NUMBER CHECK with... Gannon Audette
Author: Brian Wilkinson	Number Check | Wednesday, 12 November 2008 00:00

Photography: Ryne Swanberg

We usually reserve Number Check for one of our Wednesday posts, but, to be honest, we didn't want anyone else breaking this story so we decided to run it this morning instead. Having a dedicated crew that covers the motocross industry from coast to coast can really pay off. We recently witnessed former Honda mounted Gannon Audette riding aboard a brand new Suzuki while one of our mid west contributors was on a trip down to MTF and GPF, and were completely surprised by the finding. Well, we say surprised, but seeing as we were already aware that Honda was dropping most of their amateur program for ’09, we expected to see a lot of former Red Riders switch colors over the next few weeks.

With Mini O’s less than two weeks away, we are pleased to break the news that Audette has made the switch from Honda to Suzuki. Fifteen year old Gannon Audette was born and raised is Dalbo, Minnesota, but now resides in Cairo, GA. Gannon has moved up to the big bikes full time for 2009, and is looking to win some championships. Switching bikes only a few short weeks before a national can be hard, but Gannon feels confident that he has what it will take to run up front. Keep your eyes open for the #533 of Gannon Audette at Mini O's, but remember, he is now on Suzuki's.

 

Explain to uswhat a day in the life of Gannon Audette is like? What do you do?

Well, it varies from day to day. Sometimes I get up and play x-box. Some days I get up, ride my bike for 30 minutes and then go riding. Then when I get home, maybe ride my bike again. On off days, I ride my bike about two times a day and do school work every day. I go riding about 4-5 days a week and sometimes I race on the weekends.

 

You had a good 2008 season in the 85 and supermini classes. Reflect a little on your season and tell us how you feel that you did overall. What did you learn from the season?

This season, on mini's, I felt that I did pretty good, but I never got a championship over Eli Tomac. I felt I did pretty good, but I could have been in a lot better shape, so I'm learning from that. Now being on big bikes, it seems to be helping a lot so far in the past two months.

You and Tomac are both on big bikes now, do you think that this year you can win some championships over Tomac and the rest of the field?

Yeah, definitely! You know, I think if I go out there and ride my own race and not think about them, I think I can pull of some championships in the '09 season.

You are now riding the big bikes full time, right? What classes will you compete in for the '08/'09 season?

Yeah, I'm riding big bikes full time now, and for the '09 season I will be riding schoolboy 2 14-16 and Lites B stock and mod.

Let’s shift our focus over to your big switch. Why did you decide to make the switch from Honda to Suzuki?

Well, for one it's because Honda kind of dropped a lot of their amateur support and we were just checking into other options and we got hooked up with Cole Gress.

 

How do you like riding the Suzuki’s so far? Do you feel that they have a winning bike?

Yeah, so far the Suzuki's have been great! They seem to corner better than the Honda's, so I brought my corner speed up and that’s what wins and loses races. I'm definitely confident,so I’m excited for the '09 season.

 

What are you looking forward to for the remainder of this year?What are you looking forward to in 2009?

For the rest of this year I am focused on Mini O's. In 2009 I'm looking forward to Whitney and Oak Hill, just to see how everyone has adapted to the big bikes from the little bikes. I think that I can top 5 at all of the amateur nationals, and maybe even come home with some championships.

 

With only a few short weeks of testing and getting the new Suzuki’s all dialed in, do you feel that you are prepared for Mini O's?

Yes, definitely. This Wednesday I am going out to John Mitchell's to do my testing and get all of my stuff dialed in. Then, I come home and practice a little, and then it's off to Gatorback.