Trail Rider Magazine

March 2026 23 that they don't even post photos from the Na- onal Enduros because these marke ng teams don't have a clue what the number means and it's hard for the general public to recognize the riders in the photo without their career number. I mean, most people don't even know what we look like without our helmets on, right? They know you as a number. Plus, the ability to run a number one plate is really important, and if it's just on the sides and most of the magazine shots are from the front, you never see it. Yeah, no I was really excited to run my number one plate, so was Rieju! It's also nice not to have different graphics printed up for each race… but I'm just trying to wrap my mind around the fact that a company sponsoring riders in the Na onal Enduros didn't understand the concept of a row and row numbers. No clue. They had no clue! But, that's something else we're working on. Blake and I have been talking about doing an "Enduro for Dummies" video. Keep it fun and light, but talking through things like this – what the row numbers are, how to read a route sheet, all that stuff. Gas trailers, all of it. I s ll have people who talk to me who think these are true mekeeper enduros! Something like this might help draw in people who are nervous to race our series because they don't really understand what ANEC is. Explaining, with a li le history, could be good. I'm planning to work on Seat Time with that, I think we could put something good together. Tell us about some of the new venues on the schedule, it's definitely a breath of fresh air! I've always thought that a Na onal series should be more na onal. And while you can't jump straight in and go to California, I tried to work with clubs we hadn't worked with before and create more of a na onal feel. Our two furthest rounds are 24 hours away from each other. Tried to go to new places and make it a truly na on- al feel. I understand the traveling can be really hard, which is why we offered more "throw- away rounds" so if you can't make it to one of the rounds furthest from you, it doesn't stop you from chasing a championship in your class. About the venues themselves, I really wanted to look in the New England area, I'm glad we were able to pull off a couple rounds there. Rhode Island is a place I've never ridden a dirtbike, and I thought it would be really cool. Plus there's a new round in Illinois that Alan had already been working on. There's huge entries in the locals there – pulling 300 riders when it's 17 degrees out! It's almost an untapped market for the na onals there. The venue in Oklahoma, we haven't had a na onal there in twelve years. I've nev- er raced it, because I was hurt that year. So when the club approached us and asked "what's it gonna take for us to have a na onal" I said, "that's it". Building the schedule took five months, it was the most difficult part of the series. We looked at ven- ues in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama. Part of the issue is that the local clubs have their weekend picked out way in advance, and usually they can't move it. So, we had find clubs in the right area, but clubs that also had the right dates. Do you think you'll try to have such a fresh schedule every year then? Or once you have your places are you gonna s ck with them? We would like to try to keep 3 new rounds every year. Then we would like to keep 7 to 8 places we've been before. We'll never be a fi een round series, but we have looked at going up to eleven. We real- ly want to hit select areas we don't otherwise race. There are lots of op ons, Marque e, Michigan, the Jack Pine, some cool rounds in Alabama. Possibly going a further west as well. Definitely further south, we really want a round in Florida for next year, and Texas too. We also have a possible northern Indiana loca on that we could run in the spring because it's sandy there. There's been lots of conversa ons about the future, I've spoke with over 100 different clubs this year. But by s ll having some more permanent loca ons that we return to, we're hoping we can build up more spectators, because awareness will grow each year, and people will learn that there's something happen- ing. Are you glad that your first round as a promoter was at Sumter? The first place you ever raced, a venue that's become pre y much synonymous with the name Bay- lor? It feels like a good "coming full circle" moment.

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