Idaho State Motocross Series Round #7

Round #7 of the Idaho State Championship Series was held at Rock Creek Raceway in Kimberly, Idaho. What a great race track and facility. Its hard to beat a small town race track, there are just so many things that seem to personalize the event with heart and desire from the promoters to the fans and the racers alike.

The weather turned out great, the skies were overcast most of the weekend which helped to tame the heat and make it enjoyable.

Well one thing I noticed during this round is that I have stepped my performance up a notch and feel like I was riding very well but I soon figured out that at this point in the series my competition has stepped it up too. It turned out to be another hard fought weekend. I rode two classes and had overall finishes of 2nd, 3rd and 4th for the weekend. My Project Filter backed YZ250F was running great and I had some really good battles. In one moto I went from second to fourth and then back to third. There were four of us that were freight training around the track with no more than a bike lenght between us. It was a great race weekend.

The Smokefree83 Team had just come from the Western Idaho Fair from Friday where we had race fans and program supporters sign our bikes. It was a good feeling knowing that I had several new members on the team riding with me.

We are headed into the eight and final round of the series on the 12th of September, to be held at Owyhee Motorcycle Club in Boise, Idaho. Hope to see ya there.........................................

Western Idaho Fair

The Smokefree83 Team had the privilage of setting up the Project Filter booth and displaying the bikes and race car at the Western Idaho Fair. What a great experience! This gave us a chance to connect with some of our fans and also talk with several fair goers about the program. It was a scorcher at almost 100 degrees but we were able to stay pretty cool under the big canopy.

We just had the graphics replaced on the bikes so they were looking great. We had several people sign their names on the bikes so that they are now a part of the Smokefree83 Team and can frequent the winners circle with us.

Thank You for stopping buy and saying hello and Thank You to Project Filter for providing all of the oportunities and for the awesome program.

Washougal National Motocross

I attended the Washougal, Washington National Motocross held 25, 26 July. It was incredible. There were about 900 riders for the two days of racing and 25K spectators. The professional racing on Saturday was spectacular, the weather was great and the Washougal landscape provides for a breathtaking experience in Motocross.

There was a full gate of 40 riders in my class, it is a little intimidating heading into the first turn with 39 other riders. I got a great start the first moto, I was in sixth place as we got through the first two turns and headed up what they call Horsepower Hill. The Washougal track is a National track, it is long, rough and challenging. I faded a little to end up finishing tenth for the moto. I was happy with the finish but I knew I could improve in the second.

I got another good start in the second moto but made a really dumb mistake after the first turn; I clipped the back wheel of another rider and went down hard. I felt a bike land on me and I thought, great I caused another rider to wreck, but as I looked up, I saw the number 83 and realized it was my bike that was on top of me. Good thing is, since the bike landed on me, it didn’t tear up my graphics.

So, I got out from underneath the bike, fired it up, straightened out the levers and was off and running.......40th place. I caught up to the pack and worked my way around 24 riders to end up 16th for the moto.

I ended up getting a plaque for twelfth overall.

It was an awesome experience………………

(Check out the pics: #22 is Chad Reed the National Motocross 450 class points leader)

Idaho State Championship Motocross Series, Round #6

Round #6 of the Idaho State Motocross Championship Series was hosted by White Knuckle Racing and held in Mountain Home, Idaho, at the Optimist Park. What an outstanding weekend, Tag and Robin are always organized and put on the best quality races in the area. The Mountain Home track is very challenging for the riders and great for the spectators because you can sit in the bleachers or walk out on the bridge and see the entire track.

The Smokefree83 Team traveled down on Friday to take advantage of the test and tune day and get a jump on some of the competition. Practice went well; Matt and I were both riding good and felt comfortable on the Supercross style track.

Saturday morning the races started right on time and I was in the first moto of the day. As usual my Project Filter YZ250F was right on the mark as I shot out of the gate to take the lead in my class. I held the lead for two laps and fell back to second place, I was feeling a little off the mark and figured it was better to play it safe and go for a win in the second moto. I did win the second moto to take the overall on Saturday.

Matt gave us a pretty big scare in his second moto on Saturday but you’ll have to read his blog to get the details.

Sunday was another great day, I went 1 – 1 in both motos to take the overall on Sunday as well. I will move into round seven still in the points lead for the series.

Mountain Home was an excellent round, the track is difficult and some riders don’t prefer it but I thought it was a good experience. The Idaho State Championship Series covers seven different tracks around the state, each one is unique in its own way and each one tests riders skills in different areas.

I would like to say “Thank You” to Project Filter for the support, the program is outstanding. The Smokefree83 Team handed out several boxes of Project Filter promotional items, our presence at the event was recognized and appreciated.

We have a little bit of a break in the series; the next round is scheduled for the last weekend in August in Kimberly, Idaho. I am headed to Washougal Washington in between to compete in an amateur national event and take in one day of the AMA Outdoor Motocross Professional Nationals. I am excited, Washougal is an amazing experience.

See ya in Kimberly…………….

Idaho State Championship Motocross Series, Round #5.

