2008 NEWS

3/07/08 - Dad picked up the bike we will be running in 2008.  It is a 2006 Kawasaki KX85 with a mod motor built by PR2 and has a PR2 suspension on it.

 

3/09/08 - Today we took the bike to Kurt Anderson’s house to give it a good look over and do some jetting.  The previous owner ran it 36:1 using VP race fuel.  We prefer to run 28:1 so we had to rejet it.  Todd Kincaid did the riding for the plug test, we ended up going up 4 jet sizes before the plug looked right.

 

3/14/08 - Took the bike to Halls Husqvarna, Jay Hall does a good job on suspensions and did our 65 last year.  He is going to set it up for Brennan’s height and weight.

 

3/16/08 - NEW SPONSOR!  We have always bought our parts from RTD Motorsports in Springfield IL.  They have always given us a very good deal and got us the correct parts in a timely manner.  We finally made it official and will be running their graphics this year.  If you need something, give Aaron or Jared a call!  They will take good care of you!

 

3/27/08 - Finally my bike is done!  Dad and I will be picking it up tonight, now if it would just quit raining I could FINALLY ride it!

 

3/28/08 - Today is report card day, straight A’s again!  My school gives grades by the percentage number, my worst was a 94 and my best was a 99

 

3/29/08 - I got to ride my 85 today, at first I was a little timid but after a couple laps it felt very comfortable and easy to ride.  Dad said I was cornering better than I had in a long time and looked very comfortable and in control of the bike.  My first race on it is this Saturday at South Fork Dirt Riders so we will see what happens!

 

4/4-6/08 - This was our first weekend of racing, and it was an eventful one!  It started with Dad burying the four wheeler while getting firewood on Friday night, immediately followed by him getting his truck buried and then getting pulled out by a monster 4wd dually (Thanks Greg!).  Dad got into trouble with the track, if he cant go a few hours on the first night without getting into trouble then this will be a long season!  Then on Saturday my bike would not run right no matter what Dad and Todd Kincaid tried it would run fine and then blubber and have no power, half way through Sunday’s races they figured it out.  As it turns out there was a small slit in the boot between the airbox and the carb which allowed water to get in when Dad washed the bike on Thursday.  As air came through it was pulling water with it, K100 is awesome for getting water out of fuel but when you are getting in through the airbox there isn't much that can be done with it.  Once they got it running right I finally got to run it on a racetrack and boy did I love it!  It ran like a monkey with it’s butt on fire!  I realized it was ok on about lap 2 or 3 and made great time on a couple bikes in front of me and passed them both.  My overall finish wasn't that great but that leaves me room to improve.  Look for me to be running more towards the front as the season goes forward.

 

4/30/08 - Dad has spent the last 3 weeks working on my bike, I haven't ridden since the fiasco at South Fork in the previous report.  My bike now has a completely rebuilt motor and new reeds for the V-Force 3 system it has.  I look forward to finally getting to ride it again tomorrow night in practice and racing this weekend.  I have to say, Millennium Technologies is awesome when it comes to repairing motorcycle cylinders.  They had it back to us within a week and it looks great!

 

5/3-4/08 – I decided to surprise Dad this weekend at South Fork.  My bike is running AWESOME so I figured why not clear all the jumps during the race?  The suspension on this bike is great, Thank You Jay!  It lands so smooth and corners terrific.  My results don't show how well I ran but Dad was very proud even though I wasn't real happy with my finishes.  We enjoyed watching Carter Gordon run very well while he battled with Gaige Wallace in the 65 class and Mini 1.  Both of them are fast and have gotten through area qualifiers for Loretta Lynn’s.  Nothing would make me happier than to see both of them make it to the big show!

 

We probably wont race for another month but will practice as much as we can, rumor has it another local track has decided to turn their back on 90% of their clientele and become a quad track, such a shame…..I really like Lincoln Trail Motosports in Casey but Dad prefers to keep me healthy and wont let me race on a marble covered interstate that tracks become after quads ruin it for the bikes.

