Racing Gone Bad!

My freshman year of high school was a year to remember. During the summer, my brother and I had some friends out to ride our motorcycles and practice for the race on the next weekend. We had a big track behind our house and everyone came to ride.

We were almost done riding when my brother found a jump that was straight up, so we started to see who could get the highest air. On my brother’s last try he jumped the highest and his foot slipped off of his foot peg and he landed right on it. He acted like nothing happened and went up to the house. Later that day we went swimming and I saw his ankle; it was all black and blue. He could hardly walk on it and finally that night my mom forced him to go to the hospital where they took x-rays. His ankle was fractured in two places. They put two screws in his left ankle and told him he would be on crutches for nine weeks. That meant that he was out for the rest of the season for the District 11/AMA series that we were in.

I had one more race until my family and I were going on vacation. Unfortunately my brother wasn’t going to be able to go to Myrtle Beach because of his ankle. The race was at Reno Raceway; therefore, it is one of the worst tracks. It is nothing but clay dirt, so if it rains it is a slimy, muddy race, and if it is dry it is the dustiest track to race on. It is down towards the Ohio River and West Virginia, which is like an hour and half drive from my house.

On the night before the race, my dad and I are usually working on my bike until midnight, but we got done early since we didn’t have to work on my brother’s bike. The next day we traveled to Reno Raceway. My class starts at nine o’clock, so my family and I usually have to wake up early in the morning and leave. When we pulled in at the gates it was getting hot out and the mini-bike race was starting.

As soon as we picked a spot and parked I unload our trailer and went to sign up for my class. There was a long line to register. When I got up to the line I had to fill out a slip to say if I got hurt I wasn’t allowed to sue the racetrack. Then filled out a slip for what class I in and signed my signature on it. I paid the people that owned the track twenty- five dollars to race.

After I got through signing up my friends and I went to walk the track. We look for hot lines (faster lines when you need to pass someone) and what the track was going to be like to ride on. About twenty minutes before the race I had a banana, and a Gatorade, so I wouldn’t get dehydrated during the race and get cramps.

I was getting ready for the race, putting on all of my gear that protects me, when my dad started up my bike to warm it up and topped it off with fuel. When I was done getting dressed I went out and my brother was sitting in a chair. I grabbed his crutches and walked around on them, telling him, “If you didn’t jump your bike you wouldn’t be on crutches. You could be still racing, but know I’m going to beat you in points, big bro”.

It was time to race, so I gave back his crutches and hopped on my bike. I will admit that I was being really cocky to him, so I told him when I was sitting on my bike, “Look at the bright side you won’t have to wear yourself out today; you can sit back and relax and watch the race”. I took off and went up to the starting line like any other race. We sat on our bikes warming them up and getting ready to start. I was getting nervous like any other race. I was thinking how well I could do and if I could climb up in the point standings since my brother was hurt, which I was in fifth at the time and my brother was ranked second in the point standings.

We were ready to start and it is a dead engine start, so when the flagger holds the green flag up for ten seconds until he drops from his head down to his hip, at which point you start your bike and the race is on. Well when he raised the flag, everything is going through your mind, like if you are going to crash or how well your going to finish, so when he dropped the flag my foot slipped and my bike didn’t start. Now I was dead last out of like twenty some riders. Still, I knew I had plenty of time to get back up front because the race was an hour long.

I was fighting my way back up and was wearing myself out pushing myself to the limit. I stopped for gas and I didn’t know what place I was in until my dad said “you are in the top ten with less than a half hour to go in the race”. It boosted me, and all I can think of in my head was, “I am in better shape than most of the riders, I can do this.” I trained every day, from riding bikes to lifting weights and running, so I could have enough energy at the end of the race to finish strong. I pushed even harder and found my way up to third by the time they raised the white flag, which indicates the final lap. I got around to second and I could see first place. I pushed as hard as I could because I had not won a race that year and I was hungry for a win.

