How to handle protests and cheater talk? [Archive]

jay-r

10-18-2011, 09:55 AM

We have been running our local series all year. It seems like every time we go out, someone starts talking, saying that we are not running a 50cc motor. At, our last race there was talk with the scorers on how to protest us. The talk mostly comes from people who race against us for the first time. Our series has fast riders, but no official mechanic present at most races. I have been taking the talk as a compliment to my tuning and mainly my daughter's riding skills. But, the cheater talk is getting old. We almost never holeshot. I have run 2 different 50cc motors this season with the same talk. I have absolutely nothing to hide. Honestly, I feel that our motors are down on power, especially watching our pitiful starts. This is Jordyn's 6 year old season. She turned 7 in July. I don't know if it is because she is a girl, but we have 2 more seasons on 50s. I could be hearing this for a long time.

Should I volunteer to pull the head and show the stock bore?
Should I ask someone to put up money and pull the head?
Should I just laugh it off?
How does everyone else handle the cheater talk?

When she takes corners like this, I guess it doesn't look like a 50. She just charges hard all the time.

jay-r

10-18-2011, 10:03 AM

Here is the picture I was trying to get in the first post.

hwf-racing

10-18-2011, 10:06 AM

Put up $$$$ or shut up!!!!!!!!!! Track needs a designated mech!

jay-r

10-18-2011, 10:16 AM

The series has a designated mechanic. He is just not at all races. There are other mini dads that are very capable of checking or verifying the motor. If this were coming from the regulars in our series, it would be different I guess. They could more easily arrange for a teardown. We have one more race, if it comes up again, I am considering showing everyone myself. I agree though, if they are really serious, cough up some money and we will do it.

fomospede

10-18-2011, 10:19 AM

most people that call others cheaters generally dont put in the time to be a winner
considering that the cylinder head is oring what cost would be involved the jug doesnt have to be removed

but you need to not let this get at you
try other tracks

tyler70t

10-18-2011, 10:28 AM

I know it is probably difficult to listen to and it's getting old but let 'em talk. When they protest you and you are handed the $$$ turn, give your daughter a big hug and hand her the $$$$ and tell her to thank the person who protested you and take her shopping!!!!:p :p :p

jake55

10-18-2011, 10:28 AM

that's the price us dads pay for our kids doing well. we all have had to deal with it. we started with a bone stock DRR 50 at our local track and got thumped the first couple times out. once my kid started riding good and was in contention for wins the trash talk started. got a lot worse once he started winning on a regular basis.
got real bad when i did a pipe upgrade. heck even this year i was told by a dad that they would not come back if we were going to be there.
i try not to let it get to me, but when it does i offer them to switch bikes for a couple of hot laps to prove it's the rider not the bike. lap times dont lie.
last but most important, when that garbage talk is going on, give your rider a big hug and thank them for riding hard!! they have done there job!!!

jay-r

10-18-2011, 10:32 AM

We will be running some nationals next season. The funny thing is that the majority of the talk is from people coming from the nationals to our series. But, when that happens, it is putting a question in the mind of others. Since it is the last race of the season, I may pull the head and show it since it would be pretty simple to do. I always have a used piston with me and a set of calipers, so I could use it to show the bore. Oh well, maybe everyone is all talk. It is just getting to the point that I don't want anyone taking away from my rider's ability.

Thanks for the replies. It is great to hear that so many have dealt with this. You all are right on with the answers.

BradLoomis

10-18-2011, 10:41 AM

Most people don't even know how to check the cc's of bore and stroke. If you want to stop the bickering in the mini quad ranks... take up a different sport! haha

A friend of mine had this problem and tore it down 20 foot after taking the checkers.

