Jedediah Haines has been on the racing scene for almost twenty years now. His roots are in motocross, but in 2004 Jed was looking to change up his racing program. He began racing Harescramble events locally aboard a 125 and instantly became a front-runner in the A class. The transition from track to trail went over well and he’s been at it ever since. 2010 was Haines’ first full year on the national circuit, as he debuted in the XC1 class aboard a privateer entry. His desire to succeed and fearless racing attitude has caught the attention of many over the years and for 2012 he’s been chosen as the fill-in rider for the Obermeyer Yamaha/Raines Riding University/Offroadviking.com team. We gave Jed a call to get the inside scoop on his new ride and what’s in store for the fast approaching season!
Jed putting in some seat time on his new ride at the Hawkins' compound in South Carolina.
First off, congrats on landing the fill in ride with the Obermeyer Yamaha/Raines Riding University/Offroadviking.com team! I don’t think anyone can deny the hard work you have put in to reach this point and it must feel good to get some well-deserved support. You had a fairly long weekend, so what was on the agenda for today?
Thanks, I’m excited for the opportunity! Not much happening, just got home from South Carolina late last night and been unloading all day and getting some small stuff done around the house.
Tell me a little bit about your trip down to Randy’s place. You spent a few days down there getting situated with the new deal, how did things go?
It was pretty good! The weather was decent and a lot warmer than up here in Pennsylvania. LeeAnn and I went down there so I could get some seat-time on the new bike and get all situated to see what adjustments needed to be made. I ended up getting a lot more riding in than I expected, so at this point I’m further ahead than I thought I would be; I’m happy with how things are going.
How did things end up going your first day out on the bike? You not only went from a 450 to a 250, but also an entirely new manufacturer. What was your overall impression of the Yamaha?
Well, the first time out I just kind of took it easy and got the new bike broken in. I made sure I was comfortable before I went out and pushed too hard. I heard a lot of talk about how much more powerful the 2012 YZ250F was compared to the 2011 model, and after riding one, I couldn’t agree anymore. I’ve played around here and there on the 2011 model a bit last year just practicing so I was anxious to feel the difference…and it is very noticeable.
So you weren’t entirely stranger to the Yamaha set-up and at least had somewhat of an idea what to expect. Even though it’s the only carbureted 250 four-stroke model remaining, how was the power delivery in comparison to other 250’s you may have ridden?
Yeah, even though it’s carbureted, it still has a lot of power for a 250F. There’s a hard punch on the bottom, which definitely exceeded my expectations. It’s been a fairly long time since I’ve ridden a Lites bike, but I was pleasantly surprised at how much power it really did have.
Jed will be a definite podium threat in the XC2 class.
That seems to be the general consensus about the bike, at least based upon other reviews I’ve read. The Yamaha YZ250F is also the lightest in its class, did it feel strange going from one of the heaviest 450’s to the lightest 250F available?
I mean, it kind of did. At first just getting used to the weight difference was one of my biggest flaws this past weekend. I spent a lot of time over correcting. (Laughs) It doesn’t take nearly the amount of muscle it does to ride a 450, and what adjustments I would have to make to counteract something on the big bike is cut in half on the 250F. I’ve been training all winter to build mass since I struggled with arm pump last season, but jumping to the lighter bike now should be advantageous to me.
I guess there are definitely downfalls to each bike; a 450’s power can wear you out, but at the same time, a 250F needs to be over-revved and ridden harder. Moving on, how quickly did the whole opportunity with the Team Obermeyer Yamaha/Raines Riding University/Offroadviking.com come about?
Well, Jason (Raines) gave me the call two weeks ago on a Friday and told me they were looking at having a fill-in rider for Morgan. I didn’t really have any other offers on the table and it was going to be tight for me financially doing the whole privateer deal this season. I had nothing to lose, so of course when I was given the opportunity, I jumped on board. The next day Jason called me back to say things were looking pretty definite, but still nothing had been signed and made official. Jason had to work some things on his end and Keith (Obermeyer) with Yamaha. I got the final word last Thursday, so we hopped in the truck late afternoon and headed south!
Morgan Moss is expected to be back on the bike at some point during the summer. When he returns to racing will you have to give up your bike regardless of your results or is that a bridge you’ll cross with the team when the time comes?
