| 2007 Race Reports |
 |  |  |
May 20, 2007
Glasford Illinois
DNF
With a little tender loving care, off-road motorcycles are surprisingly reliable.
However, if my KX250 were my kid, I’d be in jail for child abuse. Round 4 of WFO
Promotions’ hare scramble series was yet another example of bike mistreatment,
this time leading to a shortened race.
The Glasford hare scramble was again part of the District 17 hare scrambles series,
but the familiar face of Dan Lingenfelter was noticeably absent. Dan’s D-17
promoting days ended a year earlier with a move to Missouri and an invitation to ride
the vast trail network he now enjoys. Ron Whipple’s WFO series took over the
Glasford venue in 2007 with a 6-mile layout through the hills and ravines of Central
Illinois. The practice lap revealed a similar course as last year, with plenty of tight
singletrack, off-camber trails and some fast, choppy open sections.
I’d walked a portion of the woods after signing up, and wherever the sun reached the
ground, the dirt was dry and dusty. The faster ATV trails that I’d used to make passes
at last year’s race were choked with dust on the practice lap. When the line of +30
and +40 A riders blasted off in the direction of a large hay bale in the starting field, I
found out very quickly how hard it would be to pass. I got around Ron Peterson with
an alternate route down a ravine, then rode alone for a few miles to a tricky gully,
about three feet deep and twice as wide. Riding down into it was a less-than-
satisfying experience for Paul Mitzelfelt, who was struggling to find his way out of it
while I took a wide path to a shallower part.
From there, I came upon four guys from my starting row, riding in a formation often
called “Freight Train”, but what I commonly refer to as “Slow”. However, one thing the
“elder” riders in the A classes do well is ride without making mistakes. The only way
to get around was to make a ballsy pass in the dust, which had the potential for
severe pain, or find a creative alternate line inside the woods. But there weren't any
alternate lines, at least not the kind that gets you past 4 guys riding incrementally
slower than your ideal pace. Thus, it was a moderate pace we all fell into for the
remainder of the first lap and all of the second lap.
Meanwhile, #401 Will Heitman had caught up after a poor start and was now riding
Caboose in the Freight Train. I tried everything within a reasonable measure of safety
to get around the KDX ahead of me, while Will did all he could to pass me. Neither of
us were successful. I finally took a chance near the end of the second lap with
another attempt to pass the KDX in the dust, but I rubbed his rear tire with my front tire
and it turned into a graceful slide-out on green grass. Somehow Will avoided running
me over from behind.
I lost only one spot after pulling in the clutch and keeping the engine running, but
afterwards I noticed a sluggish feeling in the front end. When I pulled over to see if I’d
flattened my front tire (I hadn't), a few more riders got around. I stuck with Will for
about half of the third lap until he jumped the narrow gully and I wussed out. By then,
it was apparent that something was catching on something else every time I turned
right. I stopped again and saw that the pipe had rotated itself counterclockwise,
causing the small end to raise enough to catch on the front fender. It was annoying
and just plain uncomfortable, especially when you’re trying to chase down the
perennial lead dog in the +30 A class. No workee for me, so I finished out the lap and
called it a day.
Will Heitman ended up taking the win in the +30 A class, followed by Clint Pherigo
and Paul Mitzelfelt. Trey Verardo took the overall win, followed by Dan Janus and Mr.
Enduro himself, Jeff Fredette.
May 27, 2007
East Moline, Illinois
1st of 4 in +30A
The 2007 version of Memorial Day Weekend was one of those glorious weather
events when the Midwest weather gods gather for their own little celebration, not
unlike millions of backyard barbeques across the USA. The sun shone like a
neighbor’s freshly tanned daughter home from college for the summer, humidity was
kept out of sight like that crazy uncle you’d rather nobody knew about, and a splash of
rain on Saturday was like sand thrown on a burger-induced grease fire. In Illinois we
get about 5 weekends like this in any given year, and there is no better way to spend
this kind of Sunday afternoon than on two wheels and in the dirt.
For the first time since my Missouri racing days, I had a partner for the trip to East
Moline. Warrenville native Tony Smith joined me with his KDX200, battling in the +40B
class. When I first saw Tony’s glorious house-sized garage, my eyes misted almost
as much as when The Terminator admitted he was an obsolete design. At the race
site, we took a stroll through the ATV trails near the staging area and found
moderately damp dirt anywhere the sun couldn't reach the ground. The woods were
also filled with Tarzan-like vines, some hanging at the perfect level to snag
unsuspecting handlebars. What we didn't see while walking would become quickly
evident on the parade lap: the tightest singletrack I’d ridden since the final section of
the Sand Goblin Enduro the previous month.