Round #5 was in Idaho Falls at the Noise Park Raceway. We arrived at the track on Friday morning, there was some cloud cover but the weather was nice, at least for the first couple of hours. Practice was underway and everything was going great until that big black cloud that has been following us through the series tracked us down. Once again the skies opened up and let us have it, it poured down unbelievably hard for about an hour and then started to hail. Needless to say, practice was over……
I was worried that the races might be canceled for Saturday but the track crew at Noise Park kept working the track until it was rideable. It was a little slippery for practice but the sun came out and blessed us with a good weekend.
I decided to ride two classes at Idaho Falls, I wanted to mix things up a bit and enjoy some unfamiliar competition. In my main class I finished second the first moto and in the added class I finished third. I studied the track during the break between the first and second motos and decided since it was so tight that I would try a little bit different strategy for the second round. As always my Project Filter backed YZ250F shot me out of the hole with a great start. I was in first place with second hot on my heels the entire moto, I rode a smart race by protecting the inside lines and keeping a cool head. I won the second moto, which in turn gave me the overall victory for the day. In my second class I finished third again which set me at third overall. It was a great day.
I wasn’t sure that I wanted to ride both classes on Sunday, I was a little worn out but Saturday went so well that I decided to go for it again. I came out swinging in the first moto of my regular class and took the moto win to start the day. I got the holeshot in the second class but faded back to forth to finish the moto. The competition was tough. In the second motos I finished second in my main class for a second overall on the day and in my added class I stepped it up to a third place finish to give me another third overall for the second day in a row. Wow, there was a lot going on…… Eight motos in two days, for overall finishes of 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 3rd. Matt’s bike was broke so we both rode the 250F for twelve motos of action.
Overall the weekend was awesome. Idaho Falls has a nice racing facility and the people were great. It was a good experience riding the added class, I think it helped me to stay warmed up and in the groove. Stay tuned for the next round which is in Mountain Home, I will ride both classes again, at least on Saturday….
We left Idaho Falls on Monday morning for a family trip to the Lagoon, in Utah, it was a nice break and we had a great time.

Idaho State Championship Motocross Series, Round #4.

Round four of the series was held at the Minadoka Fair Grounds in Rupert Idaho. The motocross track in Rupert was built inside of the horse racing track, this is a super nice setup with full water capabilities and a grassy pit area. Needless to say with all of the rain that we have been getting, the water system did not have to be exercised.

Friday practice was slick and slimy; it had rained in the days prior to the races. The track layout was really different; it was tight with a lot of seemingly odd obstacles. A lot of riders were having difficulties with their timing, me included, it took several laps just to learn the layout.

Saturday was a tough day. This was probably my toughest day so far on the circuit. We got a break from the rain Friday night and the track was actually pretty good for the first round of motos on Saturday. I was struggling with the track layout and could not seem to get myself in sync. In the first moto I started out in third, I quickly worked myself to first but it was short lived. I got sideways in a set of deep rollers and nearly went off of the track, I dropped back to forth. I kept the pressure on third throughout the moto and was planning a hard charge on the last lap. All of the sudden I came around and was given the checkered flag? Evidently I missed the white flag, I was thinking I had one more lap but that wasn’t the case.

The first motos were complete and a black cloud rolled in. Mother Nature dealt us a Torrential down poor. There was about six inches of standing water on the track and the second motos were canceled. Some of the riders were upset about the cancelation but it was to the point of being very dangerous. It was a good call.

We had a little luck rolling on Sunday, it was cloudy all day but we didn’t get any more rain and were able to continue racing. In the first moto I started out second and was in the fight for first when all of the sudden hear comes third in a tight slimy corner. He came in to hot and tried an inside pass on me, unfortunately he hit the ground in front of me causing me to go down also. That’s Racin! We both got up and headed for the finish line. I ended up third in the moto.

The second moto was a little cleaner and the sun was out, Yeah! I started off in second place and held it through the entire moto. My 3 – 2 finishes put me second overall for the day.

I wouldn’t say that Rupert was my favorite track but it was good experience. I am still in the points lead for the series and I am excited to move on to the next round. See ya at Noise Park in Idaho Falls…………………..

Round #3 Idaho State Championship Motocross Series

We were Smoke Free in Salmon Idaho for Round Three of the Idaho State Championship Motocross Series ( 16, 17 May).

The Races were held at the Sacajawea Motosports Park, in Salmon Idaho.

What a great weekend! We had a little trouble on the trip up as my partner Matt hit a deer with his vehicle, just outside of Stanley. The good news is, noone was hurt and we were able to pull together and get the Smokefree83 Team to Salmon in one piece.

The weather was beautiful, it was about 85 degrees and sunny all weekend. Perfect racing weather.

The track at Salmon is challenging to say the least. The motto at their track is "Go Big or Go Home". The track is huge, it is nice and wide with rolling hills and the lap times are almost three minutes. They have a set of whoops that make you grit your teeth every time you go through them and a big rhythm jump section that they call the six pack. They say they have the biggest track in Idaho, with the biggest jumps and the biggest whoops. It was fun.

It was the perfect race weekend for me. My Project Filter backed Yamaha YZ250F was running great at the higher elevation and had no problems roosting the 450s as we made our way around the track. I won both motos on Saturday and both on Sunday for the overall wins both days. I am excited because these wins put me in the points lead for the series.

There were alot of spectators out enoying the weather and we were able to talk with several people about Project Filter and our campaign for Idaho to be Smoke Free. The weather, the people and the races were great. Thank You to the all the volunteers of the Salmon Motocross Association for your hard work in making it a successful race weekend.

The next round is in Rupert, Idaho on 13, 14 June. See ya there.........................