Aldon Baker (born 1971 in

Pietermaritzburg Pietermaritzburg (; Zulu: umGungundlovu) is the capital and second-largest city in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It was founded in 1838 and is currently governed by the Msunduzi Local Municipality. Its Zulu name umGungundlovu ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring count ...

) is a trainer of motorcycle racers.

Early life

Aldon was a club level motorcycle roadracer before being inducted into the South African army. He was a two-time winner of the South African XC Championship for

mountain biking Mountain biking is a sport of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, usually using specially designed mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and p ...

and represented South Africa in the 1996 World Championships. He was set to compete in the 2000 Sydney Olympics when the South African Olympic Committee eliminated mountain biking from their program. His father was a top marathon runner.

Career

Baker started his career as a

personal trainer A personal trainer is an individual who creates and delivers safe and effective exercise programs for apparently healthy individuals and groups, or those with medical clearance to exercise. They motivate clients by collaborating to set goals, p ...

at a gym in London creating fitness routines and diet regimens drawing on his mountain biking experience. In 2000 Johnny O'Mara was overseeing the training of

Ricky Carmichael Richard Joseph Carmichael (born November 27, 1979) is an American former professional motocross and stock car racing driver. He competed in the AMA Motocross Championships from 1997 to 2007 and in NASCAR from 2008 to 2011. Carmichael is notabl ...

. O'Mara was acquainted with Baker through Oakley and suggested he might help him. Baker traveled to Florida to meet Carmichael and after a six-month trial took over his training for the 2000 outdoor Motocross season. Baker's success with Carmichael reshaped the landscape for riders and their physical fitness. Initially he worked with one rider at a time, transitioning from Carmichael after his retirement to

James Stewart Jr. James Stewart Jr. (born December 21, 1985), also known as Bubba Stewart, is an American former professional motocross racer who competed in the AMA Motocross and the AMA Supercross Championships. Through his years of racing, he earned the nic ...

In 2014 he took on two champion contenders:

Ryan Villopoto Ryan Villopoto (born August 13, 1988, in Fortuna, California) is an American former professional motocross and supercross racer. He competed in the AMA Motocross Championships from 2005 to 2014.Ken Roczen Ken Roczen (born 29 April 1994 in Mattstedt, Germany) is a German professional motocross and supercross racer. He competed in the Motocross World Championships from 2009 to 2011 and the AMA Supercross Championships since 2011. He is an MX2 ...

. At that time Baker was conducting the training on the property of Villopoto. When Villopoto sold the property, Baker acquired 92 acres and built what came to be called "Baker's Factory". From 2000 to 2020 Baker's riders won 15 out of 21 Supercross championship titles and 14 of 21 outdoor Motocross titles. Some of the titles were not won because of riders being out due to injuries. Riders trained by Aldon Baker include: Ricky Carmichael, James Stewart, Ryan Villopoto,

Ken Roczen Ken Roczen (born 29 April 1994 in Mattstedt, Germany) is a German professional motocross and supercross racer. He competed in the Motocross World Championships from 2009 to 2011 and the AMA Supercross Championships since 2011. He is an MX2 ...

Ryan Dungey Ryan Dungey (born December 4, 1989) is an American professional motocross and supercross racer. He competed in the AMA Motocross Championships from 2006 to 2017 and again in 2022. Dungey is notable for being a four-time supercross and four-time (1 ...

Marvin Musquin Marvin Musquin (born 30 December 1989 in La Réole, France) is a French professional motocross and supercross racer. He competed in the Motocross World Championships from 2004 to 2010 and, has competed in the AMA Motocross Championships since 20 ...

, Jason Anderson, Zach Osborne,

Adam Cianciarulo Adam Cianciarulo (born October 20, 1996) is an American professional motocross and supercross racer. He has competed in the AMA Motocross Championships since 2013, and currently competes on a Kawasaki KX450 for the Monster Energy-Kawasaki Heavy ...

Cooper Webb Cooper Webb (born November 10, 1995) is an American professional Motocross and Supercross racer competing in the AMA Supercross and Motocross championships; a two-time 450cc AMA Supercross Champion, a two-time 250cc AMA Supercros West Champion ...

and Malcolm Stewart. . In 2016 Baker entered a five-year deal with factory KTM to work exclusively with riders on

KTM KTM AG (Kraftfahrzeug Trunkenpolz Mattighofen, formerly KTM Sportmotorcycle AG) is an Austrian motorcycle, bicycle and sports car manufacturer owned by Pierer Mobility AG and the Indian manufacturer Bajaj Auto. It was formed in 1992 but traces ...

and Husqvarna motorcycles.

Notes

These riders continued to race after leaving the Baker program.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Baker, Aldon Living people 1971 births American motocross riders