Industry Insights | Ft. Mike Ulrich

In this week's Industry Insights we talk to Yamaha's off-road media relations manager Mike Ulrich about getting his first job through Tom White, how Doug Dubach got him in the door at Yamaha, and his path from the R&D department to media relations.

For the full interview, check out the Vital MX podcast right here. If you're interested in the condensed written version, scroll down just a bit further.

Jamie Guida – Vital MX: Where did you grow up, and how did you discover dirt bikes?

Mike Ulrich: I grew up in Huntington Beach, Southern California. When I was a little kid, a friend of my dad's took us out to Saddleback to watch some races, and when I saw the kids on the 80s racing, I completely fell in love with it. I said to myself, "This is what I want to do," and I bugged my dad every day after. The weird thing is that my dad used to race when he was younger. He was pretty good but never talked about it or got me into it. So, it wasn't until our other friend took us to a track that I saw it. I fell in love with it on my own and kind of took off from there.

Vital MX: How old were you?

Mike: I must have been somewhere around ten. 

Vital MX: Growing up in Huntington, were you a surfer? 

Mike: No, I've never tried surfing. I hate cold water, and in all the years I lived in Huntington Beach, I could probably count on both hands the number of times I went to the beach. I was in the wrong place for what I wanted to do. Once we got into it, my dad was fully into it and did everything he could. He took me out towards Perris, in the desert areas to go riding, even though it was kind of a pain in the butt. We did what we could and chased the dream.

Vital MX: How far did you go in your amateur career? Did you primarily race moto, or did you do some desert racing, also?

Mike: We did motocross. My dad bought a used 1981 YZ80. We rode a couple of times here and there, then got busy, or something happened, and we didn't ride for a while. We got back into it around 1986 and started racing at Ascot. We did that for a little while and then started doing more local motocross racing. It grew from that, and I tried to move up through the ranks. I eventually rode some local pro stuff, but I wasn't all that good. I was doing what I loved and taking it as far as possible. Luckily, it opened the doors for me to make a career out of it.

Vital MX: The entire industry was there in Southern California, especially in those days. I'm sure you're building relationships and becoming friends with the people you're racing. You're also building relationships with people who work in the industry and have connections that can lead to a career. So how did that go?

Mike: Being around the races, you meet all the right people, especially in Southern California. My first job when I was 15 came from meeting Tom White (White Bros. Racing) when we had Saturday morning races at Carlsbad. He used to come out there all the time. Jim Hale from AXO always used to be out there, and I became friends with those guys. Tom gave me my first job, and I worked there for a year or two. Part of that job was making deliveries to Pro Circuit, where I eventually made some connections. Then, I got a job there for a few years. So, while I was going to school, I had a part-time job at these places and was also trying to race on the weekends and practice during the week as much as I could. I was going to the races, talking to people, making connections, and making friends. Also, being in Southern California, where all the racers are, I would practice with the pros. I used to ride with Mike Healey and Doug Dubach a lot. Doug's the one who helped get my foot in the door at Yamaha.

Vital MX: How did he go about doing that? What were the steps?

Mike: As I said, Doug and I started riding and practicing together quite a bit. At some point, they needed help with some durability stuff. That was during the development of the first 400. When they finished the development and testing, they needed more people for durability testing. So, he brought me in, introduced me to the Yamaha guys, and started me there. 

Vital MX: Did you like durability work? It's not necessarily fun riding. It's very mechanical.

Mike: I loved it. For any young racer, it's awesome because it's like development testing. You don't have to think a lot. As a racer, you're out there getting your practice. You're getting your laps and training because it's usually long motos. You're not beating up your bike and getting paid to do it. So, you'd be doing your motos during the week anyway. At least with this, you're riding someone else's bike and getting paid to do it.

Vital MX: You worked in the R&D department for several years under Steve Butler, who was hired with Yamaha in '91. He was a mechanic for Jeff Emig and had a lot of roles throughout Yamaha. How beneficial was working with a guy like Steve to your progression?

Mike: It was awesome. When I came in, our boss was Mark Porter, who ran the whole testing division, and Ed Scheidler was in charge of YZ testing. Steve was still working in the race department. When Ed retired, Steve came over to take over the testing role and be responsible for YZ testing. If there's one thing you can learn from Steve, it's work ethic. He'll never sell you short on hard work, and it's good because it raises everybody's level when they see that the boss is willing to put in as much work as he does. He's also so knowledgeable. He has so much experience from racing and everything he's done. Working with Steve, Mark Porter, and Ed Scheidler was good, especially coming in as a kid in my 20s. The timing worked out well for me. I was 26 when I came on at Yamaha in-house and was wrapping up my racing, and I was young enough to take other people's input, learn, and put all that to use.

Vital MX: Were there any roles or parts of the R&D position that you struggled with or were uncomfortable with? Anything that took some time to get comfortable doing?

Mike: I came from moto and just expected to be the motocross testing guy. It's funny because you talk to each manufacturer's testing team, and each one is set up completely differently. At that time, we tested everything we did at Yamaha. You know, dirt bikes, street bikes, off-road, and ATVs. We did a lot of development in the late 90s and 2000s on ATVs and side by sides. Coming from moto, I was thinking, "Are you serious? We have to do all this?" Ultimately, it turned out to be cool because it broadened my capabilities and knowledge. It keeps everything interesting. It's not stale. It's just doing one thing after another. Something else we did was work with the media a lot. As you know, in my role now, I work with you guys. When we go to the track or do an intro, our testing guys are there as well. We have it set up that way because with all their time developing the bikes, they're the most technically familiar with the product, so they're the best ones to speak about the technical capabilities and make the adjustments. They know what the bike needs for the rider's request. 

