Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

the end of the world. I feel that I don't have anything else to prove to anybody. I jus t want to do a good job an d try to win at the events I do compete in. You've just signed a new contract with Thor after being away for one ye ar, and I understand that it's a little more involved than your basic clothing contra ct , Co u ld you e labo ra te on wh at you r actual fu n cti on will be with th em? I'm very ex cited about re joining the Thor racing program. At this point in my ca reer, I'm looking down the road, so to speak. I'm obviously not going to be a professional racer all my life, so within the next few years I want to start changing my direction a little bit - like wha t I'm going to be doing on a weekly or monthly basis. This was an opportun ity to get back with Thor, and they approache d me with more or less the same ideas in mind. This particular dea l is long-term so it will benefi t both of us, and it's d efinitely more invo lved than yo ur basic, ind us tr y-stand ard "ridi ng con trac t." We've got plans to st art u p som e riding schoo ls na tion wide , attend more trade shows, hav e me work closer with th e in- hous e devel opment team and just es tablish a solid rela tionship where the customer ca n associate my name wi th Thor, much like the y already do wi th Kawasaki. Speaking of Kawasaki, I've d one the same thing with them. We've jus t sign ed a five-year deal, but it 's ba s ically a "forev er" co n t r act because we both ha ve enjoy ed a very healthy rela tionship togeth er and de finitely want to continue along those same lines. I've also got the same commitment from Oakley goggles. What's in Larry Roeseler's future over the next couple of years? Well, the 1994 season will p robably be basically the same as the last couple of years. A lot of racing, with the numberone p ri o rit y (bei ng) to win as many races as I can an d do a good job for my sponso rs . I a lso plan on d oing mo re functions where I can meet one-on -one wi th people instead of onl y at the race track - things like trade sho ws or award banquets . After this season, I definitely hope to lighten up on my racing schedule and start attend ing some of the bigger "local" racing even ts, getting w ith -clubs and organizations so I can ho ld a riding se mi na r o r some thi ng o f that nature in conjun ction with a particular event. I'm also trying to possibly work my way into a desert off-road truck racing team - much like Dan Smith did a coup le of y ea r s back. By no means would I jeopardize m y relationships with m y moto rcycling sponsors, because they're the ones who've gotten me this far in my career. It wo uld just be an op portunity to still go racing, but in a different environment than what I've been aro un d so far. I'm not interest ed in followin g Rick Johnson's lead an d starting to race th e Mickey Thompson Stad ium se ries, b u t m u ch like he 's using his expertise in st adium rac in g and adapting it to his new truck-racing career, I'm looking more at a Baja-typ e of deal where I can use the skills that I've acquired racing in deserts all these yea rs . I've also go t my own business, LR Racing, which 1 wo uld like to start becoming more invo lved with once my racing schedule slows down a bit. Right now, I d o suspension work and offer bo lt -on a ttachments like waterpump gu a r ds and di sc p rotect o rs - just for Kawasakis as it stan ds now, bu t when I get a little more time, I'd like to expand to include p rod ucts for the other manufactu rers as well. Of all the people that you've competed against in your long career, who would you say were yo u r mo st formi dable opponents? Well, I'd have to say I actually have quite a few riders in mind. Years ago, there was one rider who comes to mind right off the bat - Mitch Mayes . He was a desert competitor, as well as a riding pa rtner in a couple of Baja efforts. He was also a fierce racer who d idn't like to lose, and was a very dedicated person because of that. He taught me a lot about training, riding and tactics. As for currently...since I've been around such a long time, I've seen a lo t of riders come a nd go, but two ri ders come to m y mi n d - Da nny Hamel and Scott Su mmer s. When it comes to hare and hound com petition and desert racing, Danny Hamel is definitely the man to beat. He's young, knows what he wants a nd is a very focused competitor. I haven't really raced too often head-tohea d w ith Scott Summers, but the few tim es I have, he' s been a very strong co m petito r; being a champion, he knows how to w in. So you can't count hi m ou t, especially with his t rack record, beca use