Wonder Warthog Racing/Dana K Intern Kyle Tobin Going Down Under!

Newbury Park, CA.  Wonder Warthog Racing and all those involved in their revolutionary internship program had cause to celebrate this week when East Coast Lites intern, Kyle Tobin, became the first graduate of the first-of-its-kind privateer program, hosted by MDK/Lucas Oil/Yamaha with funding by Dana K.  Tobin has accepted an offer from newly-formed Cool Air Racing to compete in the Pro Lites division of the Nokia MX Nationals in Australia.

WWR co-founder and Chief Altruistic Officer, Scott Kandel, had mixed emotions about the early graduation of Tobin, who was hand-selected from a huge field of hopefuls during tryouts at the Millsaps Training Facility last October by Kandel and program benefactor, Dana Kellstrom.  

“Kyle was an excellent choice, as proven by his matriculation from the program before the Supercross Series was even completed.  It’s not easy watching a rider leave when you’ve poured so much into him and watched him improve, but I believe it ultimately underlines our program’s success.  The whole team wishes Kyle the best with his new ride.  We’re sure he’ll be successful and look forward to working with him again in the future”, said Scott. 

Dana Kellstrom, a self-made real estate developer and moto-enthusiast who funded the internship programs, had this to say: “Kyle stayed at our house for several weeks back in January and we knew then that he had the components to succeed…the trick in life is to identify our strengths so we can use those qualities to help us succeed in all areas of our lives.  The ultimate purpose of the WWR internship is that each intern will be better equipped to succeed in life, regardless of their success as a professional motocross racer”.

 “18 years old and headed to Australia to race for a national championship on a top-notch factory supported team sounds pretty good to me”, said Steve Bauer, WWR co-founder and race team director.  “When I heard about the offer I recommended that he take it…though some would perceive it as a setback for our team to lose a rider, we consider it a rousing success.  A year ago he was a talented but unknown amateur recovering from injuries that kept him from competing at Loretta’s for two years straight.  It took an Act of Congress and Bob Hannah to get him his Supercross license endorsement; now he’s in Australia and being paid a salary to race for a national title as a teammate of their 12-time National Champion…and I’m proud to say that WWR and our great sponsors were able to help him get there”.

The next stop on the 2007 Hog Haven Tour will be Saturday, April 21st at Ford Field in Detroit.  Hog Haven apparel can be purchased at the LiveNation merchandise trailer in the pits or at www.SmoothIndustries.com. All WWR proceeds go towards funding their privateer support programs.  Drop in to visit the entire team at www.WonderWarthogRacing.com