1. have a set of 6" digital calipers and a calculator
2. when she waxes them and takes the checkers, grab all of the mini parents around there and tear the head off.
3. rotate the motor to BDC measure the bore and then the stroke
4. bore x bore x stroke x .0007854 will give you the exact cc
5. bolt the head back on snug it down
6. drop the quad back down fire it up and have your daughter ride it back to the trailer
7. watch the jaws drop on every doubting mini parent there
8. Since it's the last race of the season, you are going to tear it down anyway

I watched a friend do this and it was priceless. It won't stop all, but you now heard other parents give the credit where credit was due.

jay-r

10-18-2011, 11:37 AM

I never thought about putting valves in the radiator hoses. That is a good idea. I have everything with me to prove the engine size.

Thanks for reminding me to keep encouraging my daughter. The thing is, when parents start this talk, the kids repeat it to each other and I don't want her to get discouraged. It is difficult for the kids to understand. I can take the talk as a compliment, realize where it comes from, but when it starts affecting the kids, it becomes a problem. I have tried to explain to her that they don't believe that she can go that fast with a 50 motor. That they are talking because she is riding so good. I tell her to just keep riding the way she does and I will handle the rest.

I am enjoying the replies. You all have a great outlook and attitude about it. It doesn't make me mad. It just gets old after a while.

chunky0071

10-18-2011, 12:23 PM

The mad will come kept my cool for along time then when I had had enough I invited any one that wanted to come with us back to the trailer for a tear down we all park the mini quads together so they didn't have to walk but a few feet and no one showed up so now I just let it go.

jay-r

10-18-2011, 12:35 PM

I expect that to be the case when it comes right down to it. I suspect most people are all talk. I get along real well with all the mini parents. I help most anyone with problems and setup. So, the majority of the regulars haven't said anything. It seems that new people who don't know us start it up, but it seems to make people wonder. I have had people ask their engine builders about the first engine we ran this season. The builder even contacted Cobra to ask about it. It was stock.

When they get serious, I will gladly show them. Just come and ask me. May want them to put the money where their mouth is though. :D

quadrider79

10-18-2011, 02:25 PM

When your winning, someone will always think your cheating. Just get use to it.
Just keep telling your son or daughter that they did one heck of a Job.

fastrnrik

10-18-2011, 02:27 PM

haha screw em! Don't tear down anything for anybody. If they want to protest, then put their money up or STFU about it. You should turn it around and have fun with them- a little psychological warfare.... drop little hints about "top secret motor stuff" that's outside your rules, put bike in trailer and shut door after every practice or moto, if you have more than one bike, swap motors back & forth week to week, etc etc. There's all sorts of stuff to do to jerk their chain! It will drive the crybaby busybodies crazy and you can sit back and laugh at them the whole time while they run around and gossip and p.iss & moan to whoever will listen. LOL good times!
It's usually all sour grapes anyway. Everybody is your helpful buddy and nobody cares when you're in the back, but once you run up front it always starts and the whiners always show their true colors. If they spent as much time working with their kids riding as they did on worrying about what other people are doing they'd be better off.
I say go race and enjoy hanging out with your daughter, and let the crybabies cry.

edwardsp&b

10-18-2011, 02:39 PM

Maybe its just a Northern thing....LOL J/k. I can tell you that we have been racing locals down here for a couple of years, and I have never seen this happen at our races. If a kid takes off and leaves the pack in our locals, we joke about it and congratulate the child for riding so hard. If this were a National it would be different, because of the money spent, but its a local, let them have fun. Also tell them to take there *****ing to a tee ball field, because thats where they belong.
Bryan

jay-r

10-18-2011, 02:48 PM

I love the top secret approach. Yeah, both our 50 motors run completely different. Maybe it should disappear into the trailer between motos. I do have a national 70 motor. If we ran it, trust me, it would be obvious.

We run Tennessee MX Association. I guess it must be that we are too far north. Haha. I agree that the whining belongs in team sports. :devil:

fastrnrik

10-18-2011, 03:12 PM

Stay legal, but let them think you're not and enjoy watching grown men act like punks. Ahhhh good times.

