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Well I'll start off by saying I was not very happy about the shortened races. As it turns out I did get hit with a touch of heat stroke - still have a good headache now and its after ten pm! Dan and PK did make the right call on that.

However, once again I'm so busted up and sore - nothing serious but I even have some cute little exhaust burns from being pinned under the bike. I lost the rear brake and found out she went on strike right when I needed her the most. Hey seriously a special thanks to the dude who rode WAY OFF TRAIL to go and check up on me. I didn't fall down the hill but it coulda got ugly. He must have seen me or my tire tracks through the weeds. Please let me know who you are. He was a racer and you rock dude.

My hands are still clubs, stiff neck, sore shoulder, torn up hands but an AWESOME day at an AWESOME track. Boy I sure wish I could have seen the start! Dan Thank you so much by holding the 900's one more second because I shot across the 900 line fast once I saw my classmates were gone and it looked like you were just about to drop the sign, man THAT would not have been pretty....... That was just a class move.....(on your part)...

Dan thanks for the rear brake tip - it got me back in and man I was raising hell! OOOH! A very special thanks to the 6 mile marker guys who kept my rear brakes cooled down and kept me going too! I know you saw I kinda had my hands full with those 2 characters I was taking down. It was better than NASCAR, I limp in and almost hit the guys and they only smile and cool me down - a thank you and I'm rocking again! Yes, yes, yes, I'm going to bleed the brakes.......

You 40plus guys better post because I know for a fact that a whole lot of battles went down - some were just epic.

this is killing me, my hands are even cramping - gee wizz...what a whimp!... I'll post later I don't want to steal anyones thunder.

Nothing like showing up to the line after doing a quick clutch adjustment to see the 15 second board turn!! I had one glove and my goggles in my hand when I lined up in the weeds way right. I gomy bike shut off just in time to have 3 seconds before it was time to star t. Saw some pretty bad get offs, hopefully everyone is okay and aren't hurt. I gassed myself the first lap coming up from last then just lost motivation. Don't know why but it just turned into a Sunday cruise with lots of daydreaming. Really liked the track and layout and had fun riding just wasn't in race mode.

Race started out perfectly. Got my first holeshot of the season and had the lead till the ol back brake once again decided to leave me on the first lap. That is the 4th race in a row it has done that, eventually comes back but man it's tough to trust it. I found it went out right before the come and go gate. I belive 1029 went around me then in the first short open section before you turn left into the horseshoe. I stayed on him for the most part to the river and he went on the left line up the river bank and had issues. I went up the right line and got around him. Held on to first till after the G out river crossing coming back. I went by a couple of bikes that were stalled and then shortly after heard a bike coming up behind me, thinking it was one of the guys I had just went around I let him by, turns out it was 1027 or 1029, not sure which. So I just gave away first, nice...
Stayed with him as best I could in the dust till he got around another rider which held me up. Finished lap 1 in 2nd.

Lap 2 was going ok but just not riding fast. Had another 10 series rider go by in the big field before the drop into the creek. Followed him in the ditch and I think his bike died in a corner so got back around him. Not long after in that NE corner I tried to shift only to discover the shift lever was not in the proper position, it was pointed straight down. Not wanting to risk losing it I tried to ride easy back to scoring. 1029 passed me at the water barn as I eased over. Finished lap in 3rd. Pulled off and fixed shift lever.

Went back out and had great lap only to come in and discover I was done. That was frustrating. Was hoping to have an opportunity to try and chase down some positions. But probably for the best. Disappointing finish for what started so perfectly.

Anyone have any words of wisdom on how to make this back brake issue go away? I have bled and bled it. Just keeps doing it every race. This was probably my last race of the season, though I may try for Merwin.

This is a wierd kind of race report to make.
I took a header last week testing with Jared and took this race off.

Dan posted Mr. Hightower and me at the prime location of the 6 mile water stop. Shade and cool breazes and we were happy campers. Both injured but we managed to get some water on you guys.

It was fun seeing my kids and extended family all tearing it up. Lauren holeshotting and coming around in first, ripping on that 300XCW, bringing it home in 2nd. Jared was cranking hard in the top 5 in the A class on his Letko hotrod. He ran out of water and Lauren stopped to visit me after the morning race so she and I did a quick camelback install on Jared to keep the boy cool.

Jeremy was a stud on that 300 of his, winning the A class. with his buddies Ryan Grun and Aaron Joray in hot pursuit.

My newly reconfigured 300SX was expertly ridden by Kasey Ohlert in the AA class where he kept Macon honest for the win and held off young Brawner. Great rides by those guys. I'm pretty certain that my 300 will never go so fast again. At one point, Kasey shouts as he rippped by "This thing is awesome!".

Last but not least; the only non-orange bike in our clan; Brad looked great on his Hondeee. 3rd in the hotly contested B class. Nice work B-rad.

If you have to miss a race; this was the way to do it.
Great fun.

Thanks to the Hightower family for getting me out and back from the barn.
The young lady Hightower is gonna be a contender in the future. Congrats on your 2nd place Sierra.

