HERZLICH WILLKOMMEN ZUM JAG DEN WOLF 2010

From Dakar to HUNT-THE-WOLF: Jaroslav Katrinak about the race and his 20 year of enduro-experience.

Primul-ATV-Magazin (PAM): Jaroslav, when I see you racing, you appear to me as becoming a fulfilled happy unity with your machine. With 43 years and after 20 years of motorsport history, what is still giving you this huge enthusiasm for motor sports?
Jaroslav Katrinak (JK): These two sports are so close. As a child, I used to like the motorbikes and quads. Quad/ATV gave me new energy after the bad motorbike-accident, where I damaged my liver. Only motorsport gave me a new joy of life, new appetite to the live.  
PAM: You switched from Enduro-Bike to ATV/Quad-sport just a year ago, to better protect your liver after that bad accident. And you told me that you still like Bike-racing better then ATV-racing. Why?
JK: It isn´t better, but less dangerous. You can manipulate easier with motorbike than quads. If a motorbike falls down on your body, it can´t cause you so serious injury like a quad. After mentioned accident of my health, the change in my sport life was very necessary. After long time of motorbike racing and after that accident I got this offer to try to drive quads. I enjoyed it and I caught a new energy to race. I wanted to connect these two similar vehicles and I decided for quads which are smoother and with lower intensity. And I like it so much.
PAM: You are one of the few professional ATV/Quad-racers in Europe. How can a company in a relatively small country like Slovakia afford to keep its own Pro-rider? How do you estimate your value as a racer for them?  
JK: I don´t know (smile). It is a question to my team people, maybe. We go along well; we take every occasion healthily, we solve everything together. We aren´t a team of big professionals.  There is the huge enthusiasm of all in this. Every one of us gives a lot of energy, a lot of own free time into this sport. It is more than professionalism. All team people enjoy this sport. I am not so demanding like the professional riders. I am more modest. If you put together these things, you can manage it also in a relatively small country like Slovakia. Maybe also this: I don't need a lot of money for it. I only need a good condition of myself to better handle my quad. Trainings and tours in your country help me and give me always a lot of experiences.
PAM: How much do you train? How often? Mainly what?
JK: Well, I sometimes take training for holding time, for feeling. Sometimes, the speed training until maximum distress, and of course, there is for shorter distance. I often drive the extremes for holding time, in my country I drive to mountains and to the forest. Also in your country if I drive, there are very hard terrains with stones, trees and many canyons. I can tell it is half – half regarding the type of my trainings. I got a GAS-GAS  motorbike to ensure my good physical condition, for my arms, hands and legs. I often drive by my quads and also by my motorbike, because there is the difference between. Every vehicle gives me another condition for my body and also different working of my muscles which I need when I race. I train only on these machines. No fitness, no big runs, no other sports. Because of my liver-damage I  have to consult everything new with my doctor, and we will see how it will develop.  
PAM: When you go to an ATV races, how many ATVs and mechanics are you taking along for support?
JK: Our team has 5-6 people, includes 2-3 racers in it. We have always 2 quads for using. For formal things we have 2 members and next 2 people for technical things. Regarding racers, the first (me) and the second is our guy from team. And the third are the external boys who ride recreationally. But we have the agreement, if something happens with my quad, other members have to help me with theirs... for example if I crash some parts of my quads, they have to give me their parts or their own quads.
PAM: What tuning you have on the ATV used in HUNT-THE-WOLF-2010?
JK: No tuning of quad I was using for racing in Romania. ATV is better for hard extreme terrain, it is less powerful then quads, better to control. I only changed my gas pedal, so no lever, but the same like on my motorbike – roller hand. And also I have the serial tires, serial exhausts and serial variator. No much money to remake. The success mostly depends of skills. I prefer the racing by serial Can-Am Renegade Xxc , and not to tune another vehicle.  It is softer, easier and much control.
PAM: How helpful are the 20 years of Enduro-Bike experience all over the world (Dakar, Petersburg-Beijing, Bajas, ...) in your new ATV/Quad-racing career?
JK: It is enough similar like motorbikes, there are also two handlebars. If I ride by motorbike, it is better to read a terrain, if I compare with quad.  There are the differences in jumping, in outrunning. You must be much more careful on quads. My long time experienc from motorbike, I can use this way:  I can perfect read the terrain, I can immediately decide how fast and which terrain I can traverse with my quad.  
PAM: What is your comment on HUNT-THE-WOLF-2010?
JK: Very hard, but beautiful. Enjoyable, no stress. Good work, good organization. I was really enjoying the driving. In my EXTREM-category, the terrain was very hard. I liked much the night driving, good idea to think this type of race. I have never raced this way. It was for me like a good training before the race, which was the next day. I also liked the extreme cross-trial – nice for present viewers. Each of us had to take all energy of ourselves. Every of us had to go to the very button of his force. The extremes in mountains were really hard. It could traverse, but very carefully, slowly and take a brain. It was also difficult for navigation. I enjoyed it.
PAM: Do you know any ATV race which is technically more demanding then HUNT-THE-WOLF?
JK: No, I don´t know any race as yours. I have never taken part in a similar race. It was a new for me and it was one of the hardest for me. During my motorbike career I traversed a lot of canyons, but not like in a race when the time is most important – when you can´t make mistakes,  which can change your result at the end, only like a training or in my free relax time where time doesn´t play a big role.
PAM: HUNT-THE-WOLF-2010 was your first race in Romania, and you won this prestigious race. How do you judge the Romanian riders after all?
JK: I was pleasantly surprised of my victory. There were a lot of good racers. I had a good relationship with them. It was pleasure for me to drive with them. I have learned a lot of things, mostly moving with navigation, their view – how they view it, this extreme terrain. Dakar and another type of races I participated in the past, they are organized differently. HUNT-THE-WOLF-2010 was for me a big teaching. If I compare your guys with our racers from Slovakia,  I bow in front of them; just great how they race this extreme terrain!
PAM: When will you race in Romania next time?
JK: I don´t know yet, it depends of my Slovak friend Rado. It also depends of my racing calendar and time. Rado knows the best. We have agreed, he will inform me when will be some racing in your country. I will certainly take part in.
PAM: Great, so we hope to see you on the podium again soon!
JK: (He was smiling)

Jetzt steht es fest: die 5.Edition des faszinierensten ATV/Quad-Rennen Europas findet 2011 am Osterwochenende statt. Die Renndauer wird von 2 Tagen und einer Nachtetappe auf 3 Tage und eine Nachtetappe verlängert. Mehr Infos folgen bald.