 

5/15/08 – We have a new sponsor!  Actually, he isn't new….it is Kurt Anderson (Anderson Mechanical).  He has helped Dad tremendously over the last few years with my bikes and has a practice track for us to ride on.  Kurt works on everything from the smallest quad or bike to Granny and Papa’s big diesel box truck, his rates are great and he does excellent work.  If you saw my 65 run last year then you know how good it ran, Kurt did the porting work on it.  If you are in the Springfield area, email Dad to find out how to get in touch with him!

 

We will be going to South Fork this Saturday to practice, hopefully they do the right thing and split practices up according to bike size otherwise we wont be there long.

 

6/3/08 – We went to South Fork this past weekend, the track owner decided to till the track very deep on Friday.  This was after the news had been predicting a strong storm coming all week long.  The result was us getting rained out both days so we went out there for nothing.  If he had just left it hard pack like it was Thursday (we practiced there and ruined a rear tire) then all the water would have ran off and the track would have been perfect for racing.

 

Not sure when we will race next, but we are finding new places to practice.  Dad says this sport is expensive enough without spending $30 on a new tire every time we ride on what some track owners consider a “prepped track”.  Dad says one of these days he is going to bring a can of yellow spray paint and paint a line down the center of it just like the real highways have.

 

6/14/08 – Dads Birthday and what a birthday it was!  Despite having a bad sunburn on his back (dad really didn't expect him to race at all) Brennan rode very, very well.  The bike ran the best it has all year long, Dad made a couple setup changes and they paid off better than anyone could have hoped!  Great starts, confident riding and clearing all but 1 jump at South Fork.

 

6/15/08 – Fathers Day and the best one Dad has ever had!  The weekend started out great on Saturday and continued into Sunday.  Brennan fell down towards the beginning of his 85JR race.  The result was he was in last place of 13 when he got back up.  Hard work and determination was the key to him passing 7 riders to get 6th place in that moto.  Honestly, it was a total joy to watch as he was putting moves on the kids in front of him and just flying by.  In his second 86JR moto he came in 6th again but at least this time he could somewhat see Carter in front of him at least for a little while.  This in itself is an accomplishment because usually Carter smokes us even worse than he did this weekend, he certainly isn't getting any slower but Brennan is getting faster.

 

In Mini 1 Brennan slid out in a fast turn while trying to catch a SuperMini rider on a YZ125 and at the same time doing the best he could to keep Carter behind him.  He hit his head pretty hard and it shook him up…..always wear a quality helmet and neck protection!  Without a helmet this crash would have been very bad.  Brennan ended up just going slow around the track to avoid a DNF.  In the second moto he finished a respectable 3rd for 3rd place overall.  Call Dad crazy but he enjoys seeing Brennan race against kids who are faster, it creates a challenge and obstacles for Brennan to overcome.  We may never catch or pass many of these kids but it is a lot of fun trying and a genuine pleasure to watch the other kids ride at the level they ride at.  This sport is about personal accomplishments for these kids and Dad is just as happy for the kids we compete against as he is happy and proud of Brennan.

 

6/29/08 – We only got to race on Sunday this weekend, due to the track canceling the races on Saturday.  We still went to the track on Saturday afternoon so Brennan could ride a little and hang with his buddies.  He spent most of the day riding his CRF70 around the motocross track on the condition he “not jump it”.  Sometimes it is fun to just ride a small bike around, so Brennan ran a little over a tank of gas through this little bike.

 

Sunday morning we woke up and Brennan was ready to race!  Despite having not ridden in 2 weeks because we don't really have a good place to practice (yet) he did very well.  He got good starts in both 85JR and Mini 1 then rode good solid races.  The highlight of the day was in his last moto of the day, he got out in front of a faster rider when the gate dropped and fought him the entire race.  Had he gotten by, Brennan probably wouldn't have seen him again the rest of the race but Brennan rode smart and smooth and was able to keep him behind him.  The other rider is a friend of Brennan’s and is a clean rider, a rider with less skill or morals could have easily crashed Brennan for the spot.  We are thankful we have a group of great kids to race with!

