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I'll agree with everyone else in giving a HUGE "Thank You" to the people that set-up this course. What an awesome Carbondale. I can't remember better conditions there. And for a course that has been run a whopping 35 years, that's saying something! So kudos to Paul and co.
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Coming into the day I had decided with Ryan and Aaron to race the AA class since we were locked in points for the A class. This being my first time on the front row, I didn't have many expectations other than to ride smart and safe.

After the riders meeting I scrambled back to the truck to get my Halloween race costume on (Lauren and I were Batman/Batwoman). I lined up off to the right (outside on the first corner) and was able to get a good jump into 3rd at the tilled corner track. By the time we exited the track I had moved up to 2nd after Darin went down.

Aaron hung on my rear tire for the next two laps. I felt like I could gap him on the first half of the track only to have him track me down by the finish line in the last half. I could see that he had his hands full with Isaac and then Darin on his tail for laps 1 and 2 though so I knew he was busy too. By lap 3 Darin had made his way around me and I gapped Aaron but was having trouble staying focused which allowed Tanner to creep up on my rear tire.

Once Tanner was on me I did my best to get my head back in the game and charge. Tanner hounded me for about half a lap before making a pass at the little grassy motocross track section. I was almost too focused on getting him back to notice that Ryan had caught up to us in our battle to make it a three way fight for 3rd!

Tanner led us into the final lap and the three of us were glued together until Tanner stalled his bike coming out of the creek. I jumped at the opportunity to have the lead back and kept it until one of the tight corner before a chat hill where I made an error and downshifted into neutral which allowed Ryan to take the lead! I was able to stick on Ryan's rear tire until I had a little trouble with a rider we were about to lap. To no fault of the rider, Ryan made the pass and on him and he went to pull back in the trail as I was attempting to make the same pass. My right forearm caught his handlebar and pulled me to a stop, sorry for that (whoever you were)! I was able to cruise to the finish with Tanner giving me a little breathing room and take 4th place. Nice racing Ryan/Tanner, and congratulations to the guys racing AA, that's a whole different level!
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Race report being said, I'd like to give some kudos to all of the guys in the A class for making this year awesome and exciting. I had a lot of fun battling it out every weekend, and there were lots of guys that had some fantastic rides: At the beginning of the year Kasey and Issac were front runners before moving up to AA; then there's the solid A class guys like Ethan, Brennen, Dylan, and Tanner; plus the fresh faces of Jared, Remy, and Logan; and nearing the end of the year with Ryan and Aaron hitting their stride. It feels like everyone has been a contender at some point. With the closest margin of victory in the A class since 2007 I feel confident in saying that it took a lot to win the championship (Something I'd never accomplished in my racing career until now), so thanks to everyone in the class that made this year memorable. And a special thank you and congratulations to my wife on her first championship. She had a rough go at her first 600 class race, but I'll let her get into that.

I hope to see everyone at some rides/races through the winter months, if not I'll see you at the banquet!

What a way to end the year! With as many people that dislike Carbondale I don't see why it has a little bit of everything and the dirt the last two years has been great! I'll be sad to see this place go if Paul finds a buyer who isn't willing to keep the annual race there going! Coming into the day I was bummed about losing the A class championship to Jeremy who rode great all year and deserved it! He was due and earned it! I was excited to jump up in the front row and see what it was like I was hoping to just take what was given to me and go from there without being aggressive! I got a mid pack start and are dust ALL day. Had several crashes the first two laps but finally I got my head on straight on the third lap and was able to close the gap on the front runners besides Macon who was gone from the start lol! Made a couple passes to get to 5th. On the 4th lap I caught up to the battle between tanner and Jeremy. I took a second to catch my breath and get a drink before I hopped in line to wait for mistakes or a bad line choice, no mistakes were made til the last lap! Tanner stalled it and me and Jeremy were able to get by I tried a couple different places to get Jeremy but never quite had enough room then finally he missed a shift after one of the 8000 awkward turns and I was able to squeak by from there I put my head down and charged and was praying for good luck with lappers! I finished 3rd and earned some money on the day so I was excited about how it went! I also gained just enough points to jump in front of Jeremy and Brandon for 4th OA on the year!

Thanks to everyone who not only made this race happen but the whole season can't wait for next year and hope it's as good or better than this past year! Had so much fun battling with the guys in the A class all season long!

Wow! What a fast-pace Carbondale! I don't know if anyone else felt that way but I felt like some of the new sections were quick.

