Kyle Cowling
Within the motocross industry, we are all familiar with the sacrifice families make for their children in order for them to race the biggest amateur motocross races in the country. Out of the thousands of families that chase this dream, only a select few ever garner the attention of a factory amateur team, let alone find themselves under the factory tent. This has always made us wonder: who are the gate keepers? How do they select the next talent? How do they manage the young children and their parents? The answer(s)? Enter the 2021 JS7 Spring National Championship in Wortham, TX and Wil Hahn, then Star Racing Yamaha 250 team manager.
ALL IN – Part Two: We sit down with Hahn to explore these very questions, while watching his current crop of athletes do battle at Freestone County Raceway. Hahn’s open and point-blank insight into the process of finding the talent, how to keep them from imploding, to the glaring flaws within long-term factory amateur contracts, and the fact that most will never make their dreams a reality, sheds a light on the ALL IN mentality that both families and the factory amateur programs must have when, essentially, using their crystal ball to predict a future with a minimal rate of success.
