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Inside.....
AMA National Enduro Championship Series, Round 1: The Sandlapper
4 Bobbitt Breaks his Bad Luck Streak
AMA FIM Supercross, Round 12: Rogers Centre
7 Dungey Breaks Through!
AMA Arenacross Series: Verizon Wireless Arena
10 Smith Fifth Different Winner of the Season!
AMA Kenda National Hare and Hound Championship Series, Round 3: Road
Runners
12 Caselli’s El Cid of El Centro!
16 Race Report from Superstition OHV
POV
19 Training with the Pros for a Week
Story and Photos by Sandy Carter
South Carolina was the first stop for the 2011
AMA/ Rekluse NEPG National Enduro Series.
It was also the first stop for a lot of Florida-
bound snowbirds escaping from the North
and the winter weather. Aside from the
sunshine and warm weather, many were
heading for Daytona Bike Week, the Alligator
Enduro, the first round of the GNCC Series at
River Ranch – and the 36th Sandlapper
Enduro, a traditional first ride of the season.
This race is sanctioned by SE&TRA and
sponsored by the Hollow Creek Volunteer Fire
Department.
Many families participate in this event: dads,
moms, daughters and sons, many signing up
early so they can ride on the same minute and
therefore ride together on the course. Pro
riders’ bikes sport red plates and carry the
numbers 21 through 35, designated “A” for
“AA” or “Pro.” Numbers for all contestants are
assigned by rows according to the minute and
designated A, B, C, D or E divisions. More than
600 riders signed up for this event. Kids rode
on Saturday, and Sunday was for the adults
only.
At 9:01 a.m., the first row of five riders left the
start and headed for the piney woods after
riding a zigzag course across a flat field and
then crossing a public road, with oncoming
Sunday traffic halted for crossing by local
members of the Christian Motorcycle Club.
The first reset or “check” was up, and riders had
a wait to begin a “special test” or timed section
of the course. Pro and A riders have six resets;
B riders have five; C riders, including Women,
Over 30, Over 40 and Over 50 riders, have four
checks. After completing the final check, or
special test, the day is over.
Russell Bobbitt won his first overall of 2011 at
The Sandlapper, breaking the streak of bad luck
Page 4
he experienced in 2010. The unfortunate
series of events that shadowed him
throughout last year followed him up to the
week before this event, when he crashed
during practice, suffering a concussion,
breaking a tooth, and earning a trip to the
hospital. He then headed to South Carolina
and this season opener, which turned out to
be the charm that broke the spell. Bobbitt
appears focused and on course for a
successful 2011 season.
Also on the podium that afternoon were KTM
pilot Brad Bakken, who took second, and
Michael Lafferty, who placed third overall on a
new ride, a Husaberg 570. Cory Buttrick was
fourth overall, followed by his fellow KTM riders
Steward Baylor Jr. and Charles Mullins.
1. Russell Bobbitt (KTM); 2. Brad Bakken
(KTM); 3. Michael Lafferty (Hbg); 4. Cory
Buttrick (KTM); 5. Steward Baylor Jr. (KTM);
6. Charles Mullins (KTM); 7. Nick Fahringer
(Hbg); 8. Thaddeus Duvall (Yam); 9. Shane
Hufford Jr. (KTM); 10. Zach Klamfoth (KTM);
11. Stephen Edmondson (GG); 12. Hunter
Williams (KTM); 13. Shane Watts (KTM); 14.
Jesse Groemm (KTM); 15. Richard Lafferty
(KTM); 16. Jason Chancey (KTM); 17. Jeff
Cregg (Yam); 18. Kody Fennell (Yam); 19.
Grant Baylor (KTM); 20. Steve Leivan (KTM).
1. Hunter Williams (KTM); 2. Shane Watts
(KTM); 3. Jesse Groemm (KTM); 4. Richard
Lafferty (KTM); 5. Jason Chancey (KTM); 6.
Jeff Cregg (Yam); 7. Kody Fennell (Yam); 8.
Grant Baylor (KTM); 9. Steve Leivan (KTM);
10. W. Tyler Trammell (Hus); 11. Jeff Pasqua
(Yam); 12. Michael Grizzle (Bet); 13. Alex
McRee (KTM); 14. Michael Hines (KTM); 15.
Chase Bishop (Yam); 16. Dane Schoeneberg
(Yam); 17. Andrew Kendrick (Yam); 18.
Nicholas Hunter (KTM); 19. Ben Smith (Suz);
20. Brooks Hamilton (KTM).
Page 5
1. Ben Swaim (KTM); 2. Louis Smith (KTM); 3.
Cameron Allen (KTM); 4. Heath Henderson
(KTM); 5. Keath Roberts (KTM); 6. Sean Eric
Benhart (Yam); 7. Tegan Robert Temple
(KTM); 8. Chevis Hendon (Hon); 9. Ashley
Copeland (KTM); 10. Terry Greer (KTM); 11.
Toby Akin (KTM); 12. Jeremy Powell (KTM);
13. Logan Cooke (Hbg); 14. Shane Garner
(KTM); 15. Steven Mullen (Kaw); 16. Ronald
Awad Jr. (Hon); 17. Austin Galyon (KTM); 18.
Steve Mason Jr. (KTM); 19. Al Hubbard (Suz);
20. Chris Doran (GG).
1. Cameron Hicks (KTM); 2. Dakota Hollman
(Suz); 3. Houston Taylor (KTM); 4. Daniel
Barrineau (Hbg); 5. Matthew Glass (Hon); 6.
Charles Center (KTM); 7. Michael Hawkins
(KTM); 8. Marty Hawkins (KTM); 9. Justin
Ramsey (Yam); 10. Wil Miller (KTM); 11. Bryan
Woods (KTM); 12. Hunter Houston (KTM); 13.
Jeffrey Powell (KTM); 14. Brian Stover (KTM);
15. Glynn Martin (KTM); 16. David Farris
(KTM); 17. Randy Brack (KTM); 18. Johnny
Thomas (KTM); 19. Gregory Wheeler (KTM);
20. Byron Butler (KTM).
1. Russell Bobbitt (KTM); 2. Brad Bakken
(KTM); 3. Michael Lafferty (Hbg); 4. Cory
Buttrick (KTM); 5. Steward Baylor Jr. (KTM).
