Living the Dream? Privateers and Why They Do It 4

Gared Steinke, Scotty Wennerstrom, RJ Wageman, and other privateers discuss 'Living the Dream' and why they do it.

Living the Dream. How many times have we heard that phrase from anyone doing what they truly love? Whether it’s musicians, actors, motocross media, racers, or your buddy who loves framing a house. For most, it seems like a fantasy. The privateers of our sport fall into the category of living the dream, but is the dream what it appears to be? 


As a kid going to my local Supercross and reading the magazines, I would see the privateers in their vans or pick-up trucks and imagine what their life was like. I assumed they were like bands that hadn’t broke big yet and were traveling the highways, sleeping in the van, hitting the bars in whatever local town they stop in, meeting women across the country, and simply having the times of their lives all while racing dirt bikes on the weekends. Some of those things may have been accurate but for the most part, these athletes are not just vagabond racers living the rockstar life. 

Even the definition of what a privateer is has become unclear with the current state of our sport and all the non-factory teams in the paddock. We can all agree there are different levels of privateers these days and a majority of them now fly to the races while some still travel in Sprinter vans and a smaller few in trucks. The definition of privateer or their mode of travel to the races has no bearing on this article though. The idea behind it is why do the guys that don’t regularly make a main event or have never made one continue to do it?

Scotty Wennerstrom
Scotty Wennerstrom Reed Photography

In a group text with some friends, the question comes up almost weekly with some riders who show up at each race but fall short of the main event. “Why does he keep doing it? He’s not making any money. When will he give up?” The most common reason they keep doing it is they love to race their dirt bikes. Personally, if I was good enough to make the night show and I’m getting my bills paid, racing dirt bikes is better than almost any other job.

Yes, it’s expensive to go racing and the payout is not great if you don’t make the main. Fifth in the LCQ, the first guy to not make the main, makes $2,000 while last in the LCQ gets $1,250 in the 450 class. It’s $1,600 for fifth and $1,000 for 22nd in the 250 class. They aren’t exactly getting rich, especially after you deduct the entry fee ($225/event), annual SX license ($300), fuel, other travel expenses, parts, and anything else that comes up. Thankfully, most of them have fantastic sponsors helping them with the expenses. Local businesses and some endemic companies lessen the financial burden for them so the riders can get to the events. A majority of them have regular jobs during the week like Mason Kerr building fences or they teach riding schools to make extra money as well. That doesn't leave much time for training by the way.

Jared Lesher
Jared Lesher Reed Photography

So, how do they manage to afford to race not only in a single event but the whole season? Alex Nagy said, “I can afford to race because I do everything as cheaply as I can. It’s tough because you are racing against people that money isn’t an issue. I have to at least try and break even. When you enjoy it, you try and make it as worthy as you can.” Finding ways to cut costs such as sleeping in your van and eating sandwiches is certainly helpful. As mentioned, sponsors contribute to the privateer program making the dream possible. RJ Wageman mentioned, “Every logo on my bike is there for a reason. I’m either getting financial support or free product. That is absolutely huge. Race fuel is $200 for five gallons. I hustle. I also work on people’s dirt bikes and of course, we have R-Jerky which is key.”

So, again, why do they do it? What were their goals when they first started and what are they now? Texas privateer, Scotty Wennerstrom, has been racing professional Supercross since 2009 and has no plans of stopping anytime soon. “When I first started my goal was to make a living racing dirt bikes. Whether that was being Eli Tomac or being a guy in the night show and just getting better. You always want more. I’m still trying to get a main.” Alex Nagy’s first Supercross was in 2013 and his goals echoed Scotty’s. “My goal was to make a night show. It took me quite a few rounds in the beginning. Then I wanted to make a main event and that took a long time. Now I’m chasing the 450 main. It’s one of the last things that I want to check off in my career before I ride into the sunset.”

Alex Nagy
Alex Nagy Reed Photography

The goal of making a night show and eventually a main event seems fairly obvious and common. Gared Steinke in his 13th season said, “When I first turned pro my goal was to make the night show. I was 18 and there were a lot of heavy hitters in there. I was racing guys I looked up to and I was pretty nervous. I made every night show my first year.” Gared also mentioned keeping the dream alive for the older riders who aren’t ready to give it up.

For some, the original expectations were higher than the end result. RJ Wageman who is in his seventh year of racing Supercross said, “When I turned pro, I thought for sure I would be a main event guy. If you take my brother’s career, for example, that’s exactly what I thought I’d be like. Squeezing the top 10 on a good day. Now my goal is to be fighting for mains.” Not meeting those expectations could be a hit to the ego. So again, I go back to the original question, why keep doing it? Is it worth it? Mason Kerr obtained his Supercross license in 2018 and admitted, “Sometimes I don’t think that it is worth it. Honestly, my family, friends, and sponsors know I’m not going to go out there and win a championship. When I can have a good race and maybe squeak into those mains, everyone is so proud of me. I’m proud of myself. It’s what I’ve wanted to do since I was a little kid. I get to travel and see cool places and ride cool tracks and race in cool stadiums.”

Gared Steinke
Gared Steinke Octopi Media

David Pulley has been living his dream for 10 years. “I love racing dirt bikes. I fell in love with the sport, and I always dreamed of going pro. It was my biggest dream as a kid. It’s also awesome seeing the fans and doing what I can to give back to them.” David was not the first rider to mention the fans. Although they may not have the flashiest set-up in the pits there are always supporters of the privateer lifestyle roaming the paddock that appreciate what they do. Jared Lesher told me, “The motivation comes from the people around me. The fans, friends, and family. If it wasn’t for them, I probably would have quit racing and gotten a normal job.”