 

7/16/08 – Saturday was rained out, yet again!  They had to do the alternate start which was very cramped with 16 riders on the line for 85 JR.  I ran well but got taken out in the 2nd moto on the start.  I was leading when I got hit in the side by another rider.

 

7/26/08 – I got my first moto win of 2008!  I grabbed the holeshot and never looked back!  After some coaching from a friend I am doing much better in the corners and started hitting that big uphill tabletop at South Fork!  Unfortunately I went into a corner a little harder than I should have in moto 2 and slid out while leading the race.  Dad says my corners are looking much better and we have finally secured a place to practice corners so I can get even better!  After the races I went to the Copelands to go swimming, one of the best things about racing is the friends I meet.

 

7/27/08 – I ran 2 very good motos in 85JR, my corner speed is improving with every race now that I am learning how to use my front brake correctly.  I took the lead in 85 JR but I am sure Brayden and I will be battling it out over the summer.  In Mini 1 I was right on Brayden’s back wheel for most of the race, I actually made a great pass on him at one point only for him to pass me back when I made a mistake in a corner.  This is the first race I was even able to see his back wheel so it was a huge accomplishment for me.

 

8/11/08 – We have a new place to practice!  A friend of dad’s, John Muchorski Sr. has been kind enough to allow us to ride on a piece of land he has.  We have set up a small practice track and Brennan is working his tail off to get faster in the corners.  His hard work is definitely showing and we will continue to work hard to get these corners perfect!

 

8/16-17/08 – Brennan did a very good job of putting together everything we have been working on at Muchorski’s this week.  At first he was a little slower than usual but once he started doing things without thinking about it first his speed was much better overall.  Brennan is now clearing everything at South Fork including that big uphill tabletop.  Dad wishes he could have a little bit of warning before Brennan does these things but so be it.  Talk about a huge rush...being scared and proud all at the same time, that is the life of an MX Dad.

 

8/31/08 – Today we traveled to Joliet to visit Joliet MX.  What a complete waste of time, gas and wear and tear on equipment.  The owner has been made aware of the issues we had while at his track and I truly believe he will be addressing them.  Once he has made a few changes, this place has the potential for being one of the nicest facilities in the state.

 

Now for the positive from this day….a HUGE thank you to Todd Smith for loaning us a front wheel so we could race.  We were on the line for the second round of motos when another dad pointed out we had a flat front tire.  Todd told us to run down and swap tires between his son’s spare bike and Brennans bike.  We accomplished this in about 3 minutes with Todd down there helping us as well as an unknown person pitted next to us.  Had Todd not offered that wheel up, our day would have been over.  Luckily, dad didn't hurt himself by running to the pits and back again….he tripped and fell head first going both directions.

 

In life and in motocross, there is no substitute for surrounding yourself with great people….we are thankful for having such good friends.

 

9/1/08 – Today we went to Archview, the difference between where we were yesterday as opposed to today was kind of like getting on an airplane in Alaska during the dead of winter then flying to Orlando.  Joliet has absolutely no clue what a motocross track should be like, however the boys at Archview are as close to PERFECT as can probably be obtained.  They do an excellent job keeping their track in good shape, water throughout the day, train their flaggers and just all in all are a pleasure to deal with.  I have never heard a complaint other than how busy they are when they are open and people wishing they had more events.  First Class act all the way!

 

Brennan loves this track and we had a great day there.  We spent a ton of windshield time this weekend, going from Springfield to Joliet then back to Springfield to sleep then down to Archview (near St. Louis) but it is all worth it.  Brennan is getting faster, having tons of fun and Dad enjoys every minute of it.