Sorry about your crash Shredder. My wife got a nice pic of it. I uploaded on FB. Tried to tag you but could not find you anymore....

Wow Shredder. Glad you're ok. It's something else that your were able to chase me down after that along with you late start. Still amazes me what we can put ourselves and our bikes through and still ride away, most of the time.

My race got off to a decent start. About mid pack for the hole shot. Got passed by Todd #1063 going in to the woods. I knew being up front was important but with Joray, McFarland and Brunholtz even if I did get out in front I wouldn't stay there long so I dug in for the long haul and hoped my hydration would hold up and I would run a clean mistake free race.

Stayed with Todd pretty much the whole race. Traded spots at least a half a dozen times before he got me at the end. Like Drexel it was a blast. I was catching him again at the end like I had gotten my 2nd wind but with the shorter race just ran out of time.

Halfway thru my 1st lap Tom#1035 was on my tailpipe. I knew he was there and was trying to get around me but I had this crazy idea I could hold him off. Not so, he got me in a short open area like I was standing still. Man that Suzuki is fast!

John #1027 got me in one of the grassy sections toward the end of the 1st lap. I dint even know he was there then I heard his thumper come up on my left. I knew I wouldn't see him again! Come to find out though he had a flat on the 2nd lap and dropped out. Good for me, Bad for John.

Trade spots with Todd all thru the race. I knew he was pretty far out in front of me on our 1st lap cause I couldn't see him any more. Then all of a sudden he passes me not long after John did. Come to find out where we dropped in to the creek and went right he had gone left up and out of the creek and I passed him. Didn't even know it. Form there the race was on.

On our third lap had junior come up on us while I was in the lead. I thought I was letting him go but turned out it was Todd. Son of a #*@%$. Stayed with him for a while but I was getting tired. I let the Junior go by but it took him a couple of tries. By this time I decided to slow down and get some water.

Was starting to get me wind back when I came up on either 1051 or 1050. (Shredder says 1050, I say 1051). Was running right on his tailpipe when I had another big 4 stroke come on me like an A rider the 3 of us were in one of those grassy turns in the woods not long before the big log jump and there was really only room for 2. 1051 on the right, me in the middle and ??? coming up on my left. I new the guy on my left had to be faster than me so I let him go. To my dismay it was the infamous 1002! I didn't even know he was racing. Now I'm back in the race.

Stayed with 1051 who stayed with 1002. 1051 and I took the right trail around the log and Dennis took the log which got him. We passed Dennis Now I had to get around 1051 to catch back up to Todd. Hit the long open grassy section in 3rd gear right on his fender. By the time we hit the turn I was in 5th and on the gas. Not sure how much faster my tires would have held the turn but if 1051 had not let up I was gonna find out. Thanks for letting me go. I was 5th gear throttle pinned down the straight away and locking the brakes up back in the woods. By this time I was able to catch a glimpse of Todd and when we came thru the scoring loop I was within 17 seconds. "I'M BACK"!

Stayed on his fender for the entire lap. I knew all I need to do was hit my marks and run clean. My bike ran flawless and I was able to hang on spending more time in the taller gears than I care to. Unfortunately Todd did to. Just could not get around him. Got close a couple of times but finished just 2 seconds behind him in 4th.

Wow what a race and the course was awesome. Thanks Dan.

Thanks to Letko, Olathe Ford, Commercial Van Interiors, Foust Fleet Services, Knapheide and Supreme Corp.

Go Team Letko!

Go Team

I will keep this one short, so here it goes.

This was my first race against JS244 and I barely even saw him. He got the hole shot and pulled away from the class. Congrats to him on the win! I did get to chase around AJ227 for most of the first lap, until BL9 and I passed each other back. The dust was unreal on the first lap! I could not see the ground for most of the lap. On the second lap I was reeling in 5th when I thought what was a fast line ended up stopping me cold in my tracks as a vine had grabbed my handlebars. I watched as EE6 and DL369 went around me (and Dawson btw who was destroying that course). I got back going and got back up to 6th and rode out another lap. I had issues with my camelbak and lost my bite value, thus draining out all of my water. I rode a lap and a half without water until my old man and sister fixed me up with one (thank goodness). After that I tried to minimize mistakes and finish off where I could. I was pleased to see 5th place pop up on the screen as I finished. I guess I was the last one to take a 5th lap.

I felt just as exhausted as a 2 hour race because the heat was brutal. It was a good call by Dan and company to shorten the races. Nothing is more important that safety. Thanks to all who put on the race, Dan Johnson, the landowner, Letko Cycles, Motorcare, and Pumpkinpatch Racing.

Justin, you are a lot faster than me so I am not really an authority but I have been pretty lucky with my brakes. Have only really lost the rear once.

You can run DOT 5.1 which has a higher boiling point than DOT 4. The 2 can be mixed so you don't have to evacuate the DOT 4.