As a bonus you can use it as a lesson to your daughter about good and bad sportsmanship.

dxcody

10-18-2011, 04:04 PM

I am usually in the 400ex forums but this page sparked my interest, and let me say, just ignore it. It will go on forever and the only reason i am getting involved in this is because i have an example for "cheating" rumors.

Walker Fowler, 11 races this year, 11 wins. At the Gosport GNCC me and a couple of my buddies were standing there at the finish line and this guy comes up to me and says, "boy, Wolf sure smoked them on this one huh?"
I said, "yea its kinda nice to see someone other than Borich up front and i am waiting on fowler to come around and see if he won again! he's my favorite" The old man says, "fowler huh? Do you ever watch him in the woods?" I said "well i only got to see him at the creek crossing today, why?" Then the old man says the dumbest thing, "Well the only reason he wins all the time is because he cuts the track, every race. My grandson races xc2 and he said he saw him do it a few times."

^^^ Thats is B.S. I get sick of everyone hating the winners!

Sounds like your daughter is pretty good. Hope she keeps doing well!

jungleboy213

10-18-2011, 06:20 PM

I watch this little girl race every weekend and I have to say, she is one heck of a rider. She is probably the smoothest rider of the 4 mini classes we have here in the TMXA. It's very rare she makes a mistake on the track.

It's funny that the parents come from other series' and expect to walk all over the competition and the wind up second or third for the weekend. The TMXA has a lot of good riders and good competition. Jamie, you and I have talked to each other about running nationals next year. We aren't the only ones from this series contemplating it. There will be 4 or 5 minis that might be running nationals next year. That's 4 or 5 from one series that represents western Ky and western TN. What does that say about the series itself? Pretty impressive if you ask me.

I have been told from other riders, "My dad said you spent a lot of money on Noah's 4 wheeler." Well yeah, I spent a lot of money, I want him to be faster. I want him to be competitive and I want to give him every oppurtunity to be the best he can be. We don't want him to be mediocre in life. I don't see anything wrong with that. We don't play basketball, soccer or baseball any more. All we have time for is Cub Scouts, church and racing. Our life revolves around a little red DRR and we, as a family, are content with that.

jay-r

10-18-2011, 06:59 PM

Mr. Free you make a good point. Our series is very much overlooked. It is one of the more competitive mini quad series in the midsouth area. Most visiting racers get a big surprise when they come out. That seems to be what starts all the cheater talk.

Looks like we will have a caravan going to the nationals next season. Haha. It will make it more fun for the kids to have their TMXA friends there. It will be tough to run the big races. I guess we will try to gear up for it this winter and see what happens. I never thought that our racing would get to this point. It has become what we do. She loves it and we enjoy it as a family. Her success with it has surprised me and I don't want to hold her back. So, I guess we will just go with it and see where it takes us.

Thanks for the compliments. The Tumbling Creek track is by far her best track. The talk about us running an illegal motor always starts at that track. She always does good there, but Sunday she was just flying.

Christiansdad

10-18-2011, 07:48 PM

Post more pics up..That looks like a cobra from what i see?,,i need to show my boy how he needs to ride..also to add.. ride the quad up to the gate 30 min before the race starts and cover it up..wait for the unvieling til its time to race...who ever doesnt laugh is the one that thinks your cheating or put some big 70cc stickers on there just for grits..

jay-r

10-18-2011, 08:15 PM

Yes, it is a Cobra. I have heard of the 70 decal trick done before. The previous owner of this quad actually did it.

Here is a picture.

jay-r

10-18-2011, 08:28 PM

She is not a real big jumper. That is her where she could improve. But this is her favorite jump.

Ryko racing

10-19-2011, 09:46 AM

jUST KEEP BEATING THEM. WE WERE ACCUSED AT OUR LOCAL SERIES A FEW YEARS BACK. MY SON DIDNT EVEN WANT TO GO ANYMORE AS THE KIDS EVEN TALKED TRASH. ITS TOO BAD BUT IT COMES FROM THE PARENTS.

