Men at WORCS: Timmy Weigand

Racing and riding motorcycles are more than just fun activities to participate in; it's a lifestyle and one that takes dedication and balance. At 29 years old, Timmy Weigand is arguably one of the most professional riders in the industry. Timmy currently rides for the new Johnny Campbell Racing Honda racing team and competes in the WORCS and SCORE-International series. The first time Timmy threw a leg over a motorcycle was at the age of 18. No, he didn't start at five years old like most other pros out there, so his late start is an inspiration for all kids who didn't have the opportunity to be groomed for motocross/off-road greatness.

I was recently able to ride and hang out with TW and his friends; ironically Weigand rides with the same guy we visited for the premier Men at WORCS feature, KTM rider Kurt Caselli. Though they won't admit it, the two are complete opposites, practically to the point of comedy. While Kurt is sarcastic and crazy, Weigand prefers the serious approach and is a non-risk-taker.

I first met up with Timmy at a desert track about 25 miles north of Santa Clarita, CA. This track was a fast course with lots of sweepers and bumps, and it definitely mimicked a WORCS-type layout. The dust of was little bit of a factor as the riding conditions have slowly gone downhill since the heavy rains of early March. Regardless, Timmy put in some hard laps with Caselli and Daryl Ecklund before calling it a day. It's easy to tell just by watching his riding that TW is one guy who can definitely ride at 250F a lot better than a 450. In fact, all his best results in the WORCS series have come on 250F's. This goes to show that not everybody needs that 450 power. The extra weight really makes a big difference and when you're 150 pounds there is no need to ride a big bike - unless it's in your contract! The bottom line is that JCR Honda racing definitely sets up an awesome motorcycle and Weigand's best results are still yet to come, he's craving the top of the box.

The next morning we went over to Racetown 395. This track is highly patrolled by many pros and amateur prospects. Timmy's priorities for the morning were to train a few kids that he has under his program. Timmy trains a few up-and-coming amateurs and is really dedicated to showing these kids what he has to offer. After coaching the groms for a few hours it was time for the man himself to display his level of riding ability to the kids. Perfect form and style go a long way, but it's a hard thing to master when your only 5'6." Maybe it's the multiple years of BMX growing up as a kid, or maybe its just sheer talent, but Timmy definitely works hard at what he does. He takes his business very serious including representing his sponsors to the fullest extent to meet the supporting needs of his own family. That's a lot to ask for when you're gone every other weekend racing and riding. But, like I said before Timmy takes his job seriously and is a professional athlete, the sacrifices are necessary to succeed at the highest level.

While Timmy was doing moto after moto, I tried to move around the track and get some good angles for my pentax lens, but man is it hard when people are going so freaking fast that all you can see through the viewfinder is a big long blur. Timmy completely fits this description. And its even harder to shoot him than it is anyone else cause he is so freaking small!

At the end of the day the track started getting dusty and we called it a session around 3 p.m. Timmy needed to go down south to do some testing on his race bike, and I figured we had covered enough good action for the weekend. One area where Weigand's riding has improved tremendously in the past seven years is the very technical goon-riding skill set. Now this, my friends, takes real talent. When you have the ability to flip the motorcycle on a regular basis off the starting line, you really know that there is something there.