Daniel Blair to GEICO Honda
With the exit of Brett Metcalfe from the AMA Lites Eastern Regional Supercross Championship with a broken collarbone at round two in Atlanta, the GEICO Powersports Honda team went on a search for someone to fill Brett’s shoes for as long as he’s out with his broken collarbone. That person is longtime privateer Daniel Blair.
“I got a call from JC Waterhouse, and he basically offered me the opportunity to come out here [to California] and test the bike,” Blair says. “It was awesome. The whole experience was awesome, just with the way they handle business – they got me the flight, the rental car, and just treated me so professionally, and just that in itself was great. Now that I’ve actually earned a spot on the team, it’s unreal.”
Blair had some mixed emotions when he first hit the track on the Factory Connection Racing machine at the test track.
“First off, my bike was good,” Blair says. “I was happy with it. I felt like it was good enough for me to compete. But being on this bike, I feel like is going to open up so many new doors. It feels so light and it handles so good, and I feel like new doors are going to open because I think I can go so much faster and get so much better starts. It’s really at a whole new level. I’m riding a bike that’s the same brand as mine, but to be honest, it doesn’t feel anything like my bike. It’s like a different brand of dirt bike. It’s amazing, and the first few laps I was on it, I was rolling around the track with the biggest smile on my face, and then it went from a smile to anger and I was wondering how I had been able to race against guys on these things. There were definitely some mixed emotions there.”
Team manager JC Waterhouse says he’s really happy to add Blair to the roster.
“It’s very rare to be able to substitute your primary rider with someone aggressive and talented who may be able to finish up front right away in the series,” Waterhouse says. “With Daniel Blair, I think we’ve accomplished that and I’m looking forward to great things from him.”
Blair couldn’t be happier.
“It makes me feel really good, and they’ve already made me aware that they don’t want me go out there and go nuts, trying to just destroy everyone at the first race,” Blair says. “They want me to be smart and really build off of it, and that makes me feel good because I don’t have to go out there and ride over my head. I can really focus on building a little at a time, and that’s going to be good for me because I really feel like being with these guys, who have won championships, and work with Kevin Windham and Mike LaRocco, I think it will actually help me see things better. I feel like that’s going to be huge for me. I look forward to the weeks ahead.”
Blair will make his debut with the team at Daytona this Saturday night, round four of the Lites East and round nine of the 450cc championship at Daytona International Speedway, March 7th.
Team Sponsors: GEICO Powersports, Honda, Planet Fitness, Unbound Energy, AM/PM, Factory Connection, Fox, Shoei, Gaerne, DVS, Amsoil Lubricants, Cycra Plastics, Dunlop Tires, EK Chains, Filtron Air Filters, Hinson Clutches, Leatt Brace, One Industries, Pro Circuit, Renthal, Shock Doctor, Showa, TAG Sprockets, Vortex Ignitions, VP Fuels, and Works Connection.