FINALLY RYAN JUST DEDCIDED HE WAS GOING TO BEAT THEM AS BAD AS HE COULD EVERY TIME SINCE THEY WERE MAD ANYHOW.
(THEN THEY CHANGED THE RULES SO COBRAS WERENT LEGAL IN THE CLASS SO WE MOVED ON.)

BY THE WAY A GOOD 50 SINGLE SPEED COBRA WILL RUN AS GOOD AS MOST 70 SINGLE SPEEDS IF TUNED PROPERLY.
( THERE ARE ONLY A COUPLE OF REALLY FAST 70 SINGLE SPEEDS THAT I HAVE SEEN)

KEEP BEATING THEM UNTIL THEY HAVE TO PUT TE MONEY UP THEN

TAKE IT AND GIVE IT TO YOUR DAUGHTER IN FRONT OF EVERYONE ..... SHE WILL LOVE IT.

Coley'sdad#8

10-19-2011, 10:08 AM

like I haven't heard any of this "illegal" stuff before:rolleyes:

jay-r

10-19-2011, 10:36 AM

I believe I will keep taking it as a compliment. It is a good problem to have I guess. I will tell Jordyn exactly that. Go out and beat the whiners as bad as you can. Keep them talking. Haha.

Chris, I am sure you have heard it before. As well as you keep Coley's DRRs tuned and the way he rides, people probably think you have a CR250 cylinder on them. I think it helped Jordyn when she was chasing Coley last season. Well, when he lapped her she would see him anyway. :D

I hope you all make the last race. I enjoy watching Coley run. We can start some illegal cheater talk about who ever wins. Maybe that Noah kid. I heard his dad has spent alot of money on that red DRR. :devil:

jungleboy213

10-20-2011, 12:06 AM

Hey Jamie, don't you have a 5th place plaque from Loretta's? Did you get protested there? Once again, i think our series is a really competitive series and people think they can just come in and take all of the first place trophies.

My theory has always been to teach Noah that cheating gets you nowhere. Yeah, you might beat us with an illegal bike, but I would rather take a second being legal, than win by cheating. This sport (As I see it) is all about the kids. These boys and girls cannot wait for Saturday or Sunday to race. Why ruin it for the other kids, who look forward to Saturday and Sunday also.

I know that Coley is the best rider in our series. I look forward to running Tumbling Creek just to see if he shows up. Noah runs faster lap times with Coley in front of him. I don't want to get into the whole Malossi vs. 2Fast arguement, but I know Chris is on top of his game when it comes to tuning a CVT. But at the same token, I also have to be on my tuning game when Chris and Coley show up. I have put in more time testing and tuning this month, than I have in 2 years of running CVT's. We're faster than before, but we still haven't found what works the best for us.

jay-r

10-20-2011, 12:25 AM

Yep. She came from an 11th place start to 5th. Her lap times were good. We just didn't have enough motor. That will be this winter's project.

The competition makes us faster, and the competition in the minis is as intense for the dads as it is the kids. We both have to be on top of the game. It is the most addictive, fun, and expensive sport you can participate in with you kids. There is no way that we would cheat. I don't want my child to learn that cheating gets you an advantage in life.

Jamie, it looks like you and Noah are calling Chris and Coley out for the last race of the season. :devil:

jungleboy213

10-20-2011, 04:39 AM

No, I'm not calling him out(I don't want to feel the wrath). I would just like to guage my tuning from the last race. Coley has, by far, the fastest bike out there. And he is the best rider out there. If Noah can, at least hang with him for a lap or 2 or 3, I'll be happy. That Coley can ride. I tell Chris that every time we race.

Hetrick Racing

10-20-2011, 08:12 AM

STOP THIS BS THESE ARE KIDS!!!

