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INTERVIEW P88 2011 AMA HARE & HOUND & WORCS CHAMPION KURT CASELLI at 80 mph, I'm comfortable with that. Obviously, the bikes are different and you have to use your head while you're doing that, but I'm interested in what Europeans do to be so successful in Rally. I know the speeds are high. I want to take what I grew up doing and know and learn the GPS, the navigation side, and put forth my best effort as a desert racer from Lucerne to go to Dakar, or South America. I'm looking forward to some years down the line tapping into that." Ask Caselli what form of offroad competition gets his blood boiling the quickest? He'll quickly answer, Six Days. "Going out of your element and competing against people around the world - Six Days is kind of my calling. It's one of my high points of the year. I really enjoy Six Days, the format, the logistics of having to work on your bike, riding eight hours, trail riding slow enough and just fast enough and not be late but to save your bike, that's my highlight of the year. It's a series in itself. Each day is different and each year is different. That's my ADD kicking in." Man And Machine Not only did Caselli have to adapt to many different forms of offroad racing this year, but many different forms of motorcycles, as well. "In the hare and hounds, I rode a 450 SX with a modified transmission and a modified motor for 75-88 Caselli Interview .indd 88 '' more top-end, which you need for the bomb runs. You need fast starts, but it also has to be dependable. We had what I would say was the fastest motorcycle out there, without a doubt. I got a lot of good starts and was able to ride in a different way to save my energy, to use the power to get me through stuff, up the hills. We definitely had a good set up. "In WORCS, it was the exact same bike but with different suspension. It had a little different motor set up as well, I mean, the motor has got to last about an hour and that's it. The motor guys at KTM, they are the best in offroad. "The Six Days and World Enduro is a little different. I was all over the map. In E3, I was on a 500 and at Six Days, I chose the new 350. That bike was awesome. I was blown away. I was a little hesitant because I was used to the 450 power. It's so different in Europe, the tracks develop differently because the riders ride in a different style - they convinced me the 350 is the way to go. After one of the World Enduros, I was able to test in Italy on my Six Days bike. That bike was amazing. It handled so well, the motor was unreal, definitely fast enough. In desert, yeah, you won't be in front, but in Six Days style, World Enduro style - the suspension is '' different, the motor is different, there's no top-end, it's all off the bottom, a lot of torque, and the suspension is a lot softer, springier, like a trials bike - if you were to ride a European set up here, you would not be liking it, you'd be having a hard day, and vice versa." All Smiles Despite going riding and racing dirt bikes, Caselli never thought he'd be a professional off-road racer. But he's happy he is and hopes to always be one. "I'm so happy I've been able to do this for a job. It's nothing I expected. I didn't wake up one day and say I was going to be a profession motorcycle racer. I kind of fell into it. I think my dad had that vision, though, so he basically got me on the right track and pushed me in the right way to enable me to be sitting in a house and driving cars that I bought from racing a dirt bike. I'm so blessed to have all that. I'm having a great time with this. Whether I'm doing racing, I'm going to ride til the day I die. I love the sport. It's awesome to be able to travel the world, meet the people I have, all because of a dirt bike. It's cool. "I'm enjoying every bit of it. Once I slow down and start looking back I'll be all smiles." CN 12/9/11 2:19 PM