Halfway through the last lap I was on his rear tire when I hit something and I felt my foot go numb. I looked down and saw a rip clear through my boot with blood all over my boot, so I pulled over to the side of the track knowing that the race was over. I pulled my boot off and I looked. It was just dangling there when I pulled off my sock and a piece of muscle or skin barely holding my toe on. My foot was pouring out gooey stuff and blood was going everywhere. I freaked out and started screaming “Help! Help! Help!!!” But I was clear out in the woods. I was out there for at least twenty minutes until the guy that checks the track for injured people came around and found me. All I could think before they came is that I was going to have to get back on my bike and ride out of here. Thankfully, they took me out on a four-wheeler up to the ambulance where I was put on a stretcher. The bandaged me up and lifted me up into the ambulance.

It was the first time I have ever been in an ambulance. They rushed me to Marietta Memorial Hospital. It seemed like three or four people at once were asking me a lot of questions. One person was Chinese and I couldn’t understand him, so I just nodded. I waited two or three hours until they took me back and put me to sleep. I was about to go irate for those two to three hours because I’m not a big fan of hospitals, and if it’s not serious I will not go to the hospital or doctor.

I woke up still having all ten of my toes and had to stay in the hospital the rest of the day so they could keep check on me. I ended up staying overnight and was let out around noon the next day and went home. I had to go to an orthopedic surgeon in Zanesville for checkups every few days. My mom and dad went to Myrtle Beach for vacation and my brother and I stayed at my grandparents’ house. And my brother got revenge on me; I wasn’t allowed leaving the coach or bed. He could crutch around, but I had to keep my foot elevated most of the day. The worst part of the whole thing was that it was still summer and we have a boat. I wasn’t allowed to go on the boat, but my brother could go and I took a lot more from him than what I anticipated.

When I went to the orthopedic surgeon the second time they said they were going to remove my toe. I went to surgery the next day and they put me to sleep. I woke up and it was still there. They told me that they thought it could still make it, which meant my toe would stay on unless it turns the rest of the way black, but they weren’t sure.

The next few weeks they told me that they were going to take it off and they did the same thing over again. Putting me asleep and I would wake up and my toe was still there, so on the third time I told them to take it off because I was tired of going back to the hospital to be put asleep. They finally took my toe off on my right foot, second to the smallest one. I went back for checkups and was on crutches for around three months.

My brother and I were done for the summer and I was done for half the winter. Our racing season was over and I ended up missing part of basketball season. I went back to school still on crutches; watching my basketball team play was hard. I wanted to be out there, but I kind of got recognized for losing a toe. Through the school everyone started to call me “9 Toe Tuck,” a nickname I have had since my freshman year.

Training

To be competitive in racing you have to be in shape. Winter is a good time to work out for me. It is the off season for racing and I don’t usually ride in the snow.

Couple of friends and I work out together to make it more fun, plus when you are lifting you need a spotter. Throughout the week we would lift Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

Lifting we did:
•Squats
•Overhead press
•Bench press

We also done agilities and jumped up on boxes to work more on are legs.
On Tuesdays and Thursdays we would run or ride bicycles. If we ran we would usually run about 3 or four miles. If we rode bikes we would ride about 15 miles.

When it was getting closer to summer we would start riding every day. I have a track about 5 miles long through the woods behind my house. Everyone would come out and we would have hour long races and push each other so we could get better. We would find the biggest hill and practice hill climbing for awhile.

When the racing season comes up we are in shape and ready. During the weekends we would race and the weeks we would still train. Not as much so we wouldn’t be sore for the race, but just enough to wear you can feel that you are getting a good workout.

Eating is a big part of training. You have to eat healthy and make shore you get enough to drink so you don’t get dehydrated during the race. I try to drink about a gallon of water every day to keep hydrated.

In the morning before the race I eat a banana so I don’t cramp up and try to drink a gallon of water. I also eat other things like protein bars and other healthy snacks before a race.

Maintenance

Working on your bike to ride or race. You have to check your bike over and make sure that it is ready. It is important that your bike is ready because you don’t want to go to a race and spend lots of money and not finish because you forgot to tighten your swing arm bolt that you took off and put back on, but forgot to tighten it.
It takes me about six hours to work on my bike before a race.