I run Caliper and Master Cylinder radiators. Besides cooling the brake fluid they give you additional capacity. That's a win win. Both available at Letko if for a KTM. I think they can get brand X too.

Last but not least, I know guys who are brake riders so they lower their rear brake lever to avoid riding it.

Your only alternative is to slow down and I doubt that happens! LOL

Hope that helps.

Gibber1036 wrote:Your only alternative is to slow down and I doubt that happens! LOL

You forgot the other alternative which is to not use them! Then you'll just be going faster.

Race Report:
The change in race time and water stop location were a great ideas to keep us all from getting overheated out there. With the dust and shortened race, I knew that the start was going to be that much more important to having the best opportunity to finish well.

I enjoyed watching the first race. The 800's row was huge and got pretty crowded on the line. Lauren ended up starting on the left of the barrels and got the holeshot! She came through the first lap leading and I could tell she wanted to win but by lap 2 another rider had made his way around her for 1st. Lauren stuck it out and was able to come away with an awesome 2nd place!

Brad, Jayshafe, and I scoped out the best start locations between races. We decided on lining up close to the outside tall grass for a better shot at the first left-hander. I was lined up next to Jayshafe and when the board dropped I got a good kick on the bike and took off. At the first corner I met Remy who was coming up the inside, but I had the line so I could keep on the gas and made a smooth arc around the corner which led to the holeshot!

I spent the first few laps trying to get free from the rest of the class and build up a lead. By lap 3 I had a lead of 30 seconds but Ryan erased it all by the start of the final lap and closed to within 6 seconds at the finish line! I figured the last lap was going to be another dog fight so I stayed focused on the course and kept thinking of the next "landmark" location on the course which could spell trouble. Luckily I didn't have any issues with the obstacles or lapped riders and was able to hang on for the win! Great race to Ryan for closing that gap on me and the rest of the guys for fighting through the dust. That was brutal!

Can't wait to see everyone in a few weeks at Thurman!

The morning started off good. I did my practice lap (well I actually did 2 laps), found some really good lines and was content on that. I tried to rest and recover as much as possible and take in as much water as I could without feeling to weighed down. The heat was pretty awful, and I think everyone with exemption to a few (rolls eyes) were glad to see the race shortened.

I picked my started spot and marked it with a plastic cup (which appearantly means nothing lol). It’s okay because I was able to still get a good spot. I went through my starting procedure and got my Honda to fire on the first kick a few times. I felt confident that I had the piston at TDC and when the board dropped I kicked. Nothing. Everyone else took off and I was left to 3 kick it to finally get going. The dust was hanging in the first corner, but I was able to make one pass before seeing 2 fellow B riders down in the 2nd corner before the woods. I was happy I was still up and continued on.

I made another pass on a guy then I had some space to make up. I caught a fellow Honda rider in the first mile or 2, then he made a mistake and washed his rear end out and fell over. Nothing major, just a simple low-slide. I pulled a tear off for clean vision and put my head down and caught up to 2 more guys. They were in a battle and I wanted to join. I knew I had a few really good spots coming up and I wanted to be close enough to make a pass happen, so I took some chances and rode hard into the dust.

I was racing the course nearly blind, but because I did 2 practice laps slowly I was able to memorize where I needed to back off a little and where I could push through the dust and not worry about hitting anything. I was right behind him through a left handed uphill corner (almost like a switch back) then we went slight right and up a hill with some rock ledges.

Aw yes! My favorite spot, I swung wide and squeezed between the trees avoiding all the rock ledges and just held it on. I pulled up right beside him and because the next corner was a left hander, I had the inside. Pass made, Stoked!

One down, one more to go. I had another good spot picked out in a field section and patiently waited knowing I could probably make the pass If I could hold it on longer. Sure enough, I made the pass stick and got another shot of adrenaline to keep me going.

After that it was uneventful for a lap or so, I tried to make up some time, and saw that I was in 3rd, but was 30+ seconds back from 2nd place, Hightower. I put my head down again and focused on my lines. I knew I had a few good spots to make up a couple seconds here or there, but one of my “hot lines” got the best of me. After a small creek, I cut inside of a big tree and was met with a vine that caught my handlebar and pitched me off high-side. I hit my head a little and rolled a few times, but got up and got going again. My handlebars and forks were twisted and to go straight I had to turn the bars slightly. My shifter was also bent up, but that didn’t effect me too much and I was able to continue on.

That incident only slowed me down for a little bit, and I was able to return to the same pace I had before, but the damage was done. I lost time and energy. When I went through scoring again, I saw that I had lost a minute to 2nd place. The next lap I decided that I would just ride at a comfortable pace and not do anything crazy. Around mile 2 or 3 on my last lap, but back started to really cramp up (probably from straining it loading up this morning). I lost some time and decided to call it a day. I had built up enough of a cushion that I was still able to finish up 3rd in class, which given the year I’ve had I will take that. It feels good to be back riding, and nothing having the major wrist issues I had at the beginning of the year. My goal is to finish out the year strong and have fun.

See you guys up north, with hopefully cooler temperatures and less dust.