By the time Tony and I readied ourselves to navigate the parade lap, the main group
of riders had already left. Catching up came quickly, at the first of what would become
a series of bottlenecks inside the off-camber and log-strewn trails. I eventually
worked my way around a relatively short course and back to the staging area, where I
sat for about 15 minutes waiting for all the riders to make it back.
The 3-day holiday weekend thinned out attendance somewhat, but a small, solid
group of fast guys were on hand to compete in the +30A class. Will Heitman and
#499 Shawn Minnaert were lined up nearby, as well as Steve Fabrizios to fill out a 4-
man class. Will and Shawn jumped out ahead at the start and pulled away through
the grass track. I finally caught up where the trails narrowed and a rider had fallen
just after a minor mud hole. We took turns using various parts of his bike as traction
to spin our way up a slick hill. If it is possible to tiptoe through the woods on a dirt
bike, we did just that through a tricky, narrow side-hill trail where the penalty for a
mistake was a slow, tiring push back up a hill. Will eventually pulled away and
disappeared out of sight.
The short course and slow pace through tight trail sections made lapped traffic a
regular challenge after only a few laps. I try to be nice, I really do, but that drag racing
thing some of the slower guys want to do in the grass tracks sets me off like the time
I found out natural male enhancement was a Craftsman #3 screwdriver and a roll of
duct tape. By this time I was finding my groove and riding well, eventually catching
back up to Will when he got stuck behind a slower rider. While we both attempted to
pass a lapper, I took a bad line through some small trees and fell over. Will left me
with my boot wedged under the engine case and Senior A rider #60 Jim Wancket
also passed by. By the end of the lap I’d caught up to Jim and began an epic battle to
pass him. After nearly 2 full laps of cat-and-mouse, I finally squeezed by on the grass
track, which is nothing short of a miracle considering my lack of skills having anything
to do with motocross and flat-out speed.
Within the next lap I reined in Shawn Minnaert and began another lengthy pursuit. As
with Jim Wancket, Shawn rode with a consistence suggesting the only way I would
get around was to either harden up and try a risky pass in the grass track or look for a
shortcut. On the first lap I chased Shawn, he took a slightly wider path around the left
side of a tree in an off-camber section, rather than a more direct route on the right
side of the tree. I thought he might have been taking the longer way in trying to get
around a lapper more quickly, but when he repeated this line on a subsequent lap, I
cut to the right side of the tree and made a clean pass.
At this point I was on my 8th lap and, based on my overall time checking into that lap,
figured I’d do 9 laps to complete the race. Only one pro rider had lapped me so far,
the insanely fast Jason Thomas on his #3 Yamaha. Jason has a bit of a Shane Watts
style, where his riding makes you wait for what will surely be a yard-sale crash, but it
doesn't happen and he zips ahead and out of sight. With as many laps as I’d ridden,
the course was becoming very familiar and I felt like I was turning my fastest lap
times of the day. But as I’ve learned many times before, confidence kills. Or at least
scares your sphincter straight every once in awhile. On a moderate climb up a small
hill, the trail rose and then fell a foot or two before continuing its path to the top. The
small drop looked like a perfect place to grab some air and have some fun. Grabbed
some air, indeed - a bit too much air. One of those vines I’d seen while walking the
course reached out and yanked on my handlebars. In a technical sense the KX and I
both landed at the same moment, but my body was lying flat on the seat like a bad
impression of a Superman Seat Grab, except without the seat grab part. The bike and
I continued on two wheels into a mess of trees and brush, somehow avoiding
contact with anything solid, even though the gaps in the trees were no more than
three feet apart. After recovering from this dose of confidence buzz-kill, I was still in
front of Shawn Minnaert and unaware that I’d also passed Will Heitman after he hung
himself up in brambles.
Nine laps in, I thought my race was over, but the sinister scorekeepers told me to
keep riding. By this time I’d run out of water, thanks to the bite valve of my Camelbak
falling off about midway through the race. Even though I’d had the common sense to
grab the hose and blow the water back into the bladder, every so often I’d feel that
cold, wet crotch sensation that means you've either woken up after peeing the bed, or
cool water was rapidly siphoning the Camelbak dry. I rode a conservatively
aggressive the final lap and finished with my first class win of the season and the
most oversized trophy I've ever been awarded. Shawn also got around Will while he
was hung up in the woods to take home second place. Tony Smith won the 7th place
trophy in the +40B class and a beach ball as a door prize. Another glorious Sunday,
thanks to the weather gods.