Sir,
people will always call the fast kids cheaters and thats part of the game.
I have been dealing with it for 15 years.
Best advise I can give is just smile and walk away.
When they put the money up make sure that it is a track official and nobody else looking at your motor.
There should only be three people at the teardown area, you, the person doing the teardown and the protest person.

The nicer you are the more money you will make from this type of person....

jay-r

10-20-2011, 11:02 AM

Mr Hetrick, you hit it right on. That is really the purpose of this thread. To bring it to people's attention. Hopefully some people who talk will see how common this is and stop it. Or, just put up the money and get it over with. I really don't get upset about hearing it. So, if a parent wanted to come to me sensibly and talk about it, I wouldn't be angry. I have nothing to hide. If there is no official mechanic, I have the tools to show the protester and track official myself.

I just tell my daughter that they don't believe that she can go that fast with a 50 motor. Keep giving them a reason to talk. Next year we will try for the nationals as long as we can afford it. When we get beat there, then the talk won't be about us anyway.

Thanks to everyone for their responses. This turned into a hot topic. I have really enjoyed everyones views.

nastynotchback1

10-20-2011, 11:26 AM

Some one said it right earlier in this thread.There are other kids out there that are as fast if not faster than the top national riders.They may not ride nationals because of time or money.We have had some come to our local stuff and they didn't do well when they expected to walk away with it all because we have some fast kids in our local series.

I get tired of the bickering about who has what.There kids so let them race but if your are cheating you need to stop because your making an innocent kids look bad.

jay-r

10-20-2011, 11:46 AM

Notchback, I think that is it, some people are just surprised about finding a fast local rider.

We have run 2 different 50 motors this season. With both motors, people have talked. The fast engine gets you the holeshot. That is something we have not done very often all year. Didn't holeshot either moto at the last race. Got holeshoted each moto by 2 different Cobras (one of them the protester). I just bought this engine used and was trying it out for the first time. Actually, it is low on compression and needs crank bearings, squish set, and other freshening this winter. That makes it even more comical to hear the talk when I know that the engine is actually down on power.

BTW, I put a new piston and rings in when I bought it, so I know it is a 50. I will not cheat.

Our first 50 engine blew when running an indoor series last winter. It was a new engine from Cobra, so I sent it back. In the meantime, I had a 70 engine that I put in it. We then only ran the 70 class and did not attempt to run the 50s the rest of the series, even though the kids were much older in the 70 class and she was doing well in the 50 class.

No sir, we will not cheat.

thequadfather+2

10-20-2011, 02:01 PM

"They may not ride nationals because of time or money.We have had some come to our local stuff and they didn't do well when they expected to walk away with it all because we have some fast kids in our local series."

Thats exactly right and I agree but local kids who run the same track all year should actually be able to beat pretty much any visitor. Thats why some riders will not race at tracks they are not familar with.

Good national riders are seperated from others because they have the ability to go to an unfamilar track, practice for one day and hit it wide open on the next day. But even for them its tough to show up, get 4 laps in (6-8 minutes) of practice and hit the gate against kids who live at that track. Thats where the real challenge is, can you take 4 laps and mix it up with the regulars?

Everyone always uses the analogy that national riders show up at their local track and didnt win. Well I dont know what other national riders expect but when we show up at a new track we just hope to run good and keep pace with the kids that know the track like the back of their hand. I dont expect my two guys to be able to take 4 practice laps and win against kids that run it week in and week out. But at the same time thats exactly why we go to other tracks, so our kids have to take 4 laps and get in there with kids that will be fast on the track they are comfortable with. Kids that only ride the same 3 or 4 tracks all year long usually dont do that well when they go somewhere they have never been.

It seems to always be divided between local riders and national riders. If people know you run the nats they put a bulls-eye on you when you pull into the parking lot.

We recently went to Calhoun and had a pretty good time but didnt go there expecting anything, actually just wanted to get seat time at a new track. We didnt really expect to beat any of the locals, Brady needs a little more than 6-8 minutes to get used to a new track.

