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Welcome to Momentum, a motorsports podcast powered by High Gear Success. I'm your host, Heather Wilson Schiltz. Here we share the stories and strategies that keep the world of motorsports moving forward. And I'm excited to chat with Grant Harlan, a professional supercross racer competing in the 450 class on a Champion Tool Storage Kevin Moranz Racing KTM. And he's also a pro motocross competitor. So Grant, thank you for joining me. Yeah, thanks Heather for having me on. Looking forward to it. So you have been racing professionally since 2020. What does this current chapter of your career kind of feel like compared to when you first turned pro? Yeah, I feel like it was honestly just yesterday that I started doing this and, you know, that's the start of the season. I started looking back and this is my seventh year racing as a professional. And honestly, hasn't felt like it, honestly, it's flown by so fast almost that I'm like, Whoa, Whoa, Whoa. Like it hit the brakes just a little bit. Like I need to, you know, kind of take it in a little bit more and, and try and enjoy what I'm doing. Clearly it's going by a lot faster than I thought it was going to. So, before I know it, it'll be, be done and dusted and onto the next thing. So, um, yeah, just trying to, I guess, take it to another level for myself, but also maybe take a step back and be like, Hey, enjoy this. Cause it's not going to be around forever. I think when time is kind of just like clicking by like you are enjoying it So you don't even notice how quickly it goes, but then sometimes you kind of are just like on to the next thing, right? You're like rushing through it So definitely kind of being able to soak in all of that that uh Experience is really important as well Yeah, for sure. Like I said, I, I know like I've been doing it. Like I'm more experienced than I was when I first started, but I also, again, I feel like it was just yesterday that I was at my first race. So, um, yeah, learning to, to soak it in and, use that experience to my advantage instead of just kind of rushing through it to try and get better, get to the next race or, you know, moving forward so fast. For people who may not know your full path, what did it actually take to go from amateur racing to lining up at Supercross and Pro Motocross? Kind of give us the back story. Yeah. So I guess to start off, I was born on the big Island of, of Hawaii. So not like the biggest, uh, racing hub in the world. Um, kind of just ended up with a little PW 50 and kind of got addicted to it there. And, um, didn't even know about the whole amateur racing thing. The pro racing scene that much, um, kind of just did it for fun. have a huge like competitive, I guess. want in myself, but for no other reason than to be the best guy against the guys I was racing against over there. And eventually learned about the amateur stuff, went to California, did a couple races there and um came back and saw some kids that I was racing were in load across magazines and were the next up and coming things in the sport and whatnot. And we're like, Oh, like, maybe It's something I can, I can go after. Obviously I love doing it. Um, I was, I was racing those guys and was pretty close. So, you know, maybe, maybe it's something we can, can, you know, put our attention and goals to. And, um, ended up moving to Texas in 2010 and, um, never really did the like super, uh, aggressive training style that a lot of the kids that I was racing against were doing, you know, training facilities or trainers all the time. Like I was still doing school and, you know, riding on the weekends, maybe once a week if I could. And then, you know, years go by and slowly like went to the home school and started trying to ride more. And I tell people all the time, after going to home school, I wish I just stayed in school. Cause I feel like it would have benefited me a little bit more in my like everyday life. And I think I still would have ended up. kind of where I'm at today. That's an interesting take. Can you kind of expand on why you maybe wish you would have stayed in public school? Like what you felt like you missed out on maybe? Uh, more or less, it was the actual learning for me, um, than the socializing stuff. cause even in school, I didn't, I wasn't really like super into like hanging out with groups or going to do stuff after school, stuff like that. Um, but I was more of a like visual, like hands-on learner. And when I went to homeschool, I struggled to like teach myself to learn things. Like for me, it was easy enough to Google search. than answer to a problem I had. well, that was quick and easy. Well, I can do that for everything and get it done. I can go ride or do whatever I want to. So I kind of, I guess, struggled a little bit there when I was in school. was pretty easy for me to learn things and actually get a grasp on what was going on. um so, yeah, I wish I had just stayed in school at least a little bit longer or do a couple of those like middle years. um Definitely different learning styles between like somebody teaching you in a classroom environment versus online learning or even just like learning out of a textbook. Yeah. Like I said, having to teach myself things was difficult, especially stuff that I didn't really care about. Cause it's like, why don't I don't need to know that. it doesn't, it's once I, once I click out of this, out of this school like website, like