ECEA Round 2: Curly Fern Enduro

Photos by Joann Hauser

Race: ECEA Round 2: Curly Fern Enduro

Bike: 09 KTM 200

Result: 1^st  A-200, 18^th Overall

Sponsors: I would like to thank Stickman Graphx, Unabiker.com, EKS Brand Goggles, Kriega USA, Rekluse, All Balls Racing, Fly Racing, Mika Metals, DT-1 Filters, Works Enduro Rider, FMF Racing, Vertex Pistons, Powerseal USA, Matto Cycle, Offroadviking.com, Clockwork KTM, Torc 1 Racing, Motorex, G2 Ergonomics, my family, and my Dad.

Report:

            One thing I am hungry for this year is success and it is a hunger that is going to be hard to feed.  Going into the first round of the ECEA series, I was disappointed with all of the mistakes I made on the riding side, but happy with the glimpses of speed that I had shown.  Going into this past weekend, I was excited to hopefully improve on my previous result.  I knew going into the weekend that it would be tough because the event was going to be a lot of time-keeping (I lack experience on this side) and I would be riding alone.  Normally, I try to ride with an AA rider which helps keep my intensity up and minimizes stupid mistakes.

            My dad and I left at 5:30 am to head down to Curly Fern.  Once again, it was another freezing morning with no hopes of warming up.  I got ready and made sure I ate a good breakfast to fuel my body for the day.  I also decided to wear a heavy jacket which was a blessing with all of the road we had to ride.  The first half of the race was fairly basic but featured a ton of emergency checks which are hard to zero on the 30 second mark.  A few of them were in tricky locations so my times weren’t looking that well.  Because of this, I knew I had to ride well in the points taking sections.  The end of the first section ended with a 3 mile piece that was muddy, rooty, and featured an endurocross section.  I felt good in here except I stalled on the tire section and ran out of gears on the wide-open sections.  I missed the flip by 4 seconds which was disappointing as my times were close to some AA.

            After resting at the gas stop, I geared up for the second half of the day.  I continued to focus on improving my day and rode well in the second half.  I zeroed most of the emergency checks.  I also felt I had great speed and my WER suspension worked awesome with some of my adjustments.  One thing I have learned is to not be afraid of making changes during a race.  I think you learn a lot and it is a good experience.  Towards the end of the day, some points taking sections were thrown in.  I made a costly mistake of not going into the check early which cost me two extra points.  After this, we headed back for another crack at the 3 mile section.  This time, I increased my intensity and hung it out.  I rode flawless except for getting stuck behind a rider who fell across the trail and getting pointed to a wrong line in a muddy section.  I was able to make the flip this time and match some AA times.  I feel I had a lot more in me and will be back to give it my best next race.

            At the end of the day, I won the A-200 class by a point and finished 18^th overall.  I think I could have scored 3 points less on the day which would have put me inside the top ten overall.  We will race the PBER Enduro in a couple weeks where I would like to get another win and finish inside the top ten.  Until then, I am going to test some jetting, change gearing, and find a better sand tire.  Thanks to all for their support and especially my dad for pitting for me!

ECEA Round 1: Sandy Lane Enduro

Netraphotos.com by Art Pepin

Race: Round 1: Sandy Lane Enduro

Bike: 09 KTM 200

Result: 1^st A-200

Sponsors: I would like to thank Stickman Graphx, Unabiker.com, EKS Brand Goggles, Kriega USA, Rekluse, All Balls Racing, Fly Racing, Mika Metals, DT-1 Filters, Works Enduro Rider, FMF Racing, Vertex Pistons, Powerseal USA, Matto Cycle, Offroadviking.com, Clockwork KTM, Torc 1 Racing, Motorex, G2 Ergonomics, my family, Netraphotos.com, and my Dad.

Report:

            After starting the season off poorly in previous years, I was determined to change that for 2013.  Over the winter, I made sure I had everything prepared for the season.  I took the opportunity to race the first two NEPG races which were great practice for the opening round of the ECEA Enduro Series.  Needless to say, I felt ready for the first enduro this past weekend.  Unfortunately, it was extremely cold but I was excited to ride.

