"People Are Going to Remember My Name..." | Steward Baylor on His Legacy 2

Stew Baylor is an icon in off-road racing and a fan favorite at every GNCC event. He came on a recent episode of the MotoXpod Show to discuss why he started his own team, what he thinks needs to change in the GNCC, events he'd like to race, and much more. The interview was conducted by Jamie Guida and Scotty Thomson.

For the full interview, check out Ep290 of the MotoXpod Show  |Ft. Stew Baylor, Liam Draper, Rachael Archer, and Jay Reynolds. Also, if you would like to watch the video version from the MotoXpod Show click the link above.

Jamie Guida – Vital MX: What's going on, Stew?

Steward Baylor: Not too much. I'm still trying to organize all the chaos from the season.

Jamie: I feel there's a lot of chaos around you because of your personality. I saw you Friday night up on stage with the band, and your fans are nuts. 

Stew: Yeah, definitely. I march to the beat of my own drum for sure and do things differently. It suits my style. I've been on both ends of it. I rode for factory KTM, and I found that I have to enjoy racing, which keeps me in the parking lot. That, and running a team, training facility, clothing brand, and a hair salon with my wife. We stay pretty busy. It's never-ending. 

Jamie: I knew about the team ownership and the training facility. I did not know about the hair salon or the clothing brand.

Stew: I trim hair on Mondays.

Jamie: Are we being serious? 

Stew: No. 

Jamie: OK, because I don't know how I feel about you cutting my hair. 

Stew: I haven't even cut my own hair in quite a while.

Jamie: I can see a customer sitting down and you telling them, "Well, I don't know what you're going to end up with. Here we go."

Stew: Yeah. I can probably do a mean mullet. I could specialize there.

Jamie: So, second overall in the GNCC series in the XC1 class, and you finished second at the finals at Ironman. You had two wins and seven podiums. That's a great season. In the end, you were 11 points down.

Stew: Yeah, it was 23 points down going into Ironman. We had some bad luck. We had our fair share of a rough road this year with things that don't normally happen. 

Jamie: You talked about doing things your way and having your team. It's Team Tely Energy Racing/Rocky Mountain KTM. How does that team work? 

Stew: Well, next year will be a lot different, a lot bigger. This year, it was thrown together a little late. I was still negotiating rides when I honestly said, "Screw this. I've had enough going back and forth. If I do this, I will do it on my terms." It's something that I have talked about for a long time. Todd Ely, he's the Ely in the team's name, we had a long discussion, and it gave me the out. He said, "Hey, let's just do this thing." So, I pulled every contact I've made since I was three and on two wheels. I swear I called every one of them. So yeah, I put together the program and started shopping riders, but it was late. I didn't get to get all the riders that we wanted. Next year, I'm going to add to that roster. I just felt like I was in a position whereas a rider, I was very devalued. It's really like 90s motocross and Supercross. Off-road today is a lot like 90s motocross. If you took a 90s motocross fan to current motocross, they would be like, "Screw this. We have a bunch of retards in the parking lot. They're overpaid." They would go to a GNCC and feel they could relate. The same thing happened in professional bull riding, the UFC, and almost all professional sports where one person is the man. Where you are solely determining what you're doing, there's always that one that says, "I've had enough of listening to the way they want to do it. I'm going to change it." I've been saying it for a while, like, "I'm going to change something here. People are going to remember my name for more than just racing and starting this team." I am a racer, so what I do will be for the racers.

Jamie: You mentioned having factory rides and wanting to do it your way. I would assume that factory KTM in the past didn't like the "image" of Stew. Were they trying to rein you in?