First off I wash it to wear everything looks clean so I can go through and see if I have to replace anything.

Cleaning the Air filter: The air filter is an important part to your bike if you want it to run perfect. Every time after you ride you should clean your air filter. The air filter keeps dirt from getting into the motor. If it gets really dirty the bike can’t get enough air and it will suffocate the bike.

Checking the brakes: you want to make shore that you have enough pads to race or ride on. If they look thin you should change them. When the pad is out it will start to squeak and it will be metal to metal. It will ruin your brake roder and they are like eighty bucks.

Oil: I try to change my oil every time I race. It is important to check it or change it before you ride. I use Castrol 10w-30. There are all different types of oil brands to use. I get a discount on Castrol since my grandpa works for them.

Tires: checking the tire pressure and the tread of your tire. If it’s going to be a muddy race and your tire is almost bald you should change it. Checking the pressure is a good thing before you ride or race. If you have too much air you won’t get any traction; to little air and you could get a flat tire. I usually keep my tire pressure around 10 to 13 pounds.

When I’m almost done the last thing I do I go through everything to make shore it is tight and that my bike will hold up. This sport can get expensive when you have to put new parts on before every ride or race, but if you are really into it you will make shore that your bike will make it to the finish.

Gear

Gear is an important part to racing. It protects you from getting hurt. There are all kinds of big brand names for gear.

For me all I wear is Troy Lee Design. My pants, jersey, and chest protector is Troy Lee Design. My pants and jersey are camo orange. My chest protector is all orange. The chest protector has saved me many of times. I have smacked my shoulder off trees and the ground so many times; I’m lucky I haven’t broken my collar bone, but my chest protector protects my shoulder. All the gear I have is orange to match my bike since I ride a KTM.

My knee pads or a Thor brand. When I flex my knee the bend with it. They are very a comfortable fit and have protected my knee and part of my leg.

My helmet, which is has one sweet looking design on it is made by Troy Lee Design. I have had all kinds of helmets and this is the only that has fit me just right. It’s very light, so I hardly fell it on my head. The design on it is flames. It is black with some silver and orange flames.

I wear Scott goggles. I have roll offs and tear offs. I have worn Smith goggles and many other brands named goggles. They all push down on my nose and then I can’t breathe. The Scott is a comfortable fit and doesn’t push down on my nose.

•Roll offs: when you get mud on them you reach up and pull on a string and it has a film that clears the lens so you can see.

•Tear offs: when you get mud on them you reach up and pull a piece of clear plastic that clears your lens so you can see.

I wear Alpinestars boots. There are many brands and sizes for people. I wear tech 10,which has ankle braces built into them. They have protected my feet, but have failed since I lost one of my toes. Know I am sponsored by them and can get boots from them.

Tire Selection

Tire’s is an important part on a bike. You have to check track conditions to know what tire to have. If it is wet or rainy you want to have a mud tire to get better traction. If it is dry you want to have soft or intermediate tire.

For most pro racer they have a new tire on front and back for every race. I don’t know if a new tire would help out every race unless it is muddy. The pro riders have sponsors from tire companies, so they can get a new tire for every race and practicing.

Tire sponsors for bikes in GNCC:
•KTM- Michelin
•Yamaha-Dunlop
•Kawasaki-Michelin
•Honda-Bridgestone
•Suzuki-Dunlop

Most stock bikes that come from factory come with either Bridgestone tire or Dunlop.
I try to have a new tire for every race, but it gets too expensive. For a front tire on average it cost 60 dollars and for the back it’s an average of 70-80 dollars. For me I ride KTM and I am staying with Michelin, but with no sponsor so it is hard to buy a new tire every week.

When it comes to tire pressure everyone has their own way. I usually leave around 10 pounds of air in my tire to get good traction.

I can remember one race how it rained for two or three days and I had put a new front and back Michelin tires on and it help out so much. I would come to a hill and everyone would be stuck on it and I would go right up it because I had so much traction. With new tires and the tire pressure so low I had tons of traction and could anywhere.

