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T.J. Gulla
Age: 28
Weight: 170 lbs.
Height: 5'9"
Hometown: South Hero, Vt.
Other interests: Motocross, mountain biking, wakeboarding
First sled: Ski-Doo Safari Citation 250
Sponsors: Polaris, Z1R Helmets, HMK, Pirtek, Mobile Radio Engineering, Inc., Arctiva, C&A Pro, S.M. Hentges & Sons, Woody's, NGK, Parts Unlimited, Acordia, No Name Steaks, Trukke, TekVest, Ford - Wolff Motors, SLP, Camoplast, Heel Clicker, Red Bull

At age 28, T.J. Gulla is one of the savviest and most experienced Pro snocross racers on the national snocross tour. And this cunning veteran shows no signs of slowing down, rather, each year he raises his game, showing an uncanny blend of speed and consistency to compete with the best in snocross. That speed and consistency has netted the Hentges Racing Polaris rider two WPSA National Pro Stock Championships - in 2005 and 2007. This past season, for the 2007-2008 WPSA National Snocross tour, Gulla was in the thick of the championship battle for the WPSA Pro Stock title. But, Team Arctic's Tucker Hibbert put in phenomenal race performances, missing the Grand Prix De Valcourt race and still taking the championship. But, Gulla wound up fourth in the final standings. During the latter half of season, the wily veteran was locked in a battle for the Pro Open title with Judnick Motorsports rider and Polaris teammate Ross Martin. When the checkered flag dropped on the Pro Open final at the season finale in Lake Geneva, Wis., Martin had edged Gulla for the Pro Open Championship by one single point. Coming so close to taking the championship has added more fuel to Gulla's competitive fire. As the 10-year pro veteran said, "I'd really like to win the Open Championship before I am done, especially since I came so close." With the same fierce determination and rock solid work ethic that took him to two championships, the Polaris racing star is preparing for another season in snocross racing's premier ranks. American Snowmobiler recently caught up with Gulla after a regional motocross race near his home in South Hero, Vt.

AmSnow: You started out your career on Ski-Doo, switched to Arctic Cat, and joined Polaris in 2004. What are the differences between the manufacturers and teams that you race with?

Gulla: The biggest thing is probably the crew members I worked with. I worked with a lot of the top. At Polaris, I have a really good thing going with Tim Bender and Sean Ray and my crew. Every manufacturer has support, but with Polaris, it seems like they go the extra mile to accommodate me and make it easy for me to live out there [in the Midwest] in the winter time.

AmSnow: Do you think your sleds are setup better than they have been in the past?

Gulla: I have more resources now than I've ever had before. Before, my dad was my mechanic and we just didn't have the manpower and time to put it toward my stuff [race sleds]. Now, it seems like we have really good stuff. FOX shocks is helping us out, and we do a lot of suspension testing and I practice a lot more now than I used to because we have a test track. Back in the day I hardly practiced because me and my dad were always working on the sleds. Now, the only thing I have to do is work on practice stuff [sleds] and keep that going. I don't have to help out with the race stuff very much. I spend a lot more time on the sled than I used to.

AmSnow: You've been aboard the same IQ chassis platform for 5 years. Have your setups changed much over this period? Has racing that sled for 5 years made it easier to be competitive?

Gulla: Absolutely. Every year the sled gets a little better and a little better, right out of the box. When it first came out, there were some durability issues and some setup issues because it was a whole new sled and we were starting at square one. What we've learned in the last 5 years is a ton. We don't have much guess work to do. We don't spend as much time fixing the durability issues we had when it came out. Now, we know what's what. We spend more time tuning than we do fixing.

AmSnow: Many snocross race chassis last two or three seasons. Has it surprised you that the sled [IQ] has stuck around so long?

Gulla: We are hoping for big changes down the road. It's expensive for the factory to retool and everything [to build a new sled]. It hasn't really surprised me that we've raced this sled for so long. It's not the same sled that we were riding 5 years ago. There's different geometry changes to the chassis, and it's not visible to the eye, but it makes the sled work better.

AmSnow: It seems that the Polaris IQ chassis suits your riding style.

Gulla: I have a lot of input on the sled. That's what the engineers do at the factory, they look to us for what needs to be changed. Then they put it in the works. We ride it, and we tell them it does this well and does this poorly and does that awesome. They apply it and try to make it work.

AmSnow: What were some of those issues that you worked on recently?

Gulla: Some of the cornering issues, the roll in the corners, the push in the corners and like motor stuff too. We will got out and ride it if it has a bog or lazy spot in the powerband, they will try to fix that.

AmSnow: In 2006, you finished 13th in Pro Stock WSA points and you finished 11th in Pro Open points. The following year, in 2007, you won the Pro Stock Championship and finished third in Pro Open? What were the factors in your dramatic improvement in performance?

Gulla: In 2006, I had a really bad crash at Park X. We had some issues with our mod sled that took us some time to get figured out. I had an off year. It's like the harder I tried, the more I struggled on the race track. I went home that summer, soaked it up as experience and regrouped. And I came out swinging for '07.

AmSnow: What were the keys to winning the WPSA Pro Stock Championships 2005 and 2007?

Gulla: I think it was a lot hard work and consistency. I was on the podium a lot and I never really had a bad weekend. I was always up in the top five. My team worked super good. There's some luck involved in racing, but you kind of make your own luck. We were really prepared for those two seasons.

