps and bounds. The series is getting back to where is once was and I think all the steps the NEPG has taken have been positive and good. But it needs to be taken a little more seriously by the manufacturers. It all comes down to the big bosses and what they want to do and what they want to support. We just have to put on the best racing we can and give those guys the best shot at getting exposure.
You've ridden a lot of different events, what is it that you like about enduro racing?
You're seeing the track for the first time and it's not beat up and it's not dangerous and all blown out. It's tight single-track enduro trail. I grew up with that and I think it's the most fun trail to ride. It's all about reaction time because you're seeing it for the first time and you have to go the fastest you can for that one chance. It's not a loop race, it's point A to point B with time to get refueled and work on your bike. It's an adventure ride and it's a sprint race all in one. An enduro, to me, is the best way you can challenge yourself on the most fun type of off-road trail there is. To me, it is by far the single best single-track race in the United States.
You turned 34 in October, what are your plans for the future?
With this new deal I want to push real hard to go after another national enduro championship. I think I have another two good years in me and then I will just evaluate things after that. This year, my body was the best it's been in a long time and if I can stay injury-free and take it one year at a time I think I can have a few more good years. After that, if I feel great and I feel competitive I will go for it. I think a lot of it comes down to being smarter and I think I've come into that and I'm a lot more conscious of how my body works and what it needs. I don't ride certain places as much as I used to and I save myself a little bit of wear. As long as I'm having fun and my attitude's good, then I'm going to go as long as I can.
2010 AMA/Rekluse National Enduro Series
Round 1
January 31, 2010
SERMA
Johnny McCoy
803-481-5169
Johnny-mccoy@hotmail.com
www.sermaclub.com
LOC: Manchester State Forest-Wedgefield, SC
GPS: 33.86N 80.50W
Round 2
February 21, 2010
Cherokee Cycle Club
Garrett McKey
678-231-5858
gmckey@bellsouth.net
www.setra.org
LOC: Greensboro, GA
Round 3
March 4, 2010
Daytona Dirt Riders
Steve Pettenger
386-615-0722
www.daytonadirtriders.org
DaytonaDirtRider@aol.com
LOC: Tomaka Farms Rd. Daytona Beach, FL
Round 4
March 28, 2010
Lubbock Trail Riders
Kelly Simmons
806-548-1260
krsiii@nts-online.net
lubbocktrailriders.org
LOC: Glass Ranch - Kalgary, TX
Round 5
April 18, 2010
NATRA
Paul Traufler
256-837-0084
wintrak@hiwaay.net
www.natra.dirtrider.net
LOC: West Point, TN
GPS: 35° 7.991" N 87° 33.116" W
Round 6
May 16, 2010
Missouri Mudders
Michael Silger
636-639-6373
michael.silger@avnet.com
www.momudders.com
LOC: St. Joe ORV Park - Park Hills, MO
Round 7
June 20, 2010
Inyan Kara Riders
Paul Douglas
307-468-2840
pauld@rtconnect.net
www.nationalenduro.com
LOC: Upton, WY
Round 8
July 25, 2010
Lansing Motorcycle Club
Jeff Hunt
231-267-9534
info@natrionalenduro.com
www.lansingmotorcycle.club
LOC: Moorestown, MI
Round 9
August 22, 2010
Seacoast Trail Riders
Peter Anania
603-436-4331
dmcdj@comcast.net
www.seacoasttrailriders.org
LOC: North Berwich, ME
Round 10
October 2, 2010
Muddobbers MC
Brent Floyd
brent.floyd@att.net
www.muddobbers.org
LOC: Covered Bridge - Matthews, IN
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