Glasford Illinois
DNF
With a little tender loving care, off-road motorcycles are surprisingly reliable.
However, if my KX250 were my kid, I’d be in jail for child abuse. Round 4 of WFO
Promotions’ hare scramble series was yet another example of bike mistreatment,
this time leading to a shortened race.
The Glasford hare scramble was again part of the District 17 hare scrambles series,
but the familiar face of Dan Lingenfelter was noticeably absent. Dan’s D-17
promoting days ended a year earlier with a move to Missouri and an invitation to ride
the vast trail network he now enjoys. Ron Whipple’s WFO series took over the
Glasford venue in 2007 with a 6-mile layout through the hills and ravines of Central
Illinois. The practice lap revealed a similar course as last year, with plenty of tight
singletrack, off-camber trails and some fast, choppy open sections.
I’d walked a portion of the woods after signing up, and wherever the sun reached the
ground, the dirt was dry and dusty. The faster ATV trails that I’d used to make passes
at last year’s race were choked with dust on the practice lap. When the line of +30
and +40 A riders blasted off in the direction of a large hay bale in the starting field, I
found out very quickly how hard it would be to pass. I got around Ron Peterson with
an alternate route down a ravine, then rode alone for a few miles to a tricky gully,
about three feet deep and twice as wide. Riding down into it was a less-than-
satisfying experience for Paul Mitzelfelt, who was struggling to find his way out of it
while I took a wide path to a shallower part.
From there, I came upon four guys from my starting row, riding in a formation often
called “Freight Train”, but what I commonly refer to as “Slow”. However, one thing the
“elder” riders in the A classes do well is ride without making mistakes. The only way
to get around was to make a ballsy pass in the dust, which had the potential for
severe pain, or find a creative alternate line inside the woods. But there weren't any
alternate lines, at least not the kind that gets you past 4 guys riding incrementally
slower than your ideal pace. Thus, it was a moderate pace we all fell into for the
remainder of the first lap and all of the second lap.
Meanwhile, #401 Will Heitman had caught up after a poor start and was now riding
Caboose in the Freight Train. I tried everything within a reasonable measure of safety
to get around the KDX ahead of me, while Will did all he could to pass me. Neither of
us were successful. I finally took a chance near the end of the second lap with
another attempt to pass the KDX in the dust, but I rubbed his rear tire with my front tire
and it turned into a graceful slide-out on green grass. Somehow Will avoided running
me over from behind.
I lost only one spot after pulling in the clutch and keeping the engine running, but
afterwards I noticed a sluggish feeling in the front end. When I pulled over to see if I’d
flattened my front tire (I hadn't), a few more riders got around. I stuck with Will for
about half of the third lap until he jumped the narrow gully and I wussed out. By then,
it was apparent that something was catching on something else every time I turned
right. I stopped again and saw that the pipe had rotated itself counterclockwise,
causing the small end to raise enough to catch on the front fender. It was annoying
and just plain uncomfortable, especially when you’re trying to chase down the
perennial lead dog in the +30 A class. No workee for me, so I finished out the lap and
called it a day.
Will Heitman ended up taking the win in the +30 A class, followed by Clint Pherigo
and Paul Mitzelfelt. Trey Verardo took the overall win, followed by Dan Janus and Mr.
Enduro himself, Jeff Fredette.
May 27, 2007
East Moline, Illinois
1st of 4 in +30A
The 2007 version of Memorial Day Weekend was one of those glorious weather
events when the Midwest weather gods gather for their own little celebration, not
unlike millions of backyard barbeques across the USA. The sun shone like a
neighbor’s freshly tanned daughter home from college for the summer, humidity was
kept out of sight like that crazy uncle you’d rather nobody knew about, and a splash of
rain on Saturday was like sand thrown on a burger-induced grease fire. In Illinois we
get about 5 weekends like this in any given year, and there is no better way to spend
this kind of Sunday afternoon than on two wheels and in the dirt.
For the first time since my Missouri racing days, I had a partner for the trip to East
Moline. Warrenville native Tony Smith joined me with his KDX200, battling in the +40B
class. When I first saw Tony’s glorious house-sized garage, my eyes misted almost
as much as when The Terminator admitted he was an obsolete design. At the race
site, we took a stroll through the ATV trails near the staging area and found
moderately damp dirt anywhere the sun couldn't reach the ground. The woods were
also filled with Tarzan-like vines, some hanging at the perfect level to snag
unsuspecting handlebars. What we didn't see while walking would become quickly
evident on the parade lap: the tightest singletrack I’d ridden since the final section of
the Sand Goblin Enduro the previous month.