Stew: Yeah, definitely. I've heard the same line from time to time. "You are the guy that we want to have because you're what sells bikes. You're the relatable one, but we can't have you, not like that. We're going to have to change. If you want to do this, we must change your social appearance. We're going to do this. We're going to do that." I heard that for a long time, and finally, last year, I didn't hear that anymore. The teams were calling me. They didn't say anything about changing my appearance. They're looking at numbers, and they've seen my crowd. They've seen my fans. It's about sales, and you have to be relatable to sell things. It's no different than when you go and buy a car, and you run into a dickhead salesman. You're not going to buy from that guy. I want to find a guy with my common interests. I know the interest in that parking lot. They are outdoors people. You're in a parking lot where people choose to spend their time outside. If you go through the parking lot at a GNCC or motocross, it doesn't matter where you go; many people are like-minded and there because they love it. They want to drink beer with their friends, and usually, their best friends are in that parking lot. You may not talk to each other all off-season, and then you go back racing, and it's like, "Yep, that's my boy." That's the guy in your wedding, and all of them are there for the same reasons, and none of them are wearing button-up shirts like these teams are. So, they're missing the market, plain and simple. That's my two cents. 

Scotty Thomson – MotoXpod Show: You are the man of the people, so it's cool that you acknowledge that. I think you will get to the goal of changing the sport. It will grow from it, and I like what you're doing in the long run.

Stew: I hope it does. (Jeremy) McGrath did it years ago, and I think it was for the same core reasons. If you talk to any rider and hear their true complaints, they are almost all the same. There's always one that has a little bit louder voice and may drink too much and speak their opinion. That happens to be me. 

Scotty: Where do you see the sport's growth in the next five to ten years?

Stew: I think there will have to be some major changes within the sport, but with the major changes that would need to happen for the sport to grow tremendously, it would change the core in the three-hour racing. It's going to have to take more of an outdoor national turn. There need to be four different races televised over a four-and-a-half-hour to five-hour show. That's the only way I feel you can keep everybody engaged. With that said, that takes away the core of what is. It may be a difference in opinion, but I truly feel that to televise it, Pro2 and Pro1 will have to be separated into different races. The technology is there. It's just putting it together to allow you to see most of the track. With the helmet cameras, you can stream the helmet camera live. I've talked to guys who are into telecommunications, and there are things that they're doing. They do it at King of Hammers; you can put up these little pods throughout the woods and get a perfect signal. To put that together, you're looking at millions of dollars. So, will that ever happen? Will I be racing to see it? I don't know, but it would be cool to see. I think that's a place that the sport can go. The live show has opened many more opportunities for us, and you just can't argue with GNCC numbers right now. It's unbelievable how far GNCC has come and the sheer number. I'm looking at the industry as a whole, and it's crazy to see, from a rider standpoint, how much less we make, knowing how much more business we provide. But the television is a big piece of that.

Editor's Note: MX Sports reported 2,834 unique entries at Ironman and an estimated 15,000 total people through the gate.

Scotty: Take us through the mental process when you get to the two-and-a-half to two hours and 45-minute mark, and you guys are in a deep battle that's been going on for hours. 

Stew: It's tough on us. It takes a long time. Maybe I'm a slow learner, but learning my competition and where to make my moves took me a long time. Knowing how to lead and keep them from making those moves also takes a long time. This weekend, for example, I knew that I was going to have to get aggressive with a mistake from a lapper from Josh Strang because he's been doing it so damn long. He knows me, and he knows my game. I know his, and it was going to take a mistake. I saw the mistake. I took the opportunity; I made my pass. Everybody thought that there was no battling because the cameras missed it. Five guys were within five seconds. Believe me, there was some passing and some bumping going on, and up until two hours, there were ten guys within 10 seconds. I completely messed up my shoulder, hitting Ben Kelley so hard. It was unintentional, just a mistake from a lapper that got him squirrely, and he shot over, and I smoked him. When you're racing that fast, and that close, shit happens. In that position, you start remembering every line. In Supercross, these guys remember 16 jumps and six corners. I've got a lot more to remember than that. You remember the section, and you know when that major opportunity is coming, and you know, "OK, I have to start setting up for this three corners in advance to make sure I can cut under when it matters." I did that, and I ran it in on Strang five or six good times where, with most other riders, I probably would have had the pass made. He was too good on defense. The guy has been there and done that for so long. It's a game of chess at that point. You're thinking about your strategy, his strategy, where you can strike, and ensuring you're always in the right position when you need to be. My heart rate in the battle on the last lap was pushing two hundred, which you can't replicate with cycling or rowing. You're getting mentally fatigued, and you're breathing heavily. Most guys would just go attack, attack, attack. As a veteran, I think, "OK, this section's a little smooth. Nobody behind me is going to get by. I'm going to cool down. I'm going to calm down. I'm going to take a breath." You can see the rider in front of you and see when he relaxes because his body position changes slightly. He's taking that breath. I know I can't get by him. He knows I can't. I'm going to take my breath. I'm not taking advantage. Whenever we go back to it, it's time to strike. This happens four or five times on the track a lap, and it's only a quarter of a mile. It's thirty seconds, and you take your breath in a tighter section. You're not trying to overwork your body. You might sit down and grab a sip of water, and then the second that breaks free, you're going again. During my break period, we're passing lappers like they're standing still. We're still going fast. It's just a smooth fast. Then, on that last lap, having five guys fighting for the lead within five seconds, that got pretty intense. That's where you forget to breathe a bit. I missed my mark. I could have passed him again during the lap before, and I planned on it. I got there, and I completely blew it. There was only one spot where I knew I could make the pass. I knew it the entire track, and I got there, and there was a guy on my left, and I hesitated. By the time I hesitated, it was too late. You've got to be sharp.

