Industry Insights | Ft. Heath Harrison 1

In this installment of Industry Insights we talk to Phoenix Racing Honda Team Manager Heath Harrison about his amateur days, his pro career, and decision to step away from professional racing to work for a team.

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: What's going on, Heath?

Heath Harrison: Not a whole lot. Just working away to prepare for the upcoming outdoor season in about a week and a half.

Vital MX: It is right around the corner, and there is no break for the riders, teams, or guys like yourself.

Heath: Yeah, it's way rougher for the riders. Those guys don't catch a break. Especially the guys celebrating their Supercross season because they are right back to training on Monday.

Vital MX: Tell us about your background. Where did you grow up, and how did you get into dirt bikes?

Heath: I grew up in a little town in South Alabama called Silverhill. My older brother used to ride, and my dad grew up wanting to ride and race. Once my older brother was of age, they bought him a PW, and four years later, here I am. I started riding at three or four with hand-me-downs from my brother, and we chased the Loretta Lynn's thing when we were old enough and learned about it. I never had that much success. My first year to make it to Loretta's was 2005 in the 85 (7-11) class, and I didn't do well. 

Vital MX: I read that you didn't get serious about it until around 14. What was the moment that brought that transition about?

Heath: We were always into it. I just wasn't ever very good. I would go to Loretta's Regionals and get 20th. I wasn't good enough to even think about it. Obviously, as a kid, you go to Supercross, and that's what you want to do, but I don't think I ever thought I could do it. Once I went to Texas and trained with Zak Mashburn, I started getting some speed. Then, I did well at the Spring Nationals in 2009. I also won the Four Stroke class at Loretta's that year. 

Vital MX: Didn't you also win the 450 B Stock class at Ponca that year?

Heath: Yeah. 

Vital MX: So, there was a massive transition between 2008, when you got 32nd in both your classes and 2009 when you won some big races. That's a big jump in just twelve months.

Heath: I started thinking, "Maybe I can make some money from racing dirt bikes." That's also when the economy took a dump, and there wasn't a lot of money from teams for support. That made it tough.

Vital MX: Did you get much amateur support?

Heath: None at all, really. My dad owned a Kawasaki dealership, so he just bought bikes for me. Charles Castloo was kind of my first real sponsor when he was at MSR. I had a gear deal going into Loretta's the year I won. Nothing else amateur-wise other than Hookit and Sponsorhouse. It was just discounts here and there.

Vital MX: What did you think your career path would be then? Did you think you would just race for a few years and then get a regular job?

Heath: I never really thought about it. When you're doing it, it goes by so fast. I didn't look back until 2019, and it was like, "Dude, it's been nine years since my first pro race." I got tired of chasing whatever it was we were chasing. I did get a fill-in ride with Cycle Trader in 2017 from Christina Denney and those guys. They were great. The following year, I met David Eller and raced Arenacross for him. At that point, I was getting older. I planned to continue racing Arenacross, but Amsoil went away, and nobody knew what would happen. So, I went out on my own again and thought I wanted to race Supercross again. I did the first five until San Diego, which was the mud race. I got sixth in my Heat, and then the bike blew up in the Main. At that point, I said, "This isn't worth it." That's when I stepped back, pumped the brakes, and decided it was time to start real life. 

Vital MX: In 2019, you did a GNCC. Then, in 2020, you did the whole series. Was that with David Eller and Phoenix Racing?

Heath: Yeah. In '19, I did the first two on my own for fun. In '20, I was supposed to do the whole season, but that's when Covid happened. That year was screwed up for the whole team. I did the first two or three until they got canceled. There wasn't much going on, so I just rode a ton. I went and did two or three more and did fairly well. The money wasn't sustainable enough for me to kill myself for three hours, and I decided it wasn't for me. 

Vital MX: Was it difficult going from professional racer to working in the shop, being a mechanic, and eventually a Team Manager? Most racers want to still be out there racing.

