CROSS OVER - Chris Blais - Two Wheels to Four

Photo by Dirt Nation

A Conversation with Chris Blais

By Scot Harden

Chris Blais is one of those remarkable racing personalities who you can’t help but root for. Not many people know, but Chris had an impressive motorcycle racing career cut short by injury. He is one of only a small handful of Americans to have ever stood on the podium at the Dakar Rally, doing so in 2007, finishing 3rd Overall, as a member of the factory Red Bull/KTM U.S. effort. More recently, Chris turned his attention to UTV racing and started by competing in the Rally class. Then, in 2021, with support from Can-Am and a host of other sponsors, Chris jumped to the very competitive UTV Unlimited class, proving himself a force to be reckoned with. Following is a brief interview we conducted with Chris the day before the Jimco Racing Silver State 300.

SCOT: All right, so here we are. I’m in the parking lot of the Boulder Station today before the 2021 Jimco Racing Silver State 300 talking to Chris Blais. Welcome Chris, what class are you racing tomorrow?

CHRIS: I’m racing Unlimited Pro class.

SCOT: That’s quite a step forward. I mean, from where you started with this whole program, you were happy and content there at the beginning to just go out and race with the kids. So it would appear the switch to the Unlimited class seems pretty serious.

CHRIS: Yeah, I mean, you got to start somewhere. Once we built up enough support, it kind of made a little bit more financial sense. But I mean, when does racing ever make any financial sense? You know, I couldn’t help myself after doing a couple of Rally Class races. And it’s like, I want to race with some faster guys. So, I’m moving up slowly, taking my time.

SCOT: Yeah, well, you have certainly been turning some heads with your results. I mean, just from the very beginning. So, for those who don’t know Chris Blais, tell us a bit about your history. How did you get involved in racing? And what brought you to UTVs?

CHRIS: Oh, well, I was racing with Honda for a long time until back in the day, Scot Harden here invited me to do this Red

Dynamic duo of Chris and Patty Blais Photo by Scot Harden

Bull/KTM US Rally challenge to try out for the US Dakar team. I was selected from the competition and got to race for KTM and do three Dakar Rallys, desert races, and Baja. And then I got hurt in 2007. I got paralyzed. Then I ended up buying a friend’s Polaris Razor like a year or two after that. I did that for four or five years. Then the racing itch hit me, and I started my own motorcycle race team. I had a bunch of young guys, and I decided to mentor and helped them with their careers on motorcycles, including Skyler Howes. It’s been kind of cool to see Skyler accomplish all he has in Best In the Desert, and Dakar recently, and then go all the way to a Husky factory ride for rally. Yeah, just to see, you know, one of the guys who come out of your group make it all the way to the top makes up for it.

SCOT: You know, people may or may not know, Chris, that you’re one of the few Americans to ever podium at Dakar.

CHRIS: Yes, third overall in 2007. Yeah, that was pretty cool to have accomplished that. There are only four of us Americans who have ever been on the podium at Dakar, and it’s kind of cool to see Ricky Brabec win it. I hope our guys keep some momentum, so they keep sending our guys over there.

SCOT: Yeah, you’re a real pioneer in racing, Chris. So, you’ve raced on two wheels, and you’re running now on four wheels? What’s the most significant difference? I mean, what was the biggest challenge for you coming from the motorcycle arena to four wheels?

CHRIS: Well, I mean, it’s easy when you know everything about motorcycles and how to make them work. And those are easy, but these UTVs are a whole other beast for sure. So we got the UTV, and we started with that. Then, of course, you have to work through your issues, each model has its issues and stuff you got to work through, and it was just like starting from scratch. It was a learning experience; you feel like a rookie for a while, you know, and then you wonder how hard can I drive the UTV? Can I drive it as fast as I want to go? Do I have to drive it slower? Nobody ever wants to slow down when they’re racing, but you have to in these UTVs sometimes to make them last. We didn’t do that on a dirt bike. You only slowed down when you didn’t want to kill yourself.

SCOT: The old adage used to be that on a motorcycle, it was 80% rider and 20% machine. But that ratio might be a little bit different in a car or UTV. Is it, or is it still the same? Do you still think the driver is the biggest difference? Or is it the race vehicle?

CHRIS: Well, regarding dirt bikes, we didn’t have to worry too much about mechanical stuff. You know, usually, they’re pretty solid, even in stock form; you can just go ride the wheels off them. You just set it up for your preference and your comfort, you know, to go fast. But these UTVs, I mean, if you don’t do the right prep and replace the parts on a certain service, it doesn’t matter how good of a driver you are. So, I mean, I think it helps to have a smooth style, and I’m usually pretty calm and precise. So, I think that helps with the UTVs, but we spent 80 to 100 hours prep for one race. I don’t care if it’s a local race or a big race; that much labor is intense, so intense, I just hired a full-time mechanic to work on the car. Now, you realize you’re in the deep end of the pool, and you

got to get some support. I had to get some real help for this year if we were going to race. We’re doing three different series.

