The last two years haven't been kind to Nathan Woods. With the only option being winning, he has come close to a third championship, but has yet to obtain it. After two years with Kawasaki Nathan made the jump to the FMF Suzuki Off-Road team where he replaced the enigmatic Ryan Hughes. Once on board, Woods seemed to be very comfortable at the beginning of the season, despite a few issues with the brand new fuel-injected RM-Z450.
Nathan Woods picked up the Factory FMF Suzuki Off-Road ride as the squad tries to rebound from a tumultuous year in 2007.
The winningest rider in the World Off-Road Championship Series history is currently down for the count. After an extremely hard crash in Mesquite, Nevada at Round 2, FMF Suzuki's Nathan Woods broke his collarbone very severely and has missed the l last three rounds of racing action. Woody will make his return at Sacramento, CA for Round 6 of the WORCS series at Hangtown MX. But don't expect for him to come out and play soft, he is here to win and with the championship points battle out of his reach, Woody will undoubtedly hang it out and mix it up on the podium for the remainder of the season.
At this point the only thing N-dawg wants to do is win for himself and Suzuki. Being that he's one of the most interesting racers to watch, the series needs him back out there as well, regardless of his title hopes. The footage that we shot for the video was actually taken before Woody broke his collarbone and its gives you an idea of why this guy can win and ride in any type of terrain; woods, sand, it doesn't matter and that's why he is a two-time champion in this series. You can't be one-dimensional in WORCS. He also realizes the multi-dimensional support that he receives from his family! His wife, Amanda, attends almost every race that he goes to, and is very supportive of Nathan's program and success that he has had over the years. She brings their recently-born child with her to all the races and is probably Nathan's biggest fan, next to their son of course!
Despite a major setback from injuries, Woods is looking to finish the last half of the season strong and put the RM-Z450 on the top podium step.
Nathan's recent selection to the ISDE is also a reason why team USA has a legitimate chance of winning the overall this year for the first time ever. He will bring a ton of speed to the team and although he lacks experience in the enduro format, his smarts, hard work and determination will help overcome any lack of experience as he attempts to show the world who is boss. Just let his riding do the talking and every time there is a tuff challenge Woody always rises to the occasion. But can he do it on another continent, in a different country, under new rules and with a different atmosphere? Nate's fellow WORCS champion, 2007 title-holder Kurt Caselli, has proven that he can, and I'm sure we will see Nathan right there.
With two years left on his big Suzuki contract there is only one place to go and that is to the top. He has the proven ability but injuries and bad luck have conspired against him as of late. As the factory Suzuki Off-Road teams continue to get stronger in every discipline, Nate will be the one to push the envelope for the yellow squad in the WORCS division. With all these young guns like Zip-Ty Yamaha's Bobby Garrison and Monster Kawasaki's Josh Morros shining brightly it will make the racing that much more exciting when the grizzled vet returns to the show. Can you picture it? Top point contenders Caselli, Ricky Dietrich, Bobby Bonds, and the rest of the field all banging bars for the win. They all want the #1 spot badly and Nathan will come charging in at 100%! If I was on that 30-man gate I would get the hell out of the way because Woody is coming, and he's coming with a vengeance.
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