Welcome to the fourth installment of Your Race Reports! We apologize for being a little late getting this posted, but as they say, better late than never! Just a reminder, that this feature relies on you, the racer and fan for its content, so if you have a race report you want to send, use our easy submission form here!
This week’s featured race reports:
Jared Bolton | Ian Pannebakker | Hansen Off-Road Racing
Jared Bolton and Katie Norton
Jared Bolton and Katie Norton
Jared Bolton – SORCS 8-Hour Team Race
Team TopGear
Katie Norton – GA
Clinton Norton – GA
Ryan Bunner – GA
Jared Bolton – NC
I made the trip down to Sparta, Georgia for the first round of the SORCS 8 Hour Triple Crown series at the Hill Farm track. After my Ironman debacle at the Battle of Atlanta, I decided I would be better off on a team. So I teamed up with Katie and Clinton Norton and Ryan Bunner to form Team TopGear.
Well, since Clinton and I are both B class riders, we had to race the 250 Expert class, which is essentially a Pro class. Katie started the race for us and laid down 1 good laps, Clinton went out next and laid down 2 solid laps as well. Things were going better than we expected them to as we were holding down a 3rd place at that moment. Ryan’s turn comes up, he ended up losing his rear brakes on that lap and had to come off a lap earlier than we planned… Well, I was only about 3/4 geared up when he started down pit row. I threw on my jersey, Leatt brace and helmet as fast as I could, grabbed the wristband that we had to pass off each lap, fired my bike up (for the first time all day by the way) and took off.
Now this was just before the 2 hour mark so the track was already starting to get worn in a little. Since I had no time to stretch, no time to warm my bike I was pretty much out there gooning it up.. Well, I always goon it up, but yeah… Anyway, I put together 2 decent laps and came off to let Ryan get another lap in.
Once he completed that lap, it was Katie’s 2nd time out. She laid down a pretty good lap but had a pretty good crash and landed on her ribs that were already bothering her, so once she completed that lap, Clinton went out for 2 more.
This is were we started trying to time everything out right. We knew that we could get in 2 more laps after Clinton’s but wasnt sure about a 3rd. Eventually we realized that all we had was 2 more, so Ryan and I did one each.
I drew last ride and decided to take that last lap on Katie’s bike. Now, basically I went out on this lap with only riding the bike around the parking lot for a minute or so. However, I’ve learned a while back that a 250F suits my riding style a bit better, so I knew I wouldnt have any trouble.
I went out and felt great on it. That TopGear Motorsports 2010 Kawasaki KX250F ran great (can I get some sort of endorsement prize now?) I’ve also been racing with a Rekluse for about 4 years now, so it was a little different to ride with a standard clutch again but I managed to only stall it once, and that was with less than 2 miles left on the lap.
Anyway, we ended up finishing 3rd in the 250 Expert class. We were pretty pumped with that considering we kind of expected to get our butts kicked haha
Big thanks to Katie, Clinton and Ryan for their efforts on the team, Thanks to TopGear Motorsports for sponsoring the team, and thanks to my buddy Travis (who was hardcore and raced Ironman) for splitting gas.
Next up for me? Not sure yet. I may end up taking a little time off again to save money for a new bike I need so desperately haha.
-Jared Bolton www.visionmoto.webs.com
Ian Pannebakker
Ian Pannebakker
Ian Pannebakker – Mountain Ridge GNCC
Now that school has ended for the semester, I’ve been able to focus more of my time riding. Over the last two weeks I’ve worked on lap times and riding terrain that I’m not as comfortable with. Also, going back and practicing techniques I learned from Jason Raines helped me gain more confidence and speed. As a result, I feel like my riding is once again going in the right direction.