he definitely has the desire to win. Off the tra ck, he' s a com plete gentleman and a true asset to his profession. He really impresses me With the seemingly endless promoting that he d oes off the track to increase awareness of the sport. There are riders that you can tell will be around for a while, (w ho) rea lly, deep down inside, love the sp o rt of motorcycling. There are quite a few competitors who fall into this category, especially in the off-road arm of competition, and I truly hope my peers an d the fans look at me as one of these select few. I'v e been doing this all my life and lowe a lot to the motorcycling world. Wha t is your opinio n on the infl ux of motocros sers currently sh ifting thei r careers int o th e off -road scene? I d on't think it's going to hurt anything. It's going to bring (off-road racing) up to the next level, and it's already made the competition more serious, but only for the guys who are really trying to make it w ith corpora te sponsors and m ake some money . It ca n work for everybod y, but in any sport there will be confro ntations, so that'll never disap- pear. Bringing up riders like Fred Andrews, Ty Davis, Rodne y Smith and especially Guy Coope r can only ge t us more recognition, whi ch will only help everyone. It's not as easy as it appea rs, as any of those gu ys I jus t men tioned would attes t to, so wi th them coming in and us "reg ul ar" o ff-roa d ers hold ing our own, it gives us some credibility. Hopefully, in the long run, it will bring in more riders, be more competi tive , and maybe somed ay it won 't be such a dream (for the U.S.) to actually do we ll at the Six Days - much like it's a forgone co ncl u sion we a lwa ys w in th e Motocro ss d es Nat ions. The mo tocrossers coming in can only push the level of professionalism up ward, and I think it's grea t. Alt ho ugh off -road motorcycle competition is considered an "amateur" sport, you - along with a handful of other competitors - have managed to actuall y make a comfortable living at it . What would be your ad vice to any aspiring racer who wants to follow in you r footsteps? Yeah, I've been very lucky. I've never actually worked at a "real" job ; I've alway s raced motorcycles for a living. There is mo re hope for these younger riders now, than when I sta rted ou t, because it's definitely becoming a more pro fessional sport. I feel the riders nowadays have the advantage because they are being educated about the professio nalism you have to show a t this le vel in the sport - being friendly, approachable , answering questions, maintaining a clean image and things of that nature. Years ago , we all suffered in the motorcycl ing community from the "biker" image, but thanks to a lot of work on everyone's part, that's not our image anymore. That means that potential ad vertisers aren't scared away, and we now look like a viable area for them to invest their advertising dollars . A perfect example of this is Tommy Norto n, who attracted an outside sponsor (Mi rag e Studios ) in to this sport. Because of his ability to speak well with people, he's defini tely a role mod el for the aspiring racers to look up to. Yes, th ere is hope for them, too . The main thi ng to re member is that you ca n't come in to th is spor t th in king yo u' re going to become a millionaire, because you're no t. But the bottom line is that it's supposed to be go od , clean fu n, a famil y-o rien ted sport, and if you keep that in mind, there's a lot to learn from it . If I had to d o it all over a ga in, I wouldn't have changed a thing . It 's been a great career, and when I have kids, I won't hesitate to introduce the sport to them. Sure, it's a little dangerous, but walking across the street is just as dangerous. Who has been the most helpful in your long and suc cessful career? Truly, being associated with the Kawasaki Team Green effort has been a dream come true for me, and it's really been a whole second career. When I first started riding for .the m in 1987, things weren't looking too good for me. I had ridden for Yamaha and Husqvarna and already won a lot, but since my relationship w ith Kawasaki, we have chang ed the whole off-road image to w here it' s at today, which is a long ways (f rom wha t it was) . It's also brought me an oppor tunity to rea lly appreciate motorcycling and the who le sport. I'd like to thank all my sponsors for all their support, and I'd also like to thank the sport itself - the peo ple. I get a lot of letters - from kids an d the older riders, who thank me for be in g out there and being an inspiration for them - which means a lot to me. a

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