1. Trevor Kline (KTM); 2. Dieter Willenbrock
(KTM); 3. Joe McLaughlin (KTM); 4. Garrett
Church (KTM); 5. David Harris (KTM).
1. Kody Fennell (Yam); 2. Grant Baylor (KTM);
3. Dane Schoeneberg (Yam); 4. Andrew
Kendrick (Yam); 5. Nicholas Hunter (KTM).
1. Hunter Williams (KTM); 2. Jesse Groemm
(KTM); 3. Jeff Cregg (Yam); 4. W. Tyler
Trammell (Hus); 5. Alex McRee (KTM).
1. Shane Watts (KTM); 2. Richard Lafferty
(KTM); 3. Steve Leivan (KTM); 4. Jeff Pasqua
(Yam); 5. Brooks Hamilton (KTM).
1. Jason Chancey (KTM); 2. Michael Hines
(KTM); 3. Tommy Veator (Yam); 4. Lee
Stephens (KTM); 5. Gerald Greene (Yam).
1. Michael Grizzle (Bet); 2. Dennis Decker
(Suz); 3. Jeffrey Harris (Hbg); 4. Glenn Scherer
(KTM); 5. Clay Stuckey (GG).
1. Mitch McRee (KTM); 2. Charles Sullivan
(KTM); 3. Dewayne Dusendang (KTM); 4. Neal
Hamilton (KTM); 5. Greg Gibson (Hbg).
1. Ben Swaim (KTM); 2. Sean Eric Benhart
(Yam); 3. Tegan Robert Temple (KTM); 4.
Ashley Copeland (KTM); 5. Joshua Cairl (KTM).
1. Louis Smith (KTM); 2. Keath Roberts (KTM);
3. Chevis Hendon (Hon); 4. Austin Galyon
(KTM); 5. Evan Schulz (Hus).
1. Cameron Allen (KTM); 2. Terry Greer (KTM);
3. Logan Cooke (Hbg); 4. Chris Doran (GG); 5.
Kevin Townsend (Hon).
1. Toby Akin (KTM); 2. Jeremy Powell (KTM);
3. Shane Garner (KTM); 4. Steven Mullen
(Kaw); 5. Ronald Awad Jr. (Hon).
1. Heath Henderson (KTM); 2. Steve Mason Jr.
(KTM); 3. Al Weisenfels (KTM); 4. Scott Rose
(Hbg); 5. Terry Post (Hbg).
1. John Weicker (KTM); 2. Mike Waters (Hbg);
3. John Bowling (KTM); 4. Brad Myers (KTM);
5. James Tench (KTM).
1. Al Hubbard (Suz); 2. Gordon Stout (KTM); 3.
Mack Barber (KTM); 4. Jeffrey Bromley (Hon);
5. Bryan Giacomozzi (KTM).
1. Richard Burleson (KTM); 2. John Fero (Hus);
3. Barney Barfield (KTM); 4. Gregory Davis
(Yam); 5. James Jenkins (Kaw).
1. Mandi Mastin (Yam); 2. Kelly Hall (KTM); 3.
Louise Forsley (KTM); 4. Tori Noxon (KTM); 5.
Dawn Silvia (KTM).
1. Cameron Hicks (KTM); 2. Houston Taylor
(KTM); 3. Wil Miller (KTM); 4. Hunter Houston
(KTM); 5. Eric Gibson (Hon).
1. Dakota Hollman (Suz); 2. Bryan Woods
(KTM); 3. Cameron Brigg Aycock (KTM); 4.
Sundown Walker (KTM); 5. David Shearer
(Suz).
Page 6
A huge crowd of 45,217 Canadian fans
filled Toronto’s Rogers Centre on Saturday
night for the Monster Energy AMA
Supercross, an FIM World Championship,
and its lone international race of the 2011
season. The 12th stop of the 17-race
championship was host to even more of a
shakeup in the championship standings, as
Rockstar/ Makita Suzuki’s Ryan Dungey of
Belle Plaine, Minnesota, captured his first
win of the season. In Supercross Lites-class
action, Monster Energy/ Pro Circuit
Kawasaki rider and former Canada resident
Dean Wilson, currently of Menifee,
1. Daniel Barrineau (Hbg); 2. Matthew Glass
(Hon); 3. Charles Center (KTM); 4. Justin
Ramsey (Yam); 5. Scott Greer (KTM).
1. Jeffrey Powell (KTM); 2. Brian Stover (KTM);
3. Byron Butler (KTM); 4. Jamie James (Yam);
5. Matt Wiley (Yam).
1. Michael Hawkins (KTM); 2. Marty Hawkins
(KTM); 3. Randy Brack (KTM); 4. Gregory
Wheeler (KTM); 5. Walter Thomas (KTM).
1. Glynn Martin (KTM); 2. David Farris (KTM);
3. Johnny Thomas (KTM); 4. Fred Jensen
(Hus); 5. Greg Wallace (KTM).
Courtesy of Feld Entertainment
Page 7
California, grabbed the victory.
When the gates dropped for the 20-lap
Supercross-class main event, Monster Energy
Kawasaki’s Fabien Izoird from France raced to
the Nuclear Cowboyz holeshot and grabbed
the early lead. Behind him, Dungey and Valli
Motorsports/ Rockstar Yamaha’s Nick Wey of
Dewitt, Michigan, followed, while San Manuel
Yamaha’s James Stewart of Haines City,
Florida, found himself on the ground,
creating a jam that included the series points
leader, Monster Energy Kawasaki rider Ryan
Villopoto of Poulsbo, Washington.
Dungey moved into first prior to the
completion of the first lap and went on to
lead all 20 laps. At the conclusion of lap one,
Villopoto crossed the line in ninth, while
Stewart sat in 13th. The duo moved through
the field in tandem before Stewart attempted
to pass Villopoto. The two riders made
contact, falling to the ground. While Stewart
re-entered the action, Villopoto pulled off the
track to address an issue with his bike.
Dungey fended off the pressure from
TwoTwo Motorsports/ Bel-Ray Racing’s Chad
Reed of Tampa, Florida, throughout the main
event, while American Honda’s Trey Canard
of Shawnee, Oklahoma., followed them onto
the podium in third.
“It’s been a tough one [this season] and it feels
great to pull [a win] off,” said Dungey.
“Everyone goes through this at some point,
because it’s a tough road. I got a great start
tonight, which was huge. The track was really
tough, and you had to watch the mistakes.”
“That’s the positive from tonight,” said Reed of
the points lead he claimed after Villopoto’s
misfortune. “I have to just carry on. Ryan
[Dungey] road a great race; he was faster in the
whoops and turns. It took everything I had to
pressure him into making a mistake.
“The industry decided not to give me a chance
this season,” Reed added. “I want to win this
championship so bad. It would be a bittersweet
speech, for sure.”
Stewart rebounded from his troubles to finish
just off the podium in fourth. Meanwhile,
Villopoto recorded a ninth-place result. Reed
now holds a three-point lead over Villopoto
heading into next weekend’s race.
At the start of the Supercross Lites-class main
event, GEICO Honda’s Blake Wharton of Aubrey,
Texas, grabbed the Nuclear Cowboyz holeshot,
with his teammate Justin Barcia of Ochlocknee,
Georgia, and Eleven10 Mods Honda’s Darryn
Durham of Butler, Pennsylvania, in tow. The
remainder of the opening lap featured several
highlights, as DNA Shred Stix/ Star Racing
Page 8
Yamaha’s Ryan Sipes of Vine Grove, Kentucky,
took over the top spot, only to be forced off
the track by Barcia, who then assumed the
lead.
For the next seven laps, Barcia paced the
field, while Wilson, in second, was looking to
close the gap. The distance between both
riders continued to decrease before Wilson
made the winning pass coming out of the
whoops on lap eight. The win marked Wilson’s
second of the season and the second of his
career.
“The track was really tricky tonight,” said
Wilson. “I didn’t get the greatest of starts, but
I kept pushing forward. It was all I could do.
[This win] means a lot to me. We still have
three races to go, and I’m still far back in the
points, but I’ll try my [best].”
Barcia followed in second; he has been on the
podium at every race of the Eastern Regional
Supercross Lites Championship. Wharton
rounded out the podium in third.
Barcia’s advantage over Wilson, who moved
into second in the championship, sits at 16
points.
1. Ryan Dungey (Suz); 2. Chad Reed (Hon);
3. Trey Canard (Hon); 4. James Stewart
(Yam); 5. Justin Brayton (Yam); 6. Nick Wey
(Yam); 7. Andrew Short (KTM); 8. Kevin
Windham (Hon); 9. Ryan Villopoto (Kaw); 10.
Cole Seely (Hon).
1. Chad Reed (236); 2. Ryan Villopoto (233);
3. Ryan Dungey (228); 4. James Stewart
(216); 5. Trey Canard (214); 6. Andrew Short
(159); 7. Justin Brayton (137); 8. Kevin
Windham (134); 9. Davi Millsaps (128); 10.
Nick Wey (109).
1. Dean Wilson (Kaw); 2. Justin Barcia (Hon);
3. Blake Wharton (Hon); 4. P.J. Larsen (KTM);
5. Ryan Sipes (Yam); 6. Blake Baggett (Kaw);
7. Gannon Audette (Yam); 8. Hunter Hewitt
(Suz); 9. Darryn Durham (Hon); 10. Matt
Lemoine (Kaw).
1. Justin Barcia (138); 2. Dean Wilson (122);
3. Ryan Sipes (115); 4. Blake Baggett (100);
5. Blake Wharton (89); 6. (TIE) P.J. Larsen
(80)/Matt Lemoine (80); 8. Malcolm Stewart
(55); 9. Lance Vincent (49); 10. Alex Martin
(47).
Page 9
Courtesy of Feld Entertainment
File Photo by Mark Buchanan
With the 2011 AMA Arenacross Series just
three rounds from completion, Team Faith
Yamaha’s Kelly Smith of Ludington, Michigan,
decided to take matters into his own hands
inside Verizon Arena on Saturday night and
end a longstanding winless drought.
Meanwhile, in Arenacross Lites action, newly
crowned Arenacross Lites Western Regional
Champion Chad Cook of Oklahoma City,
Oklahoma, kept the ball rolling, grabbing an
impressive win.
In recent weeks, just one man has stood
atop the Arenacross-class podium. Babbitt’s
Monster Energy/ TiLUBE Kawasaki presented
by Maxxis rider Tyler Bowers of Danville,
Kentucky, carried an eight-race winning
streak into the evening. However, the current
championship points leader experienced
trouble, ultimately losing valuable points to
his competitors.
When the gates dropped for the 25-lap
Arenacross main event, Smith took
advantage of a strong start and moved into
the lead early. Once out front, the veteran
rider never looked back, despite experiencing
several challenges from Foremost Insurance/
Spinechillers/ HondaofFairfield.com’s Nathan
Skaggs of Chillicothe, Ohio. As the battle for
the win developed, Bowers was experiencing
some rare bouts of misfortune: After
suffering a bad start, Bowers was looking to
work his way through the field, only to stall
his bike following the finish line. The error
allowed his competitors to take advantage
while Bowers fought to work his way back
through the field.
As for Smith, he rode his best race of the
season, as did Skaggs, who ultimately scored
a season-best runner-up finish. Babbitt’s
Monster Energy/ TiLUBE Kawasaki’s Chad
Johnson of Rhinelander, Wisconsin, rounded out
the podium in third.
Bowers fought his way to a season-worst 11th-
place result.
With the adversity Bowers faced, in addition to a
strong showing on the night from both of his
closest title contenders, his advantage in the
championship standings dropped to 38 points.