After putting my work in during the week, I arrived at the track Sunday morning to a gloomy and wet race track. Fortunately, I was anticipating the conditions and therefore prepared to tackle the muddy course. When the green flag dropped I had a great jump off the line and was the second rider to the first corner. Although I didn’t grab the holeshot, I was more than happy to be at the front of the pack and away from all the roost! Heading into the woods I immediately felt right at home on the rocky, muddy terrain. However, upon arriving at the first major rock garden I was given a harsh reality-check. I managed to teeter-totter atop a rock on my skid plate before falling over into a puddle and going for a swim. I literally had water running through my helmet! Honestly, I was in such disbelief of my stupid move that I laughed while picking my bike out of the pool of mud. At that point I thought my race was over and was really just looking to have fun. But in no time, I was passing riders from my class and others with ease. At the end of an eventful first lap I pulled into scoring in a solid third place position. The second lap went smoothly and maintained third place. On the third lap I picked a bad line through a rutted section of the course and pretty well buried the bike. After about 45 seconds of tugging with the help of spectators I was on my way once again. Luckily I only lost one position during the incident pushing me back to 4th place. At the start of the fourth lap I came in for some water and a gas fill-up. At this point I found a good flow in my riding which helped me tackle the worsening track conditions. For the remainder of the race I rode a steady pace and flowed effortlessly over the rock littered trails. On the sixth and final lap I passed one rider in my class to recapture the number three position. I rode hard until I reached the finish line which allowed me to finish in a solid third place..
Overall I am very happy with my performance. I earned a new personal best overall finish for GNCC, coming in 26th. Although I did not get a win, it felt like one for me. My bike worked great the whole race despite being thrashed and beaten from the boulders. I have finally regained confidence in my riding and look forward to improving my results even more. The next race will be in the rolling hills of Ohio at the John Penton GNCC on June 6th.
The picture was taken by photographer Ben Birk the other night while practicing. He does all kinds of work in the action sports industry and is more than willing to shoot any riders interested in getting pictures. Check out his website for more pictures information: benbirkphoto.com
I would like to thank all of my 2010 sponsors for their continuous support: Mom and Dad, Toy Tech Cycles, DEF Performance, Johnny Signs, FMF, Dirt Tricks, IMS, All Balls Racing, Jason Raines, Pro Taper, Fluidyne, Gaerne, Scott, Offroadjunkies.com, and Digitaloffroad.com.
CJ Hansen
CJ Hansen
Hansen Off-Road Racing – Mountain Ridge GNCC
Only one racer from the Hansen Offroad Racing Team was on the starting line this weekend. So here is CJ Hansen With his view of the Somerset GNCC.
This past weekend I had the opportunity to race The Mountain Ridge GNCC in Somerset, PA. The weather looked bleak for the entire weekend. Saturday saw scattered rain, fog, and a lot of mud. The forecast for Sunday was about the same. Getting to the track around 8:30, the rain had stopped and signs of sun stated to transform. As I headed to the start line for the 10am Open C Junior (22+), the fog had started to roll back in. The windmills were slowly starting to be swallowed into the abyss. The green flag dropped for my class and I was about mid pack. The start was slippery and muddy. As I came into the first open section, it was clear to me this would be a straight mud race. Lap after lap, the track continually deteriorated. I had to stop for a goggle change on the second lap, and another on the fourth lap. On my sixth and final lap, I started to hear a grinding metal noise. Thinking it was my clutch from using it almost 90% of the time, I pressed on. I thought about the finish and put my head down to charge on last lap. Going into it, I was sitting in 12th. I managed to pull another position that last lap. After the race, I inspected my bike for the grinding noise. I had somehow managed to take a chunk out of my rear hub, in the middle of it, between the spokes. I have no idea how this was possible, but was glad it didn’t cause more damage or cause me to wreck. In all, somerset was a fun race.
Hansen Offroad Racing is scheduled to Run a District 6 Hare Scramble this coming Memorial Day Weekend and then the John Penton GNCC the following. We would like to thank the following for their continued support: Our family and friends, Jason Raines, One Industries, Scott Goggles, SixSixOne, FMF, Cycra, Gaerne boots, Motorex, RK Chain, Excel, DeCal Works, and IMS
