1) J. Jones (1,1)
2) T. Farr (4,2)
3) T. Spader (2,4)
4) K. Ellis (5,5)
5) S. Hitt (3,7)
6) J. Byrd (8,6)
7) B. Jackson (7,8)
8) J. Luburgh (6,10)
9) J. Natalie (10,9)
10) D. Gust (18,3)

Notes:
Perfect weather with sunny skies both saturday and sunday. Track was in great shape early in the day and got very rough by the end of the day. It was a little muddy after they would water but a few motos later it would be perfect again.

Jones was around 3rd on the holeshot both motos and took a few laps to work his way to 1st but then he checked out and continued to pull away from the rest of the field each lap. No one was even close to his speed at this track.

Hitt looked great the first moto but faded from 3rd to 7th the second moto.

Gust crashed hard early in the 1st moto. He remounted and putted around in 1st gear for the rest of the moto. Started about 6th the second moto and worked up to 3rd.

Byrd had terrible holeshots both motos and probably passed more people than any other rider. He went from around 14th at the start to 6th in the second moto. I would like to see what he could do with a good start.

Spader is starting to remind me of Jeremy McGrath the way he always finds an excuse for not winning. Jeremy can never just admit that someone is faster and it sounds like Spader is the same way. 1st moto he said he had a flat front tire. Maybe it was a little low but it sure didn't look flat. 2nd moto he said he lost his front brakes. I am not saying he didn't have these problems but he would not have kept up with Jones regardless.

Ellis had solid 5th place finishes both motos.

Something happened to Creech the 1st moto when he was running around 12th. I didn't see him come around the last few laps and didn't hear what happened. The second moto Creech just looked slow (compared to the top pros). He started around 13th and I thought he might work his way up but he lost a few spots and finished 15th the second moto for an 18th overall.

It was awesome the second moto watching Spader, Ellis, and Byrd battle in 4th, 5th, and 6th spots the last few laps. They were all pushing each other and sticking a wheel in on each other the last few laps. Byrd tried some crazy lines on the last lap trying to pass Ellis and I thought he had him a few times. He looked faster but could not get around the big thumper.

 

Thanks for the fast post! I wondered who had won. I have been to Red Bud 3 times and its an awesome track.

 

Creech had a blown front wheel bearing in the first moto. His tire was realy wobbling. Gust's crash was wicked, he was coming up the uphill table top and couldn't click 4th because his shifter was too high, so he hit it in 3rd pinned and he just shot straight up like a rocket. He fell of before he hit the ground, and him and his bike rolled dwn the hill and landed on keith Little's bike which was broke. My friends placed 5th inthe 4 stroke B class and sixth in the 250c class. Not bad for the first national we have ever been to. All I know is no matter how faast you think you are the pros make you look like your riding a lawnmower. They are fast!!!!!!
I took alot of video, so hopefully I will have some pictured on my site pretty soon.

 

How fast were the blasters? I was all stoked about going and of course something had to happen. I granaded the motor on Wed. trying to get a little practice in. Oh well better here at home than in practice 6 1/2 hours away in Michigan. How did you end up doing Blodg500RX?

 

atv88,
I kind of looked for you and didn't think you made it. To answer your question about the Blasters, yes they were fast. I am amazed at how fast the top riders are in all the classes.

I was afraid someone would ask how I did, lets just say I had fun. I can say I got 1st place in one moto! In my first Open class moto I was in 3rd on the holeshot and in the second turn the guy behind me rammed into me and my quad flipped upside down and I went tumbling off. The fall didn't hurt at all but I was worried about the other riders coming behind me. Luckily no one hit me and I was just fine. I rolled the quad back on 4 wheels and the steering stem and clamps are bent so bad the handlebars are touching the gas tank. I was going to just ride around the track to avoid a DNF but I remembered that only the top 8 spots qualify for the final moto, so I just pulled off knowing I had to go to the last chance qualifier Sunday morning. I replaced the bent bolts in the handlebar clamps but had to ride the rest of the weekend with a bent steering stem! It isn't bent bad, just enough to make it harder to turn the bars. Anyway in the last chance qualifier I had 2nd place on the holeshot and passed the leader during the first lap and won pulling away. It was only an LCQ, but it felt good to win a moto at a National race. In the final moto I stalled the quad right when the gate dropped and after several kicks to get started again the pack was long gone. I caught up to the back of the pack but I think I only passed 1 or 2 people. I must have been nervous because I have never stalled like that at a local race, let's just say I was not too happy with that rookie mistake.

In the 30+ class I just qualified with an 8th in the first moto so I didn't have to go to the LCQ. On sunday the final moto was scheduled right before the Pro final moto. Since we would be in staging during the pro race I would not be able to watch the pros so I decided to skip the final moto. It was a hard decision to skip the final moto but I was tired from practicing all day Friday and running two classes, my steering stem was bent, and to be honest I would not be very competitive against the top +30 riders. I figured I would have more fun watching the pro's race than riding around in the back of the pack so that is what I did. But hey, I won one moto so at least I have something positive to remember!

 

Gee Blodg, You seem to take being rammed from behind alot better than some of the females in the crowd. Your ol' lady was pissed at that guy.

 

Pretty funny ONEBAD440, but I think there may have been a few women in the crowd who don't mind being rammed

I was really impressed with the way you rode at RedBud. After your 2nd place in the first 30+ moto I wish you would have gotten a better start in the final moto. I think next year I am going to try to work up the nads to do the uphill jump over the tunnel. Maybe I can follow behind you in practice.

Let me know what Mark finds out about his motor. I hope the whole thing is not fried, but if it was completely out of oil then I'm afraid it might be more than a piston and rings. See ya.

 

Well it don't sound like it was that bad of a weekend. A moto win at nationals is a moto win at nationals. It was probably fun just to get out and ride anyhow.Well only a month till Mt. Morris! I'm ready to go! I'm going to try to race this weekend a few times. I will probably go to Broken Spokes on Monday. What is everyone else doing.Are there any big races anywhere Memorial day weekend?

 

Apparently Mark lost a valve. He said he needs a new head, piston and valves. Not sure what he's gonna do with it right now. I think his funds are kinda tight. Dave's seeing what he can do for him.
Maybe I'll see ya Fri. at Milan if I get a ball joint.

 

how good are the Yamaha thumpers running in the pro class? Do they look like they might have any advantages?