Mike Walsh shows off a customized ATV frame. Everything in blue was manufactured at Walsh Race Craft in Live Oak.

In an unassuming brick building off South Ohio Avenue in Live Oak, a million dollar company, Walsh Race Craft, has set up shop producing high end, top quality ATV and quad racing aftermarket parts. Walsh Race Craft has been in Live Oak for eight years, having moved from Connecticut where it began in 1997.

“The weather is no good for [ATV race] training in Connecticut; it’s kind of seasonal,” said Michael “Mike” Walsh, owner and founder of Walsh Race Craft. “Down here, we’re able to train year round and it elevated the sport to a different level with better riders being more prepared at the beginning of the season.”

The 10,000 square foot building houses all aspects of the business: manufacturing, assembly, finishing, sales and shipping. Headed by 38-year-old entrepreneur and former racer Mike, this family-owned business sells to amateur and professional racers and parts dealers around the world right out of their Live Oak shop. Mike has buyers from South America to Ireland, but interestingly none from Japan, where the ATVs are produced for Walsh Race Craft’s sponsored team, Yamaha Factory Racing USA.

Walsh Race Craft’s steady rise in the ATV industry has not been without its obstacles, however. The closing of already limited ATV and quad racing tracks in Florida, like the locally shutdown AMP Xtreme MX Track, has throttled the sport’s number of participants, Mike said. His dream is to see quad racing rise again and for its popularity in North Florida to rival the sports’ presence in Southern California.

“It is growing, but the main thing is having tracks open to the public,” Mike said. “We need a public track in Suwannee County where people can ride. I think it would help the community as a whole. If kids could get into racing, it could keep them focused and give families things to do together. That’s the big thing about motocross; it is a family sport.”

It’s Mike’s family that helped him create Walsh Race Craft. His parents were small business owners in Connecticut, and using their seed money, Mike grew his own business into what it is today. Along the way, he ended his own racing career to focus on his products. Racers don’t make much money, but his business does, Mike remarked.

“You don’t race to make money; you do it because that’s what you want to do,” said Mike. “If you do make money, then God bless you.”

Walsh Race Craft sells numerous types of ATV and quad components from an entire body frame down to nuts and bolts. Some of their top-selling items are kits for A-arms, swingarms, linkage pivots and tie rods.

“Our racing background is the primary reason we’re different from other companies,” Mike explained. “Our racing team allowed us to research and develop a lot of the components and do a lot of testing. We’re still working really closely with the top teams.”

Walsh Race Craft’s business success is linked to the success of the racers who use their products. Yamaha Factory Racing USA’s Chad Wienen has been the AMA ATV MX National Champion for the past three years, and he uses Walsh Race Craft products on his racing ATV. The Walsh Race Craft logo is displayed on many prominent racers’ ATVs or quads during huge sporting events or on national television, giving the company a competitive edge.

“The theory is: win on Sunday, sell on Monday,” Mike said. “Our product takes longer to make, we put more into it, and we don’t cut any corners. Our products are also the most expensive on the market, but we win. We can attribute our sales to that championship team.”

Ultimately, Mike said, his employees and his family’s support are what keep Walsh Race Craft a lap ahead of everyone else. Many of his employees are family members or close friends from Connecticut who were committed enough to Mike’s company to make the nearly 1,000 mile move.

“It’s about the people, the heart and the pride,” he said.