Bobby Prochnau: Canada's Fastest Enduro Racer Speaks

Sponsored by: 

Photos by Angie Parker, Steve Giberson and Dan Paris

Bobby Prochnau, 24, from Savona B.C, is without question the fastest off-road racer in Canada. Sponsored by RTR Performance, KTM Canada, Troy Lee Designs, Riders Edge Suspension, FMF, Rekluse, Fastway, ProMoto Billet, Maxxis and RPM, Prochnau is big, strong and has a mountain of riding skill and determination. He absolutely dominated the 2009 Royal Distributing Canadian Enduro Championships, very nearly beat Kornel Nemeth in the first moto of the Montreal Endurocross and recently finished seventh in the AMA Endurocross Finals in Las Vegas. He’s a quiet guy off the track, working in the B.C lumber industry and slowly, carefully easing his way into moto-rock-star mode.

I caught up with him following his great ride in Vegas.

 

DMX:Bobby, Congrats on a great ride in Vegas! How’d it go?

Bobby Prochnau: Last year and this year were both pretty exciting. I went down in results this year, but in terms of the overall event this year was more exciting in terms of how my heat races went and making it through the LCQ. Running third for about half of the main…it was just really exciting. I got third in my heat race, then I won my LCQ. In the main everyone jammed up in the rocks, and I ran third for about half the race. I slowly got picked off by the rest of the gang, but it was still pretty sweet!”

Which model KTM were you racing in Vegas?

“I was riding a 300XC. I thought the 450 was the way to go at the start of the year, since that is what I ride and train on at home. I thought I was faster on the 450, but when I went to the first two Endurocross rounds this year on the 450 it didn’t work out too well. I learned, and as soon as I got back on a two-stroke I was making main events again.”

Can you rattle off some other recent highlights for us?

“I’ve been racing the OHSS (Okanagan Hare Scramble Series), which I won, and the PNWMA (Pacific Northwest Motorcycle Association). I didn’t win it, there are a ton of races and I only went to half of them, but I still got second overall.”

 

What kind of special training do you do for extreme events like Endurocross?

“I train in the gym after breakfast, scramble to go for a ride and then go to work. That’s pretty much what I do every day. I can ride right out of my yard, so even if it’s only a half-hour ride or a two-hour ride I’m out there just about every day. At least five times a week I am on the bike. I spend lots of time on the motorcycle, mostly practicing grass tracks and Endurocross. I have my own Endurocross track.”

 

In Montreal you were pushing Kornel Nemeth in the first EX moto, even on the supercross sections of the course. Do you practice any motocross?

“Nope. Next year it will be in the picture a little bit to boost my motocross-test times. I wasn’t far off this year…but I want to win all around next year. I think it’s possible. Jake Stapleton was only a second or two faster than me in the motocross tests this year, and I know I can beat him next year.”

 

Do you feel like you have a giant bulls eye on your back now that you are the guy everyone wants to beat? Do you feel that pressure on you?

A little bit, but I think I can work harder and do better next year too. My plan is to smoke everyone again.

Just what is it you do for a job in the logging industry?

I run a processor, a big piece of logging equipment. It’s just a big machine, so it’s like an office job (laughs) or running an excavator all day. So I have to spend time on my gym equipment at home, but I spend more time on the bike. I need to change that this year, like in ‘Vegas I was running third. Maybe next year I’ll be able to stay in third instead of slipping to seventh. In Endurocross there is no time to rest or recover. It’s weird…at an enduro or hare scramble here in Canada the end of the race is where I beat a lot of people because they aren’t strong enough. But next year I want to be in better shape so I can lead from start to finish.

 

How did you find you compared to the guys from Quebec when you raced out East this year?

“I’ve never raced any of them head to head, so I don’t know how they are. The pros from Quebec are all good riders, but so is everyone out here. In off-road racing anything can happen.”

Well, I guess you’d have to have been looking over your shoulder to see them this year…

(Laughs) Enduro is different because we are racing the clock, you know, racing against yourself. Next year I want to get out to Quebec and race some FMSQ races to find out for sure!

What are your plans for the winter?

Working my butt off to pay bills first. I need to start with the trainer in the gym so I can go to the U.S. That’s what I want to start working on now. I haven’t got all my sponsors lined up for 2010, but I am positive I’ll be riding for RTR and KTM Canada again in 2010.

Are you sticking with the 300XC or going back to the 450?

“No, I’ll be racing E3 in the CEC races on a 530. When you do a bit of stuff to them they really go.”

Ya, we were testing a 530 and were impressed with how it went bone stock, even on the Gopher Dunes motocross track…

“A 2010? I haven’t ridden any of the 2010 four-stroke KTMs yet. I plan on doing a few races in the U.S this winter so I know if I am working hard enough at home. I went to two WORCS races but got smoked bad…it’s motocrossy but the off-road sections are cat trails. It was an eye-opener! It’s good to get smoked sometimes. I haven’t been to an OMA or GNCC race yet, but I would love to try them if I can fit them into my schedule.”

 

What is your favourite type of riding?

“It would be Endurocross. I love that format, it’s so much fun! I can ride Endurocross all day.”

Endurocross sure has gotten a lot of attention the last couple years. What can you tell the motocross racers who may be interested in trying it?

“Most people look at the obstacles wrong. Just pretend it’s a dirt pile. A motocross racer can do pretty well at Endurocross because they are used to pinning it. Don’t look at the obstacles like a pile of tires as an obstacle you can’t ride over. Just pretend it’s a bunch of dirt that you can ride over. Then it’s pretty easy.”

Who do you have the most respect for as a competitor here in Canada?

“It was Cory Graffunder for sure, before he got the Husky deal in the ‘States. I’ve always battled head to head against him. You know, I didn’t want to get beaten by Jake (Stapleton) and after seeing his times at the first two CEC rounds I knew he was fast. But I wanted KTM to win…and I wanted to win.”

Do you have any plans to race in Europe?

“Nope. Endurocross and CEC, those are my big things for 2010. Hopefully there are no conflicts in schedules this year.”

 

What was your personal highlight of 2009?

“Going East was a lot of fun, both events. I’d never been, so everything was different. It was just a fun week and a half to be out there racing like a professional. All the CEC events were perfect, but going back East was the most exciting. The Montreal Endurocross was fun too, but that bike problem in the main cost me the race. I’ll be back next year for Montreal for sure...Nemeth is an amazing rider, but I know I could have beaten him in the main! Next year we’ll find out for sure.”