A new-look in the Monster Energy Supercross paddock this year is the Quad Lock Honda team. Having run under previous guises – most notably as Fire Power Honda last year – the Yarrive Konsky and Martin Davalos-led organization has built a reputation of defying the odds and continually delivering above perhaps what would be expected out of an independent effort. This caught the eye of major mount brand Quad Lock, with global sports marketing lead of the business Dom Storey detailing the brand’s venture into Supercross in this Industry interview.

Dom, first of all, congratulations on the result in Foxborough. You have to be stoked with Shane [McElrath] on the 450SX podium.

Yeah, thank you, Kane. Really appreciate that. We’re stoked with how the weekend unfolded, obviously they were some pretty exceptional conditions, but Shane [McElrath] did a great job, and a 450SX podium is massive for a privateer team.

Image: Supplied.

This year marks a big step up for Quad Lock in terms of supporting a Supercross team from a title sponsorship perspective. What are your thoughts so far on how things have unfolded?

So we came on board with Yarrive [Konsky] at last year’s Adelaide Australian Supercross [AUSX] round to support his team – we’d been in conversation for a couple of years in terms of potentially doing something, and in Adelaide, it sort of all aligned and came together well. Our motorcycle category is a really big space for us, and after that, he mentioned that he’d needed some support for his North America program, which we stepped up for and supported this year. We want to grow our footprint in the U.S., and so looking for a way that we could expand our involvement after supporting both Jett and Hunter [Lawrence] previously, a title-sponsorship was really that next step up.

For you personally, you have a background in four wheels both competing and then working in that space, so coming from that paddock to Supercross – especially in the U.S – what were your initial thoughts?

Everything is bigger in North America; I’ve learned that for sure from attending both NASCAR and Supercross events. I went to my first Supercross, which was in Denver in 2023, and yeah, the whole event was really impressive. It’s a compact, fast-paced, and really fast-format sport, especially compared to other forms of motorsport. As you said, my background is in four-wheel racing, and those events usually take place over a three – to a sometimes four-day format. What we as a brand realized with Supercross was that, similar to NASCAR, the series hits a new city or region each and every weekend, so while the TV audience may be similar weekly, you’re achieving exposure in a new area each weekend, which to increase our exposure on the ground is a big focus for us. We’re a brand that is always learning, always interested to learn, and so we’re excited to see where our relationship with Supercross goes. The benefit, too, is that there is a lot of crossover in relation to the audience – a big percentage [of fans] are also interested in mountain biking and other forms of action sports, which is another big benefit for our reach.

Image: Octopi Media.

And then working with the Quad Lock Honda team, Yarrive, Martin, along with the riders and all involved, how has that experience been at this level?

The relationship has been really good. I’ve known Yarrive for a while – during his years around the Supercars Championship, we built a relationship, and he’s a lot like me in a way in terms of always wanting to over-deliver. We’ve seen that both commercially and performance-wise this year with the team, starting with the Quad Lock branding of the transporter, bikes, pit shades, and all of that – it looks really professional, in line with our global branding, and rolls out the same way you see the Factory Honda team roll out, which is impressive. In terms of performance, for us, the expectation coming in was to achieve some top-ten finishes, which is something we’re well ahead on, especially with Shane’s 450SX podium on the weekend. It was unfortunate to see Joey [Savatgy] injured there for a couple rounds, but overall, the presence has been awesome both on track and in the pits, which I think is a testament to how hard everyone works on the team. I know Yarrive has a really close relationship with the riders – he’s talking with them weekly, helping them and guiding them during the season, which I think is a big part of their success, and with the results they continually achieve, it shows that things are working.

We’ve seen Quad Lock also move over to support Haiden Deegan this year in an individual capacity. What has it been like working with the Deegans and being part of that program?

Yeah, so we came on board with [Haiden] Deegan this year, as you said. Individual athlete partnerships are a big part of our strategy. We have Oscar [Piastri] in Formula One for example, the Lawrences last year among others, and Haiden is a huge name in the sport with a really bright future, so we were stoked to come on board with them. They’re really professional with the way they do things, and our team has been stoked with the content that we’ve captured so far. Brian [Deegan] is a massive name himself with everything he’s accomplished in action sports, to then pass that on and cultivate that success with his family is a cool thing to see for sure, and we’re happy to be providing that support.

Image: Octopi Media.

And lastly, when you think about long-term plans, is Supercross something that fits that vision for Quad Lock?

We go into most things with a bit of a long-term focus – however – at the same time, every couple of years, we reevaluate as a business and, as I mentioned earlier, are very open to continually learning on what works for the brand, areas that need more focus, and servicing our customer base. The motorcycle market is massive for us, and a big pillar of focus is to move from being an Australian brand in the American market to really immersing ourselves over there. Supercross, being the pinnacle of off-road motorcycling, meets where we are now, so we’re thrilled to be a part of it.

Awesome. Well, as mentioned, congratulations on a great weekend – it’s really cool to see new brands enter the sport to this type of capacity, so hopefully the success continues!

No worries, Kane. I appreciate the time and for reaching out.