SCOT: So, motorcycle racers have always made a great transition to four-wheel, it seems like. Look back to Malcolm Smith, Larry Roeseler, Jack Johnson, Bobby Ferro, and all those guys who came from two wheels and adapted to four and dominated, and that seems to be the case with you.

CHRIS: What do you think? I mean, if you can ride a motorcycle, you can pretty much do anything. Motorcycle guys can get on a horse and go fast and win races. You know what you can do and can adapt pretty quickly to a different style.

SCOT: What do you think are the biggest advantages motorcycle racers have?

CHRIS: I think it’s just reading terrain and choosing lines—the feel for the machine. You know, if there’s a big wash coming up, you can kind of tell when you’re in cross-grain, and on a dirt bike, you’ve always slowed down because you’re worried about, you know, killing yourself or abusing the bike. In the car, you can get away with pretty much anything. But you still have to worry about ripping the wheel off or something on the vehicle. And your personal safety as well, I guess. I mean, the cage can only protect so much.

SCOT: So, as you embarked on this new four-wheel career, new UTVs, what was the biggest challenge for you to figure out? Was it just the labor part of it? Was it the setup part of it? Was it how to tune the vehicles? So, what was the biggest challenge for you?

CHRIS: Obviously, the biggest challenge is always the financial part of the four wheels. But

Photo by Dirt Nation

I mean, we adapted pretty quickly. I always knew because I’m a mechanic, so I figured out how to make the cars work, and to surround yourself with a good group of people. For example, I have an amazing suspension guy. And he just knows all aspects of racing. So, any issues I’ve had with CVs, or anything on the cars, he’s my go to guy there, been there, done that. So, I take his advice and kind of work from there to get where we need to be a lot quicker.

SCOT: Yeah, so obviously, you have a unique situation; how you operate the vehicle is different from anybody else. I mean, you’re using all hand controls. Were there any challenges in setting up the car to use hand controls? And do you see it as a disadvantage or as an advantage?

CHRIS: I guess the most significant disadvantage is just dealing with one hand, but it’s made us have to make the car work well and perfectly, so I don’t have the steering feedback, and I don’t have to fight it. The draw-on brake control is fine. With one hand, I think I have more control than you do with your feet. Yeah, I’m a lot smoother with that. And we have a lot fewer drive train issues. But the steering part has always been a struggle. We run a power steering unit that has a lot, I mean, a lot more juice, but it’s just sometimes I still feel like I could push harder if I felt more in control. I’m 50% down on power to steer, and some guys can hold on with two hands. Our setup on our shocks is different than what anybody else would run. Super flush in the initial, and you just don’t feel that much punishment, so I can drive the car and not get tired.

SCOT: So obviously, you’ve had quite a bit of success here out of the block. I mean, you won quite a few races. So give us a quick rundown on some of your biggest race wins so far.

CHRIS: Last year, we won Rally class at the UTV World Championship. And we dominated that race pretty much, and then I went to a couple of Cal City series races in a row. After that, we went to the DP Four Championship. This year, we raced four races. And we won three of the four races this year so far. So, we’re kind of trying to keep that momentum going. Yeah, so now we are in the Unlimited class. I mean, there are a lot of good guys there. Michael Isom is a perennial champion in the class. And a bunch of other guys as well.

SCOT: I mean, what’s your strategy for this race?

CHRIS: We’re just going to go out there and give it our best. I always drive my own race. I

Photo by Dirt Nation

Photo by Scot Harden

drive my own pace, whatever feels comfortable. I don’t worry about anybody else. I just do my thing. And we can see where we end up. If I have to push a little harder, I’ll push a little harder, try to scare the crap out of my codriver. But you know, he still sits there with me no matter what.

SCOT: Do you have some sponsors you want to thank and any other people you want to thank as part of this?

CHRIS: I want to thank Can-Am. They’ve really stepped up this year. I’d also like to thank my business, Blais Racing Services, that funds most all this. My buddy, Tom Morris. He’s my go-to guy.

SCOT: So obviously, your challenge right now is to win at this level, the Unlimited Class. Do you have your sights set on something else down the road? I mean, you want to get into bigger cars or trucks someday.

CHRIS: Honestly, I’d race anything if someone’s paying. I think we all would, you know, I’d just like to build the relationship with Can-Am this year, and you know, try to get results. We’re going to be doing about 17 events, which is kind of unheard of. So, I just want to prove that if you focus and pull it off and have a solid year, the sponsors step up for next year. I hope that happens.

SCOT: Well, it’s been great talking to you, Chris. Do you want to thank anybody else?

CHRIS: I mean, the biggest thing is just the family and friends and guys who just support me. I couldn’t be out here without them making this happen. Between getting me in the car and getting me to the races and all the extra steps that it takes with the damn wheelchair sometimes, you know, Mrs. Blais, is always there for me and puts up with a lot of crap. She’s amazing!

SCOT: All right, well, hey, good luck tomorrow, Chris. And we’re proud to have you race Best In The Desert.

Editor’s Note: Chris went on to win the 2021 Jimco Racing Silver State 300 by a mere 15 seconds over second-place Unlimited UTV Randy Raschein. It looks like Chris is off to a great start in 2021.