R450: So what’s changed?
Mark: Well it started with the 250X. We bored and stroked 250s and then went on to the 250R. Then we started putting 250X motors in the 250R chassis and had a 250RX; that was the best motocross machine you could have.

R450: I remember the days of the Black Water race; that was the thing to have there.
Mark: Oh yeah, things have changed a lot. The production bikes are the best thing to happen yet. It’s so easy now, just buy the parts. You don’t have to custom build everything now.

R450: Do you have a public showroom?
Mark: Oh yeah, most of the business is mail order but we have a showroom. It’s open for people to come in and check out. Most of the time we have a race bike setting inside and all our parts are there.

R450: So how many riders are you helping out now?
Mark: Wow, well Tim of course, but I’ve got probably 20 or 25 that I help a lot.

R450: Do you want to talk about Tim’s bike this year?
Mark: Basically I’m doing all the engine work. I’ve helped develop this pistons and cam for it, ported the heads and done dyno testing. I’ve worked with White Brothers to develop an exhaust. I have a line of pipes but with the noise restrictions for this year I didn’t really have the time to get full power with a quiet exhaust. So, we chose to work with White Brothers. They already work with Honda so they’re a little bit ahead of the game.

R450: Do you have any direct contact with Honda?
Mark: I work some of the developers and some of the R&D guys some times. I worked with a gentleman from Japan last year a little, they call it the HP1. Not sure if he was in charge, but he gave us some help. This year he’s been very busy with other projects.

R450: I noticed a Tokyo Mods sticker on Tim’s bike, are they getting into the ATV market now?
Mark: Yeah Tim’s been trying out some stuff from them. They’ve done a lot of work with Honda on the CRF program.

R450: Have you guys been out here for a while (Glen Helen, California)? The weather sucks at home (Ohio – Mark, Illinois – Racer 450).
Mark: We left for Houston for the first Clear Channel race. After that I came home and Tim headed on out west to train.

R450: Are you using aftermarket cranks this year?
Mark: No, I true up the factory crank and make sure they’re perfect. They hold up well. You can change the rod but they have a good factory rod as well.

R450: What cams are you using?
Mark: We’ve got a couple different grinds we’re using. We had them made for us. At the shop, we sell all of the parts needed to make a fast race bike. We’ve got a new catalog coming, probably about 30 pages. It’s taken a huge amount of time to do but it’s going to be great.

R450: This year Tim is using Walsh Race Craft products, what’s up with that?
Mark: We really like the rear linkage. Mike has done wonders with the rear swingarm and linkage. It’s very hard to get, Mike has a lot going on right now with the move and all. It’s actually a little more than most of the people out there need. I’ve also developed a linkage that is less extensive that is great for most racers, it goes for only a couple hundred bucks.