            The first section of the day was the tightest but somehow I escaped arm pump.  I made a few mistakes along with a superman dive after bouncing off a couple trees.  I scared myself at the end of the section when my clutch started to slip (got a little too hot).  I was able to drop a 5 which was what Jeff Melik and Ben Smith dropped as well.  My goal this season is to drop scores similar to AA riders so I was happy with the result. I certainly had it in me to ride better though.

            For the next couple of sections, I struggled to ride mistake-free but I was riding fast.  At the Georgia NEPG, I didn’t crash a single time but my speed wasn’t there.  I was glad to have the speed but frustrated with the mistakes. If I can eliminate mistakes and keep the speed, I know I can be in that top ten overall group.  I continually stayed fueled throughout the day with Hammer Nutrition gels and stayed warm thanks to the Melik family.

            In the last two sections of the day, the trail opened up a bit more and I was able to find a groove.  With the help of Ben Smith as the leader on my row, I was able to keep my intensity up.  I stayed with him for close to 2 miles but he eventually pulled away.  It is my goal to try to latch onto AA riders for as long as possible.  At the end of the day, I was able to finish 1^st in A-200 which is a lot better start than last year.  I will carry this momentum into the Curly Fern enduro next weekend! Thanks to everyone for their continued support.

River Ranch GNCC Video

A great video from the first GNCC
2013 GNCC River Ranch Charlie Mullins

Round 2: Sandlapper National Enduro

Beginning of the second test.

Race: Sandlapper National Enduro

Bike: 09 KTM 200

Result: 5^th A-200, 70^th Overall

Sponsors: I would like to thank Stickman Graphx, Unabiker.com, EKS Brand Goggles, Kriega USA, Rekluse, All Balls Racing, Fly Racing, Mika Metals, DT-1 Filters, Works Enduro Rider, FMF Racing, Vertex Pistons, Powerseal USA, Matto Cycle, Offroadviking.com, Clockwork KTM, Torc 1 Racing, Motorex, G2 Ergonomics, my family, and my Dad.

Report:

            My dad and I headed down to the Sandlapper National Enduro on Saturday and arrived at our hotel in Columbia, SC around 4PM.  I chose to stay at the hotel and rest instead of going to hang out at the race itself.  I have been under the weather with a nasty cold since Georgia and can’t seem to stop hacking up a lung.  After a night of sleep, we headed to the race at 6AM.  It became apparent fairly quick that the forecast of 55 for the day was not going to happen.  Instead, it was 30 degrees and overcast.

            I spent a half hour prior to the start getting warmed up and adjusting some jetting.  Unfortunately, I found it hard to get jetting right with the cold conditions but found something that worked.  The first test of the day was a lot of fun with flowing trail, whoops, sand, and some tight-sections.  I made a few mistakes by blowing some corners but managed to stay upright. After the section, I went to put my bike on the stand and realized that what was normally an easy task was difficult.  Sometimes when you are sick, you don’t realize how sick you are until you have difficulty doing something that is easy.

            The second section of the day was my least favorite as it didn’t flow very well but I managed to ride consistently.  One thing I seemed to struggle with was keeping the RPMs up on the bike in the sand corners which is something I need to work on.  The 3^rd and 4^th section were more open and flowed well.  I felt I rode well in these sections although my times don’t exactly show it.  My main problems were being consistently smooth and braking gradually.  I need to adjust my braking a little bit so it is more gradual.

            My 5^th and 6^th sections were my worst of the day.  As the day went on, I felt more sick and my endurance was decreasing.  Normally, I would excel in these wide-open sections but struggled to push all the way through.  At the end of the day, I placed 5^th and 70^th overall.  Although I didn’t crash all day and rode smooth, I didn’t perform according to my expectations.  It is my hopes these two National Enduros will help me start strong in the ECEA enduro series and place top 20 consistently at each race.  I want to thank everyone for their support and my dad for pitting for me this weekend!

2013 Race Bike ready for the Sandlapper!