Feeling the confidence from claiming his first
career professional title one week prior, Cook put
his House of Kawasaki machine up front again
and extended his own personal winning streak to
three races. He crossed the line more than four
seconds ahead of Foremost Insurance/
Spinechillers/ HondaofFairfield.com’s Patrick
Massie of Washington Court, Ohio, who finished
second. Massie’s podium effort extended his
points lead in the Arenacross Lites Eastern
Regional Championship to 51 points. Letko KTM’s
Tanner Moore of Auburn, Kansas, finished third.
Page 10
1. Kelly Smith (Yam); 2. Nathan Skaggs
(Hon); 3. Chad Johnson (Kaw); 4. Jeff
Gibson (Hon); 5. Zach Ames (Hon); 6. Cory
Green (Suz); 7. Dano Aulseybrook (Suz); 8.
Kevin Johnson (Yam); 9. Gray Davenport
(Kaw); 10. Willy Browning (Hon).
1. Tyler Bowers (362); 2. Jeff Gibson (324);
3. Chad Johnson (318); 4. Zach Ames (255);
5. Gray Davenport (236); 6. Kelly Smith
(232); 7. Nathan Skaggs (229); 8. Kevin
Johnson (192); 9. Cory Green (181); 10.
Willy Browning (165).
1. Chad Cook (Kaw); 2. Patrick Massie (Hon); 3.
Tanner Moore (KTM); 4. Michael Lang (Hon); 5.
Zachary Jaynes (Yam); 6. Jeremy Huddleston
(KTM); 7. Kenneth Henry (KTM); 8. Austin
Primavera (Suz); 9. Brandon Marley (Hon); 10.
Jake Locks (Kaw).
1. Patrick Massie (147); 2. Austin Coon (96); 3.
Adam Gulley (95); 4. Steve Mages (86); 5.
Kenneth Henry (70); 6. Austin Primavera (69);
7. Tyler Sehr (65); 8. Kyle Goerke (63); 9.
Michael Lang (49); 10. Scott Zont (47).
Page 11
By Ryan Sanders and Chris Blais
Photos by Mark Kariya and TNT Race Photos
The NHHA headed south to the border city of
El Centro, California, for round three, and
after 100 miles of wide-open desert racing in
the Superstition OHV Area, the series points
chase has just become that much tighter.
With many of the NHHA Pros competing in
various other events on the Saturday prior to
the race, the pits seemed light, but as time
passed on this warm Saturday afternoon, the
NHHA atmosphere grew, as AMA’s District 38
Road Runners Off-Road Group welcomed the
racers with open arms.
Facing many of the terrain challenges for which
the El Centro areas have become known as
features for this year’s “King Of The Desert”
event, FMF KTM’s Kurt Caselli pressed onward
from the word “go” and became the new King
for 2011, despite the fact that he was racing in
Superstition for his very first time. However,
things weren’t as easy as they were for Caselli
at the previous round, despite the absence of a
key competitor.
David Pearson, eager to keep his Purvines
Racing Honda atop the points chase, was hot on
the tail of Caselli for much of the day. The duo
were one and two off the start, and Pearson
rode in Caselli’s dust for all 100 miles, rarely
stopping to let off the gas. In the end, he would
have to settle for the second step on the
podium, which was still enough to keep him in
the lead for the championship points chase,
with 80 points.
Monster Energy Kawasaki’s Destry Abbott rode
well despite a Saturday afternoon scare that
saw his mechanic returning home to Arizona for
parts, and he held off a midrace charge by
Jacob Argubright to take third place in the end –
his third straight podium finish of the year.
Despite a great start, and the tantalizing
thought of a podium finish just seconds ahead
Page 12
of him, Argubright took fourth place on his
Kawasaki of Simi Valley KX450F; he just
couldn’t make up any time on Abbott in the
sandy and difficult second loop.
New to the Purvines Racing Honda team,
Justin Morrow took fifth overall without much
effort at all. Running in fifth off the start,
Morrow made it look like he had been on the
Honda for years, although he had just picked
it up on Wednesday.
JCR Honda’s defending 2010 champ, Kendall
Norman, was a no-show at round three,
which took many racers and spectators by
surprise. Rounding out the top 10 were
David Kamo, Robert Underwood, Carl
Maasberg, Brett Saunders and Brad Pace.
Holding it down for the two-strokes, Justin’s
brother Chris Morrow, at 12th overall, took
first place in the 250 A class on his Zeman
Suspension Yamaha YZ250. Second in the
250 class, and coming in just three spots
later, Off-Road Support’s Levi Jones piloted
his KTM 250 XC to his highest National finish
to date, at 15th overall. Another Levi, Levi
Hutchins, took third place on the day in the
250 A class and will return home to Nevada
with a nice points lead in the class.
The battle in the Vet Pro class heated up, as
Dan Capparelli returned to the top of the
podium to take a commanding lead in the
points chase. With David Fry taking a DNF,
Capparelli is now atop the podium after his
20th overall at the Road Runners event. TBT
Racing owner Travis Flateau took second
place in the Vet Pro division, in his first
attempt at the El Centro National; he was
one of the smart ones who sat out the
torrential rainstorm back in 2010.
At 26th overall, Mike Whitcomb and his
3Brosktm.com 450 took top honors in the Over
50 A class, but he qualified for third overall in
the Vet class – not too bad for racing with guys
20 years his junior.
On the prettier side of the NHHA, in the
Women’s Pro class, it was again a heated battle,
as the top women racers on the West Coast
went to battle on the demanding desert terrain.
Taking an early lead, Shayla Fulfer piloted her
Blais Racing Services/ Fastway KTM 250 XCF
into the lead through the midway point of the
event and into the pits near Wheeler Road. Off-
Road Support’s Sarah Kritsch made a pass out of
the pits and struggled to hold off the charging
Fulfer in the dunes. Running her bike dry,
Kritsch gave it everything she had in an attempt
at another class victory, but at mile marker 75
the bike quit and Kritsch was forced to watch
her competition slip away.
