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