National vs local doesnt mean much except that one travels and one doesnt.....There is an advantage to being on the home field.

If you keep winning (no matter if it's local or the nationals) you better get used to all the talk and finger pointing because it goes on at every level.

jay-r

10-20-2011, 02:39 PM

Very good points Quadfather. I agree with you. It makes a big difference when you know the track. Setup and gearing for a track make the difference too. I don't want to turn this into a national vs local rider thing. None of this was my intention. We will do more traveling next year. It will be difficult to run the tracks we have never seen.

She had a good race, that is all. She may not be as fast next time. She has not dominated this season. We could get beat next time out. It has happened many times before.

I try not to take this stuff too seriously. Racing is fun! :D

thequadfather+2

10-20-2011, 04:29 PM

Maybe she is that fast !!:D Nothing wrong with that, I think thats where everyone wants to be...

my point really is that despite the differences in racing local or national you have the same crybabies at each level.

just blow it off

jungleboy213

10-20-2011, 04:47 PM

I'll agree with quadfather, the national level is a whole different ballgame. That's why we want to take that next step. I feel that Noah will learn more racing a national race and coming in 13th than he will at the local level coming in 2nd or 1st. Is it going to cost me more money? Yes, alot more money, but It's the experience and seat time we are after.

This year we have been venturing out to new tracks just for the seat time. The reason we haven't ventured out before, is because we really didn't have the extra parts to do that. Now we do (For the most part). I have said since day one that any seat time is good seat time.

Bruce, I guess we'll see you in a couple of weeks in AL for indoors. Noah is really looking forward to it. We are too. New tracks at new places and good competition.

thequadfather+2

10-20-2011, 04:57 PM

I think we are going to have a fish fry at the first arena cross race.

It's a little further south than the others but a good arena with decent track size. It has one end thats open so they try to get this one in early before it gets cold.

Jordan isn't ready but Brady is and there will be several there you will be familiar with.

Jay-r, sorry for the hijack. don't let all that junk get to you, just keep racing.

I mean heck we aint beat Kirkland yet but its coming....Its coming:devil:

jay-r

10-20-2011, 05:37 PM

Hijack away, this thread has gotten too big and serious for my intentions anyway.

I don't know what we are going to do for racing this winter. I don't want to run the real small arenas. They get too dangerous. I don't mind the bigger ones. I don't know where the best ones are. How is the Alabama series?

thequadfather+2

10-20-2011, 07:01 PM

not bad here in AL I guess. Arena cross is gonna be tight and small just about anywhere but don't knock it until you try it. The speeds are slower than outdoors so when they bang wheels it usually ends up ok, wrecks (if any) are almost always minor. If you wanna teach them to hold their line, launch from a tight gate and race in a tight pack then arena cross is the perfect place. If they can pass in the arena...They can pass any where.

The bigger arena's will be the one in Murfreesboro-TN. Memphis-TN, Batesville-MS, Cookeville-TN. That series is "The arena cross tour" and doesn't start until December. We usually make a couple of those.....

http://arenacrosstour.com/AX/Home.html

I will post this link up in the mini racing forum for those that want the info.

jay-r

10-20-2011, 07:16 PM

We ran the Mid America arenacross last winter. They are not going to have that series this winter. We may run 1 or 2 of the AX tour races. I don't want to use vacation time for those. I have got to save that for whatever series we decide on next summer. Alabama series looks like a little too far of a drive for us.

nastynotchback1

10-21-2011, 09:24 AM

Originally posted by thequadfather+2
"They may not ride nationals because of time or money.We have had some come to our local stuff and they didn't do well when they expected to walk away with it all because we have some fast kids in our local series."

Thats exactly right and I agree but local kids who run the same track all year should actually be able to beat pretty much any visitor. Thats why some riders will not race at tracks they are not familar with.