This was my first C Class race and unfortunately, it was not my best showing but I'm glad I raced. I got on my Batwoman costume and ran to line the with my bike, barely making it on the inside. I parked my bike and went up to watch my husband and our friends in their first AA race. It was awesome to see Jeremy up in second before finishing the first section (sorry Darin!). My brother was in the A Class with his Superman costume on (thanks for the idea Jared). Then I watched my dad and brother-in-law (nyan cat costume) start before going back to my bike. My bike was having trouble starting and by the time it was my time to go, I had no choice but to have faith and hit the button. I didn't get the best start and adrenaline hit as I rounded the first turn. I hit the second section mid-pack and was super excited. Unfortunately, while going into one of the sandy turns, I crashed hard and ripped some skin off my forearm and pulled my hip flexor. I laid off and ended up only finishing 2 laps. I was definitely disappointed but wanted to get off my bike and let my body start healing.

I can't wait to see everyone in January at the banquet and next Spring for next season. I'll be racing in the C Class and I can't wait to show some more guys how a girl can kick their butts. ; )

The Shredder gave a fairly accurate account of his day at Carbondale, but as Paul Harvey used to say, It is time for the "REST OF THE STORY". The day started out like any other day in the 1000 class. The guys all gathered at the Shredders trailer to cuss and discuss how their month had gone. The Shredder had found a flat tire on his trailer and we had surmised that his high dollar skull valve caps had been letting the air out of his tires. STRIKE #1 After the 1000 class had gone back to their trailer to get dressed for the day, the Shredder had pulled a couple of the non racers over to inspect his famous Husky. He wanted our opinion on why the front end had so much play in the front end. After careful analysis it was determined that the nut holding the steering stem was loose, (no not the Shredder). STRIKE #2 If anyone has owned a Husky you know that they come with a complete set of tools that are specifically made for Husky's. In order for the Shredder to repair the Husky, he asked us to leave. As the Shredder went about repairs, JP and myself got on our NASA satellite and proceeded to see how the Shredder was working on the Husky. See secret NASA picture. As the picture clearly shows, Husky does not supply a steel mallet in their toolkit. Standard Husky tool kit includes a rock to use as a mallet. STRIKE #3 Now that you know the "REST OF THE STORY" one can go back and read the Shredders post and everything will make sense.

As the picture clearly shows, Husky does not supply a steel mallet in their toolkit. Standard Husky tool kit includes a rock to use as a mallet. STRIKE #3 Now that you know the "REST OF THE STORY" one can go back and read the Shredders post and everything will make sense.

It is good to tell the tell the truth as it has a nice ring to it - you know, like a well tuned engine. But sometimes in a great while it's kinda OK to not give out the whole truth as it could slant the story a bit.

Like if I had slowed down enough to realize that my trailer tire was completely flat Sunday morning because of the new chrome skull valve stem caps o-rings not being seated correctly before installation the night before I might have checked the Husky to see if any flats therein occurred for the same reason and circumstances. Instead I got on my bike to run practice and was so focused on the front end bearings and checking that out that I didn't notice the new weird feeling was a very low front tire, which was the start of a chain of events that were most undesirable....

Also, Husky doesn't really include a "rock" in their tool kit - they call it an "earth stone"... Okay?

Motorcycling is not, of itself, inherently dangerous. It is however, extremely unforgiving of inattention, ignorance, incompetence or stupidity.

The banquet is always a great time. See you there!

Now that I think about it, I rode that stoppie one hell of a log way and I probably coulda landed it if I had been on flat ground. I pushed myself way back on the seat but not soon enough. In my case I only pushed myself higher in the air before body slamming myself into the ground. HOWEVER, I do not plan to practice a downhill stoppie on a steep inclined chat pile! I do plan to do a better pre-flight check before starting the engine next time.

sorry very Late on This
First off a Huge Thanks to Dennis for once again letting me run his Honda a very much improved bike from my last time on it that is an awesome bike power is there all the way through.it was fun lining up i took off with the trailrider bunch because i was the only guy in the fun class it said class leader everytime i came through after one lap I felt like i hadnt been off a dirt bike for over a year felt like i was in my zone although it was slow it was a blast only fell once which is a big plus. it was tough seeing Dennis banged up like that he is a stand up Guy. someone needs to snap up that Honda it is as near perfect as it can be it was great seeing everyone just like old times I hope that that wasnt the Last race for cdale been a lot of good sometimes dizzy times there good to see you all Thanks Again Dennis