R.J. Huss

Text: Ronnie Monk

Pic: Randy Yoho

FLmx: RJ Huss, you have really jumped into the MX scene in Florida a lot this past year. What do you have going on with your teams?

Huss: It's true. Ha. I am shutting down the doors to one team and starting fresh with a dominate amateur motocross team in Florida, KWWD Racing. I started my own team in late January called Southeast Racing Team. The only purpose of that team was to help out my best friend Tyler Livesay. He works and rides so hard for so little. I wanted to help him out. I was by myself for a few months just getting as many sponsors as I could for the team and it was a little slow but then started to take off. I was down in South Florida one day at the track and I was talking to Garret Whatley with KWWD Racing and he asked me if I wanted to become a part of KWWD Racing. I went to his house and saw his training facility and thought it would be a great fit for me. Garret and I worked out a deal and I bought a part of KWWD Racing. I am now the Vice President and General Manager for KWWD Racing. You can check the whole team out at www.kwwd-racing.com.

FLmx: What is your racing background?

Huss: My dad Ben Huss raced when I was younger and I just got into when I was with him. I love the sport, the bikes and the people. If it wasn't for my dad bringing me to the tracks then I probably wouldn't have the passion that I do now. He got me a bike and it was all up-hill from there. I raced from a Pee Wee 50 all the way up to a KXF450. I was never fast enough to go anywhere with it because I was always wrapped up in other things like baseball and weight lifting throughout school. I still enjoy riding today but I know I am not going to be a pro anytime soon. Ha. I just do as much as I can everywhere I go.

FLmx: You started your own MX team to help out Tyler Livesay, now it has grown into something really big in the amateur scene with KWWD Racing. What is going on man?

Huss: Yea, the team idea came from a conversation I had with Tyler one day in the truck and I thought to myself, you know I can really help him out. I could not have done any of this without my parents Kelly and Ben. My dad is a very smart business man and my mom is an absolute genius so I told them my plan and they helped me take my first steps in the right direction. After I set up my own business and team I started calling every person I knew to see if they would help. I had a lot of great phone calls and it just slowly started taking off. I met Garret Whatley because Tyler rides on the KWWD Racing Team. Garret and his entire family are a bunch of great people and I went to his house one day to talk about joining the team. KWWD Racing is the biggest amateur motocross team in the state of Florida. The team has 16 riders and a total of 34 bikes. The bikes range from 50's to 450's. I just was happy he wanted me to be apart of the team.

FLmx: Where are you from and what do you do now?

Huss: I am from Dade City originally. My family had a ranch in Dade City where I could ride around in the fields and my dad built our own track. I lived there until I was about twelve and then moved to Wesley Chapel for seven years. After that span in Wesley Chapel we moved back to Dade City where my parents currently reside. I am now living in Gainesville going to college.

FLmx: What degrees are you working on in Gainesville going to school? What is your objective when you get done?

Huss: I am getting my degree in Economics and I may dual major to get another degree in Business Administration. I am ending my second year now and I will be entering my third year in August so there's no turning back now. My goal is to learn the proper ways to successfully run my own business like my father and in the motocross scene, Randy Yoho. I want to learn about the paper work side of a company so I know every aspect. I will get the experience once I graduate. I would love to see this racing team blow up in the next two years so that when I get out of school the team account can support the team and myself. I am not sure if that is going to be possible as of right now. My plan before this team stuff was to go back to Dade City and work for Huss Drilling. I can't predict the future so we will see what happens when the time comes. Either way I will still be apart of the motocross scene.

FLmx: What is the goal for your teams?

Huss: Well I am going to close down the Southeast Racing Team side of things because the team is pointless now that I am with KWWD Racing. I am taking all of my team sponsors and bringing them with me to KWWD Racing. My personal goal is to get as much help for the team as possible. Anyone in motocross knows how much this sport demands to be competitive. I want to minimize the stress on the team riders and let them focus on becoming a better rider. I want their bikes to be perfect in every aspect as well as giving them a nice place to ride with the equipment necessary. I would really like to become a "feeder" team to the pro level. I want to have the fastest amateur riders and watch them develop into pros.

FLmx: You also do a lot at Dade City Raceway. What all do you have your hands in?

Huss: I have my hands in a lot of things with motocross. I have to thank Randy Yoho for all of it. He has one of the biggest hearts and I am extremely glad to know him. He and his wife Teresa are truly wonderful people. I currently announce on the MX Points nights at Dade City MX. Last years announcer was moving away and I told Randy I would announce this year. Randy has really taken me under his wing and helped me move forward. Randy is the one that got me connected with FLMX Magazine for the Monster Energy Sponsors Cup Articles I write. I am at the track announcing so I told Randy that I would write an article about the race for his website. I sent him my first article and he liked it so we rolled with it. Then he called me and told me about sending them to FLMX Magazine and I was pumped because I didn't have any of the team stuff going on at the time. Now I announce at Dade City MX, write articles for the Dade City MX Website www.dadecitymx.comand for FLMX Magazine. I started my own team and now I am with KWWD Racing. I am a sales representative for Torqued 4X4 and Apparel out of New Port Richey, FL. I am a wannabe mechanic for Tyler Livesay when we aren't at Dade City and I try to take care of anything he needs at home, basically a personal manager along with everything else. Ha. I have my hand in as many things as possible.

FLMX: Do you want to build a career in MX? Maybe become a big time team manager some day?

Huss: I would love to find a career in MX. I really enjoy being around the sport. I would like to be a pro team manager one day on the big boy circuit but I think that is a little bit out of reality. I really look up to Forrest Butler with Butler Brothers MX. I think they have a great program and I would love to be in their position. Do I think it is possible, yes. Will it happen tomorrow, no. I believe it is a work in progress and if I work hard at it for a while it could happen. My parents always told me to follow my dreams so right now I am aiming high. McDonalds is always hiring if it doesn't work out.

FLmx: Good luck with everything, is their anything you would like to conclude with?

Huss: I would really like to say thank you to everyone who has helped me and KWWD Racing. I want to start of with my parents. They have guided me in the right direction and I would not be interested in motocross if it was not for both of them. Secondly I would like to thank Randy Yoho. He has taken me from a no body around the track to a person the riders and fans know they can come talk to at anytime. He has taught me so much about the sport and the way everything works. I would like to thank Garret Whatley, he has put me in the front seat to a great organization. He has a great plan and I am glad to be apart of it. I would like the thank Jeff Odum, my partner in crime. Jeff and I just finished up the website for the team and he handles a ton of stuff for me down in Haines City. I would like to thank Billy Wood with Stellar MX and FLMX for being my go to guy with all my questions about what I should do next. We started out as a sponsor and team relationship and now we are good friends. I would like to thank Tyler Livesay for putting my foot in the door with so many people in the industry. Tyler is my best friend and has a lot of input in the team, which always helps coming from the rider. Thank you to Ronnie Monk, my pumpkin race team member, my partner on the mic and friend. I would like to thank all of the KWWD Racing Team sponsors - WFO Kawasaki, Huss Drilling, Stellar MX, FLMX Magazine, BPM Racing Engines, Race Tech, Spectro Oils, VP Racing Fuels, Torqued 4X4 and Apparel, Trick Threadz Action Sports Casual Wear. Lastly, everyone needs to check out the all new KWWD Racing Website. kwwd-racing.com