Jamie: You mentioned that putting the team together this year was rushed. Do you expect big changes in 2024? Will you be sticking with KTM? What can you say?

Stew: In '24, I'm looking for where we will have the best opportunity. Not necessarily only for '24 but for the future as well. As far as picking the manufacturer, it's not just picking the manufacturer but picking the manufacturer that you see longevity in. Right now, KTM's been good. I've ridden for KTM since I was nine. Jack Penton signed me. So, I've had 17 years under KTM. I only rode outside KTM for the two years I was on Yamaha and the one Sherco year. It comes down to who will give me the best opportunity next year. Right now, we're throwing names in a hat and trying to decide who my other XC1 or XC2 rider will be. I've got a few names that have stuck out. It's tough. I've got some really good friends in the sport, and the only problem I see with hiring one of my good friends is if it will drive a wedge between us. I was looking at a good buddy of mine, Evan Smith, and I was sitting there thinking, "Man, I could see something going wrong there. Maybe that's not the best idea. He's a good friend, and we ride together every week." I don't want to drive a wedge there. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe you can make everything better. Hell, I might be able to help him. He might be able to help me. It's tough to make business and friendship always work.

Scotty: What about your brother?

Stew: You know, we can hate each other. We hated each other all of our lives. (laughs) We were always fighting nonstop. Dirt bikes mainly were the reason. He's definitely on the list, but his contract's not up this year. He would have been a top pick, mainly for convenience. He lives seven miles from the track and training facility. I'm about to move over near the training facility. For testing purposes, we're the same size. Not many guys are our size racing at this level. We could help each other out, and we have in the past. I also want a good female rider. We've been playing that one out a little to see where that puts us. For my other Pro1 or Pro2, I want to look at a couple of the older guys. Guys who are my buddies but aren't quite as close, but still good friends I've known for years. One would be Thad Duvall and the other is Josh Toth. Those guys are both solid. They've had good results, and both had a bad hand dealt in the last couple of years. With the right opportunity, those guys could both do very well. Josh Strang showed this weekend that even towards the end, old dogs still have some bite. I'd love to share a lot of stuff. I've got a lot of stuff cooking, but we're still under contract from the previous year, and it's tough. I almost wish things would get leaked more for a couple of reasons. Let's say that I do change something major, and my fans or the racers we're with would want to follow. Well, hell, we can't release it until January 1st. At that point, they'd already bought everything for next year. Now, whatever big deal I have, they will say, "Well, we didn't see any numbers change for this year." Are they going to give me a second year? I don't know. 

Jamie: Is there a bucket list event you still want to do? I saw you're going to race in Japan at the National Cross-Country finale. Is there something else that stands out that you want to do?

Stew: Yeah, I want to try Erzberg or Red Bull Romaniacs. Something like that to me would be really cool. I think a pro national would be fun at some point, but it's one of those things where you have to completely change every aspect of how you train and ride. It would take a little more dedication to do that one.