Good national riders are seperated from others because they have the ability to go to an unfamilar track, practice for one day and hit it wide open on the next day. But even for them its tough to show up, get 4 laps in (6-8 minutes) of practice and hit the gate against kids who live at that track. Thats where the real challenge is, can you take 4 laps and mix it up with the regulars?

Everyone always uses the analogy that national riders show up at their local track and didnt win. Well I dont know what other national riders expect but when we show up at a new track we just hope to run good and keep pace with the kids that know the track like the back of their hand. I dont expect my two guys to be able to take 4 practice laps and win against kids that run it week in and week out. But at the same time thats exactly why we go to other tracks, so our kids have to take 4 laps and get in there with kids that will be fast on the track they are comfortable with. Kids that only ride the same 3 or 4 tracks all year long usually dont do that well when they go somewhere they have never been.

It seems to always be divided between local riders and national riders. If people know you run the nats they put a bulls-eye on you when you pull into the parking lot.

We recently went to Calhoun and had a pretty good time but didnt go there expecting anything, actually just wanted to get seat time at a new track. We didnt really expect to beat any of the locals, Brady needs a little more than 6-8 minutes to get used to a new track.

National vs local doesnt mean much except that one travels and one doesnt.....There is an advantage to being on the home field.

If you keep winning (no matter if it's local or the nationals) you better get used to all the talk and finger pointing because it goes on at every level.

I hope you don't think i was taking a shot at any of the national racers with my post.My son is one of the riders yall raced against at Calhoun and your right,he rides there alot and does well there because of the time he has invested in that track.Your son did very well if you ask me for his first time there and we hope to see yall and others new riders there in the future.

The comparison comes from the fact that the national riders are considered the best in the country and i guess we expect more from them when they show up.Thats wrong of us to do that because there just kids and they are human like anyone else.

edwardsp&b

10-21-2011, 10:43 AM

I mean heck we aint beat Kirkland yet but its coming....Its coming

I know the feeling completely Bruce......Thats how we get faster and faster. Give them somthing to strive for. It seems like every level we have raced at thats how we got faster. If I know a kid is alot faster than Ben I tell him to go out and try to run their speed. (without killing yourself), try to get behind them and find out their (little secrets) to running so fast. For our first year of racing we always trailed Turbo (Marc Smiths boy). Each race I would tell Ben to try to just get close, and get used to running that speed, next thing I know Ben is beating him and it went on and on from there. With everything in life I teach Ben to strive to be the best he can be. If he does that its a victory to us.

Thats why I was glad to see Brocato at the last race at Amp. He is a great rider, and I just wanted Ben to run his speed. I told him to be careful, but push it more and more and try to stay right behind him. I dont approach Ben with (you gotta beat that kid at all costs) type of deal. Its respect, he's a great rider and thats the direction we want to head in. Some parents take this waaaayyy to seriously....and I dont want my child to hurt himself. But I do want him to push the envelope more and more. At these locals we always run, Im there for three reasons....Get used to racing different tracks hard with just a little practice time, Push yourself as hard as you can go regardless of Ben being in front two miles, or in the back of the pack. Point is to ride hard! And finally have fun with the family, my kids love camping whether or not were racing doesnt matter to them. Sometimes I think they like the idea of loading up to go camping rather than the actual camping.

After every race we go to, on the way home Ben sits up front and we talk about his riding the weekend. Last weekend at Amp on the 2nd moto we pulled the holeshot and led Brocato for about a half a lap. Then Ben never got farther than a few seconds behind him the rest of the race. That was a huge victory for Ben, just knowing that he can run that speed for 5 laps, you would have thought we won Lorrettas.