By the time Tony and I readied ourselves to navigate the parade lap, the main group
of riders had already left. Catching up came quickly, at the first of what would become
a series of bottlenecks inside the off-camber and log-strewn trails. I eventually
worked my way around a relatively short course and back to the staging area, where I
sat for about 15 minutes waiting for all the riders to make it back.
The 3-day holiday weekend thinned out attendance somewhat, but a small, solid
group of fast guys were on hand to compete in the +30A class. Will Heitman and
#499 Shawn Minnaert were lined up nearby, as well as Steve Fabrizios to fill out a 4-
man class. Will and Shawn jumped out ahead at the start and pulled away through
the grass track. I finally caught up where the trails narrowed and a rider had fallen
just after a minor mud hole. We took turns using various parts of his bike as traction
to spin our way up a slick hill. If it is possible to tiptoe through the woods on a dirt
bike, we did just that through a tricky, narrow side-hill trail where the penalty for a
mistake was a slow, tiring push back up a hill. Will eventually pulled away and
disappeared out of sight.
The short course and slow pace through tight trail sections made lapped traffic a
regular challenge after only a few laps. I try to be nice, I really do, but that drag racing
thing some of the slower guys want to do in the grass tracks sets me off like the time
I found out natural male enhancement was a Craftsman #3 screwdriver and a roll of
duct tape. By this time I was finding my groove and riding well, eventually catching
back up to Will when he got stuck behind a slower rider. While we both attempted to
pass a lapper, I took a bad line through some small trees and fell over. Will left me
with my boot wedged under the engine case and Senior A rider #60 Jim Wancket
also passed by. By the end of the lap I’d caught up to Jim and began an epic battle to
pass him. After nearly 2 full laps of cat-and-mouse, I finally squeezed by on the grass
track, which is nothing short of a miracle considering my lack of skills having anything
to do with motocross and flat-out speed.
Within the next lap I reined in Shawn Minnaert and began another lengthy pursuit. As
with Jim Wancket, Shawn rode with a consistence suggesting the only way I would
get around was to either harden up and try a risky pass in the grass track or look for a
shortcut. On the first lap I chased Shawn, he took a slightly wider path around the left
side of a tree in an off-camber section, rather than a more direct route on the right
side of the tree. I thought he might have been taking the longer way in trying to get
around a lapper more quickly, but when he repeated this line on a subsequent lap, I
cut to the right side of the tree and made a clean pass.
At this point I was on my 8th lap and, based on my overall time checking into that lap,
figured I’d do 9 laps to complete the race. Only one pro rider had lapped me so far,
the insanely fast Jason Thomas on his #3 Yamaha. Jason has a bit of a Shane Watts
style, where his riding makes you wait for what will surely be a yard-sale crash, but it
doesn't happen and he zips ahead and out of sight. With as many laps as I’d ridden,
the course was becoming very familiar and I felt like I was turning my fastest lap
times of the day. But as I’ve learned many times before, confidence kills. Or at least
scares your sphincter straight every once in awhile. On a moderate climb up a small
hill, the trail rose and then fell a foot or two before continuing its path to the top. The
small drop looked like a perfect place to grab some air and have some fun. Grabbed
some air, indeed - a bit too much air. One of those vines I’d seen while walking the
course reached out and yanked on my handlebars. In a technical sense the KX and I
both landed at the same moment, but my body was lying flat on the seat like a bad
impression of a Superman Seat Grab, except without the seat grab part. The bike and
I continued on two wheels into a mess of trees and brush, somehow avoiding
contact with anything solid, even though the gaps in the trees were no more than
three feet apart. After recovering from this dose of confidence buzz-kill, I was still in
front of Shawn Minnaert and unaware that I’d also passed Will Heitman after he hung
himself up in brambles.
Nine laps in, I thought my race was over, but the sinister scorekeepers told me to
keep riding. By this time I’d run out of water, thanks to the bite valve of my Camelbak
falling off about midway through the race. Even though I’d had the common sense to
grab the hose and blow the water back into the bladder, every so often I’d feel that
cold, wet crotch sensation that means you've either woken up after peeing the bed, or
cool water was rapidly siphoning the Camelbak dry. I rode a conservatively
aggressive the final lap and finished with my first class win of the season and the
most oversized trophy I've ever been awarded. Shawn also got around Will while he
was hung up in the woods to take home second place. Tony Smith won the 7th place
trophy in the +40B class and a beach ball as a door prize. Another glorious Sunday,
thanks to the weather gods.
Glasford, Illinois
East Moline, Illinois
East Moline, Illinois
