Fox Valley report

July 21, 2013

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well we made another trip to Fox Valley Offroad Park for round 6 of the District 16 series.  As I mountain biked the course on Saturday the trail was alot slower than the previous round and a little more technical too. The dust was going to be a factor so a good start would be ideal. Sunday morning came around and the sun was shinning they were calling for low 80's, but I think it was closer to 90  by the time we were on the line. 

Fox Valley Off Road's website sums it up well (quoted from trackman 7/21/13 http://midwest-racing.com/2013/FVOR/7-21/7-21hs.htm): 

"So now over 150 riders have raced either an hour, or an hour and a half and it’s noon.  Ready for the afternoon AA , A and B classes to hammer a much more difficult course.  ALL the ex section is ready, and a much tougher version of Rock Creek is now changed up to be included in their race.  1 hour, 45 minutes of fast paced, Log clearing, tree banging, excavator tire jumping action is to be had.  64 riders are lined up, its’ 12:30pm 11 of the 64 AA class which is the highest class in HS racing is set.  JD Friebel (17), Alec Perry (99), Austin Wells (65), Shane Klimek (14), Kyleer Vance (97 returning after almost 2 years), Robert Kau (54), Pete Laubmier (28) Chris Hoffman (30) Travis Ward (51) and Matte Herrington (98) from both D16 and D17 ready to race. Missing today was Matt Dissell and Ryan Moss, both would have made this race even more interesting. Off the start, Kyleer showed he remembered how good he was getting holeshots, and Austin Wells equally as good was right in there. Alec Perry and Travis Ward were fighting for position into the corner with Perry edging Ward out in the first sections.  This course today had 4 separate types of single track sections.  Three of which were ravines that dropped from the top side of the property to the bottom which is about 150’ or more in height.  Kyleer held the lead on the first partial lap as Travis got past Austin and Alec to hound Kyleer for the lead.  On lap two Travis took the lead, while Alec, Austin, and Kyleer battled in the early laps. Austin went down and dropped to 6^th while starting in last District 16’s Husky mounted JD Friebel was slicing through the pack trying to get to the leaders and make a charge. Quietly Shane Klimek was also making is way to the front.  At the hour mark Travis had a about a minute lead, but this would soon go away as he folds his front end over and goes tumbling across the timber floor.  Getting up and losing a good 60 seconds tightened up the race positions considerably. The last four laps were amazing.  JD gets into the fray, that 4 stroke Husky echoing through the timber as he rides it hard and on the rev limiter.  Everyone could see him reeling in the leaders and as he gets into 2^nd place it’s only a matter of time before Ward would be the next victim. All the while, Austin, Alec and Shane are battling for every inch of real estate. JD on the white flag lap closed to with in sight of Travis and they both looked at each other in the EX section of the track. This meant the next lap and a half was going to come down to lappers moving nicely to the side and no mistakes. BOTH riders fastest lap times of the day were the last two laps.  Think about this for a minute. JD being really close or 30 years old, Travis 17, Alec 19, Austin 19, Shane a bit older and their fastest lap times are the END of the race. JD pulled some of the fastest laps of the day at 9:31, he did that twice on the third to last lap and the last lap. Travis had consistent with 9:40’s pulled 9:38, 9:35; and the fastest of the day with JD hot on his heals a 9:27.  Less then 12 seconds separated 1^st and 2^nd place after that long of a race is pretty interesting. Alec, Austin, and Shane more then once was side by side on the logs in the ex section jumping the tires at the end scrambling for the lines in the corner.  Alec held on for 3^rd, with Austin 3 seconds behind him! Shane dropped off on the later laps, about a minute behind with Kyleer’s “first” race back 2 seconds behind Shane in 6^th. Travis Ward got his “first” overall win in AA class after only a ½ of season in the class." 
 
Remember to keep it between the trees!

Dusty Stone Lake.

July 7, 2013

Don't mess with me.

 

 

Little target shooting on Saturday.

Ready for the action!

Taking the checkers for the WIN!!