I hate to say this but most locals we go to, Ben doesnt even want the trophy afterwards. We were there to ride and get better, not bring home a 10 dollar trophy. He is already running out of room for trophys in his room now. The last couple of races he gave the 1st place trophy away to another rider or child that really wanted that trophy. My thoughts are that if he made that rider smile by getting that trophy, its a win for our sport because the child will want to keep racing. And everybody knows we want to encourage more kids to get into atv racing at any level. So Im certainly not gonna ***** and moan about this kid is fast or he beat my kid so he must be cheating. Thats bullcrap! A good lesson in life to teach your child is that you cant always win, go as hard as you can, and the rest will take care of itself.

Jay-r the best advice I can give you is to hold your head up high and laugh it off. That makes the moaning retards madder than anything else.

Bryan

jay-r

10-21-2011, 11:03 AM

Edwards, that is my strategy completely. Jordyn races motorcycles too. This was her first season to race the bike. The first race of the season, I didn't know if she could make it around the track on the KTM. We have some very fast riders in the bike class too. So, early in the season she was getting beat pretty bad. I told her to get the best start you can and try to keep them in sight as long as you can. Learn from them and continue to ride hard even if you are in the back by yourself. By the end of the season, she is consistently 2nd place and finished 2nd in the points. You have to set goals.

There are other riders in the 50 quad class with us that I have heard their parents say that the kids just give up because they know there is no way they can run with the front runners. That is the wrong attitude. We have youth quad classes with 7 to 10 riders, and there is competition all the way through from front to back. Pick a rider that is faster and make that the goal. This is Jordyn's 2nd season racing, she went from getting lapped the first few races last year to winning a few by the end of the first season. This season she continued to get better because she had very good competition. We almost never holeshot and she had to work hard to win from behind. Next year, we will have to seek out another level of competition. Our local fast competitors are aging out. We are going to see how far this takes us. I am not pushing her, she is pushing me! Right into the poor house! :eek2:

coffing918

10-21-2011, 11:26 AM

I love it when the lil girls are so fast, most of the boys say oooo a girl i can beat her,, but at out local track last year I have a pic of my neice in the 70 cvt class in staging for moto2 there were about 8 kids in line and she was in the 1st place position for 2nd moto staging (only girl) she beat all the boys and was very happy about that, the boys were not! our race team is made up of only 2 boys and 4 girls every girl on our team can beat most of the boys at our local tracks! lol anyway, if she is really fast move her up if she wants to and then all the people talking $hit can see how good she really is no matter what class she runs! I hope she continues to kick but,,
http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj88/juuey/leaatco70.jpg

jay-r

10-21-2011, 11:43 AM

Yes it does make it sweeter that she is a girl. She does get a lot of attention because of it.

We will try the first couple of nationals and see if she is in contention in the 50 class. The only national we ran this year was Loretta's. We set a goal to finish top 5. She got 5th with a stock cobra motor. Overcame an 11th place start in both motos. Her lap times were as fast as 2nd place. This is her 6 year old season. So, next season we will bring a better motor and see what happens. If she is midpack, we will come home and try again in her last season on 50s. If she does well then we will put on our traveling shoes.

thequadfather+2

10-21-2011, 04:05 PM

nastynotchback1: No, I didn't think you meant anything like that. I just wanted to point out that as national riders we are quiet humble and don't visit new tracks to show the locals whats up. We visit new tracks hoping the local kids will push us to get fast - faster, if that makes sense....I want to make my guys step it up a notch after a 4 lap look at the track. He finished as the 1st cvt machine behind the 3 shifters (90 mods and supermini's) at AMP on the following day despite being last up the hill out of the gate. He did better because he ran that track about a month before for the first time and thats what we are trying to get past.

Thats our weakness at the nats, ridding a new track on Friday and hitting it hard on Saturday. I know kids who come in on saturday morning and are still able to pick it up quick and hit it....That aint us.

Bryan: If you want to be the fastest then first you must chase the fastest. Brady will be in the 70 class this year with y'all so we will be chasing, hopefully not for long... :devil:

We are skipping our last year on the 50....I can't keep it tuned so we gave it up.