Interview: Mike Lafferty - Factory KTM

By: ChrisWorden

Posted: 09/28/09

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Riding for KTM gives you a large stable of bikes to choose from and you consistently pick the 400 over the more popular 450 or 250 2-stroke, what's the reason for that?
I like the power of the 400 and the way it runs. I have always liked four-stroke motorcycles better – I feel they have better traction on the ground. The reason I choose the 400 over the 450 is for a lighter bike. The 450 would wear me out quicker in a race than the 400 will.

Enduro racing has seen a lot of changes to it's structure in the last few years to try to make it more accessible to the average rider, do you feel these rule changes have been for the better of the series?
For sure, we had 600 rider’s compete in the first couple National Enduro rounds, which is a huge increase for the series. The format is still an enduro with the same aspects; it is just better managed with higher attendance. It is a shame all of the positive changes came while the economy is in a downturn. It would be great to get more support for the other riders from the other motorcycle manufacturers. At this time KTM is the only one still heavily involved in the series.

Along with the rule changes they have also been scheduling more rounds on the West Coast than normal with rounds in Wyoming and Montana this year, do you feel this is a positive change for the series?
Yes, I think since it is a national series the races should be equally split between the coasts. However, it is hard to add new races as many of the clubs on the west coast lack the organization to host a national enduro race. The only downfall of the farther travel is for the amateur riders which struggle to pay their way to each round. I think if we move forward with more west rounds they may need to throw in a couple of throw-away races for the amateurs to help the series.

Earlier in your career you raced both GNCC's and Enduros and had quite a bit of success in both, but in the last few years you have concentrated primarily on Enduros, why did you decide to stick to one discipline?
I was getting hurt a lot more when I raced both – so I decided to focus on one. I think my body was getting beat up doing too much too fast. I wanted to race a lot longer and knew I needed to focus on one series in order to do so. I decided to stick with the National Enduro Series since I had more fun racing that series, however, you might see be back at a few GNCC races in the future.

It is nearly impossible to open an issue of Cycle News without reading the name Lafferty in the results for an Enduro somewhere on the East Coast, why has your family become so dominant on the Enduro scene?
We grew up racing the east coast all the time. My dad and brothers are heavily involved in local series. There is always something going on and we like to be involved. We are just a family that loves racing and that is why you see either one of my brothers, my dad or my nephews name in the paper quite often.

For the past few years, your teammate Russell Bobbitt and yourself have had some tight battles for the Enduro championship with Russell being able to come out on top of a couple, something that pretty much no one else has been able to do over the last decade, how is it racing so closely with your teammate all the time?
Russell is a kid 10 years younger than I and is definitely going to take over the reigns soon but I am still having fun competing with him. As a my teammate and competitor it is nice knowing that it is up to us and not what he may have better on his bike than me – because we have the same opportunity available to us. Of course, I like to win but I am happy for him too and when I retire I hope that I will do so after being able to help him and teach him everything I can about being a champion. He has a lot of great years ahead of him and I wish the best for him.

You've been at this for awhile, racking up a record-tying 8 titles along the way, how much longer go you see yourself racing at the top level?
I have always told myself I would like to race until I am 35. So I am hoping to have at least another good two years left. However, if I am still competitive at that point I might go a little longer – we will just have to wait and see.

Thanks for your time, Mike
Thanks.

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