HIGH FLYER:
GAVYN WELZIEN
Gavyn Welzien burst onto the scene last year at the Loretta Lynn Amateur National Motocross Championship showing glimmers of speed and potential in the second moto of the PW class with a solid top ten finish, placing 7th at the checkered flag. The youngster out of Florida went to Mini Os where he clinched a top-five overall finish in the PW class on the supercross track, ending the season on a high note with a strong performance in his home state. Welzien has been one of the busiest riders of the 2020 season thus far in terms of gate drops, competing in more than ten official AMA-sanctioned races in the first half of the year. He contested the Supercross Futures in both St. Louis and Tampa, snagging two number one plates in the process. Shortly thereafter, the Fly Racing backed rider put it on the podium in the 51cc (4-6) Limited Main Event at the Daytona RCSX while competing inside The World Center of Racing for the very first time. Welzien has stayed busy with racing and training the last couple of weeks preparing for the Loretta Lynn Regional at Baja Acres this coming weekend where he’s aiming to punch his ticket to the Ranch. We caught up with Gavyn to see how he’s been keeping himself occupied during the last few months, talk about his experience racing Supercross Futures, and his goals for Loretta’s this season.
What did you do for the few months that there was no racing happening?
I spent a lot of time thinking about all the mistakes I made at Spring A Ding Ding! (laughs) I think the time off did me some good. I finished up my school for the year at home. We got a new Cobra JR ready to go for when things get going again.
Did you take some time off riding when racing was postponed?
I ended up taking about seven weeks off the bike once Freestone was canceled.
What was your riding situation like the last couple of months?
We've been back to racing for a few weeks in Florida and I've been dropping a bunch of gates. We just did twenty-two motos in two weekends before heading to Regionals. Oh, and I finally got off the P3 and love my new Cobra JR!
What do you like to do for fun outside of motocross?
Play with my toy motorcycles, watch or play video games, and ride my STACYC!
Tell us about how your week of racing went last year at Mini Os to end the 2019 season.
Mini Os is always a blast! It was cool to get up on the podium and talk to Wes after moto three of the P-Dubs during SX.
What was the experience like for you racing Supercross Futures this year?
Futures was awesome! St. Louis was freezing cold though! We took the win in the (4-6) class and qualified for the Open class Main on my P3. It was cool to see my Poppa Wayne come down from Wisconsin to see me in St. Louis, too! I got another win in the (4-6) class at Tampa and made the Open class Main again. Racing SX Futures was so much fun and I hope we get to race the finals.
What was it like racing at Daytona International Speedway for the very first time?
Daytona was huge! It was really cool to drive under the tunnel to get inside. We got to watch the pros race on Saturday night just like at Futures. I like riding on the same track as them.
Tell us about your 3rd place finish in the (4-6) Limited Main Event at the RCSX.
I was a bit disappointed to end up third. I stole a good holeshot away from Jaydin (Smart). That dude is a beast! I ended up going down three times on the last lap.
How did things go for you the following weekend at Spring A Ding Ding?
It started out good in practice with some fast lap times. Things got worse and worse after that. Me and my buddy Andersen (Waldele) got protested after the muddy first P-Dub moto and were both legal. I just made too many mistakes all weekend and left really bummed.
What do you think about the track layout at Underground MX?
That track was so gnarly! I really liked it but I struggled with too many mistakes.
How did it feel to finally be back to the races at Silver Dollar a few weeks ago?
Silver Dollar was good prep for regionals with some full gates. The track was nice and rough!
What’re your plans for the upcoming Super Regionals?
We are actually driving to Baja right now while doing this interview. Hopefully, things go good in both classes. I'll be racing the P-Dub and my Cobra in the (4-6) class. I'm excited to hit Muddy Creek on our way back to Florida after Baja.
What’re your goals heading into Loretta’s this year?
The goal is to qualify on both the PW and the Cobra. A top ten on the Cobra in the stacked (4-6) class is realistic for me but I need to clean up my little mistakes!
Do you know what your plans are in terms of what classes you’ll be racing heading into the 2021 season?
I still have one more year in the (4-6) classes. I'll be on the Cobra for sure and might race my PW again. I'm really looking forward to making more progress. I really want to thank Mom and Dad for all that they do for me and all of my other sponsors like Bell, FLY, Asterisk, Scott, Alpinestars, Ryno Power, Mika Metals, DT1, Pirelli, Factory Effex, Guts, Maxima, VP, and everyone else!