Ride Like a Gust of Wind

It's no wonder that wherever Doug Gust goes or races, he draws an exceptionally large crowd of fans to each time – without fail! The man is not only known for his strength and stamina whenever he's on his Suzuki ATV, he's known for the way he has a special place and word for all his fans whenever they make their way to see him. This exceptional man who rides like a gust of wind has been said to be the kind of ATV racer who needs very little to remain fit but it definitely helps that this Wisconsin native is hard on himself whenever he trains. At home, Doug Gust rests not; for you will see him circling his own private track pushing against personal limits that will hopefully crack the records. Doug Gust is soft at heart but when on his machine, is more than man enough.

The standards are going up
Doug Gust have seen a lot in the twenty-years that he's spent racing and riding his ATV and then competing in numerous large National and International competitions. One of the reasons why, perhaps, Doug Gust continues to push himself against his own limits is that the standard of ATV racing is rising. He admits that when he first started out ATV racing, the amateurs were amateurs and were nowhere near the professionals. However, today, he says that he is amazed at the kind of standard that even amateurs are displaying these days.

Doug Gust remembers his first race in 1989 very vividly; even though his father thought Gust wasn't ready for the big game, Doug Gust went on ahead with the race against big guys like Gary 'The Legend' Denton . Although intimidated and scared, Gust gave it everything he's got because he wanted to see where he stood against the big guys. He is a man who knew that in order to be at the top, he had to understand and know his competitors. And that he did…he wasn't too bad at all! Although he didn't make it to the podium (for his first race ever), he remembered the pride he felt when he pulled up against the lead who was none other than 'The Legend' Denton . The short moment of having Denton eating dust behind him is a significant part of his memory.

Age is no barrier
Gust is 39. He didn't have a very easy season with Dustin Wimmer tailing him everywhere he went! Thing is, there's a 20 year gap between Dustin Wimmer and Doug Gust because Wimmer is only 19. Wimmer could very well be a son to Gust. However, instead of feeling embarrassed by the fact that a 19-year-old could give him a run for his money, he felt proud that he was up to par with someone as energetic, talented and amazingly magical on an ATV. Dustin Wimmer certainly put a lot of pressure on Doug Gust this season by applying unrelenting pressure on Gust all season through. And he is proud that he pulled through against someone as young as Wimmer.

Teammates
It has been recently announced that his new teammate for 2007 with be none other than the man who has been giving him a hard time all of 2006, Dustin Wimmer; and Gust is more than happy with the news. It would be amazing to have someone as talented as Wimmer on the team. But speaking of teammates, that reminds us of his previous teammate.….Jeremiah Jones. Jeremiah Jones was his teammate this season until a terrible accident during a race left Jones paralyzed. When asked if Jones' accident and the unfortunate outcome scared him, he admits that he was shaken and the reality was quite hard to stomach for a while. After the race, Gust didn't realize that it was his teammate who was involved in the accident until he went on the podium to claim his prize. And everything was alright even when he visited Jeremiah Jones in the hospital. Reality sank its teeth in his heart only later when he had to help Jeremiah who is now paralyzed on and off his airplane. Because of that, for a while, whenever he got on his ATV, he was reminded of Jeremiah.

Retirement plans
He doesn't see himself retiring from racing as of yet, but he does have his future plans all mapped out. Doug Gust is someone who won't stop until it stops becoming fun and right now, he's having way too much fun to quit. He's cut back some on this excavation business to make way for the coming season but he's also actively looking for a piece of land in his home state Wisconsin so that he can open up a Motocross Park. And he's got a name for it too…Digger Doug's Motorcross Park .

So, is he planning to retire soon? Nope, not even close.

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