The ATV Industry is growing every year. There are many companies that are forming to support this growth who hope to offer a great product and make a name for themselves in this competitive market. Often times the smaller companies are over shadowed by the larger, already established businesses. Although one is huge and the other small, in reality one may not be any better than the other. All Terrain Performance is making their break into the ATV Industry, supporting all disciplines of racing and we caught up with Mike, the founder, to see what they are all about.

What is your full company name and where are you located?
All Terrain Performance Inc. (dba) ATP Racing Engines
3676 Hogshead Rd
Apopka, FL 32703
407-880-3171
www.allterrainperformance.com

What does ATP offer to racers and/or riders in general?

We at ATP are a full service race shop, specializing in ATV's. Our background has come from 15 years in the automotive racing industry. We have countless hours logged into four stroke cylinder head airflow research, engine machining and product development. Our main focus is race engines. We are a full service machine shop as well. We have any and all of the major equipment needed to provide winning engines to our customers. This is including but not limited to, Superflow, Dynojet, Serdi, Sunnen, Kwik-way, Winona Van Norman, Bridgeport and much more. We also do frame gusseting, light fabrication, powder coating and pretty much anything that can be done to an ATV.
We also have an extensive list of suppliers. We are a supplier for EVERY major product manufacturer that pertains to ATV racing. We also offer our own custom pistons, camshafts, and many more parts custom made to ATP Racing Engines strict performance standards as well. We are suppliers for companies such as:  Walsh Race Craft, Noleen J6, Fox Shocks, Elka Suspension, Custom Axis, JE pistons, Rossier Engineering, Parts Unlimited, Tucker Rocky, Blingstar, RPM, LSR, K&N filters, Pro Design, OURY grips, Hinson, Rath,  and pretty much any other name that you could think of in the ATV RACING industry.

Who are the riders that you sponsor currently?

On board so far for the 06/07 season

MX: David Bohnstadt- Pro Am, Devin Heims - Pro Am, Kyle McCulloch - Pro Am, Alex Kirchner- Women’s Pro

XC: Mike Hyer – AA, Jennifer Albright - Women’s

We are currently accepting applications for the 2006/2007 race season so there will be more to come...

Racing schedules can keep you busy - what series do you focus on and try to attend??
We plan on supporting our local series, SSQSA (Sunshine State Quad Series) and FTR (Florida Trail Riders). As for next race season, at this time we plan on focusing most of our physical time at the WPSA, with some time at select GNC and GNCC races.

What are your plans for next year and years to come???
Our goals for the years to come are to develop more racing products for ATV's and continue to push the horse power limits of these new four stroke machines. We intend on making a stay in the industry and becoming a preferred source for ATV racing engines.

In addition to running a company, you are racers yourselves. In addition to FTR events you did attend GNC’s this year; do any tracks stand out in your mind?
I would rather be riding on any of our Florida tracks then doing most anything else that I could think of, LOL.

Melissa Walker

The industry is always changing and so are the machines. Do you have a preference of ATV?
The Honda 250R has been and always will be my favorite. It was the quad that started all that we know of ATV racing today and in many cases, it still sets the standards to how good or bad a certain aspect of the new age of ATV's are. I personally ride a 250R CRF Hybrid.

ATV riders and racers are always the target of many groups nowadays, especially in Florida. How do you feel about these groups trying to shut down ATV riding/racing?
 I'm sure there are many of us out there that could sit and write page after page on this topic. There have been countless events, products, movements and such that have come under fire in our countries history. As with most of these cases in our past, many things are generally lost to special interest groups who either have their hidden agenda's in mind and not the interest of the common people. At some times they are simply against something that they have no understanding about only a simple number we have come to know as a statistic. It seems that MOST times we see a tragedy related to our sport or lifestyle, that it was the fault of the parent or operator of the equipment that caused the tragedy, not the equipment itself. Should we ban riding bicycles because we could fall off and get hurt? I believe that people of this day and age should take the time to understand, or be taught by a professional, about what it is that they are against before they make a judgment on what they know nothing about.

Florida is placing very strict decibel limits on racers, how do you at ATP feel about this?
We can partially understand why there are sound restrictions being placed on ATV's and dirt bikes. Every day there is a new housing development being built and less country, as we used to call it, left to ride in. However, in the case of our particular state, I believe that our local series and local tracks should maintain the same testing standards and sound requirements that our major sanctioning bodies do. In our case with ATVA and AMA, they are the voice that our government hears therefore their guidelines should be what is followed no matter what.

All of us as riders, engine builders, local factory dealers, be it on ATV's or dirt bikes, need to do our part in keeping our sport alive and well. We need to make sure our riding areas stay clean, that we are using the proper government regulated equipment in the appropriate area's and more than anything we need to educate our children on the proper ways to operate their off road vehicles. 

There have been some changes this year in the racing industry. On top of the GNC and GNCC the WPSA has entered into the scene. What are your feelings?
Well this is a tough one. With the introduction of the WPSA this 2006 season, it has raised a lot of conversation about the current and future state of our sport. I believe that with the coverage that the ATV's are getting on ESPN2, this is our first step to getting a positive outlook on our sport, not to mention a stepping stone for our sport of ATV Racing getting the much deserved attention that Supercross currently maintains. We have some great athletes in our sport that deserve this attention.

However, my opinions are that we should not forget our roots. The GNC and GNCC are what kept our sport alive for all these years. They are our link to the government and anything that has legal bearing on our sport.

In the end, I believe the competition of multiple series could be a good thing, but I do believe in some way that the organizations should work together to better the sport instead of pressuring the other series or track owners into following one protocol. In the end, we the amateur riders make up the majority of the racing community. Maybe these organizations should go to the people who pay their hard earned money to attend their events and ask what we think.

All of us at AEM thank Mike with All Terrain Performance and wish the company luck in the ATV Industry! Be sure and look ATP and their riders up at local and National events!