GUNNING FOR GLORY
WBR (Whitten Brothers Racing Team) has fast become a staple in the national MX and SX paddocks, helped certainly by some outstanding rides by team rider Aaron Tanti early in the 2017 MX Nationals season.
We originally caught up with Travis Whitten for a feature on privateer team owners in last month’s issue but, after spending close to an hour with him on the phone, it was obvious the way he was going about things needed a little more than one page to really appreciate.
Let’s kick things off by taking it back to the start. Where does your passion for racing come from?
Like everyone, I raced and that was a passion from a young age. I grew up on a small farm and had somewhere to ride when I was a kid. It all started from going racing as a family and the passion grew from there.
When I was younger I never saw myself working in a dealership. Actually, back when I was 16–17 years old and got to know a couple of the local dealerships through my racing, I remember thinking this is the last place I want to be working. It looked like a lot of hard work running a dealership.
I went off and did my apprenticeship as a fitter and turner at a Nestlé yoghurt factory, which was pretty cool. I did all that and was still racing at the time and going down the normal path, funding myself while finishing my apprenticeship and saving up money to buy a house.
At the same time, the local Kawasaki and Suzuki dealership closed down. My parents own and run a car and
