Hurricane Mills, TN (8/15/2008)
-The final race of the 2008 AMA
Nationals proved to be one of our best this
season. After engine problems at Red Bud,
I was anxious to finish out on a strong
note and give those factory guys a run.
For the past several months, I have been
training with Joe Byrd at his track here
in West Tennessee. The week prior to Lorretta’s,
we were pounding out 30-minute motos in
a heat index of 116 degrees! Ironically,
the temperature last weekend dropped to
an unusual 90 degrees…
Nevertheless, my consistent training proved
invaluable on the rough and fast Tennessee
track. DASA Racing checked through my motor,
and Timed Practice went amazingly well.
I posted the 3rd fastest time behind Chad
Wienen and Dustin Wimmer. We then qualified
right out of timed practice #2.
Prepped and ready for Moto 1, we discovered
that I ended up 19th gate pick—I rounded
the first turn in 20th. From there, I put
my head down and charged up to 14th…with
all the riders so close in speed, each pass
was a small victory. I caught the next rider
in the final turn, but ran out of time to
move up another position.
Moto 2 almost mimicked the first, as I
came out buried in 15th place. For a few
laps, I brought up the rear of an intense
5-rider battle. Each time I made a pass,
another rider would find an opening at the
same time! It was exciting racing, and I
eventually fought through to find an empty
track ahead in 10th place. I finally caught
another, but was unable to find a passing
opportunity.
14-10 moto scores gave us 11th Overall—just
short of my top-10 goal, but I was pleased
with my riding. My lap times were strong
throughout both motos, passing several factory
riders along the way. The finale at Lorretta
Lynn’s Ranch made for a great bookend
to our 7th place run at the Glen Helen opener
in California. Thanks goes out to all of
my amazing sponsors this season, as I am
very grateful to be a part of your program.
As a privateer your support, and confidence
in me as a rider, is invaluable to my success!
2008 Team Partners:
JB Racing DASA Engineering,
Custom Axis Hinson Racing, Maxxis Tires
DWT Racing, Utopia Optics, SDG Seats, Rath
Racing, Velocity Filters, Generation X,
TAG Metals, Motul USA, Streamline, Regina,
SSI Decals, Precision Stabilizers, RPM,
Cycra Racing, Works Connection, EVS Sports,
Tom Miller Motorsports, Bob’s House
of Honda
About the ITP/Moose
Racing AMA/ATVA ATV National Motocross
Championship Series Presented by Parts Unlimited:
The AMA ITP/Moose Racing ATV National
Motocross Championship Series Presented
by Parts Unlimited is the nation's premier
amateur and professional ATV motocross series,
and competes at top motocross facilities
nationwide. The 11-round series features
the Nation's best racers, teams and sponsors,
and is America's largest and longest-running
ATV National Motocross series with more
than 20 years of competition. The series
continues to expand and produce top talent
from the amateur ranks, while keeping close
to the grassroots fun that makes people
love to go to the races.
Series sponsors include
title sponsors ITP Tires and Moose Racing,
and presenting sponsor Parts Unlimited.
Premiere and Feature sponsors include Can
Am, Amsoil, ATV Sport Magazine, Quad Magazine,
Moto Tees, Maxxis Tires, and FMF. Associate
sponsors include Fox Shox, Gatorade, HinsonRacing,
Custom Axis, and H-Bomb. Media partners
include ATV Insider and ATVRiders.com. For
more information, please visit www.atvmotocross.com.
