Rodney Reynolds role at Western Power Sports and Fly Racing has been instrumental in the success of the Fly Racing brand. His passion for the sport of motocross becomes more and more apparent to us every time we hear him speak. While he wears many hats at Western Power Sports, it is the remarkable job he has done with Fly Racing's amateur team that has earned our respect over the years. Whether he's racing with his son Garry or scoping talent on the infield of an amateur national, Rodney's life revolves around motocross. He is one of the nicest, most down to earth people you will find in this sport, and we are proud to introduce him as this weeks Industry Insider.

From a broad perspective, describe your role at Western Power Sports?
Well, I actually wear a couple of hats. Of course, Western Power Sports is the parent company of Fly Racing, so that is kind of our in house clothing company. Similar to Parts Unlimited and Thor. For Western Power Sports I’m the off-road product manager and for the Fly Racing segment I do all the amateur race support and PR for all the amateurs. I work with the promoters and the different race tracks and all the media and magazines. I also field the team and look for new riders.

So your position with Fly Racing is what ultimately lands you trackside at all the amateur races?
Yeah, we try and do all the amateur nationals and we also do a lot of regional stuff around here that I’m also involved with. With my son [Garry] racing I do a lot of the regional events with him, so I’m wearing the Fly Racing hat all the time, no matter where I go. My deal is to support the brand and make sure we’re out there supporting the sport and watching for new talent.

Where are you guys at with your amateur program as far as 2009 is concerned? Are there any new kids to talk about?
Yeah, there are some new kids. We’ve got some graduates from the amateur program into the pros. You know, we were helping Tyler Wharton last year as well as Ben Evans, Jay Weller and Tevin Tapia. Tevin will be staying amateur for another year, but will still be with us. We’ve got another guy here at Fly Racing that handles all the pro race stuff, so I try and help him with the transition process. With all the amateurs graduating into the pro ranks we also have a lot of amateurs moving up to big bikes. With Jason Anderson, Christian Craig and Justin Summers, there will be a lot of talent out there for us next year. All that allows us to bring in a new crew of mini kids. That’s kind of the fun part for me is trying to find these youg kids when they’re still raw talent. We’ve got a good crew of mini kids with Andrew Pierce and Chris Alldredge and Alexander Frye and Hunter Hilton. Those are our new crop of young kids that are coming up and we’re pretty fortunate to work with Jason and Aaron Siminoe with the Jr. Factory KTM team, as well.

What are some things you look for when searching out new talent?
You look at a lot of different things when you’re looking at a rider. You’ve got to remember that kids don’t just race the nationals. They race in their regional area and they race at their local track, as well. Some of these kids bring more product awareness for Fly Racing at their local events than they do at the nationals. Cracking the top ten at a national is a big deal, you know. All the local kids in a particular area all venture out and try and make names for themselves, but when you venture back to what they do in their region, they are all dominant riders. So in their region they are looked up to by all the other kids because they do venture out and race the nationals and might get a little bit of press in the magazines. Then, all of the sudden, they are the local hero. So we really try and look at a bigger picture than just what they do at the nationals. Sometimes that plays a bigger role for us than what they do at the amateur nationals.

What would you say is the most rewarding part of your job?
I would have to say watching our riders make their way through the amateur ranks and then move on into a professional career. I would say a perfect example would be Ben Evans and Jason Anderson. The first year that Fly Racing went out and started doing the amateur scene those were my first two real big names that we signed. Both riders have been with use since they were on 60s. To see what both of those riders have accomplished is very rewarding.

What advice might you give someone looking to achieve a career in the motocross industry?
It’s important to remember that not every kid is going to make it to the next level. There are so many people that make education secondary and I think that is one of the most important things you can give a child is their education. You have to have something to fall back on and schooling and education are very important. Even if you want to stay in the industry you have to have computer skills and you have to have knowledge of things outside motocross, and education is a very important part of that. My advice would be to put as much focus towards your education as you do your riding so you have something to fall back on.

Thanks for the time, Rodney. Can we expect to see you at Mini O’s?
Yeah, I’ll be down for the whole week. I look forward to it.