This weekend was round #1 of the AMA National Hare and Hound series. I was really looking forward to this race because at the end of last year I had my best finish in the series. I wanted to start off with another great result. My Dad and I left Saturday to go out and ride the bomb and get signed up. We stopped by Mat “Hendo” Henderson’s house to pick him up so he could do the same. The bomb was really long and pretty smooth. They usually use the same start every year. I rode it a couple times and had an idea where I wanted to be and called it a day. We stayed at Mat’s house that night and worked on bikes and went out to dinner.

Sunday we left Apple Valley about 6:30am and headed for beautiful Lucerne valley. I was really surprised when we got there to see Lucerne finally had got some rain. With all the storms going around on Saturday Lucerne was still dusty but today was a different story. The Dirt looked perfect!!! We stopped at the start while Mat’s dad went up to the pits to get set up. Put my bike on the line and waited around. It was finally time to go. They had a Banner roll up for some fellow D37 members that had passed away and then it was time. The banner was up and I was ready. It dropped and I was gone. I was surprised at how fast my bike jumped out. I was almost to the end of the 3-5 mile bomb and thought I might actually lead this one. But my trail ended up in some rocks and whoops and I noticed a lot of the faster riders on the outside trails blowing by. By the time we got on a main trail I was 6th overall. I made a quick pass on Nick Blais and chased after Steve Hengeveld. I made the pass in a rough sand wash and was trying to make it stick. He pushed me for about 5 miles but never got back by. I felt myself start to pull away and I tried to chase the leaders ahead of me. I started to see David Kamo up ahead so I charged harder. I must have been charging too hard because I crashed pretty good going down a steep downhill. I thought for sure I was going to be passed by lots of riders cause it took me a while to get my bearings and get going again. Luckily no one passed me and my bike wasn’t too bent up. I started going again and just tried to ride smooth. I came into the pits 4th overall and about 1 minute behind 3rd. I set out on the 2nd loop to try and catch the leaders but their pace was too much for me. The 2nd loop went smooth with no problems but I did not make any time up on the leaders. I finished 4th overall for the day and it is my best finish so far in this series. I was happy with my finish but I want to be on the podium soon.
I just want to thank the Henderson’s for letting my dad and I stay at their house and giving us a place to prep the bike.

Nick#657

2008 USDR Round #1

This weekend was the first round of the US. Desert Racing series. I was pumped because last year I won the championship and I was looking forward to running my number 1 plate. Saturday was the awards banquet and the practice for the Sunday race. The practice went smooth. I rode hard to see how my bike was going to handle and to see how the course was going to be. I really liked the course and was ready for Sunday. After practice I had to draw for starting position. I drew and picked out #1. I was stoked now I was starting first and was ready for the challenge. After this my buddies and I went for a ride to Invaders hill and had some fun climbing around on it. Then it was time for the awards banquet. I was really surprised to see a giant picture of myself!!! Dave had a good turn out and we all hung out and picked up our awards and I want to congragalate all the champions and everyone who finished the series. Then it was time to go home prep the bike and get some rest.

Sunday morning we got there about the same time as the first race started. Watched the first race and got ready for mine. I was first off the line and was glad to see 8 pro’s signed up. My first lap was pretty good. I rode a little tight cause I’ve never started first out in red mountain before. After the first lap I found some better lines and felt really good. I just kept putting in consistent laps. Around the third lap the lappers got pretty bad but they were all really good about holding their line and letting us make the passes. I came in to pit after 4 laps and my dad told me I had a 2 minute lead. I was happy to hear that because I could take it a little easy the last two laps. I rode a little conservative the last two laps and brought home the victory. All in all it was a good day nothing too spectacular just 6 solid laps. I was happy to see that my buddy Murdock was ok I noticed his bike in the pits when I pitted but didn’t know what happened. He is a little dingy but I think that’s normal for him. Cant wait to see everyone at the next round!
1. Nick Burson
2. Ryan Kudla
3. