Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128355
WORCS Champion Nathan Woods Former motocrosser Nathan Woods is quickly adapting to the world of handguards and big tanks STORY AND PHOTOS BY KIT PALMER AND TYLER MADDOX N at ha n Woods . It's not quite a household name yet, but he 's worki ng on it. And winning the 200 4 World Off-Road Championship Series (WORCS) title is definitely a step in the right direction. When the 26-year-old from Paso Robles, California, first decided to make a career out of racing dirt bikes, he thought it would be on the AMA National Motocross circuit or inside the stadiums in Supercross, not on a trail somewhere in the woods or in the desert. No, Nathan Woods had no idea that his surname would have anything in common with what appears to be a new and promising career for one of off-road's most promis ing riders . Woods is one of many riders that started off racing motocross but has since turned to off-road racing. He follow s in the footste ps of such MX-turned -off-road nota bles as Fred Andrews, Rodney Smith, Bobby Bonds, Lance Smail and his good friend Ty Davis. Obviously, Woods caught on to off-road racing quickly. In just his second year as an official off-road racer, Woods earned his first major racing title, riding his Montclair Yamaha/Zip-Ty Racing 450 and 250 VZs to the 2004 WORCS title last month . We recently caught up with Woods and chatted a little bit about the past and what the future might hold for the former motocrosser. So, what does it mean to you to wi n t he WOReS t itle ? It's an awesome thing for me and my career. I've been working all my life to accomplish a title - in anything. I've ridden supercross, outdoor Nationals, Four-Stroke Nat ionals, and the last few years, I've started working my way up through the off-road stuff, and it's definitely a huge boost of confidence for me and especially for my team and everybody that helped me out . When was yo ur firs t off-ro ad race? It was about three years ago. Ty Davis called me for the [Glen Helen] 24-Hour race ; one of his riders got hurt at the last minute. I rode the 24-Hour race 92 and we ended up w inning the race , and after that he was pretty excited about me . He thought I was a great rider and had some talen t to ride off-road, especially for never doing anything like that ever, never riding at night. So, at that point, I started looking back and thought, "Y ou know what? I need to do something with my career and make it last a little longer." Obviously, in supercross and motocross, there is a timeline that you pretty much have and then you're pretty much out, then you go find a job. In off-road, your career can last a lot longer. I sat down with my wife and familyand said, "I'm going to go in this direction and see what I can do and if it doesn't work out , then it doesn't work out. What are you going to do?" Did you even think a b ou t off-road at all be fore t he 24·Hour ? I wasn't thinking about it at all be fore the 24-Ho ur race. You know, I had a lot friends w ho to ld me years before - we always go trail-rid ing and I cou ld ride trails and stuff and read terrain fairly well for being a motocross guy - and they 're like, "O h you need to go and try off-road ." I always made fun of those guys with their big tanks and their rally guard s and stuff, and I was just never interested in it. Then I heard about the WORCS races and we nt and rode a fe w of those two years ago and it was a blast. I had so much fun and had so much time on the track - it's not like the motocross stuff that you're IS minutes on the track, or 35 minutes, and then you go home. You actually get some time on the course and get to ride the motorcycle, and that's what it's all about - getting on my bike and ride ." I 1 Did yo u have a ny off-road ex perie nce of any kind .,-to befo re the 24·Ho ur race? No , not at all, really, my experience was going to the trails with my uncle , going up to the desert every once in a while, going to Kettleman Hills - that was like the main place w here we rode as a kid. It's not rac ing at that level; it' s totally different when you're at speeds. W he n you're trail riding, you can cruise around and have a great time, but when you're trying to pick lines and going at 190 percent, it' s tough - find those lines and to