I don't, I don't need that anymore. So trying to get myself to actually know what I was doing was hard. So you were in school, you're living in Texas, how did the progression go to get you to the professional ranks? Yeah, I mean, it was just always getting a little bit better. Always feel like I always felt like I was right there. Just needed a little bit more and never really, I guess, had that little bit more to get the um factory support and whatnot. But was always, I guess, good enough to keep pursuing it. And. Yeah, They my way to the damage of stuff and a class and eventually. got a small little pro gig with a highly wonderful for my last year of amateur and then going into supercross and um, have kind of been, I guess on that, that bubble private here guy every, every year of my career. It's like, he always feel like you're, so close and it hadn't quite clicked, but, um, do you like, I've been able to do some cool things and ask them good results. And, um, I guess part of the, you know, getting a little bit older and having got it for so long, being able to get by and make a living doing it kind of the private to your lifestyle way instead of chasing ah a pain ride or something like that. during your professional career, you've raised for Honda, Kawasaki, Yamaha, now you're on a KTM. So what has that experience been like throughout your professional career to kind of change and ride such different brands? Yeah. So, um, like I said, I started on Tilube Honda, in the two 50 class my first year and last year of amateur and was on the Honda for, for a couple of years and ended up riding a kawi 450 outdoors and 20, 22, which I didn't really get along with that bike too well. Um, that was kind of like probably the most down year I've had racing, um, just all around struggle. Like, should I keep doing this? You know, whatnot and ended up was planning for 2023 to go out of the van, do my own thing. So the first couple of races in California for supercross and kind of last minute got a call to still on my own bikes and everything, but kind of be under a semi was with some support and 2022 was kind of my breakout year on rock river yamaha for the 450 class. And yeah, that went, went pretty well. for that year and until I broke my hip in France the end of it. uh yeah, I feel like we're last two or three years now, kind of slowly getting back up to the speed and where I want to be. And uh yeah, I got on the KTM and honestly to me, like all the bikes have their own characteristics and things that make them unique and special. But at the end of the day, once you kind of get them set up and comfortable for how you like them, I feel like it's just another. motorcycle. Like they do things slightly different and they have certain feels and characteristics, but they all, you know, they all have tires, they all have engines, suspension, and for all of that, you gotta, you gotta twist. What are some of the modifications that are like must haves for you when you get a new bike to set it up for your style? Um, generally I can pretty much take a bike out of, out of the crate and, and go race it. but for, especially supercross the, the most important thing is suspension. with the, jumps, the loops and the, the tight, technical stuff that we have to do. Um, we need suspension. That's pretty stiff to, to hold up and, not even just hold up, but you know, when things go a little bit awry or you case a jump or go long, like having stiffer suspension. gives you a better chance to save it and, and be okay. if we just took stock stuff or outdoor settings and you know, something went a little bit wrong, like it turns into a big, big problem. I mentioned to you before this call that my husband and I were just down in Nashville for the supercross. And he has a suspension business primarily on the four wheel side of things. But while we were sitting there watching the races, he's commenting on people's suspension. Like, that guy's suspension sucks. Like look at him through the whoops. Like I feel so bad for that guy. Like he can just see that sort of thing that, you know, sometimes the riders have a little bit of control over it, but a lot of times it's, you know, their mechanics and communicating that to them. So they have the right setup for those different obstacles on the track. Yeah. And for a lot of like the more privateer style guys, like myself, usually we, we get as good of a setting as we can with the budget and time that we have to actually, you know, do testing and, uh, you know, come up with, things that we can work on. I know for me, like being on the KTM, my first time this year, I've, I've made small changes throughout the season, you know, in each race, like Okay, now that I've gotten a feel for it on the racetracks, like, let's try this part here. like the big thing I changed early in the year was, was spring rate in the, in the shock. cause sometimes at the practice track, it's easy to, I guess, compensate for, for certain, certain things. And then you go to the race and you can't compensate for them with, with the track conditions. So, um, yeah, for, for a lot of the privateer guys, it's hard to just have on demand like, oh, this feels like this, let's just go change it. Because a lot of times our suspension guys aren't at the races. And if they are, we don't just have the parts and time on demand to make those changes. Yeah, that's a great point for sure. So you're racing with KMR. What does that program