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| PC - Art Pepin, www.offroadpaparazzi.com |
I went into
this weekend with mixed emotions…my preseason races didn’t go well, I had some
DNF’s due to bike problems and my suspension was all “confused” on both bikes.
Dad and I tried to sort things out last week, but didn’t have a lot of time to
test, so I wasn’t super confident. Not how you want to start your season
really. I decided to race the 125 pro class (the magical clapper in action) and
the A250 class to get things rolling J. Physically I’m there, I’ve put in the time as I am getting ready for the
Erzberg Rodeo in June, so running 4 motos wasn’t going to be an issue.
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| PC: Art Pepin, www.offroadpaparazzi.com |
125 pro moto 1: My first 125 moto went pretty well. I got a decent start and went into the
woods in about 6th or 7th place. With every turn, with
every obstacle I got more confident and comfortable on the bike, and, I was
actually able to compete with these guys and engage in a few awesome battles. I
did have one big crash on the motocross track that set me back a little, but
managed to fight back up to 6th place when all was said and done. I
was really happy with that…it’s a great result for me. Now if the 250 handled
as well as the magical clapper…
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| PC: Art Pepin, www.offroadpaparazzi.com |
A250 moto 1: I got another decent start…this is new…I’m not used to running upfront at
the beginning of a race, but I LIKE IT! I was curious how the class would stack
up, all the guys put in work in the offseason, now it was time to figure out
where we all stand. I ended up battling with Anthony Federico for 2nd
place for a while, we were hauling through the trees. I ended up getting the
best of Anthony, as he had what I would call the crash of the day, after slapping
a tree with his rear wheel he wadded up real good. Fortunately he was able to
walk away from it, but man, that was gnarly – glad you are ok bud! I finished
the moto in 2nd behind my “homie” Mikey Maksymiw. He was too fast
for me on his home track, I could not catch him in this moto, but I was happy
with 2nd and more so, I was pumped with the bike. We really made
some major progress on it. A few more adjustments before moto 2 and it should
be good.
125 pro moto2: Again…I got a decent start!!! I went into the woods in 5th !!
Yeah baby, I was feeling it! As we were heading into a sweeping left hander I
felt a little pressure on the outside…who the heck is leaning on me like this
and not letting off? None other than the legend, the Junk Yard Dog – John
Dowd!! I wasn’t going to give it up that easy…I stayed in it and held him off
for a couple more turns, and actually made up a few spots in the process! (No
worries, Dowdy got me shortly thereafter and went on to smoke us all). The moto
went decent, I did make one little mistake, and when you have 30 fire breathing
125 pros behind you, one mistake usually means you are losing some major
positions…and I did. I slipped from 5th to 9th , but was
able to settle in there and not lose any more spots. With a 6/9 result for the
motos I ended up 8th overall in the 125 pro class…and any time I can
get a top 10 finish with these guys I am satisfied. The 11 year old Magical
Clapper Yamaha YZ125 came through again (slightly scarred) and provided me with
a SUPERFASTGOODTIME as always!!!
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| PC: Art Pepin, www.offroadpaparazzi.com You can see Anthony right on my rear fender |
A250 moto 2: I lined up in the same spot as I did in moto 1 as that seemed to work
pretty well. Yeah! I got another decent
start and went into the woods in 3rd with Anthony Federico right on
my tail. We made a quick move and jumped up a spot, running 2nd and
3rd behind Mikey. Anthony and I had another sick battle going. He
passed me for 2nd and we were trying to chase down 1st.
This was huge fun! I love racing with a guy I can trust. No dirty moves, no
reckless riding, just good clean racing. At one point we went into a left hand
turn into the woods in 4th gear tapped side by side. I would not do
this with anyone else but Anthony. Neither of us let off, neither of us was
worried. It was awesome! I did finally get the better of him and moved back up
to 2nd. Time to charge, I wanted to win this. I hit the extreme
section and saw that Mikey, who was running in first, crashed on some logs J. I passed him and knew it was
time for me to grind this out. I saw the chance of taking this one. My last 2
laps were actually my fastest laps of the day…and with a win in moto 2 I ended
up winning the A250 overall. I’m pumped, this track really isn’t my style, I
didn’t expect to do that well here and figured I would be dominated by the moto
guys. I’m happy I was able to hang and engage in some super fun battles…winning
A250 is just a nice bonus!
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| PC Art Pepin, www.offroadpaparazzi.com Levitation Station |
Now it’s back
to work…big picture for me this year is Erzberg, I want to represent.
Thank you to
all that have contributed to my gofundme page to raise funds for my overseas
trip to Erzberg – could not do it without you. www.gofundme.com/747toErzberg
Thank you to
my awesome sponsors – I really appreciate your support – please visit them, buy
from them, like them!
Fly Racing,
Kenda Tires, Magical Gogo, EKS Brand goggles, Carbon Zero (more on that to follow soon), SRT Offroad, Panic Rev Ministries, Renthal,
offroadpaparazzi, mom & dad and my sister, my grandparents…
Thank you
Poacher for your advice – love lining up next to you.
Thanks for
reading – Rubber side down folks!!!
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