With her first win of the year, Fulfer took over
the points lead, with an 80-60 cushion over
Kritsch. This DNF hurts Sarah’s championship
points campaign for 2011, and with a hometown
event for Fulfer in just two weeks (round four in
Melba, Idaho), the Women’s Pro class just got
that much more interesting. Olivia Rich was the
only other woman to finish the King Of The
Desert event, and she now sits at third place in
the points chase, with 37.
The ATV Pro contest got under way after a short
delay from the bike classes. Round-two winner
Andy Lagzdins took top honors yet again at
round three, and also took home a pair of
Alpinestars boots for his holeshot win on the
Expert Quad line. Local D38 quad expert Jeff
Hoskins took second overall in the Quad Pro
Page 13
class and held off the charge of longtime vet
racer Wesley Feeler, who took third in the
Quad Pro class. Casey Lizaolao physically
took second overall ATV against a field of
nearly 30 ATVs but, as a B-class rider, he
didn’t qualify for the ATV Pro class – not too
shabby, considering he was up against some
of the fastest ATV riders in the desert!
A number of Holeshot Awards were handed
out, and both the B and C bike-row holeshot
winners, local District 38 members, took
home prizes of their own. For the B row it
was James Shafer, and for the C row it was
Darren Buonaguidi. They will both have a
new pair of Alpinestars boots come round
four. Also winning prizes at round three from
series sponsor Works Connection were the
first-overall B- and C-class winners, along
with first overall ATV racer Andy Lagzdins;
they will all receive hour meters (after the
results are verified).
Congrats to the Kenda Kash winners, who all
received a $50 cash bill at the finish line for
using Kenda tires all around their machines:
Anthony Joshua, Kevin DeJongh, John
Kearney and Shayla Fulfer. For the ATV
riders, Eric Hartell filled his pockets with a
$50 dollar bill for using Kendas. Kenda Kash
will be handed out at the finish line at each
round!
Once results are verified, another series
sponsor, MadJack Racing/Amsoil, will be
awarding one gallon of oil to the winners of
each these classes: Over 40 B, ATV B, Vet C,
and 200cc C. The support of all of our series
sponsors is much appreciated!
For round four, the series heads north to Idaho,
as Dirt Inc. hosts its second annual AMA/ Kenda
National Hare and Hound in the area near
Mebla. For more info on the AMA/ Kenda
National Hare and Hound Championship Series,
go to www.NationalHareandHound.com.
1. Kurt Caselli (KTM); 2. David Pearson (Hon);
3. Destry Abbott (Kaw); 4. Jacob Argubright
(Kaw); 5. Justin Morrow (Kaw); 6. David Kamo
(Hus); 7. Robert Underwood (Kaw); 8. Carl
Maasberg (Kaw); 9. Brett Saunders (Kaw); 10.
Brad Pace (Hon).
1. Kurt Caselli (KTM); 2. David Pearson (Hon);
3. Destry Abbott (Kaw); 4. Jacob Argubright
(Kaw); 5. Justin Morrow (Kaw).
1. Carl Maasberg (Kaw); 2. Brad Pace (Hon); 3.
Clay Davies (Bet); 4. Justin Morgan (Suz); 5.
Jeff Truelove (Kaw).
1. Chris Morrow (Yam); 2. Levi Jones (KTM); 3.
Levi Hutchings (Yam); 4. Skyler R. Howes
(Yam); 5. Travis Livingston (Kaw).
1. Cordis D. Brooks (KTM);
1. Dan Capparelli (Kaw); 2. Travis M. Flateau
(Hon); 3. Mike Thompson; 4. Dennis Gleen.
1. Carey Lincoln; 2. Mike Barnhum; 3. David
Klein (Yam); 4. Robbie Pippin (KTM); 5. Jason
Cogbill (KTM).
1. Michael Whitcomb (KTM); 2. Mark Brown
(KTM); 3. Todd Barnhill; 4. John Kearney (Hus);
5. Dave Byrd (KTM).
1. Shayla Fulfer (KTM); 2. Kelly Barbosa (KTM);
3. Olivia Rich (Hon).
1. Bubba D. Novis (Hon); 2. Jacob Gaddis
(Kaw); 3. Austin H. Aube (Yam); 4. Ryan
Baillargeon (Yam); 5. David Bringman.
Page 14
1. Harry Lyles (KTM); 2. Brandon Merbach
(Kaw); 3. Kyle Mueller (Yam); 4. Andreas
Hengstberger (KTM); 5. Brandon G. Cable
(KTM).
1. Kyle King (KTM); 2. Nicolas Garvin (Hus);
3. Benjamin C. Meza (KTM).
1. Steve Grieb (KTM); 2. Jes Hulbert (Hon); 3.
Dennis Maurer (Hon); 4. Tony Gregory; 5.
Ryan McGhen (KTM).
1. Rich Nixon (Hon); 2. Wayne Ellis (Yam); 3.
Dave Harlan (KTM); 4. Bill Hinkle; 5. John
Copeland (KTM).
1. Rob Corder (Kaw); 2. Tom Albright (KTM);
3. James Gibson (KTM); 4. Jon Johnson
(Yam); 5. Scott Hegel (KTM).
1. Alex Paris (Hon); 2. Larry Leyva; 3.
Garrison Rios; 4. Alex Drew (Kaw); 5. Henry
Daly (KTM).
1. Brendan Crow (KTM); 2. Daniel Murtin; 3.
Randy Witherell; 4. Ben Larsen; 5. James M.
Ogaz (Yam).
1. Joshua Maxwell (Hon); 2. Austin Newman
(Yam).
1. Derek McGaughy (KTM); 2. Daniel Flowers;
3. Raymond Gray (Yam); 4. Scott Hughes
(Suz); 5. Anthony Nolan (Hus).
1. Frank Zugouitz; 2. Doug Kuezkowski; 3.
Phil Apostolakos (Yam); 4. Robert Orendain
(KTM); 5. Dave Colmer (KTM).
1. Brett Wilkinson; 2. Arie Toet; 3. Carl
Johansson (KTM); 4. Norm Bisson; 5. Vandos
Handley.
1. Kori Wilson (KTM).
1. Dale Parriott (KTM); 2. Dave Gazzaneo; 3.
Terry Flynn (Hon); 4. Rickert Haag (KTM); 5.