This was our first trip out to Stonelake for the year and we were looking forward to it. I talked to Phil and asked if we could use the pistol range and do some shooting on Saturday and he said that would be OK. We were able to do a little shooting, fishing, and racing; what else could you ask for in a weekend? The temps were pretty warm all weekend. Sunday rolled around and we were ready for the warm weather and riding hard. There were 13 AA riders on the line all ready to get the race rolling. I didn't get the best start, but everyone went wide in the first turn and I came out in third. I was where I wanted to be, up front with the faster riders. But that came to a quick end as they watered the track heavily and made it slippery. I came into the last big burm corner before we left the moto track and headed into the woods and washed the front end and tipped over. I got right back up and took off only loosing two spots. I was able to pass the one guy rather quickly but then the dust started to play a big factor on the roads we were racing down and I couldn't see a thing when I was behind someone. By lap three I was up to third again and slowly catching the guys in front of me. As I started lap four I was coming around the corner near the start and saw the leader, Nate, in the pits as if something was wrong (he ended up getting a flat front tire and came back to change it). When I saw him I knew I was now in second and really had to put my head down and try to gap him and to catch Dylan who was in the lead. I knew if I pushed really hard I could catch him. By lap five I was right behind him and just waited for an opportunity to pass. We pushed really hard moving through lappers and on the final lap about two miles or so from the end I was able to sneak by him on a rocky corner and took over the lead. I was super excited to be able to take the win because I really pushed myself in the heat to catch and to pass Dylan. I would like to thank all my sponsors for everything they do and also my family for helping each week to get ready for the races and helping at the races, Thanks again.

Remember keep it between the trees!!

CMJ RACEWAY

June 30, 2013

AA Line

Taking the lead

We are back in action after a weekend off in Hixton WI. We arrived at CMJ Raceway Friday night. Saturday morning I set out and walked the course. Chris asked me to check the course out and make sure everything was marked and ready for Sunday. Since the trail was drying out a touch we decided to add a little more trail for the afternoon race. The trail was still pretty slippery Saturday but with the wind it was soaking it up slowly. By Sunday the trail was looking like it was going to be awesome and it was great on Sunday. There were eight AA riders for the afternoon race. Riders came from Minnesota and Illinois as well as our normal local riders and this made a very competitive class. When the gun fired I got a little anxious and touched the throttle to quick and snubbed my bike. I hit the electric start button and it fired right away, but I was sixth going into the woods. I tried to make my way to the front as quickly as I could and tried to relax and ride hard. By the third lap I got around Pete and took the lead. Was goal was to ride hard and smooth and not make any big mistakes. Nate was right behind me and we just started to pull away from the rest of the field. We pushed each other pretty hard if we race each other and that usually results in some fast lap times. Lap eight I had to stop for gas and Nate got around me. I knew he still had to stop too but I didn't know when. Nate ended up stopping the next lap and I was able to close right back up on his rear tire. I knew it would be a dog fight to the end if we didn't make any mistakes. But my day got cut short when we caught a lapper next to the interstate. Nate was able to get by clean and as I was wheeling a ditch the lapper pulled back in the trail without looking back and I ran right into his tire and that sent me ping ponging through the trees. I was able to get back up fairly quick but it was to much of a gap to recover from. I was happy with my ride up until that point but that is racing; lappers can hurt you or help you. I came across the finish line in second place. I would like to thank my family for all the help they do and especially all my sponsors you guys are what keep me going week after week. Thanks for all your help!!

Remember keep it between the trees!

Slippery Wedron.

June 16, 2013

My Little Buddy!

Great Father's Day!

The Logs!

We made the trek south to Wedron IL for round 3 of the District 16 Hare Scramble series. The forecast for the weekend wasn't looking so good because they were calling for rain Saturday night. Wedron had enough rain during the week that the woods were muddy already. Unfortunately the skies opened up Saturday night and soaked the course. Sunday came and it was a very warm and sunny day. The turn out was pretty good considering the weather, but my day didn't go as planned. I had a bad start and had to try and work my way through the pack which ended up not being so easy for me that day. I was trying too hard to get to the front that I was making a lot of mistakes and some of the mistakes where ending up making me fall down in the slippery conditions. I kept trying to push harder and harder, but finally decided to slow down a little and try and salvage the best finish that I could for that day. You don't always have good days and this definitely wasn't one of the my best rides. The race was only 1hr 45min and this is shorter than what we are used to. The extra time helps you when you have to play catch up like I was doing and I just ran out of time to improve my position. I ended the day in 6th overall. Not bad considering my struggles, but not acceptable for my standards. I plan on learning from this and will rebound as I move on to the next race. I would like to thank everyone who helps and supports me: my wife, mom and dad, and especially all my sponsors. You make this all possible. THANKS!!