AmSnow: Do you always feel the drive to push toward the front even if you're stuck back in the field?

Gulla: On the first lap, when you're way in the back, and all you can see is snow dust. The hardest thing for me is not to panic, make a big mistake or crash trying to get up to the front, especially in the finals because our finals are longer now. You got to take your time and pick a guy off and not make a big mistake. Main thing in the first couple of laps is staying out of trouble and not getting in a pile up with somebody in one of the turns. You let everyone settle down and then you start working your way forward.

AmSnow: What's the single biggest career win? Why was it an important win to you?

Gulla: In 2007, the last race of the year, I won the Open class at Lake Geneva. It wasn't my first win and it wasn't my last. I had just won the stock championship and all the pressure was off for the day. I just went out in the Open final and rode the best I had ever ridden.

AmSnow: You have a reputation for being one of fittest riders on the circuit? Briefly describe your in-season training regimen?

Gulla: In season: wake up go the gym, go to the race shop, get my practice sled loaded up, head out to the practice track, go out there and ride for a few hours. And then head back to the shop. And then come back from the practice track and work on the sleds and stuff. And make sure they are all ready to go for the next day. And then do it all over again. And you also have to have times were you take the day off to rest and heal from the weekend's [race]. Sometimes we are beat up and sore and a day of rest is just what your body needs.

AmSnow: According to [Polaris Race Director] Tom Rager Sr., you wear out two to three sleds a year practicing between races. How crucial a part has it been to your success, pounding out all those laps between races?

Gulla: I'd say that's what has helped me out the most is the seat time. I use it as training. You can only substitute training for riding so much. You can do all kinds of exercises, but the best thing you can do for training is to ride. I took full advantage of the practice track. I go out to the practice track every day I can and just pound laps out. It's helped me out a ton.

AmSnow: How much do you test at the practice track?

Gulla: Every once in a while we will pull the semi out to where we are testing and trying new things and setups. We will do that every other week or something.

AmSnow: Is it difficult to maintain your discipline to train week in and week out throughout the season?

Gulla: Not really. It's easier for me because I live in Vermont in the summer and at the race shop [Wausau, Wis.] in the winter. In the winter time, I really don't have anything else going on. It keeps me busy. I am the type of person that has to be busy. I don't have a lot of distractions. When you start seeing success because of it, it makes it easier.

AmSnow: How important is motocross racing to getting in competitive snocross racing shape?

Gulla: That's really key to keeping your timing and rhythm down and judgment. For me, it's more of a training tool. I use to race motocross religiously but now I just use it as a training tool for snocross in the winter time.

AmSnow: You use it as a training tool because you don't want to get hurt on a motocross bike before the snocross season starts?

Gulla: That's my biggest fear right now. It's getting pretty late in the [motocross] season and snocross is coming up, so I tend to chill out on a motocross bike. If I am in second, I won't crash trying to win on a motocross bike.

AmSnow: Your two championships have come aboard the Pro Stock machine. Do you think you have more of a competitive advantage on a Pro Stock sled?

Gulla: With my mod sled, we would be doing alright and then something would happen, a mechanical failure would happen. This year I was riding the mod much better than I had done in the past. The biggest thing for me I spend so much time on my stock sled practicing because that's what I have for a practice sled and I am so much more comfortable on that. That's why I've done a little bit better in that class. Something we're working on more for this season is getting more time on a mod sled and more time testing and getting it to work a little bit better.

AmSnow: Do like riding the stock sled over the mod sled?

Gulla: I actually like riding the mod better and it's more fun. It's weird because I like riding the mod a lot better than the stock one, but I've always done better on the stock for some reason.

AmSnow: What did you learn racing against Tucker Hibbert this last season?

Gulla: You learn he takes some really good lines. When you're following him, you see what he's doing. You learn from everybody on the track really. You see what they're doing and see where you gain time and where you lose time.

AmSnow: Do you prefer to be leading or chasing?

Gulla: I will take the lead any time I can get it.

AmSnow: You're a veteran pro racer and you've seen a lot of changes in the sport. In your opinion, what could improve in snocross racing?

Gulla: Some of the tracks we've raced on lately have gone down hill. Some of the tracks could improve because some of the tracks we race on it's really hard to pass on.

AmSnow: Why are they hard to pass on?

Gulla: The way they are designed they [the tracks] get one lined. There is one fast line and if you venture out from that fast line you lose a lot time.

AmSnow: What are your expectations of the new ISOC circuit?

Gulla: Hopefully, the tracks get better, make it more spectator friendly. For some races we will race for 3 days. That's tough for families to come out and watch us. So they come for the afternoon and see what they want to see and not have to be there all day long. Also, to get more young people started. It's an expensive sport so hopefully more prize money in the beginner classes to keep racing.

AmSnow: Is this year's stock sled a significant step up from last year's sled?

Gulla: Yeah, it's pretty much what we were racing with last year with our mod sled. The steering effort is much easier. That's one of the things they've been working on since they came out with the sled is making it more rider friendly.

AmSnow: What are your goals for this upcoming snocross racing season?

Gulla: Like always, stay healthy and stay on the podium.

AmSnow: Who would you like to thank?

Gulla: Tim Bender, Sean Ray, Tim Harrington, my mechanic, my Dad, he worked for me for 8 years, Tom Rager, he's always believed in me, the Hentges family, Parts Unlimited, FOX Shocks are just a few of my sponsors.