SORCS Round 2 2007

Dust Bowl in Georgia

Round 2 of the SORCS series is in the books, and ALMOST everyone survived. They did have an AM rider take a whirleybird flight to the hospital, and a PRO ATV rider had some bad luck at the end of the race (more on that later) but basically, everyone had a good day.

This round of the SORCS series was held at Broadriver ATV Resort. As normal, the folks at Broadriver were very hospitable and friendly. We had reservations for a cabin, but somehow our reservation went missing. Shelly took care of everything and got us a room in Elberton. We just want to thank everyone at Broadriver for hosting the SORCS event and for their great hospitality. We are looking forward to the next event at Broadriver.

Check out Brenda's pics of Round Two at our web site!

It was a good day considering the extremely dusty conditions. Of course you can't do anything about the weather and conditions, however, this is the dustiest race we have had since Durhamtown in 2006. It ranked right up there with Durhamtown as one of the three dustiest races we have ever had. The third being the last race of one of the High Point Series at the Triple J track several years ago. Scott said it was so dusty that once you caught up with someone, it was almost impossible to pass due to limited vision. Some of the Beginner class riders reported that they ran into other competitors several times due to the fact that they just didn't see them. It actually took a couple of laps for the riders to get strung out before they could see anything. Hopefully we will have some rain before Round 3.

The Pro ATV Class continues to be fielded with fast, talented riders. The GNCC had a break, so Brenda's hero, Richie Brown showed up as well as Brian Toney, and Mike Newsom Jr. and Sr. Dee Martin was in the Pro line as well as Zack Lovell and Scott Rogers. This class is super competitive and these rider do not let up for a second. On the start, Richie grabbed the holeshot with Toney right behind. Dee Martin, Steve Purser and Mike Newsom filled out the top five. I believe Zack got off the line somewhere around sixth place, with Scott getting a ninth place start. Going into the woods, the only person that new where he was going was Richie. Everyone behind him was riding blind. They actually made it through the first woods section without incident. Scott stated that it took him a couple of laps before he could really make any passes. It was so dusty and tight that as long as the line was freightraining around the track, you just couldn't see. The Pro class pretty much settled in the way the came off the line. After a couple of laps, Scott had worked his way up to seventh place in a tight battle with Purser. They were neck and neck for quite a while. On the Third lap, Purser pitted. That allowed Scott to pass for another position, which brought him up to sixth. When Zack pitted, Scott passed for fifth place. Zack was having trouble with his hydration pack and was needing fluids bad. So for the last part of the race, it was Richie Brown, Brian Toney, Dee Martin, Mike Newsom, Scott Rogers, Zack Lovell, Steve Purser, Matt Bishop, William Farmer, Marcus Streetman, and Trevor Schrantz. When the checkered flag fell, the Pro class was in the same order. Although Mike Newsom finished fourth, bad luck struck on the last lap. Somewhere in the woods section, he made contact with something and had a pretty nasty get-off. He was able to quickly remount, however, he soon discovered that he had damage, not to the bike but to his collarbone. He did manage to bring the bike to the finish line, about 12 seconds ahead of Scott. I didn't get to speak to Mike after the race, we hope he is OK and heals fast! With Toney's 1 place finish in round one and second place finish in round two, he currently is the points leader. Scott and Zack were able to pull decent finishes out of this race. After the disasters on April Fool's day, just about any place would be an improvement! Dee Martin and Steve Purser have also had consistent finishes in both races putting them in the hunt. Right now, considering the riders have a throw away race, the Pro Class is tight and hopefully, it will continue to be so. All it takes in this class is one little mistake, a little bad luck, or a small mechanical failure that takes you from First to worst in a second. If you don't believe me, consider Round One! Thankfully, Scott had an uneventful day except for the bad start. His bike handled well and the engine held together just like brand new. A special thanks goes out to Larry Adkins, Terry Tyson, Greg, Stephanie and Tony, the entire staff at Shamrock Honda. We couldn't have done it without them. Larry and Terry worked hard to get transmission rebuilt. With a freshly rebuilt tranny and top-end, with very little practice, the bike ran flawlessly!

