DREAM JOBS: HOW TO MAKE A LIVING DOING WHAT YOU LOVE (08/29/12)

CLARK STILES
DUNLOP DEVELOPMENT TEST RIDER

STARTING POINT: “I am from Alabama, where the Dunlop Proving Grounds are located. I was the right age, and they needed another full-time motocross test rider. I had been talking with Danny Roberts, the manager, for years about coming down to help test. I was winding down professionally, and when I decided not to race the following year, I went to talk to them and the stars aligned.”

THE JOB: “We work full-time, Monday through Friday, and we have everything at the facility. On 80 acres, we have a one-mile road course, plus motocross, Supercross and hare-scrambles tracks. Japan ships us tires, and we send back the results. If Dunlop makes it, we test it. The engineers will give me tires and tell me what type of testing is needed. I make sure they are tested. After traveling so much as a Pro, sleeping in my own bed is the best thing.”