reschreport2008rd1

2008 Resch Reports Round by Round

SOCCS Round #1 Race Report

After a long winter hiatus the Southern Ohio Cross Country
Series kicked off the 2008 season last Sunday (3/16/08). The
massive snow melt from the previous weekend and several
days of rain heading into this event assured everyone that
they were in for some fun in the mud. Mud is nothing unusual
for Southern Ohio racing and Ohio racers have a reputation
for their mud racing prowess. It would be put to the test
starting with the hill leading up to the track! Fortunately,
some eighty tons of new gravel made it a non-issue.

Racing festivities got underway with the Micros as eight
riders lined up. Aiden Judd got a nice holeshot but remained
under heavy pressure from Aubrey Wile. Aubrey has learned
from her father and older brother to push the envelope some
but went a little too far when she flipped her DRR quad trying
to catch Aiden. Fortunately, she was okay, finished second,
and was helping in the sign-up trailer later that day. Nathan
Pinkerton put in a solid ride for third overall (1st 50cc Sr), and
P.J. Hoyt finished first in 50cc Jr..

Next up were the Mini-ATVs with eleven up and coming
racers. On the front row Cody Nixdorf got the holeshot and
led for 2 laps before he lost his exhaust on his machine
letting Kamren Bobb get by. Then Kamren bobbled some in
the slick mud and gave up the lead to second row racers
Tristan Garrett and Trenner Wile. Tristan was hauling the mail
but Trenner kept him in sight and started to catch him before
time ran out. Trenners handguards turned into mud catchers
and may have been more trouble than anything as he finished
second. Harrison Hayes rounded out the top three giving the
podium spots to three junior riders all 8-9 years of age.
Kamren Bobb was fourth overall and first in class (Mini-ATV
12-15).

The high revving mini-bikes took to the line and sounded like
a pack of wild bees as they took off and headed into the
woods. Jacob Burge shot to the front and held that position
for half a lap before Ryan Slopko got by him and took it to the
checkers. Aaron McCarren put his Kawasaki into second
place overall and 1st Supermini. Kenny Kerns took the last
spot on the box in third overall and 2nd 85cc Sr. Noah Lytle
debuted his fully rebuilt CR 85 and had some trouble fouling
plugs. I got the sense that he wants to bounce back strong at
the next race. Allen Jones was on the pipe and running
second overall until he started to feel the effects of the mud
and not training as hard as his father has been telling him to.
Thus, he fell back into the 5th spot overall but still was 1st in
class (85cc Jr. 7-11). I predict he will be doing more cardio
than he has been for the upcoming races. Dakota Perry
notched a 1st Place in 65cc Bike and is off to a nice points
lead over Jordan Harris who finished second.

Forty one bikes came to the line for the start of the Big Bike
race. All of the usual heavy hitters were there including 2004
and 2006 SOCCS Champion Jeremy Gragg, defending 2007
SOCCS Champion Jamie Reed, Ryan Daugherty, Scott Sams,
Jeremy Dexter, and five other Pro riders. Stepping up to Pro
Class this year will be Zach Dotson and Michael Molnar who
looked very comfortable lining up with the big dogs. Some
other familiar names popped up again like Tommy Ryan,
Bryan Ziegenthaler, Logan Goins, Jordan Woods, John
Hammond, and Nathan Pitts. It was great seeing some of
these guys back at the track and we hope they will be making
a 2008 points run. Referee Jay Wile gave his last minute
instructions and then the race was on! From the front row
Jeremy Gragg took the holeshot and never looked back going
flag to flag for the win. He kept an average thirty second lead
over the hard charging Jamie Reed throughout the race and
on the last lap or two started to hear some odd noises coming
out of his Honda CR 250. Fortunately, he was able to nurse it
around and take the win. Jamie Reed came through in
second, and the Zach Dotson was third several minutes
behind him. Zach has had to take some time off for an injury
and seemed pleased to get back to racing and leave with a
solid result. He will only be getting faster as he rounds back
into top riding form. Bryn (Smathktm82) Smathers put in the
ride of his life and surprised a lot of people by taking fourth
overall, 1st B-Bike, and first overall amateur. Congratulations
to Bryn as he looked really strong in less than ideal
conditions. The top five was rounded out by Tom (Mr.
HardCore Four) Dotson who took 1st in the very competitive
Vet Class. Lloyd (Sly69) Shaffer was also putting in a ride for
the ages (and possibly a top three overall) before his Honda
CRF 250F rear rim started to fall apart and he had to wisely
shut it down in order to not risk an injury or more expensive
repair. I know he was very disappointed and is another rider
that will be coming back with something to prove. Other
class winners were Scott Huff (2-stroke bike), Jordan Woods
(C Bike), Matt Barnett (125 Bike), and Nathan Adkins in the
newly formed D Class (first year racer). The conditions did
seem to cause some added wear and tear on the bikes. Many
bikes were seen overheating, having clutch issues, and the
like. Paul Troiani had just rebuilt his KX 250 only to have
more problems. I hope it is nothing too serious for him and
he can get back into action ASAP. Finally, as alluded to by
Nick Fisher in his race report Bobby (HappyHollow Racing)
Hammond had a rough day even though there was some
motocross track in this Harescramble and some bona-fide
jumps! I am sure when the mud dries up he will be keeping
pace in the 125 class.

To finish out the day forty quad riders rolled to the line and
got their pre-race instructions. I am not a quad rider so will
say up front most of this information is pieced together from
what is on HarescrambleTalk.com. In the future, I would love
for some quad guys to PM me a brief outline of some of the
race highlights to make this section even more detailed and
accurate. At any rate, it looked to be a good day to be on a
quad. They seemed to really be able to hook up and rail
some of the turns the bikes were having trouble with. In no
time all riders were covered with a thick layer of mud and
goggles were being quickly abandoned my most of them.
The mud took its toll on the quads just as it did with some of
the bikes. Jayme (KrashRacing) Konkler got three flat tires,
and ended up sticking himself good in a mud hole. Dave
(DirtDigger71) Warner had multiple issues but was able to
keep it going for 4th Overall and 2nd Vet Class. The race was
won by newcomer Dale Brown. Congratulations on your big
win and we hope you continue campaigning the series. You
sure set the bar high for yourself! Second overall went to
Christopher Stephens, and third overall to Jeremy VanFossen
who also wrapped up first overall amateur and 1st in Vet
class. Sounds like Randy (Junk450) Huff had a day to
remember but keeps a positive attitude throughout it all.
Another big story out of this race was the Youth 13-15 class
won by Dylan Fisher. I personally have watched Dylan grow
stronger and stronger every year he has raced and is now
able to run 14th overall in the afternoon race. Keep it up
Dylan! I know your family must be super proud of you! Dylan
was challenged by Hayden Hayes (2nd in class), and GNCC
aficionado Mathew Harris (3rd in class). Then a special shout
out goes to Ciera Bobb (out of the Cyco Motorsports Clan),
and Sam Fisher for 4th and 5th respectively.

In summary, it was another terrific day of racing at Humboldt
Hills put on by all the fine folks at Humboldt Hills Motorcycle
Club. Race results have already been posted, and Weigold
Photography has some great pictures up on their website as
well. The next race is scheduled for May 3rd Cyco De Mayo
at Cyco Motorsports. Hope to see everyone there!

Billy (Buckeyebilly) Resch

3-18-08