Every year Frank and Larry organize a day after Thanksgiving trail ride somewhere in the Sierras. This event is always epic. You can count on riding some never ridden before trails, fantastic single track, lots of wet log crossings and a few very knarly down hills. They will usually throw in a stream crossing or two and some steep climbs. Everyone always has a good time even though they may spend a little time on the ground. What is it really like… well here let them tell it.
“For those that did not make the day's ride you missed a good one. The weather was just a little cool 39 by leaving time (9:35) 13 of us with 4 newbees, Dean Joyner, Bill Craig, Bret Sage, Kelby Spore. Conditions for the ride were wet ,muddy, snowy....And Slippery to say the least...Most of us at one time during the day were taking soil samples..I must have forgot to mention that you might want a head light on your scoot ...We didn’t get back to the house till after dark and the last half hour in the canyons proved to be very interesting in the brush and trees with out a head light..About 17 miles out Rayboy started having motor issues on his scoot (Fuel injection) and had to limp back to the truck (sorry Ray)..By lunch time at an old mining site it was warming up to 52 and made it nice to rest in the sun. No one got injured except for some little face slaps from tree and brush slaps and everyone enjoyed the day ...After getting back home and cleaning up some we all enjoyed some of Martha's (wife) home baking with cookies, candy and special liquid refreshments....The picture of the house with the snow is from last Thanksgiving week(2010) What a difference.....
Thanks for those that came and we shall plan for next year...”
Frank and Larry....
For the rest of the story go to the gallery for lots of pictures
November 8, 2011 – The final rounds of the 2011 Grand National Cross Series (GNCC) wrapped up this past weekend in exciting fashion in the rolling and rocky hills of central Tennessee at the famous Loretta Lynn’s Ranch and Team FLY Racing’s Steward Baylor, Jr. took home his first XC2 Pro Lites GNCC title.
Due to the cancellation of two bike rounds earlier in the year, GNCC Racing scheduled a double header weekend for the bikes. With two three-hour races and only 24 hours between them, the racers were in for a long and difficult weekend battling the rough course and short recovery time between races.
FLY Racing’s Steward Baylor, Jr. came into the final two rounds with a healthy point lead and ready to clinch the title during Friday’s race. But it wouldn’t be easy. Just minutes before the start of the race, Baylor was nowhere to be found on the starting line, and it was announced that his race bike refused to start. Desperate to get to the starting line, Baylor grabbed a friend’s bike, went through tech, and sped to the line just in time for the start!
Not used to the borrowed bike, Baylor started slowly and took his time moving to the front of the pack, eventually making his way into second on the next to last lap where he would stay to finish to clinch his first XC2 Pro Lites Championship. In what could have been a disastrous day, Baylor would rise to the occasion and make the best of his situation to clinch the 2011 XC2 title. Congratulations to the entire Baylor family on the first of many championships to come!
I am not really a fisherman but let me tell you a little FISH story anyway!
It has been over a decade since I turned the big Four- O and started racing with the International Old timer MX organization. The qualifying factor being that you must be at least 40 years old to race in these events. These guys seemed to have a great time and traveled to a wide variety of tracks, which suited me just fine. Nothing better than getting away from the same old stale racetracks we always practice and race on.
So I went to some great places and met some super people while riding on a bunch of new (to me) tracks. A couple of years goes by and I am having so much fun watching the 40, 50, 60,70 and even the 80 year old classes compete all the while enjoying the competition and camaraderie. Along the way I watched riders have little lapses of memory or just not think and do some of the funniest things before, during and after the races.
So as I watch some of these things happen, repeatedly, I thought this would be a good category for a trophy! Whoever pulls the biggest bonehead move of the weekend gets a trophy for their efforts. Now the trophy couldn’t be something that you normally want to get at a race so I thought about it for a while and then went shopping!
Lo and behold I found the Billy Bass Fish mounted on a plaque that was battery operated, wearing a Santa Claus hat and sings Christmas Carols! Now why would I pick this as a trophy you ask. Think about it, would you want that sucker in your possession! I didn’t think so!
I am assuming that is why ole’ Billy Bass was in the clearance bin, because nobody else wanted him either. Which makes him the perfect bonehead trophy.
So I snatch him up laughing all the way to the register and immediately take him to the trophy shop to have a name plate made up to make Billy the official perpetual OTMX bonehead award.
The name plate made up with the “Grand Geezer Award” label and off he went to the next race. It started out as a Sierra Old-timer club trophy, but that didn’t last long. Billy morphed into an International Trophy as more guys got caught doing things they shouldn’t have done.