look like behind the scenes that fans may not see? Like, what has that been like racing with that team? Yeah. So Kevin, is another racer and, um, somebody I competing every weekend. the last few years, he's kind of put his own program together and finally gotten a semi this year. So, uh, that's been pretty cool, but yeah, he, uh, he worked hard behind the scenes to, I guess, grow his brand and business, but also keep racing himself. he's on the go 24 seven, you know, interacting with fans and sponsors and you know, and racing during the day and training during the week and all that stuff. so far it's been been a pretty good program and um it's been cool. What are some of the responsibilities that you're juggling on a race weekend beyond just riding the bike? I mean, on the race weekend, usually, um, I guess we're kind of a smaller team. So, I'm helping out as much as I can when I'm needed to on getting either the bike ready or graphics or, um, like we have, do helmet wraps each weekend for, for sponsors. And, um, yeah, it's really just getting, getting everything, you know, tied up and reorganized and ready to go for, for Saturday. um, Saturdays is just. all focused on racing and qualifying. What has been your take on the earlier races that Supercross has started having because being a Midwest person, that East Coast time zone, a few years ago, races were going really late into the night if it was a West Coast race for us East Coast people. And now they're kind of trying to keep everything in that 7 PM Eastern timeframe, sometimes even earlier. so like Nashville opening ceremonies was at 1.30 local time, 2.30 Eastern. That was kind of a different experience for me. And even being out at A1 earlier this year was also a daytime race. Like what is it like from a racer perspective to have to be, think, like qualifying starts at like 7 a.m. Yeah. So, every race so far up until Nashville has been, I guess, on that same 7pm Eastern times schedule, which, um, like on the West coast, it's 4pm start time for the night show. And then obviously East coast is seven. Um, and Nashville was like two was the start. Yeah. So living on the West coast for, for that, which I believe we're also doing one this weekend in Cleveland.

Like first, the first practice for me was I think 8:30 and at home that's still that 6: 15:10

30, like I just woke up. So trying to, I guess, be ready to go in that situation when I'm just waking up. But I also have to, I guess, be ready to throw down a qualifying lap is pretty difficult. I think our second qualifier about done for, you know, on a normal normal weekend, my first qualifier hadn't even started yet. have the temperature extremes. Nashville was really hot. was like 80 that day and in Ohio hasn't been really that warm that often yet. And so it was really hot. Like we were sitting in the stands. was like full sun. Obviously you guys are out there racing. And then towards the end of the program, it was just starting to like the sun starting to go down. It's being a little cooler. Like what traditionally would have been a night race is now like completely different temperatures and experiences. So do you guys feel that as racers? Yeah, for me, the heat isn't like a huge deal. um Typically, I enjoy warmer and hot races, but yeah, just just the whole like time schedule. And like I said, me being West Coast and that being central, Just. You know, I wake up on time, obviously, like I'm not waking up as as my groups on the gate, but you know, the natural body clock, I think that plays probably the biggest factor in terms of like. performance outcome and, and how the day goes. honestly, for me, I don't, I feel like Nashville is one of those ones where I can kind of give the day race a pass because it's nice to be able to get done racing and go out on the strip and hang out and have a good time. for the most part, I think the night races are more popular and obviously it's, you know, consistent schedule for us, but, the opening ceremonies and everything being darker. Or at least having a little bit cooler weather for the fireworks and all that is typically better, but uh I don't mind them. Definitely not the same experience having like daytime, you know, and pyrotechnics for sure. with Supercross being such a high pressure environment, how do you kind of handle the swings between like you're feeling really confident and then that self doubt kind of creeps in? So how do you stay on track or manage that yourself? It's tough. mean, the biggest thing is, you know, if you have a bad weekend or things don't go your way, it's, you you kind of, you kind of have a grace period of like, you know, it's okay to be upset and, and I guess a little bit emotional, but by the time Sunday, Monday rolls around, you kind of have to put it behind you and, you know, focus on, on the week ahead and um taking care of things during the week and looking forward to the next weekend to turn it around. You know, I'll have a whole lot of time to dwell on it or yeah, let it simmer. You mentioned breaking your hip a few years ago. I imagine that was a really tough thing physically, but also like mindset wise. So how did you kind of shift your mindset and want to keep going after that injury? Honestly, the injury itself wasn't terrible. was more just time consuming on the recovery side. it was probably one of the few injuries I've had where, like, as it was happening, I was like, i feel like this should hurt more, but it doesn't. But yeah, it was three months of, of no walking on, on that leg. which is, is tough to, to handle, I guess. and I mean, it's a long time of. of not using the muscles. So to, I guess, come back from that, re rebuild the strength and kind of get over, you know, the way it happened a little bit was, was tough. And I still feel like we're still working on that a little bit sometimes. But yeah, it's really just the time thing, you know, like, like all all wounds, all trauma, you kind of have to, you know, work through it and find a way to move on. In terms of your training program, kind of what your typical week look like and how do you balance pushing through or knowing when to step back and just kind of relax and recover. Yeah. So for me, since we've started coming East coast and, know, we've, we've had our week break or one weekend off, you know, a few weeks ago, but, every weekend, you know, I fly East coast or central and then fly back, back West. So, um, trying to balance, I guess the workload during the week, maybe kind of going a little bit lighter, you know, if I, if I really feel like I'm, um, fatigued or, or super sore. only because of, you know, I've been on supercross now for about six months and starting to turn the focus outdoors. still got, what is, think 15 weekends of, of racing to go. So trying to balance, you know, not pushing the body too hard if, if I'm really feeling it during the week, um, so that we can be good to go on the weekends. You mentioned flying back after each round too. So are you doing any maintenance to your bike in between rounds? You have somebody that helps you out with that. How does that work? Yeah. So at the races, we, me and Kevin have, have a mechanic that, um, takes care of all the bike work and on race day and everything. thankfully don't have to do too much of that, you know, on the weekends and, know, be worried about that coming in to the next race of, you know, something breaks or whatnot. uh, during the week, all, all bike maintenance is, is on me. So, um, I try not to break too many things, although I broke something today, which sucks. no. Kind of turning a little bit towards Pro Motocross Do you have a preference like Supercross versus Pro Motocross or is it just kind of you enjoy both? I prefer outdoors usually. Well, I would prefer Supercross if it came to me as easily as outdoors did. um Every weekend was a grand old time, but now I like outdoors. I like the heat. I like the suffering. Yeah, I'm an outdoor guy at heart Mm When you look at your career now, how do you kind of define success for yourself? Like, what are you shooting for every weekend and how are you measuring success? I think it's kind of been a little bit of a talking point for, for me, um, you know, with my family and whatnot. And like after the 2023 season, it went really well for me. So sometimes. You know what I don't have, but I had those expectations of, of, you know, if I'm not in the same place as I was that year, you know, it's, it's not a good race or not a good weekend. Um, but I feel like, you know, sometimes. some of those results are a little bit of an anomaly with the injuries and things were just rolling my way um at certain races and trying not to let the expectations that I put on myself to be in the same place then, now, I feel like I'm honestly better now than I was. I just think sometimes the competition has stepped up and... And everyone's gotten a little bit better on, on top of that. So, um, yeah, I would say a good weekend for me is, you know, main event. And when I, when I ride, like, I feel like I should be riding and do things the way I know how to, I feel like that's a good weekend for me. You know, if that's a 18th and that's an 18th, that's a 14th, that's a 14th. But as long as I do things the way I know how to and, and ride up to the stand, I believe I should then, then usually I'm pretty, pretty happy. Yeah, being a rider myself and definitely not a high level rider, but like you have an appreciation for what you guys are doing and like just the extreme level that you're racing at versus maybe a fan that doesn't have any riding experience. But no matter where you're placing in the field in supercross or pro motocross, like it's insanely impressive just to be there. Right. Like you. You're the best of the best in the country and even the world. So regardless, kind of where you finish on the roster for the night, like just being able to be there is such a like honor. I feel like anyways. Yeah, definitely. think, at least for me, it's, I feel like I take that for granted sometimes where it's like, yeah, that may not have gone the way I wanted to, but still like, you know, I, for one, I'm still a good rider and, know, being here at all and getting to do this for a living, I guess is, is a pretty cool thing that not many people get to experience. So for sure. It's, cool. What are you working towards right now that people may not realize? Is there something behind the scenes that you're definitely like focused on or there is something new on the horizon? Um, nothing crazy. Just honestly, the current plan right now is just getting ready for, for outdoors and getting the program together. Um, Kevin and, champion tool storage are supporting me to, go racing outdoors since the team doesn't do it. Um, usually like sponsors and, and all that their main focus is supercross. So, the extra funding and, and, and whatnot to go racing outdoors doesn't usually. you