 

9/6-7/08 – We were supposed to race at South Fork this weekend, unfortunately a certain hurricane put the kibosh to that after soaking the track and turning into slop.  Brennan was able to practice and still had a great time playing with the other kids at the track.

 

10/13/2008 — I know, Dad hasn't put anything up here for the last month so I will get you all caught up on what we have been doing.

 

Sept 21st was the state championship race at south fork.  The track did an excellent job of getting the track ready to run, especially considering much of it was under water as of a few days before the races.  Brennan ran decent, dad made a change on the bike and it didn't run like it normally does for the first moto.  After changing it back, and making another change it ran great!

 

October 5th was a bad day, Brennan went down in the same corner a couple times and each time had a hard time getting the bike to start, they get mad when you make them crash.

 

This weekend we don't know where we will be, South Fork has cancelled and we have heard bad reports about Casey.  Brennan likes Casey so we will probably end up there.

 

A big shout out to Carter Gordon, its official he has a Team Green ride for next year!  Carter is a great kid and has worked his tail off to get this and we are sure he will do well.

 

Our season is coming to a close, will probably only race a handful more times this year and will ride when we can over the winter.

 

10/20/2008 — We went to Lincoln Trail Motosports in Casey this weekend.  We hadn't been since last year but had heard a lot of bad things over the season.  Basically, this is now a quad track.  It is a very fast track and isn't technical at all so if you have the power and the right gearing you will finish well.  We definitely have the power but Dad wasn't even almost prepared when it came to gearing.  We made a very significant gear change after our first moto on Saturday, which gained us 3 positions on the track but still was a long way away from the leaders. 

 

All in all Brennan ran very well and had a great time running around with his friends Saturday night, decorating the track for Halloween with shaving cream and toilet paper.  Dad pleads the fifth on where Brennan got the “supplies”.

 

10/27/2008 — A summer of racing and a ton of practicing (for us) all came to a conclusion this weekend at Brennan’s favorite track, Archview MX Park.  Archview is hands down the best track we have been to.  They have excellent flaggers, the dirt is awesome, the track is very well maintained and they ALWAYS draw a big crowd.  Dad heard the announcer counting the lines in one of the corners and there were 6!  We have been doing a lot of practicing on corners and it showed this weekend.  Brennan beat a couple kids he has never beat before and many times have been 10 or so seconds behind.

 

It has been an eventful season for us, starting with problems with the bike early in the season plus getting used to a bigger and faster bike.  The track we raced at the most cancelled 12 races this season, and was never rideable for practice.  By the end of the season Brennan has gotten better at cornering (thanks to friends with small corner tracks), has very good control of his bike, met some new friends and most of all had more fun than should be allowed by law.

 

Next season we plan on making a lot of changes.  Instead of chasing series points we will be doing more practicing at small tracks and race fewer races.  We will look for races that have a decent amount of riders on the gate instead of racing against just a handful of the same kids each week.  This will make Brennan better and save Dad a ton of money.  In reality, the racing is fun but if the rider isn’t getting any benefit other than a camping night then is it really worth it?

 

12/14/2008 — Ho hum, just another day at Archview….same old boring stuff that we always report from there.  Perfect track, big crowd, nothing new.  I have said it before and I will say it again...if you want to see how a track should be run, go to Archview.  A testament to how good they are is the fact they announced on Friday the 12th they were going to have open practice on Sunday the 14th.  Word spread fast and they had a bigger crowd there than what many tracks get for a race day.  The weather was low 50’s and high winds, still a big crowd.

 

Brennan rode good, the bike wasn't really geared for this track and it looked like he hadn't rode in 6 weeks (because he hadn't) but he had a great time.  This was a nice little surprise for him in December when most of his exercise is with his brain (school) and his thumbs (xbox). 

 

This will probably be our last update for the year, in January we will start new and put all of this in the archives.

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE!

 

Ed, Kelly, and Brennan