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By: Robert Janis It Started
With a Dare
 How many people can say that they found their
passion on a dare? That's exactly what happened
to Ken Robey, a member of the Arctic Cat ATV
racing team along with Daryl Rath, Joe Duncan,
Kevin Johnston, and Jesse West.
"I am a truck driver and I was delivering to
a Lowe's store in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I
became friends with the receiver there, Larry
Lazzelle, and his secretary, Robbie Bennett,"
explained Robey. "I was in the store every day,
and we all talked about various things. One day
I was in Robbie's office admiring all the photos
when I noticed a race schedule hanging on the
wall. I also noticed that a race coming up on
the schedule was taking place close to my
hometown, and I asked her if she was going to
attend. The race was scheduled in October, 2001
at Powerline Park in St. Clairsville, Ohio. She
said that she would be there, and I told her
that I would take my wife and kids out to watch
the race with her. She knew that I rode a quad,
and she told me to bring it so that I could race
in the event. I told her she was "nuts." It was
a national event, and I was just a mud- slinging
trail rider on a stock Yamaha Wolverine with big
mud tires and a winch. I had never even heard of
GNCC racing before. She said: "no problem," and
that she would call her son to see what I needed
to do to enter the race. Her son turns out to be
Chad DuVall, the retired GNCC racing great.
Well, this "begging me to race" went on for
about a week, and Larry Lazzelle, one of my
closest friends now; volunteered to be my pit
crew. I broke down and finally accepted the dare
and I finished third in the Utility Modified
Class in my first national race. Two weeks
later, Larry, my son, Douglas, and I were off to
the Ironman Race. I was hooked and never looked
back."
 Robey added that DuVall helped prepare him
for the race and inspired him to do his best.
"The day of the race I met DuVall. From the day
I met him I was inspired by his drive to be the
best. I just couldn't believe how nice this guy
was to me. He walked the track with me and
showed me the things I needed to know to compete
with the best. Chad consoled me as my
nervousness turned to sheer panic when I went to
tech inspection. I saw all of the other racers
and their machines and was just in amazement at
the equipment they had. The one tip he gave me
has always stuck with me and is true to this
day, He told me: "Don't worry about the guy who
has the cleanest machine or the best equipment.
Worry about the guy with blue jeans and work
boots on. He is the one who will beat you if you
let him. Chad is a huge inspiration to me and
many others in this sport."
Married and a resident of Martins Ferry,
Ohio, Robey has two kids, a son, Douglas and a
daughter Manda. He bought his first ATV sometime
after he got married in the early 1990s, a
Yamaha Wolverine 350. Today Robey races in the
Utility Stock Class all over the east coast,
with the GNCC circuit and he started racing in
the WPSA Powersports ATV Tour in 2006. He won
his first GNCC Stock Championship in 2005. "I
have competed in well over a hundred races in
the past five years," said Robey.
He made the connection with Arctic Cat when
he started racing in WPSA events.
"I was in contact with their media relations
director, Kale Wainer, after I started racing
the WPSA series, he said.
His experience with racing has not always
been easy. He recently broke his collarbone
after a crash in a WPSA race in Illinois. Also
his struts blew out and he destroyed his upper
shock mounts in the first race of the season
aboard his Kawasaki Prairie. He still finished
fourth in that race.
 Arctic Cat supplies Robey with the ATV he
races--a 2006 Tony Stewart Edition Arctic Cat
700. "That is what they want me to race," he
said. He also noted that Arctic Cat supplies him
with any parts he may need. "This is a huge cost
relief off my shoulders," he said. "When I was
independent, I was scraping the bottom of the
well to try to make it to the races." He added
that Arctic Cat also provides engineers and
mechanics for the WPSA races.
The 700 he races has been customized with OMF
Beadlock wheels, Maxxis All-Trac tires, Rath
Racing front and rear bumpers, Progressive
Suspension front shocks, Outerwear shock covers
and custom covers for the seats, Ultimax drive
belt, TAG handlebars, Oury grips, Cycra
handguards, Liquid Performance coolant,
Manhattan Oil Synthetic oil, and a Pro Design
tether cord.
Besides Arctic Cat, Robey is sponsored by OMF
Performance, Maxxis Tires, Aluminum Products,
Klotz Lubricants, Outerwears, Works Performance,
Progressive Suspension, Cycra, Liquid
Performance, Liquid Horsepower, Pro Grip Gear,
Douglas Wheels, TAG Metals, EBC Brakes, Oury
Grips, PRM Products, Diamond G Racing, Verde
Powersports, Ultimax ATV Belts, EPI, Sealsavers,
Custom Covers, and Pro Wheel Race Shades. He
said that he seeks sponsors by sending out a lot
of resumes to "every company imaginable that
deals with ATVs." He also spends a lot of time
on the telephone begging.
 The best part of racing for Robey is the
competitive atmosphere and the drive needed to
be one of the best. He also enjoys the people he
has met over the years and all of the great
friendships he has made, he said. "All of the
guys in the utility classes are like brothers.
We all get along great and hang out in each
other's pits ragging on each other all of the
time."
The worst part of racing, continued Robey, is
the long drive home. "Just in GNCC racing this
year I drove more than 11,500 miles to compete,"
he said.
His favorite track is The Wisp in McHenry,
Maryland. "I just love the challenge that it
brings with all the obstacles like the rocks and
huge hill climbs that get in the way. To me, it
is the most punishing race on the machines that
we have on the schedule. I love a good sloppy,
muddy, hill climb. I just love trying to weave
in and out of traffic that is stuck on the hill.
Being a four-wheel drive racer, there are arenas
with many places we can't go. A lot of times on
these monster hills I don't even take a breath
until I reach the top."
Robey sees the future as bright for ATV
racing as a whole. "I see a huge future in ATV
racing," he said. "GNCC is expanding this year
to incorporate some new types of classes for
next year and the WPSA Series, which is a
newcomer, is showing a lot of promise in the
amount of respect it gives its riders, the TV
airtime, and the purses they pay out. As for my
future, I hope to be along for many more years
to come and will be focusing on my relationship
with Arctic Cat for the 2007 racing season and
hopefully for many more years into the future."
Photos By: Harlen Foley
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