At the core, the love of the sport is why all these guys do it. Gared Steinke explained, “The love of the sport brings me back.” Racing dirt bikes and living the dream is something we all would love the ability to do I’d imagine. The stories we’d have to look back on when we’re in the later stages of our lives would be epic. 

I asked the riders what their career highlights have been. They may not have won a championship or even a heat race, but I knew they all had moments that stood out. Scotty Wennerstrom remembers, “At Indianapolis in 2019, I don’t know what it was about that track, but I was on it that day. I got the holeshot in the LCQ and got on the brakes a little early going into the first turn. I was trying to be conservative. I fell back to third and a few turns later someone hit a tough block and knocked it in front of me. That pushed me pretty far back. I caught up to sixth and was making moves and passing guys. If I can replicate that night more often, I’ll be in a main.” Stank Dog has had some success and told me, “I could say Straight Rhythm in 2017. Or when I won the overall in Amsoil Arenacross in 2015. I won the second main event and the overall which was exciting. Here lately, it was winning all three pit bike events I’ve done at Travis Pastrana’s house. A three-peat champ.” I think we all could agree that would make it worth it.

For RJ Wageman, his highlights were earning a two-digit number and an opportunity he got. “I got 13th place at Salt Lake City in ’21 with Team Solitaire. Ryan Clark called me a month in advance and asked if I could fill in for a round. To get that form of experience, to ride out of a semi, have a mechanic, and have a bike ready to go was cool. I never had that before.”

RJ Wageman
RJ Wageman Reed Photography

There’s something to be said for someone who can find success not necessarily from accomplishments but from growth. David Pulley said his highlight has been the last two years of his career. He said he’s been able to see how much better he’s gotten from round-to-round and year-to-year. He also mentioned, “I think San Diego was one of my personal best in qualifying. In 2013 in Salt Lake, I was in a qualifying spot in the heat but with a couple of laps to go I hit a kicker in a rut on a triple, and I endo’ed. It happened to be the race that Roczen DNF’ed his heat and we were next to each other on the line in the LCQ.” I’m not sure endo’ing is my idea of a highlight but lining up next to the 94 in an LCQ is pretty cool.

Listening to them tell their highlights really hit home how it’s all about a passion for something that everyone reading this has. We all love riding our dirt bikes. It’s an escape for us. We go to the track or the trail and spend time with our friends and family and all our troubles fade away for a few hours. Once it’s in your blood it doesn’t leave. These guys aren’t telling us about winning championships, or even winning races. They aren’t telling us about a bonus check or signing a deal with a major team. They tell us about small accomplishments in the overall scheme of the sport that are huge to them personally. You know what that’s like. If you go to your local track and finally jump that double you’ve been eyeing up for weeks or you make it up the hill that has given you sleepless nights and you have that moment of exaltation. You celebrate with your buddies, or you call your wife because that little accomplishment means so much. These privateers are the same. These are just a small sample of the stories in the paddock, and they are every bit as interesting as who’s signing at Triumph (stay tuned) or who’s going to win the next race.

I also asked each of them about the camaraderie among the privateers. Each one of them can relate to the others. They all agreed, other than on the track, especially in the LCQ, they have respect for each other and are usually willing to help when in a bind. Scotty Wennerstrom said, “Most people help each other. If someone needs a part like a brake rotor, everyone is pretty cool. We’re all gonna need help at some point.” Jared Lesher agreed saying, “It’s the saying, ‘Game recognizes game.’ We’re all in the same boat and doing the same thing.”

Mason Kerr
Mason Kerr Reed Photography

The worst thing that could happen to these riders is to have an injury which means they can’t race. If they aren’t racing, they more than likely aren’t bringing in any money. Not making the night show can be equally problematic. All the expenses of travel and entry are still there with no payout at the end of the weekend. Gared Steinke mentioned how it is problematic, “I’ve not made the night show before. I thought, ‘I’m not going to be able to practice this next week because I didn’t get my $1,000. That’s a big kick in the butt. We’re paying for the fuel and to feed ourselves. We need parts like tires. That’s $200 for a privateer. If you don’t qualify and make a little money, you’re still spending the next week and it hurts mentally and financially. Not making a few of them in a row could end your season.”

In the end, the answer to why they do it is pretty simple. They love it and every one of us would be living the dream if we were capable. These privateers don’t have it easy, but they are still racing Supercross/motocross in front of thousands of screaming fans. They get to travel with their friends and see the country. Jared Lesher told me, “You can take all the travel and add it up and it seems like you spent years in a vehicle. At the same time, you get to see things a lot of people don’t see in their entire lives. Being able to travel with my mechanic, Michael, he’s like a brother to me. What more fun could you have? It keeps things exciting.”

In closing, I’m going to say something I’ve said before. The privateers are the backbone of this sport. If you go to your local Supercross or national go to Privateer Island and talk to some of these guys. They have amazing stories and usually will spend way more time visiting with you than a factory rider can. Follow them on social media and if you can buy their merch. That stuff goes a long way to allowing them to live the dream. 

4 comments

View replies to: Living the Dream? Privateers and Why They Do It

Comments

The Latest