Vital MX: Did you have much input or role with the Japanese OEM department? Did you have to communicate with those guys from the American side?

Mike: Yeah. We've always been really, really involved with Japan. When I started, not so much, but as my experience grew and responsibilities grew, we had a lot of trips to Japan, and I loved it. I loved going over there, working with those guys, testing, and doing all that. My testing role evolved into a lot of street bike stuff because Steve was the main YZ guy. I wound up doing more of the street stuff. In my current role, I don't work with the development guys in Japan much anymore or at all. I would say that's one of the biggest things I miss.

Vital MX: You've been at Yamaha through some pretty significant eras. You talked about the early 400, the YZM400 that Doug Henry won on in '97. Then, the modern 'reverse engine' came out. Does anything stand out to you? Any moments or new technologies that blew your mind at the time?

Mike: I think the 400 changed the whole landscape of motocross. I came in at the tail end and did the durability. So, I had no input on any of that, but I was already there to develop the 250F, which was another mind-blowing thing for the industry. We could have honestly tested that out at regular open practice day, and people wouldn't have even known what we were doing because nobody expected it. It looked like the 400; no one knew we were doing that. That was cool. I was in testing for 19 years, and we came out with a lot of cool stuff. I think we started the whole side-by-side market way back in the 2000s. There was a lot of development of different products that were fun to be involved with, and I took a bit of pride in it.

Vital MX: What brought the change to the media side of things? Were you looking for something different, or did Yamaha need you to do something different?

Mike: It was kind of both. I'm not sure Yamaha needed me to do it, but they offered it. We'd been through some PR guys who didn't work out. It's not an easy position, but we were still very involved with the media because of our role in testing. So, I knew most of the media guys. I knew a lot of them from way back when I was racing. It wasn't a hard transition getting to know everyone and all that. I knew the process of what it takes for the PR guy to work with testing and try to get stuff done and organized. Those guys are super involved. Whether getting bikes ready for the media or helping with events, they're a huge part. We couldn't do it without those guys. So, having the relationships from both sides, it just made sense to try that. I'd been there for 19 years doing testing, and I don't know, it sounded appealing to try something new and take on a new challenge. It was a steep learning curve and a lot different than what I was doing before. I'm enjoying it. I'm back to what I grew up doing, you know, primarily doing moto and off-road stuff. I love it.

Vital MX: Talk about your roles within that position. I've seen you at Supercross, outdoors, and GNCCs, and you did some shootouts this week. You were at the Millville ride day when Yamaha came out with demos. You seem to have a wide range of events you're involved with. Plus, you work with Ryan Villopoto and Damon Bradshaw, who are brand ambassadors. 

Mike: Yeah. I think you listed off pretty much all of them. I go to a lot of races and try to serve all the media. I keep in touch with you guys to see if you need anything, any information, or if anything pops up that may need my attention. I do bike introductions. That's a lot of planning and work that goes into those. This time of the year, we have all the shootouts and bike tests that take up a lot of time. You mentioned Ryan Villopoto and Damon Bradshaw, and we have various influencers and partners whom I service their contracts. We try to wrangle everybody and keep them doing what we need to be best for Yamaha.

Vital MX: When it comes to these types of events, do you help plan them? How do you decide how many events you will do, where they will be, etc?

Mike: That's one thing I struggle with a little. Maybe I'm taking on a little too much. I think my wife would probably agree with that because this year, my travels have been crazy. You just have to make the call on what would be the coolest event that will get the most attention and be best for our brand. A lot of different things go into that. We need to be out there. You brought up the PulpMX Millville ride day. We partner with Steve (Matthes), and he's a good partner and voice with a strong following. It makes sense for us to be involved and help grow the event and be there in front of all the people who want to support you guys and us.

Vital MX: You brought up your wife and have a son. I was curious about all the travel and how that goes. 

Mike: I'm super, super lucky. I met my wife at Yamaha. She worked at Yamaha for a while, and I think she's just used to it. Even back then, I was traveling a lot. So, it's kind of always been that way. As I said, I'm super lucky she doesn't give me too hard of a time. Every once in a while, it's a little bit like, "Man, I wish you'd be home this weekend and we could do something," but she's awesome. She's good with it. 

Vital MX: Let's close this out with you getting to race here and there. You did the Wild Boar GNCC race in Florida with me earlier this year. You did Ironman a few weeks ago. Although you were somewhat reluctant to do either of those events, you were having fun.

Mike: Yeah, it's one of those things where you get to the track, and the thought of gearing up seems like work. Then, once you get out there, you have a blast. With this position, I do get to ride moto a bit more. I should take advantage of it more than I do because I often get out there and feel so rusty, and I get kind of discouraged, but once you get back into it, this sport is just incredible. As I said, I've been doing it since I was about 12 years old. I'm 50 now and love it as much as I've ever loved it. I'm still as big a fan of all the racers, and working with those guys is mind-blowing. To be able to hang out with Ryan Villopoto and Damon Bradshaw on the weekend blows my mind. I love riding, and I love the sport. It's awesome to still be out there and do it as my career.