All riders have their own tire selection and tire pressure, but it is how you ride and how it feels to you.

I have raced in the sand before and they do make sand tires for dirt bikes. They look like paddles and work really good and they get awesome traction.

They make all sorts of tires that you can choose from and it depends on the track and weather. It also depends on the rider and what tire he thinks will help him out.

Yamaha

When I was growing up all I had was a Yamaha. My dad grew up riding a Yamaha and that what he put me on starting out. I first had a pw50 Yamaha that I started riding with training wheels. I soon took them off and started riding with my own power. When I got older my dad bought me a pw80 that I got really fast on so I thought. I never had a problem with any Yamaha I have ever owned.

In the past few years in the GNCC the factory Yamaha team has been strong. In 2007 two Yamaha riders were number two and three in the top 20 overall. In 2008 there were two in the top ten overall and in 2009 there was one rider in the top ten.

“A seven time GNCC ATV champion Barry Hawk Jr. made the transition from four wheels to two and never looked back, winning the GNCC Championship on an YZ250 in 2003. Always a threat for the championship Hawk finished in the runner up spot in 2005 and 2006.” Riding on a four stroke Barry looks to win another GNCC title for Yamaha.

“A four time AMA National Hare Scrambles Champion Jason made history in 2007, by taking the 2007 WR450F to its maiden win during the final rounds of the 2007 AMA National Hare Scrambles Championships and then followed it up by winning the 2008 AMA Eastern Hare Scrambles and AMA East vs. West Hare Scrambles Shoot-out Championships. Jason has established a winning tradition on the WR450F.” In 2010 he is riding the National Enduro’s and GNCC.

These two Yamaha riders are on the Factory Yamaha team and look to compete in 2010.

Josh Hill is a factory rider for Yamaha in the supercross. He is leading the way for Yamaha this year with 2nd overall so far in the supercross series. There are 4 Factory Yamaha riders in the top ten.

Standings After Round 5 of 17

1Ryan Dungey 105
2Josh Hill - YAMAHA 101
3Ryan Villopoto 95
4David Millsaps 82
5Ivan Tedesco - YAMAHA 77
6Justin Brayton - YAMAHA 72
7Andrew Short 69
8Kevin Windham 66
9Thomas Hahn 56
10James Stewart - YAMAHA 51

KTM

KTM is probably the top bike to buy and race the next day. They are equipped with aftermarket parts that you don’t get when you buy a Yamaha, Suzuki, Kawasaki, or Honda.

In the GNCC and Enduro’s you look at the starting line and all you see is orange. They have a bike for every class and some for make up their own class because no other bike has made one like it.

Last year Russell Bobbitt and Mike Lafferty dominated the National Enduro’s backed by Factory KTM.
• Russell- 267 points
• Mike- 266 points

In the GNCC KTM is by far the bike to have. There are 37 classes for the bikes. At the end of the year in all of those classes there were 22 KTM riders that won their class.
KTM is a bike ready to race when you buy.

They came stock with:
• Excel rims
• Pro Taper handlebars
• WP suspension
• Electric start-
• Brembo brake system

KTM is not a big name for supercross or motocross, but they will eventually be at the top. For motocross KTM just came out with a 350 bike. With a new linkage shock in the rear that will make a smoother ride. It is a bike between a 250 and a 450 that has more power than a 250, but not as much as a 450 so you can handle it better out on the track.

I bought a 450xcw KTM in 2009. I was looking between KTM, Suzuki, and Kawasaki. I asked the prices and KTM was the most expensive one, but it come stock with a lot of parts that the other bikes didn’t have. Also there was a package deal with the purchase of the 450xcw. With it coming stock with parts other bikes didn’t have and the package deal made my decision to buy it.

The package deal consisted of:
• Front and Back Michelin Tire
• FMF slip on exhaust
• KTM grips
• Oil
• Ready to race graphics
• Chain lube
• KTM 5 gal. gas can
• Bark busters