know, bring anything more. um, thankfully those guys are, are stepping up to help me to, to go do that, but just kind of getting everything ready to go parts and, um, plan for, for all the, all the races. That's kind of what we're working on these days. As far as maybe advice that you would give to younger up and coming riders who are trying to make it to the pro ranks, what are some of the mistakes that you see people making as they're trying to get to that level? Like what advice would you give them? Um, honestly, it's crazy. Cause when I was growing up, I was like, man, how do these pro guys not know what's going on in the amateur stuff? And now I'm like, wait, who's this kid? Like, I don't know who anyone is. I don't know what's going on. Um, but I would say that as far as advice, I guess kind of pay attention to, to what's worked in the past for maybe kids that didn't have everything growing up. I think there's there's a pretty obvious path for kids with unreal talent and speed. you you kind of, you kind of get put on the path, you know, from a, from an early age when teams start reaching out and you kind of get pulled in a certain direction. But for the kids that don't have, I guess, unreal like flash that, you know, draws sponsors or, or teach their way, um, to just kind of go back and look at how other, other guys. I guess made their way and find something that works for you based on who you are and, and where you're at in the sport. And then kind of transitioning to outside of racing, what kind of helps you stay grounded throughout the year? What do you enjoy doing when you're not focused on racing? Honestly, most of my days and weeks have spent focused on racing, but um when I can, try and, my girlfriend actually has a horse. So she's kind of got me into that a little bit. So sometimes they'll go out to the barn and either just hang out with the horse or go for a ride. I did see one of your social media posts. think maybe it was at Texas. Was it before Texas or? Possibly. Around that time. Yeah, where you were like full gear on the horse before that race weekend. Yeah, that was pretty fun. And then we also did another shoot where, for pro series where I think we just posted some photos about it, but the horse is jumping over my bike that was leading up against the post. That was pretty cool. I told them that this off season I'm going to jump horse. I'm going do it. I don't know about that high, but I'm going to try. Um, one of my good friends has a bunch of horses and we're always kind of joking, like, I don't envy that because the motorcycles when they're not being ridden can sit in the garage and don't require a whole lot of maintenance, right? But a horse has to be fed and cared for every day. So that's a whole other level of, uh, responsibility. Yeah, honestly, like, they're not too much of a problem. They can be for sure. I'm not going to say they can't be because they can be. But, uh, but generally it's they're, pretty cool to hang out with, especially, you know, when you get to know them a little bit. And your girlfriend is also involved in motorsports as well, correct? Yeah, she does photography here and there. Yeah, very cool. It's nice to kind of have that that power duo both be traveling together to the different events. Yeah, unfortunately, she hasn't been able to come to the races as much this year if you have in the past. But um yeah, when she when she gets to come, she enjoys it. It's cool to go with her. Tell people where they can follow along and support what you're doing. So you follow me mainly Instagram ah at grant underscore Harlan. Team page is KMR racing on Instagram. uh Think YouTube is Kevin Moranz. uh Probably that same thing for Facebook and TikTok if you're on there and supercrosslive.com if you want to go to a race or check out the outdoor rounds if you live close by. It's definitely if you haven't been the one. And you're like, um, motor cycle seems pretty easy and whatever. Like I always tell people if you haven't been to a race and you're unsure about the sport, like the only way to know for sure is if you go to a race, because it's a whole different experience seeing it in person. Yeah, I have like mixed feelings. Like the environment of being there in person is like so exhilarating and like you, you feel it, like that fan experience. But also I feel like sometimes I have a hard time focusing when I'm at the event on like, where do I look? What am I watching? What am I doing? Cause there's just so much going on versus like if you're watching from home on your TV, you're just focused on whatever the camera is giving you. Right. So definitely different experiences. Yeah, think watching on TV, if you know the sport is, is nice because you, know, yeah, there might be cool things happening off camera, but like the main storylines and the kind of things you want to see are usually on, on TV. But for somebody that doesn't know much about the sport and doesn't, guess, quite a grasp, like the difficulty or, you know, what's going on, like seeing it in person, like seeing the obstacles, the ruts, the bumps, the whoops, like triples and all that like in person is such a cool experience for them. Yeah, absolutely. Well, Grant, thank you for joining me and thanks to everybody for tuning into Momentum. This has been a production of High Gear Success. And if you want to connect or recommend a guest, head to MomentumMotorsportsPodcast.com. Until next time, keep the momentum rolling.