Bill Thornburg (KTM).
1. A.J. Motta; 2. Logan Ventimiglia (KTM); 3.
Taylor Haiwlive; 4. Luice Bosse; 5. Mason
Nolan (Hon).
1. Tayler Jerome (KTM); 2. Nick De Carli
(Yam); 3. Robert Cruz.
1. Harry Simpson III (KTM).
1. Frank Vasicek (Hon).
1. Andy Lagzdins (Hon); 2. Jeff Hoskins
(Hon); 3. Wesley Feeler (Hon); 4. Bill Markel
(Yam); 5. Shawn Bigney (Suz).
1. Casey Lizaolao; 2. Eric Hartell (Yam); 3.
David Valley (Yam); 4. Kevin Palmer (Hon); 5.
Andrea Bosemer (Hon).
1. Caesar Ceballos (Hon); 2. Rachel Bosemer
(Yam); 3. Jared Sallenbach (Yam); 4. Peggy
Ogaz (Yam); 5. William Baston.
1. Ryan Zeller; 2. Frankie Becerra (Hon); 3.
Zachary Haywood (Yam).
Page 15
By Jacob Argubright and Levi Jones
Photos by Ryan Sanders
Round three of the National Hare and Hound
Series was this last weekend in El Centro,
California, and for me, it was all about
redemption! I needed to make up for what
happened last year in the mud, and I needed
to keep the strong finishes alive in order to
stay with the lead pack in this year’s points
chase.
We have had a few weird curveballs thrown
at us this year, with Kurt Caselli nearly DNFing
and Kendall Norman actually DNFing at round
one, so the points chase is tighter than ever,
and I am going to do everything I physically
can to stay within reach. I was pretty
disappointed with the fifth at round two, and
I knew that with a good start I could make
things happen here in El Centro.
Before the racing happened, though, Ryan
Sanders and I decided to head down a day
early and have some fun. With the big sand
dunes, and the awesome mud hills right by
camp, it was like a playground for us to try and
jump things. Most of the time I am all about
being a serious racer, but you need to have a
little bit of fun from time to time. Friday was just
that, and after spending nearly eight hours on
the bikes (and almost two whole tanks of gas),
we were happy to go to bed early in preparation
of a busy weekend.
We weren’t allowed to practice the bomb on
Saturday, and because of the new BLM permits,
the club couldn’t even tell us where the race
would start. So I just spent some time working
on the suspension and my bike setup for the
slick and fast roads of loop one. Sarah [Kritsch],
Levi [Jones], Brandon and I went up into the
dunes at the end of the day, and it was a lot of
fun trying to over-jump one another
in the sand. I went to bed for the
night feeling like I had a great shot
at doing well the following morning.
As the sun came up on race day, I
quickly geared up and was one of the
first guys to the bomb. I found a
good line on the far left and knew
that if I could just hold on, it would
be one of the faster routes to the end
of the start. They actually never gave
a two-minute warning, though, and
literally none of us were ready when
the banner actually went up! It took
me about three kicks to get started,
but when the bike lit, I was gone,
and actually I felt really good.
Page 16
It was dusty for about the first two miles,
but I eventually got into some clean air and
ended up in third overall, right behind Kurt
Caselli and David Pearson. We hit the first
road crossing and I saw the trail bending to
the left. I took a good line and settled in
behind them, literally right in their dust.
The thing with the loops down there is that
they bend back and forth; it’s almost just a
race to the check points, because once it
gets dusty, you have no idea where the
actual trail is. Unfortunately for me, Destry
Abbott found a better line through the dust
and made a pass just after check one. He
put about 10 seconds on me, and I just
literally followed him for the last 40 miles of
the first loop. It was 60 total miles before
the main pit, so we all had to stop at an
alternate. Jerry was there and gassed me up
and gave me goggles, but it was hardly a pit
stop.
I followed right behind Destry and was
determined to get him before we got to the
main pit. With all of the high-speed sections,
we were basically just an even match, and
neither of us made up any time on the other.
Going into the pits, I was still about 10
seconds down, and I knew that loop two
was going to be a little bit tighter.
Loop two was really fun, but I found myself
making a few mistakes, which was not a
good thing if I wanted to get on the podium.
Des was riding really well, and no matter
what I tried, I couldn’t make up the time I
needed to in order to get in front of him. We
hit a couple of cool sand dunes, and the only
big, gnarly rocky canyon in El Centro, but he
really rode hard and I just didn’t have enough to
catch up. At the finish line, there was a big
crowd, and although I narrowly missed the
podium, I was happy to have my best finish to
date in El Centro.
I wore some of the new Answer gear this
weekend; it’s called the “Ion Breeze” and it was
really a lifesaver. With nearly 80-degree
temperatures, the vented gear was the one
thing that kept me going. Our bike setup was
really good, and I was happy with how
everything worked this weekend. I have a local
race coming up this week, and then it is right
back into the National Hare and Hound thing, as
I hope to get a podium out in Idaho.
As always, I couldn’t do any of this without my
sponsors, so thanks to Kawasaki of Simi Valley,
Off-Road Support, Answer Racing, UFO Plastics,
Jett Boots, Omega, BRP, TBT Racing, Kal-Gard,
Pro Moto Billet, Fastway Performance, IMS, FMF,
and Brian Elliot at Allianceoffroad.com.
Meanwhile, Levi had a great ride this weekend,
finishing second in the 250 class and 15th
overall. He has really stepped it up despite
having some difficult classes at Cal Poly this last
semester, and his results are great for the Off-
Road Support team.
Unfortunately, Sarah had a motor issue out on
loop two. She was leading at the time and just
boiled over the coolant. As she tried to stay
ahead of Shayla Fulfer, who eventually won, the
motor quit, and now she has a project for the
coming week before Idaho. Due to our busy
workload, with the next National just two weeks
out, Paul at AS Racing is taking special care to
ensure that she can make it to Idaho! Big thanks
Page 17
to Paul for helping to keep her racing!
