Monday, May 20, 2013 at 5:06PM Many thanks to our friend Dave Wood for his video work at this year's Hangtown. Dave is a vetreran of many professional motocross races on the Hangtown track. These pictures show he still has a keen eye for picking good lines.
Sunday, May 19, 2013 at 6:31PM 
Our sport is driven by technology. Each year we lust over new bikes, new gear, new hop up parts. Something new to make us faster, safer or just to look better. So why is it we sometimes hang on to things long past their useful stage? For example have you ever been reluctant to replace your favorite pair of boots because they are so comfortable? You know the ones that are more like slippers than boots and offer only minimal protection....but you hate to give them up. In my case it is my Fly Lite helmet. I just love the way it fits and feels. Common sense tells me it was wore out long ago but I ride a dirt bike so how much common sense do I have. It still looks good even though it has a few scratches and maybe it has hit the ground a time or two. I just didn't want to give it up but my wife refused to clean the liner again and said get a new helmet or more life insurance. That put things in the proper perspective so I went out helmet shopping. What an eye opener, the choises in new helmets has really expanded. I tried on a bunch and settled on a Fly F2. When I got home I proudly pulled it out of the box to show the wife...wow this thing is almost too pretty to wear riding. I was busy showing off the new lid when she reached in the box and handed me the owners manual. Owners manual? I said it's a helmet you put it on your head and go riding. Who ever heard of an owners manual for a helmet? However, I decided to humor her and I was curious about what could possibly be in a helmet manual. Much to my surprize the Fly F2 came with a 16 page owners manual and it was an interesting read. I had no idea how sophisticated helmet design had become. This new helmet not only looks good it fits good and is loaded with high tech features. Here are just a few;
After reading the manual I was even more impressed with my new helmet. I vowed to pay more attention to owners manuals in the future. The real test came a few days later when I went racing. This new Fly F2 is one sweet helmet. The only question is ...Why did I wait so long?
Saturday, May 18, 2013 at 2:16PM 
Great crowd showed up for the start of the 2013 National MX season. Perfect day at Hangtown. Let the racing begin.
Friday, May 17, 2013 at 9:59PM 
If you are going to Prairie City OHV on Saturfday for the Hangtown Classic be prepared for perfect weather and a well preped track. Conditions should be ideal as the weather has stayed cool and dry. The racing should be epic. I'm predicting 25 thousand plus fans turn out for what should be awesome racing. Dungey, Villopoto, Stewert, Reed.... should be a battle royale. Have fun!
Here are a few pictures of the amature day.
Tuesday, May 14, 2013 at 10:21PM As WPS prepares to expand its building the company will lose its softball field that sits directly in the path of new construction. As they near groundbreaking the WPS and FLY Racing crew decided to have one last game of softball to say farewell. Check it out!
Monday, April 29, 2013 at 2:29PM Here is an interesting KTM video dedicated to the two stroke. The off road riding is inspiring. It is long but worth the look.
Sunday, April 28, 2013 at 9:36PM In just about all parts of the country spring has arrived. You've pulled your bike out of the gargage and are getting it ready to ride. Many times it looks like it could use a fresh coat of paint but of course nobody paints bikes anymore. If you want to make it look new again these days you just get some new plastic and a good graphics kit. Finding new plastic is easy but a good graphics kit can sometimes be tricky. First you need someone that will listen to what you want and then they have to do high quality work. Professional looking graphics need to be produced on high quality materials, not everyone uses good materials. With all the riding #33 does we have a need to upgrade the look of our bikes on a regular basis. We have been using DirtDNA for several years and are completley satisfied with their work.They produce an excellent product, they listen and they are very creative. Here is a sample of the MX43 kit they did for our new Kawasaki.
If you want to spruce up the look of your bike or just add some professional looking numbers call Dave or Josh at DirtDNA or visit www.dirtdna.com If you look closely at the bikes of some of the Supercross privateers you will see the distintive DirtDNA red diamond logo. These guys do good work and they support our sport.You might even want to ask for the MX43.com kit. Now if they could just find a way to actually make us go faster.