Some of the things we have given the trophy for include running out of gas during your moto, missing the gate completely, starting on the wrong gate, pulling off on the white flag lap, stalling your bike and sitting down on a hay bale until a 60 year old jumps the fence and runs out to start it for you, riding your moto and pulling off on the back part of the track to sneak back to the truck because you remembered you forgot to put gas in the bike before you lined up. These are just the things I can remember off the top of my head. I am sure there are a few more I am forgetting and will be reminded of later.
For those of you wondering about crashes, those are off limits for this award. We never want to see anyone crash or get hurt so it is not a consideration for the FISH.
But I have to tell this little tidbit, if the crash was acceptable then my buddy Mark Kaestner would have gotten it for the time he slid out and stuck his head under a chain link fence and had to wait for me to lift the fence so he could get his helmet out from under the chain link at the Agassiz, Canada track. He was laughing the whole time he was stuck!
So with all of these things over the span of the past decade happening at the IOTMX races Billy couldn’t remain a club trophy. He has since traveled home with so many different riders from Southern Calif to Canada that I wish he had an odometer to keep track of how many miles he has traveled and how many times he has changed hands.
The thing with the Grand Geezer Award is that once you have it you are stuck with it until someone pulls a bonehead move and you are able to pass it off! That could take one race or several months.
Now we have even had multiple bonehead moves committed over the course of one racing weekend and had to call a “FISH COUNSEL” and have a vote to determine who made the biggest gaff of the weekend by a show of hands. The riders love to come to the FISH COUNSEL and vote because they get to laugh their behinds off at their riding buddies!
So if you attend an International OTMX race keep your eyes open and don’t pull any bonehead moves yourself!!!
REGISTRATION IS OPEN FOR THE 2011 MTA WORLD VET CHAMPIONSHIP
Online registration for the 2011 MTA World Vet is open (and online sign-ups will get $5 off normal registration fees). Glen Helen Raceway is also pleased to announce that motocross icon David Bailey will be this year’s recipient of the "Edison Dye Lifetime Achievement Award."
As one of the most popular races in the world for racers 25-year-old and up, the MTA World Vet Championships attract riders from a variety of backgrounds and skill levels. Last year featured great racing from the likes of Doug Dubach, Ryan Hughes, Gordon Ward, and legend Ron Lechien. This year’s event is shaping up to be just as good, with riders from all corners of the world – including Ecuador, Spain, England, Germany, Canada, Sweden, New Zealand and Australia – already registered.
The 2011 MTA World Vet Championships will take place on the weekend of November 5-6, 2011. Throughout the course of the weekend, numerous fun fan activities will take place, and free camping spaces will be available. Entry information for the 2011 MTA World Vet Championships can be found at www.glenhelen.com.
August 17, 2011 -The Michelin Man recently stopped by the WPS headquarters in Boise, Idaho to help the WPS team market, sell, and ship Michelin motorcycle tires. The Michelin Man even found time to help at the FLY Racing Track Day held on the WPS motocross track. Thanks, Michelin Man!
For more information about WPS and its expanding list of brands and product offerings, or to become a WPS dealer, visit wps-inc.com.
About WPS
Based in Boise, Idaho, Western Power Sports (WPS) was incorporated in 1960 and distributes over 75,000 products, including offroad and street motorcycle, ATV, snowmobile, and watercraft parts and accessories to thousands of dealers nationwide. WPS is currently the fastest growing nation-wide delivery system of powersports industry products and delivers these products through its regional warehouse network, with locations in Boise, Idaho; Fresno, California; Memphis, Tennessee; Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania, and Ashley, Indiana. WPS strives to bring powersports dealers the best service, product, and delivery.
Eric (aka #33) spent a week riding spectular terrain in the mountians of Idaho. He had a great time riding with friends on some very challenging trails. These video clips from our new Liquid Image Sport Camera are just a preview of Eric's adventure.
Many moto guys use road cycling for a training tool. It is a great way to get fit without impact on our bodies. I've been road cycling for years and recently had a experience worth sharing. I believe in letting people know when I come across a company that takes exceptional care of it's customers. I went looking for a new saddle for my Kestrel bicycle. All of the dealers I visited told me I could not get one. They said I would have to buy one of their brands. I found that odd so I called the company. WOW! They were friendly, they listened, they explained they did not sell accessories but the woman said she would see what she could find and would call me back. Yeah we've all heard that before. Well she did call me within the hour and she solved my problem. I have a new Kestrel saddle on my bike today. Professional, friendly, they listened, they took action........you can't really ask for more.
The market is full of bike companies selling some very good bikes. If you in the market for a new training tool or just someting to ride be sure to look at Kestrel. They make a great bike and they not only understand customer service they practice it.
Saturday, November 26, 2011 at 8:48PM 