If there was any hero this weekend, it was
Destry’s mechanic, Johnny. Des had a motor
issue one mile before the pits on Saturday,
and they didn’t have the parts to fix it, so
Johnny had to drive all the way home to
Peoria, Arizona, and get the spare motor into
the race bike. He then had to wake up and
drive the bike out to El Centro so that Des
could ride the bomb before the race started!
It made for a pretty good story around the
pits.
Lastly, it was pretty funny to finish and see
Kurt Caselli’s number-one WORCS bike loaded
onto a tow truck. Apparently the registration
on the forks didn’t match the frame, so they
impounded it, as his mechanic had ridden it
over to the finish! They don’t mess around in
El Centro!
See you in the desert!
-Jacob
Jacob911.com
I was definitely looking forward to round three
in the Superstition OHV area. School has been
extremely hectic lately, so it was a nice
reprieve to be back out in the desert with my
bike and my friends. I got into the pit around
4 p.m. Friday night and immediately geared
up and went out into the sand dunes to test
and jump some dunes with Jacob Argubright
and Ryan Sanders. I spent most of Saturday
doing much of the same: tested up in the
sand with Jacob, Sarah Kritsch and her friend
Olivia, and Ryan.
Race morning came pretty fast. I went out
early and found a good line on the bomb run.
Unfortunately, David Kamo and I were aiming
for the same line, and we nearly bumped on
the start. Somehow I managed to take the
line and got to the bomb somewhere in the
top 10 – definitely my best start in a while.
The first 15 to 20 miles was a lot of fun. I got
to drag-race one of my idols from back home,
David Fry, and from there it quickly turned in
to a four-way drag race between me and
three other 250s. At the alternate gas, I got
around Travis Livingston, thanks to my dad’s
quick gas-up, and settled into fourth, behind
Open-class racer Jeff Truelove, for the
remainder of loop one.
In the main pit, I got around another 250,
thanks to another superfast pit stop from my
dad, Jerry Jones, Ed Villanueva, Ryan, and
the rest of Off-Road Support. They told me I
was in third, not even a minute back, but
from my experience in this event two years
ago, I knew that the sand and the rocks on
loop two were extremely tiring. So I did my
best to conserve energy but make progress at
the same time.
I battled with Livingston, Levi Hutchings and
Skyler Howles for much of loop two, but
managed to hold on and finish second,
behind Chris Morrow, and 15th over all.
I couldn’t have done it without the awesome
pit support of Off-Road Support and Blais
Racing, and my other sponsors – FMF, EVS,
and Sam’s Cycle Supply.
I can’t wait for spring break and round four in
Idaho!
Page 18
With harsh winters everywhere north of
Tennessee, and with racing in the Grand
National Cross Country Series starting in
the first week of March, most of the Pro
riders head south to Florida to train,
race, and get their new bikes sorted out,
starting in January. I have raced in the
GNCC series myself for the last two
years, only missing round one in Florida.
Being from Indiana, I have become
good friends with top up-and-coming
Pro rider Chris Bach. He raced with the
KTM satellite team in 2010, and for
2011Chris has moved to the Factory
Beta Team. Chris is good friends with
KTM rider Nathan Kanney. Bach and I
run around Indiana with another top
Amateur in the Open A class named
Chris Douglas. Right after Christmas,
Bach, Kanney and Douglas headed
south to prepare for the 2011 racing
season. I’m a normal guy and have a
regular job, like most normal people.
Heading south for two to three months
doesn’t really fit into my budget, and my
wife divorcing me certainly doesn’t fit
into the budget either. I do, however,
have some saved-up vacation time, and
all three riders encouraged me to come
down for at least a week and ride and
train with them.
Going in to the 2011 racing season, I
had gotten a new KTM 350 SXF from
Performance Supercycle of Cookeville,
Tennessee. I had sent the suspension
off to WP Racing USA, and mounted up
a set of Renthal twin-wall bars, along
with an O-ring chain. I knew that going
down there and riding with these guys, I
would need all the horsepower I could get, so I
installed an FMF 4.1 silencer with a mega bomb
header. I mounted a set of Bridgestone sand tires,
and the bike was ready to go. I spent a lot of time on
the cycle trainer, as I knew these guys were hitting it
hard every day. I wanted my body and cardio as
prepared as I could get it. I rode the trainer about
eight hours a week and did countless sit-ups,
crunches and push-ups. The week of January 16 was
going to be the week that I would descend on Florida.
I packed my small 5x8 trailer, moto bike, road bicycle,
Fly gear, and enough oil and oil filters to make a
couple of oil changes. I headed south as soon as I
got off work on Friday. I drove as far as I could stand
to on Friday and finished up the drive on Saturday
morning.
The guys were staying a place called Waldo. It’s close
to the city of Gainesville. I pulled in around 10 a.m.,
and the guys were already outside, prepping their
bikes for a day of riding. We did a quick catch-up,
Page 19
and then it was time to gear up.
We headed to the track right before noon.
With this being my first time ever doing
something like this, I was trying to take
everything in and feel things out before I
jumped in with both feet – or, at least, that
was my plan. All four of us pulled up to the
track, and Kanney let us know that we were
going to start out with a 30-minute moto on
the turn track. This was a sign of things to
come.
We completed our moto and pulled off the
track to talk about what went wrong or what
went right and how we felt. XC-2 rider Teddy
Mullins was also there, and he joined in. We
made our way back to the compound for a
little lunch and to make some adjustments to
the bikes.
It was surprising to me that these guys made
big changes a lot. Kanney and Bach both
would swap bars at this break. I made a
spring change on the rear shock, based on
the recommendation of Bart Hayes at WP
Racing USA.
At about 2, we headed back to the track.
Surprisingly, we got right back at it, with
another full 30-minute moto. This time when
we finished, we would make small
adjustments right there at the track and jump
right back on the track. I was having some
issues with my handling, and Bach was giving
me a hand dialing it in. I would ride about
three hard laps and then pull off. Based on
what I was telling him, he would turn on this
and turn on that. We made huge progress and
the bike was handling great.
At the end of day, we washed the bikes and
headed into Gainesville for some dinner. We
were back at the house by 7 p.m. and all
ready for bed by 8 p.m.
Sunday came, and everyone was up by 8 a.m.
I questioned what the plan was for the day:
More of the same was on the calendar. I had
gotten sick overnight and was not feeling well
at all. Making trips to the restroom every hour
was really starting to take its toll.
All the guys did bike work first thing in the
morning, changing oil and air filters and
washing all the extra ones they had. When
that was done, they all decided to do a cycling
ride. I had to sit this one out, as getting too
far from a restroom at this point was not a
good idea. A few hours later, everyone got
back, and it was moto time. By this time I
was worse, and even getting out of bed was
going to be a chore. Needless to say, my
second day was shot; doing anything was out
of the question.
Monday came, and along with it came rain. It
decided to let loose all day. This put a damper
on doing anything outside. Everyone grabbed
their gym clothes and it quickly became a
gym day: cardio on the bike, a little weights,
and some swimming. Tyler Thompson of the
ThompsonMX Academy was staying close to
where we were, and I went and visited him
later in the day. He helps train some young
up-and-comers in motocross. He does a lot of
bike work to help the kids keep their bikes
going: changing tires, changing oil and all the
regular things, but he also does top-end
rebuilds if it’s needed.
On Tuesday, we all woke up to sunny skies
and cool temperatures. The bikes were ready
to ride, and after a day off, we were ready to
ride! I was finally feeling better and looking
forward to another day on the bike. We all
geared up and headed to the track.
In the back corner of the riding park was a
small woods loop that works great for some
woods testing. Those woods were on the
day’s calendar. Everybody gathered together
and Bach made the call to hit the woods hard.
It was almost all single-track, with a short
field section at the end of the lap.
Bach and Kanney started pushing each other
hard, and that’s the last I saw of them. About
an hour later, everybody regrouped and we
hit it again. Another hour of woods and I
would be shot.
We took a lunch break, and again these guys
were making changes to their bikes.
After lunch, we made our way to the turn
track. A couple of 30-minute motos were on
tap. The ThompsonMX Academy riders were
on the track, and Tyler was there, coaching.
Tyler watched me for a few laps and pulled
me in to give me some great pointers.
When the riding was over, Douglas was going
to try to cook us something on the grill. It
had been a long day, and going out to eat
was just not an option. He threw together
some chicken and some kind of noodles. It
actually turned out really good – or maybe I
was just so hungry that I could have eaten a
shoe. We were all shot and ready to eat,
Page 20
Coming Up Soon on TCC:
Opening-night action from Victorville Speedway!
CMC Golden State Nationals South Finale!
CALVMX Round 2 from Perris Raceway, PLUS extra
photos! !
Race Report from the Maxxis General, Round 2 of
the GNCC Series!
National Hare and Hound Championship Series
Round 4, PLUS extra Race Reports!!!
AND... the Thor United States Mega Series (Round
2)/ FMF Southern All-Stars MX Tour (Round 1)/ Fly
Racing Southern Classic Championship Series
(Round 1)/ American Suzuki B.I.G. Championship
MX Series (Round 1)/ North Georgia Spring Classic
Series (Round 1) ! ! ! ! !
relax, and hit the beds early. Everyone wanted
to go to a private single-track woods track the
next day.
The next morning we got up early and did our
bike work. We threw the bikes and gear in the
trucks and headed out. It was about a two-
hour drive, and this was a good time to talk
about all the things happening throughout the
racing year. Everyone would be racing the full
GNCC Series, and Bach, Kanney and myself
are hitting select National Enduros. Douglas
and I will join Bach and race some of the local
series in Indiana.
We arrived at the place and unloaded the
bikes and geared up. It’s about an eight-mile
course, and the plan was to light it up from
the start. I prefer to do this, as you never get
a good warm-up before a race anyway.
We finished the first lap and compared lap
times. Bach and Kanney were close, with
Douglas right behind them. Sand is not my
thing, and my lap time showed that. I made a
few suspension changes and went back out
for lap two.
This place was really cool. It had a good mix
of everything you see down in Florida. Four
laps later, my body was shot! Bach was dialing
in the new Beta machine and feeling better
and better with the work that he’d been
putting in. Kanney and Douglas both rode
KTMs last year, so they were familiar with
their rides and were just trying to get them
fine-tuned. We all loaded back up in the early
afternoon and headed back to camp. That
evening we did more bike work and prepped
everything for Friday.
Bach, Kanney and Douglas needed to get to
WMR1 in southern Florida to do some motor
work. They had decided to head down on
Saturday and race an FTR on Sunday. Friday
would be my last day, and we decided that we
would all go cycling in the morning and the do
some more motos in the afternoon.
On Friday morning, Bach, Kanney, Douglas
and I loaded the bicycles up and made tracks
to Gainesville, which has a “bike path” that is
32 miles long – 16 out and back. My
background is in cycling, so I felt like I could
hold my own on the bicycle. A quick warm-up,
and it was on! We smashed petals hard going
out and coming back. It felt good to be able
to stay with these guys and feel competitive
for once during this week. I did hold my own
on the ride and did my share of pulling the
group along.
When Saturday arrived, it was time for me to
head home, and for the guys to head to
WMR1 and to race on Sunday. All in all, I’d
had a great time. I did more riding in a week
than I had done in the previous three months.
I also did more bike work in a week than I
have done in the last three months! These
guys are hitting it hard every day. This is their
job, and they treat it that way. In a solid week
of riding, we didn’t do 20 minutes of play-
riding the whole week. Riding and racing is a
hobby to me, and I would like to leave it that
way. We’re all great friends, and when the
helmets are off, fun is had by all.
If you decide to spend a week with these
guys, you’d better have thick skin. If you do
anything stupid or hit the deck, the butt-riding
will last a couple of days. There is one other
thing that happens day in and day out, and
that’s the trash talk. Bach and Kanney are
relentless when it comes to this. I can’t wait
for March 8 and see where all their hard work
lands them. I would be really surprised if
anyone is hitting it any harder.
See ya at the races!
Page 21