Remember keep it between the Trees!!

The Loose Moose!

June 9, 2013

We made the drive to the U.P. this last weekend for round six of the National Enduro Series.  This was my second race back from my toe injury (since February at round one in Georgia). My toe is healing really well and I am trying to get movement back in the knuckle that the pin was put through. The weather was looking to be great for the weekend of racing with a slight chance of rain on Sunday. The family enduro was on Saturday. For the last couple of years I have helped out by pulling arrows down after the event and working both checks and road crossings. This year I was asked to help work a check on the second loop. It is a good time to sit out in the woods and see all the smiles from everyone having a great time ridding as a family.  There needs to be more of these types of events. When I was done helping out I went back and got signed up for Sundays race, went through tech, and finished getting everything prepped for race days. I was on row 18 which was a great row. The trail wasn't to beat up but was burnt in well enough to see where we were going in the new sections. The first test was fast and flowing trail. I put in a decent ride and was the third fastest in my class during that test. The next test was a lot tighter; they put us in the woods and kept us there for the most part. I won this test because this is what I like to ride. Test three also had a lot of tight woods and I ended up tying with another rider for first in this section. Test four opened back up and also had a couple of moon rocks in the mix. Test Five had more moon rocks and was more of an open flowing trail.  Then we came to the AA section - test six. This was once again a more technical trail for us to finish up with. It had rocky climbs with a lot of rocky ledges to go up and down. I told myself to be smooth and not make any mistakes and I would do good. I could of gone faster through the rocky parts of this section but my strategy of riding smooth worked better because I won this test. I went through it mistake free and had a great ride. I came out with my best finish yet at a National Enduro = 1st in Open A and 14th Overall.  I would like to thank everyone, all my sponsors, and my family for all their support to make it easier to go racing and to win races. Thanks!!

Remember keep it between the Trees!!

The hardware.

I think I got what it takes!

Wishing Daddy good luck!

First Gas Stop!

End of one of the Tests.

I thought it was my turn for test three!

The Family.

Getting everyone up to speed.

 May 19 2013

It has been awhile since I have been on here and I have been busy healing and getting ready to get back on my bike. My toe has been making good progress. I was cleared to go back to my normal activities (which aren't real normal unless your like me and race dirt bikes through the trees) from my doctor the Thursday before round two of our district series. I was up in the air weather I should ride or not; it all depended on how I felt the day of the race. I was working out as much as I could the entire time I was off the bike, but not to the extent that I would have liked. About two hours before the start of my race I made the call to go ahead and race. I was mentally ready more than physically probably, but that's all I needed.
I started my first race back with an awful start. It was not what I wanted to happen at all. I was almost the last one off the line because my bike didn't start right away. I guess I was a little rusty on the start and I really didn't want to be in the back and have to race to the front because I didn't know how my conditioning would be or how my toe would feel. I was able to make it to the front of the pack on the first lap and I put my head down to ride my own race. I got a nice lead early on and rode smooth with no mistakes. At the end I had a 5 minute lead and took the win. It felt good to be back on my bike and racing again.
I would like to thank all my sponsors for sticking with me through the injury and I will continue to train and ride hard to keep you on the top spot of the podium. I would also like to thank my family- without them I wouldn't be able to do what I do week in and week out.
Remember keep it between the trees!!

On the Gas to catch everyone!

pictures courtesy of Brian Mullane

Injury update.

Well I'm going on the start of my fourth week and so far everything seems to be going well.  I go for my next doctor visit Thursday and hoping they remove  the pin like they were talking about.  That way I can start putting pressure on my foot and start walking around.  I'm not a person who likes to sit around and watch tv so this is really driving me crazy not being able to do my normal everyday activities.  I really want to get back to my training and ridding but I'm not going to push it just waiting for the doctors go ahead and I'll be working my butt off to get back to where I was before the injury. This isn't going to slow me down just a bump in the road to over come and learn from.  So I will keep everyone up to date on my progress.  See you soon at the races.