It’s pretty much going to be performance based and determined by my results. I’m in until summer break, which is when they figure Morgan will be healthy and 100% again, then we will sit down and figure things out. If my results are there and I’m in it for the championship, they’ll keep me around. On the other hand, if my results aren’t there and I’m not what they’re looking for, I understand and we’ll part ways, from there on Morgan will take over.
Being that you’ve already competed in the XC1 class, you know what it takes to run with the fastest guys in America. Do you think having that experience will benefit you heading into XC2?
I think it will probably help and hurt me at the same time. The XC1 guys start out at a little slower pace to kind of feel things out and then progressively pick up the pace with each passing lap. I’ve grown accustomed to that and adjusted my racing style to work with that trend. However, if you look at the XC2 guys, usually at the beginning of the race they are up towards the front of the overall. They’re pushing from the get go, but at the same time, they lap times of the class tend to remain the same the entire race or fade towards the end. I know I have the speed, just from my experience with the XC1 guys; it’s just a matter of getting my sprint speed down. I think it will be easier running a lighter bike and the 250F’s can be a little more fun to ride; just having a bigger fun factor makes it that much easier to go fast and push yourself.
The XC1 riders are more mature in that aspect. Those guys let the race come to them while the XC2 riders are sprinting at the sight of the green flag. During the second half of the 2011 season you logged several top finishes, proving your capabilities on the bike. With that in mind, do you have any personal goals or expectations going into a new class? Has the team put any sort of expectations on you as far as results go?
I’ve never raced the XC2 class, so it’s kind of hard for me to put a number on it at this point. I’m just going to keep doing my homework and then after the opening two rounds I’ll have a good idea of where I sit. The team hasn’t really set a standard they are looking for, but I know they want results and that’s what I’m going out there to give them. I haven’t been told I need to make the podium or anything, but no matter what is expected of me, I always give it my best. They know just as well as I do the kind of results I am capable of putting in. I’m not going to go out there and run the chance of wadding up and giving them a DNF if I’m having a bad day. If there is a race or two where I just don’t have it, I’ve got to go out there and ride a smart race, even if it ends up being just a top five. On a bad day it would definitely make everyone happier to grab a top five then a DNF from a silly mistake.
I agree, and if you can still salvage a top five finish in such a competitive class, your season points will be good come round 13. Although you just came back from South Carolina this past weekend, do have any plans to return in the near future?
I’m going to try and go down to South Carolina as many times as I possibly can. Fortunately, but unfortunately, I’m laid off for the winter so I have the time to go down, just not the finances. We will actually be heading back this weekend for the first round of the National Harescramble East series. Since the deal came about on such short notice, I’ll be racing a bone stock bike. After this weekend we’re going to send the suspension out to Factory Connection and get all the odds and ends put on it, that way it’ll be ready to go for the GNCC season. Once we get all the parts in, I will definitely be down there at least once to make sure everything is working the way I want it to so there are no surprises come Florida.
The team knows my financial status and that I won’t be able to attend all of the National Enduro’s. There are probably more costs involved with fuel alone just to run ten rounds of the National Enduro series as there is the thirteen rounds of the GNCC series. On top of that, I work full time during the racing season so the lost wages only adds to my expenses. I will be at all of the GNCC’s in 2012 and that is where my focus will be, but I also plan on doing the National Harescramble series. Since there is an East and West circuit it’s easier to make it to those rounds and be competitive in points without driving cross-country. Jason won the AMA National Harescramble title six times and everyone’s hoping to bring the number one plate back to Yamaha for 2012.
Sounds like you’ll have no trouble staying busy aboard the Yamaha this season. I think that will wrap things up for us. Good luck in the 2012 season and congrats again on the new ride! Who would you like to thank?
I want to thank the Obermeyer Yamaha/Raines Riding University/Offroadviking.com team for giving me the opportunity to represent them at the national level and giving me the chance I’ve been working hard for. Their sponsors are also helping me out: Fly Racing, GE, Kenda, Sunstar, FMF, Unabiker Radiator Guards, Yamalube, GYT-R, EKS-Brand Goggles, Yamaha Generators, Factory Connection, GPR Stabilizers, EBC, IMS, Rekluse, Gaerne, Flat Tire Defenders, HBD Motografx, Accelerade, Wiseco, Zip-Ty Racing, Fastway, CV4, and Randy Hawkins at AmPro Yamaha for helping us out and giving us a place to ride. I would also like to thank my personal sponsors: Oury Grips, Asterisk, UFO Plastics, and All Balls Racing.
