Between Motos
Earl May
By Jenn Sheppard

Some thirty-odd years later, Tallahassee's Earl May, 43, is still having fun racing motocross and says the track at Gatorback Cycle Park is pretty much the same. [It's] not much different than now," Earl said. [There's] more sand on the track, but overall a great place for a MX track-just like now." Having grown up in Florida, Earl started riding motorcycles with his father at the age of 7."There was a lot of property around our house in Melbourne, so I could trail ride almost every day after school," he said. After hearing about a race at the Orlando Sports Stadium, Earl and his father decided to try motocross, and he can distinctly remember paving the first roads to victory. "We took the backseat out of his car and loaded the Honda 50 and headed to the races. I won the Junior Mini," Earl said.
Success didn't stop there as Earl can estimate his entire number of amateur titles. "Wes Kain asked me that, and I really don't know. I'd guess between 40 and 50," Earl said. One title conspicuously came from Loretta Lynn's Amateur National MX Championship. "[I] always seemed to let it slip away there. I have a bunch of seconds and thirds. [I'm] glad I finally won there," Earl said. As he entered the professional ranks, Earl raced mostly East Coast events and his fondest memory came from The World Center of Racing. "[It was] probably qualifying for the Daytona SX in the 250 class," he said. Throughout his career, his lowest national number was 59 though Earl currently runs his national number 82 from 1995. "It is the last Pro National number I earned, and no one else seems to run it, so I don't have to worry about changing my number at a race," Earl said. Upon nearing 30-years-old, the "perennial Vet frontrunner," (home.ama-cycle.org) figured he would race only a few more years.
"Now, I'm 43 and still enjoy it," Earl said. "The reality is that it is just for run. I enjoy the training and riding. I was talking with Jarrett Tipping at one of the Florida races about the 'older guys' in the Plus 25 class, and I started doing the math. We joked about the fact that I've been riding that class for 18 years," Earl said. With the help of his close neighbor's personal trainer, Aldon Baker, Earl stays in shape with a lot of cycling. "Aldon set me up a training schedule that I try to follow," Earl said. "I have to be careful with my knees, so that slows me down in the corners. Most all of the Vet guys have some kind of injury, so it's about the same for all of the riders. I joined a local cycling team, Atomic, and do a few races in Cat 5, like the C class in MX," he continued. Earl's endurance suffers through bicycle rides longer than most harescrambles. "There's a ride that is 33 miles and we average between 24 to 26 mph," Earl said. "I have to stay off the front on those rides, or I'll get dropped and be riding back by myself." Earl links to Aldon through his long-time friendship with the Carmichael family. "I've been riding with Ricky for a long time," Earl said. "His dad was in Tallahassee for work and came out to practice. Ricky wanted to ride up here, so they stayed for a while, and he really liked the area. He moved here permanently in '92 or '93-I think. It was good for Ricky, as I could really push him in those days, me on a 250 and him on an 80." The friendship turned professional once Earl went into business with Ricky. "We, along with another friend, Ken and his father, Bill Tyrrell, have an express car wash business," Earl said. "We have a location in Dothan, AL and Clermont, FL. We are in the process of building in Orlando, Jacksonville and Brandon. It's funny; some days Ricky will give me a hard time about being late for practice, and I tell him I'm working on the business, trying to make him more money. He says he's counting on that money for retirement," Earl said.

As Earl continues to enjoy the sport, he knows that he lucked out with his superior pit crew.
"I'm lucky that my wife Susan enjoys going to the races," Earl said. "I couldn't do this without her. She sacrifices things she would like to do so [that] we can go to the races together. We can load up the RV and our 2 dogs and go racing. The RV makes it a lot easier, as Susan can spend time doing other things and not be stuck outside in the heat, cold, dust, etc," Earl said. In-between racing the 4 classes, +25, +30, +35 and +40, Earl has limited time for leeway. "There is very little time between motos, and Susan helps me keep on schedule, makes lunch/snacks, gets the goggles ready with tear-offs, checks the moto results and lets me know who I need to beat to make the most contingency," Earl said. His sponsor list is topped with Kawasaki Team Green, where Earl remains a contingent contender. "Team Green is awesome. Dave Gowland and Reid Nordin have a great organization. They are always willing to help all of the riders. Their contingency program is super. Sue Graff at Kawasaki does a great job of getting the riders paid when they earn contingency-a lot of times within a few days. The bikes are also great. Obviously, with the success of [James] Stewart and [Ryan] Villipoto, the equipment is good. I'm very happy there," he said. Look for Earl coming up in Texas where he will be racing the two nationals. "I will try to race as many contingency paying races as possible and train for Loretta Lynn's," he said. For Earl, there's more fun to be had."When I turn 45, I can finally quit racing with the 'kids' in the Plus 25 class."

Sponsors: Kawasaki Team Green, Pro Circuit, Fox, Oakley, Dunlop, Maxima, Renthal, Twin-Air, CTI and RK Chains.