Heath: Not really, because I still had a bike and rode. To this day, I still ride and race and do Loretta's. So, I never had the time when I didn't have a dirt bike or couldn't ride. I was never fully out. 

Vital MX: Yeah, but it seems like once a professional athlete can't compete at that high level, it's difficult. You're no longer training to race with the best.

Heath: You're right, but it's not like I was making a ton of money. When you start getting a consistent paycheck every two weeks, you ask yourself, "Why wasn't I doing this sooner?"

Vital MX: What was the most surprising or difficult thing once you worked a regular job at Phoenix?

Heath: It was probably scheduling. I book the flights and hotels, and we're all coming from different cities. Getting everybody from different cities to the city we are going to around the same time is stressful. We don't want to rent five different rental cars. We try to rent a minivan to save on cost. When I was on the Cycle Trader team, Christina was so good at it. We had an app we all downloaded that would tell everyone their flights, hotels, and who was getting the rental car. We never had to contact her about it. It seemed so simple at the time. When you do it, it's like, Wow!" I don't know how she got our flights to land so close together because I can't seem to find just two flights landing close together. 

Vital MX: It must feel very rewarding to have the success a team like Phoenix has had. There's been great success in Arenacross, the GNCC series, and great rides from guys in Supercross. The team appears to improve each year.

Heath: Yeah, it's been cool. Kyle Peters got a podium in Supercross when I was his mechanic, and I was probably more stressed than during any of my races. It was an amazing feeling when he crossed the line. Unfortunately, it was one of Hunter Lawrence's first wins, so the spotlight kind of was taken off of KP. Which, at the moment, I didn't care. I was pumped. It's cool to see all the success, even with the ATV guys. Gary (Schlentz), who is over the whole ATV program for the most part, was my practice mechanic in 2017 and then my race mechanic in 2018. We're pretty much brothers from another mother. To see him succeed with Joel (Hetrick) going for a fifth or sixth championship this season and be undefeated so far is cool. Seeing him grow as a person feels a little like we did it together. We were just privateers and met through Mashburn in Texas, moved back to Alabama, lived in a motorhome, and moved to North Carolina at the same time. We both have kids now that are close to the same age, so it's like we attacked life together. Everybody who is part of the team is like family.

Vital MX: I enjoy seeing you at the races because you always have a smile on your face. Phoenix is also a team where I feel fans can come by and actually talk to a team member or one of the riders. This year, you guys made a big step in hiring Dylan Ferrandis, and it's close to a factory-level team where people can come by and say hi.

Heath: Honestly, I think that's been good for Dylan. He's almost enjoyed racing more. We want him to do well, and he wants to do well, and as long as everyone is putting in 100%, you can't ask for much more. There is less pressure for him than when he was at Star Yamaha because it's a more laid-back program. We all get along, cut up, and I think it's been fun for him. Winning is always fun; he did that at Star, and you can't take that from him. 

Vital MX: How is it dealing with numerous personalities between mechanics, riders, and other team members? I'm sure you're like a babysitter at times.

Heath: For sure. Dylan is from France, and his sense of humor differs. It's in there once you get to know him, but you have to get it out of him. He may sometimes not understand the lingo, especially since I am from South Alabama, and my accent is a bit tough for him to understand. Then, with the JLaw (Jason Lawrence) situation, it's just two totally different guys. You have to take it for what it is, and that's something this job has taught me. Everybody is different, and you need to treat them all the same. 

Vital MX: When you look back on your entire career, from racing to team manager, it probably hasn't ended where you would have expected. Do you look at it fondly or feel you left something on the table?

Heath: No, I feel I gave it 100% no matter what I did. There may have been some outdoor seasons when I could have been in better shape, but it was a situation where I had only one bike. My race bike was my practice bike, and I could do only so much. For the cards I was dealt, I believe I made the most of what I had. That's all my parents ever asked for, and it's what I was taught to do.