Travis Baker
By: Scott Parkinson | Photos by: John Parkinson

We reciently caught up with PanicRev Team rider Travis Baker who is coming off a number of out standing races at the World Mini. Travis is a young and driven rider; we sat down with Travis recently to get to know the man under the helmet.

PRev: Travis, please just open up by telling us a little about yourself.

TB: My name is Travis Allen Baker.  I live Temecula Ca., and I'm 15 years old.

PRev: So when did you start riding?

TB: I was 4 and got a pw-50 for my birthday.

PRev: From there, when did you really start getting serious about your riding and racing?

TB: I was a casual rider up until I was 12 years old and then I got the racing bug.

PRev: So this year is your first year on the big bike, you made the jump a year earlier than you had to. Why did you choose to go that route and how do you feeling on the big bikes? 

TB: We debated between staying on the 80's or moving up to big bikes for ‘06.  As you can see our decision was to "Go Big" in '06. We chose this because we weren't sure how much I was going to grow this year. I feel comfortable and confident about the bikes.

PRev: You just got back from Vegas where you had some very impressive finishes at the World Mini. How did that feel? 

TB: It's a confidence booster!

PRev: Please tell us a little bit about your motos and your week at the World Mini as a whole.

TB: In all my qualifiers (5), I finished top five with a couple wins.  My mains went awesome with great starts and staying up in front of the pack.  I finished with two 3rds, 4th, 8th and an upsetting crash that left me back in one.

PRev: Was this your first big race this year?

TB: No, we gave Oak Hill a try for my first time.

Prev: How did Oak Hill Go?

TB: Let's just say my dad gave me the name "Tommy Tip-over"

Prev: What is next on the schedule?

TB: In the next 2 months, I will do Lorreta Qualifiers, Mammoth, local races and lots of practice.

PRev: What are your goals for the rest of the season?

TB: Like I have mentioned before, try my hardest, finish strong, and stay healthy.

PRev: Alright Travis, so many of these interviews seem to be the same ten questions, so let's go in a different direction here. I know you are a person of faith. How does your faith relate to your life?

TB: Without the Lord in my life, I would be nothing. I rely on him 24/7 and try to do what's right in his eyes.

PRev: Does it play into your riding and racing at all? 

TB: All the time!  My family and I keep him pretty busy with all our prayers for safe riding & racing.

PRev: You are a Team PanicRev rider, which is a Christian based race team. Tell me a little bit about that. 

TB: I like to surround myself with positive people and positive attitudes. PanicRev is a part of my racing support both on and off the track.  I know that I always have someone to go to for anything, good or bad.

PRev: How is that going?

TB: Great, I always know that John is just around the corner to give me advice or just to pat me on the back.

PRev: A lot of people out there would say that faith and racing don't belong together. What do you think about that?

TB: I don't think that deserves an answer!  It's a no brainer...

PRev: Awesome Travis, thank you for taking the time. Is there anyone out there you would like to give a shout out to?

TB: Yamaha, Pro-Tec, Montclair Yamaha, Thor, Shoei, Smith, Gaerne, ESC, Cytomax, Osiris Shoes, Pro-Taper, Tagger Designs, Factory Backing, Jays Boardshop, Uni Filter, Torco, Panic Rev, Bills, Cahuilla Creek MX, PPG, AC Racing, Six Six One, Sunline, my parents Mike & Heidi Baker, all my family and friends and last but definitely not least GOD!