Chris Bithell: Four wheels or two, off-roaders must stick together

By Chris Bithell

When I was a kid, it didn’t matter what it was—a quad, dirtbike, three wheeler or lawn mower. If it had a motor, I would ride it, jump it or race it! As long as I was moving faster than my legs could carry me, I was happy.

I began riding on a homemade 50cc dirt bike when I was 6 years old. Soon I moved on to bigger and better things, most notably a Yamaha Blaster. I grew up riding around my yard with my younger brother and a few buddies. We had a mulch pile that we would build jumps and tracks with, and that is where I fine-tuned my riding skills. We literally spent every day after school riding until my mom would drag us in for dinner and bed. 

My racing career started when I was 14. I started out with local cross country and motocross series and worked my way up to the big leagues. At 17, as a senior in high school, I turned pro in the Can-Am Grand National Cross Country Series. The 2011 season is my fifth year on the pro line, and I am happy to be a factory rider for Can-Am/Warnert Racing. I have been piloting the DS450 since 2008 and don’t plan on trading it in anytime soon. I am currently sitting third in overall points in the GNCC series with several podium finishes thus far. 

I love riding my quad, but I’ll be the first to tell you that variety can make all the difference. This is where my dirtbike comes in. I enjoy cross training on motocross tracks or in the woods on my Suzuki RMZ250. I love riding tight single track, tackling insane hill climbs and just putting the miles down with my buddies.

Over the years, I have raced my dirt bike in local cross-country races, even lining up for the quad and bike races on the same day. I got a bit more serious this summer, signing up for my first AMA Racing Rekluse National Enduro Championship Series event in Zanesville, Ohio. A good friend, Justin “Drifter” Smith, had been bugging me to try one for awhile. The national fell in the GNCC summer break, so it was a no-brainer. We loaded up the rig and headed west.

I couldn’t have been happier that he convinced me to try it. Not only was it a great workout (four-plus hours of riding), but the promoting club, the Zanesville (Ohio) Trail Riders, put in some of the best single track I had ever ridden. There were creek sections through partially formed caves, tons of fans along the route and just a great overall layout to the course.  I tried my luck in the 250A class and faired OK, coming in 12th. Next time I hope to do better as I finally get the concept of the racing, transfer sections and breaks. The rules were much different than anything I had ever raced before.

The enduro also showed me that even though most people consider me a “quad guy,” that I can have a great time at a bike-only event, meet great people and get a workout that will boost pro racing career. 

Too often, off-road riders get caught up in being a quad guy or a bike guy and forget that we are all riders. With all of the issues of public land use, the unfair sound ordinances and crazy things such as the recently defeated lead law for kid’s off road vehicles, it has never been more important for us to stand together and fight for our common interest: off-road riding. More than ever, we need to take a stand for what we enjoy doing and fight for what is, has been and should remain rightfully ours.

Regardless of whether you are a professional racer, an amateur gunning to beat your friends or a rider who simply enjoys the trails, you have a vested interest in this fight. It’s time to get on the same side and support organizations that represent the entire off-road community.

I consider myself an off-road racer, not a quad guy or a bike guy. I hope that everyone else out there, on both sides, can come to the same conclusion. When it comes to defending your right to ride, it’s that you ride, not what you ride that is important.

Find out more about Chris at Blog.CanAmOffroad.Com/.