Sean Lipanovich | New School
One of the racers on hand for the 2017 TransWorld Industry Cup and 2017 TransWorld SLAM Fest was Sean Lipanovich. While he still races professionally on occasion, Lipanovich walked away from racing full-time in pursuit of a different lifestyle. After two years as a professional in the United States, and another two in Brazil, he has now turned his attention to training other riders. He founded SLMX School in 2014 and has been building there ever since. We were curious to find out more about the latest on Lipanovich, so we caught up with him between the festivities at SLAM to grab this interview.
How have the riding schools been going, and what is your lifestyle like teaching them full-time?
It’s cool. I’ve been doing this now for three years, and it’s been growing every year. I go to the track at least four or five days a week. I spend my time training riders and bringing bikes out. Everything is going pretty well, I wish that I could make a little bit more time for myself, but right now this is my priority. I’m having fun riding my dirt bike and training riders and doing what I love. I only get to ride two or three times a week, but when I do get to ride I really enjoy it.
Do you feel like you pick up certain skills because you’re teaching them to others?
I honestly do. I think I preach it and it makes me really focus on what I tell the riders. If they come and watch me, they expect me to do it. When I’m riding, it’s in the back of my head and I do what I need to do.
What has your experience been working with riders of all different ages and skill levels?
There have been some first-timers that I’ve trained that have never ridden before, and some of them pick it up instantly, but others take all day to ride. Then with the good guys, I get to ride with them and train with them and push them. I really work with all different levels of riders.
For anyone interested in getting into your school, how would they get into that?
If anyone wants to check out my school, go to my website. I have all of the information there about bike rentals, training, motocross vacation packages, and you can email me or reach me with the phone number on there. I’d be more than happy to help anyone interested.
Do you recommend different programs for different types of riders? In other words, would a certain rider be better suited for a vacation than for training or vice versa?
Every single person is different. Some people race and some people want to have fun and get a vacation out of it. We customize each package for each rider. It’s not the same for everyone because each person is going to be different. We customize everything.
What plans do you have for 2018 and beyond?
I’m just going to keep doing what I’m doing. I race one or two nationals a year, and I travel around the world to third world countries like the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, and I get to race the FIM Asia series. I still get to race. It’s not as serious, but I get to have a lot more fun now.