Sunday, April 21, 2013 at 5:56PM Quad Adventure Becomes 911 Emergency
On Tuesday, April 9 four friends got together for day of fun in our forest, which is just behind our homes. We packed lunches and dressed for cool weather then off we went. It was not our first adventure of this kind - far from it - we are all expert quad riders and know what these all terrain vehicles are capable of. We had about 17 miles under our tires by lunch. We were hungry for some good old homemade PBJ (Peanut Butter an Jelly) sandwiches accompanied by a power bars and apples.
After lunch our ride led us to a school camp down a deep canyon next to Dog Town Creek. The area was new to us so we spent some time checking it out. Our next stop was going to be an old mine (Twin Pines), which is along the Steely river. Along the way we stopped to play in some snow patches, spinning doughnuts and just having fun! We took the Bear Meadow loop on our way to the Lincoln Hill area.
We had determined previously that we would be back home by 4 p.m. and it was close to 3 p.m. already. We encounter downed trees on the dirt road we were using to get home and while it slowed our travel, with a little effort making log ramps we are able to get over these obstacles.
And then we came upon a log that was approximately 18 inches in diameter. I went across the log first and waited for the next “old guy” to make his way over. During the maneuver he accidentally hit his throttle wide open. It bucked the quad sideways as it went over the log and headed straight over a 70’ cliff.
We watched this happen as if in slow motion and it took a few seconds to believe what we just saw. The remaining three of us ran to the edge of the drop-off and shouted down to Sam to determine if he was OK. He began to stand and stated that his left shoulder hurt as he moved his legs and arms in slow movements. The Quad had quit running and was on its side. I slid down to Sam, about 20 feet shy of the bottom, and after we spoke for a bit he suggested that he would like to just sit while we worked at getting the Quad out of the canyon.
At this point the three of us surveyed the area and determined what it would take to get it out. Thirty minutes later we were successful in getting it up on the road. The next step was to assist Sam. As we began to help him he indicated that he had no feeling in his legs. At that moment we realized this was not going to be a simple climb to the top. We set Sam back down and while one of us stayed with him the rest of us climbed back up.
We took a GPS reading and hit the 911 button on My SPOT (Satellite Personal Tracker). I left the Tracker on site and told the rest that I would go meet the emergency responders and guide them in. I left with Instructions to keep Sam from falling asleep.
My familiarity with the area allowed me to take the closest route to a site that I thought I might be able to get cell service (there are many places up here where cell service is nonexistent). I got one “bar” on the phone and made a direct call to Eldorado County Fire Dispatch, which I keep programmed into my phone. During 7 or 8 disconnects I was able to confirm that the emergency was real and that emergency personnel were being dispatched. I told them I would meet them on Capps Crossing and 9N47 road.
The first of 4 rigs showed up within about 15 minutes. We determined, due to the road conditions, that we would leave the Fire Engine behind and continue the rest of the route via the 4-wheel drive units. It took about 25 minutes to get the crews to Sam and once we arrived the emergency teams got right to work. The Paramedics went directly to Sam with their gear and the Firefighters started setting up for the cliff rescue using carabineers, ascenders, pulleys and their rescue harnesses. They lowered the basket once the Paramedics indicated they were ready for the evacuation. We all assisted in the process of getting the basket up to the road. Once up Sam was transporting by ambulance to the Helicopter pad at Walt Tyler School in Grizzly Flat. He was lifted to Sutter Roseville where it was determined he suffered a broken neck. He has received surgery and, thankfully, is on the road to complete recovery.
This experience proves the value of the SPOT (Satellite Personal Tracker). It provided a service that is worth more than its weight in Gold. For those who enjoy recreating where cell phones don’t work this item is a must on the list of items one takes on any adventure.
The Emergency Teams that responded should all be commended for an outstanding performance during this emergency: Cal/Star 6, Eldorado County Fire, Pioneer Fire and US Forest Service Utility 63
Frank Showers, Sacramento Metro Fire (Ret)