In the ATV A Class, The competition is tight as well. When the A class came off the line, about five riders jocked for first place, including Max Seagraves, Michael Newsom Sr., Austin Allen, and two other riders. At the first turn, they were so close you could throw a blanket over them. It was very close, however, I think Mr. Newsom made it to the first turn ahead of the rest of the line. As that group of five rounded the first turn, Cameron Rogers was still sitting on the line. Needless to say, he got a terrible start. Max jumped to an early lead with Austin Allen taking second. Austin was running a fast pace, moving up to the A class, using a throwaway for the first round. On the first lap, Cam had moved up to the top four and was setting a good pace when his bike suddenly stopped inside a woods section just past a powerline straight. He was passed by a couple of riders and had a lot of ground to make up. As Max and Austin took care of the first two positions, the most heated battle on the course was between Cameron Rogers and Michael Newsom Sr. They battled the entire race, pushing each other and charging until the checkered flag fell. Cam overtook Newsom on the motocross section and the two stayed locked together throughout the race. When the checkered flag fell, it was Seagraves taking the win, followed by Austin Allen, Cameron Rogers taking 3rd and Michael Newsom Sr finishing 4th and Chad Carmichael (any relation to Ricky) rounding out the top five. Newsom served notice that he is ready for round three of the series for a rematch with Cam. Max has a comfortable lead in the A class, with Cameron and Newsom tied at this point, with each rider scoring a 3rd and 4th place finish each. I predict a tight series in the A Class as well. Although Austin just moved up to the A class, he will charge all year, and not make it easy for anyone. Cameron is set on raising the bar as well, and is showing improvement at every round. Max had a great year last year, and this year looks no different. I know for a fact that Mr. Newsom will not let up or make it easy for the other competitors. He has set a great pace and I really enjoyed the battle between him and Cameron.

In the Quad Beginner Class, Jacob Coffey finished 5th with Corey Jennings placing 11th. Our friend Seth Newman finished 9th. This was Seth's first race in about two years, and he was doing really well until engine problems sidelined him. The win was captured by Jesse Gibson. Blake Callahan raced in the class as well placing 7th.

The Quad B Class was won by Jared Seabolt. In the Quad C Class, the win went to Chad Latham. The Quad Vet Class winner was Byron Mccalter. Shad Martin took the win in the Quad Util Class, with Mark Coffery capturing third.

Perhaps the competitor that had the most fun was Julie Stokes! Julie lined up for the start and found herself all alone. She told me later that she had a blast, having a great ride and getting some valuable points. Julie took home the first place trophy in the Womens Class. I think Aaron and I owe Julie an apology. During the race she tried to pit and we wouldn't let her. Looking back, that was kinda mean, however we were thinking about her overall finishing position.

My bike riding friends also had a pretty good day. A. J. Shook placed eighth in the Open C Class. Bill Bryant, my longtime friend and riding buddy, placed 4th in Master C. Bill, those lap times looked pretty good. And they say we are getting old! Don't listen to them. Trey Singleton finished 2nd in the Four Stroke B Class. Trey told me he ran two laps with a rear flat! That young man is scary fast. Sean Callahan got 3rd in the Senior C Class. We saw Sean with his arm in a sling after the race. We didn't get to talk to Sean after the race, Hope he is OK.

I would like to extend my appreciation to the entire SORCS crew. Eddie, Tammy and the crew are doing a great job and I think everyone is really enjoying the series. Let them know how much you appreciate everything they are doing, a little appreciation goes a long way. It is really nice to have a good, solid series like the one we are competing in and we owe all the SORCS crew a thank you! One thing I noticed as I was leaving the pits was a course worker riding around the pits picking up trash left behind by others. Please take the time to clean up after yourself at each of these events. That was a staff member that could have been taking care of something else instead of cleaning up after others. It only takes a couple of minutes and I know Eddie and the event host will appreciate it and remember it the next time they are asked to host an event.

Tim Bettis had a photo trailer setup at the event and also has pictures posted at his web site. Take some time and check out Tim's pics and buy one or two. I know he will appreciate it and you will have a great conversation piece the next time you are telling the "big one" to all your friends!

Take care, God Bless and we will see you soon!

Later.....

SORCS Round 1 2007

April Fools!

Round 1 of the 2007 SORCS series, the race we have all been waiting for, is history. THANK GOD!! This picture says it all:

The excitement started building when the GNCC series got cranked up, and by the time the Aonia race came around, everybody was chomping at the bits to get racin'. I have got to say, round one was full of excitement, thrills, surprises, and more than a few disappointments.

First, the good: It was great seeing everyone again. Brenda and I both agree, our racing family is some of the nicest people and best friends anyone could hope to have. We love being with our friends and hanging out. One thing that is so great is, no matter whether you win or lose, hanging out and spending time with all of our friends is what it is all about.

Eddie and the SORCS team did a great job with the race! Eddie has stepped up the series, with several improvements, including a PA System, plenty of help, and class stickers on the back of the helmets. The bikes and ATV's started on time and everyone got in plenty of racing. Looks like this is going to be a great series.

Second, also good: No one was seriously injured. That is quite an accomplishment considering the outcome of the race. One of the ladies suffered either a broken arm or shoulder, and A.J. Shook took a really bad hit on his right leg, at first I thought it was broken, but other than that and plenty of blisters, everyone came out in pretty good shape. I notice Bill Bryant had his share of cuts and bruises.

Now for the Ugly: The majority of our gang, with the exception of Cam, Julie and Scott Insinna, suffered some serious damage! The track was super dusty. If you didn't get the holeshot, you had your work cut out for you. In the open areas, it was really had to see, and that made passing difficult. On the plus side, the course had a good mix of open fields and loamy woods.

ATV Pro: The ATV Pro class was full of some fast competitors, including some GNCC regulars. When the Pro class left the line, Brian Toney grabbed the holeshot followed by our friend Dee Martin, who was competing in his first race in over a year, with Mike Newsom in the top five. Scott Rogers and Zack Lovell, left the line tied for last place. They had a curtain of dust in front of them, and nine other pro riders checking out. When they entered the first woods section, Brian was stretched out and putting distance on second place. Scott had worked his way up to fifth, and Zack was around seventh or eighth. On the completion of the first lap, Brian Toney was in first place with about 4 minutes or so on second place Mike Newsome. Scott had worked his way up to third right behind Newsome. On the beginning of the second lap, Scott charged his way past Newsome, found some clean air and set his sights on Toney. Zack had worked his way up to sixth, however, on the third lap, Lovell came into the pits, his day finished. His front tires were pointed in different directions due to a severely bent tie rod, and his clutch was gone. This was the beginning of a trend that wouldn't stop until the end of the race. On the third lap, Scott had made up a lot of time on Toney, and at that point I thought he had enough speed and time left to actually challenge Toney for the lead. By this time, the leaders were settling down and it looked like this; Toney, Scott, Newsom, A. J. for the top four slots. On the fourth lap, the first four were setting a blistering pace, however Scott had slowed a little but still had a comfortable pace, and a solid second. More on his slowdown later. On the final lap, it looked like it would be Toney in first, with Scott taking second, and the race for third was a real battle between Newsom and A. J. Shook. We were standing at our pit location, just waiting and watching the race progress, when a course worker rode up carrying a passenger, it was Scott! His bike had disintegrated. I have to say I was in shock, not because Scott was out of the race, it's just that he was so calm. Once I found out he was OK, he told me what happened. we weren't sure what really caused his problems until we got the bike back in the pits. After checking things out, I discovered that a couple of the pinch bolts on the swingarm chain adjuster had worked their way loose causing excessive slack in the chain. The chain slapped the shift shaft, busting the left crankcase in several places and dropping all the tranny fluid. Now for the strange part, we really weren't upset! Sure we were a little dissappointed, but we know this happened for a reason. We check our race bikes out a thousand times between races. We haven't had a DNF in close to three years, and then that was due to two slashed tires. The odds of the chain adjuster bolts coming loose are really small, so you just look on the positive side. Scott was OK, he was flying when it happened, he had the speed to race with the guys in the pro class, and was in amazingly good spirits. I am so proud of the way he handled the situation. In situations like these, you can't second guess and think about what "could have been", you just have to be thankful that things were no worse than they were. Well, with two busted bikes in the pits, Zack and Scott, we looked around and here comes A. J. Shook with a severely broken bike, he was slumping over holding his leg and looked bad. His bike was pretty messed up and at first we thought he had broken his leg. Upon further inspection, he is going to be OK, however, his bike is a different story. We actually thought Scott would have to sit out the Broad River race, however, it looks like he may be able to make it after all. I got up bright and early on Monday, after thinking about the options a thousand times during the night. I immediately started working on Scott's bike, first washing all the mud and tranny fluid off of it. I removed the engine while Scott started putting a parts list and getting touch with our Honda dealer and primary sponsor, Shamrock Honda. I later called Larry, and we put together a strategy for getting the bike repaired. Hopefully, we will be able to get the bike repaired in time for the next race. At the end of the race, Toney took the win, with Newsom finishing second. Next came Steve Purser for 3rd, William Farmer 4th, Trevor Schrantz for 5th, D Martin 6th, and Marcus Streetman finished 7th. Scott finished in eighth, A. J. finished ninth, and Zack got tenth and Barry Phillips finished 11th. What a weird finish.

In the Fourstroke A class, Cam came off the line in last place, I guess he didn't was his brother to out do him! Max Seagraves got the holeshot, and the race was on. On lap three, Cam pitted for fuel and water. He was having a problem with some pretty bad arm pump. He is currently working on a serious training program trying to step it up a notch and deal with the arm pump. Thankfully, Cam had an uneventful race, bringing home a fourth place trophy. The A class had some tough competition and I think it will be a real fight to the finish. Oh yeah, Cam didn't break anything on his bike!
Finishing order for the A class was: Max Seagraves, Chuck Norris, Michael Newsom Sr., Cam Rogers, John Jovanovic, Thad Josey, and Michael Pryor.


In other race news, Ty Blair and Scott Insinna came off the line like they were shot from cannons. It was an amazing start in the Quad Senior class, and they are still arguing over who actually got the holeshot. Scott took the lead, but he and Ty swapped positions for most of the race. That battle ended when Ty Blair broke during the race. I think his bike broke in half. Scott Insinna took third place in his class, but I know he had a blast! The finishing order was: Johnny Pilkey, John Ellison, Scott Insinna, Bryon Statin, David Aman, and Ty Blair.

In the Fourstroke B class, the holeshot went to Austin Allen. He ran a great race and took the B class win. Blake Strickland was at the first race, running really good and getting a second place in the Fourstroke B class and he didn't sustain any damage. The finishing order for the Fourstroke B class was: Austin Allen, Blake Strickland, Jared Seabolt, Justin Seabolt, and Bill Graham.
Mark Coffey got second in the Quad Utility class after a heated battle. He made several passes for the lead only to have his bike quit on him. In his last attempt to go for the lead, the guy in first decided Mark needed to check out a tree up close and personal. Mark damaged his bike pretty bad but hung on for second. Finishing order: Mark Taylor, Mark Coffey, Jeff Edge, and Victor Garcia.

Julie Stokes got the holeshot in her class! She had a great battle with Laura Strother, with some close competition and good racing. Julie finished second and Laura took the win. In fact, Jason and Laura both got first place wins! Finishing order: Laura Strother, Julie Stokes, Kristen Deloach and Beth Scoggins. Neither Julie, Laura, or Jason suffered any damage.

Jason Strother took the win in the Quad Vet class. Jason had a good race, hey anybody that didn't crash had a good race! The Strothers had a lot to celebrate about. Finishing order was: Jason Strother, Heath Warlock, Carlos Brown, Bryan Schrantz, and Billy Payne.

Jacon Coffey won the Quad Beginner class, and Michael Tatum finished 7th in the Quad C class. The Quad C class was the biggest class in the afternoon race.

Sean Callahan got second place in his class in the bike race and Bill Bryant got 5th place in his class in the bike class. I have got to mention my two-wheeled friends!

We had several people that had a great race. For the rest of us, we have plenty of work to do, LOTS OF WORK!! Sorry I don't have lots in in depth coverage, however, from the time Scott came in with a busted bike, my mind started working on what it would take to get him back in the game. I know Tommy Lovell can relate, I am sure that he is working on Zack's bike as I type this up, trying to get ready for the next race. Scott has a hole to dig out of, but I know he can do it. He is an inspiration, he never gives up and we are going to do all we can to get his bike back in business. I was also impressed with Cam. He got up early on Monday, got busy and worked hard all day on getting everything cleaned up and put away so I could concentrate on Scott's bike. It could have been worse, quads were littered all along the course. I know Zack isn't going to give up either. If the other competitors in the Pro class think they can rest, think again. Scott loves a challenge, and neither one of these young men will give up! It looks like we are going to have a great season of racing!

Brenda got some great pictures. Be sure to check them out here
Man, I love this stuff!
Gang, gotta go, lots to do. Take care, God Bless, STAY SAFE, and we will see you at the next race!
Later.....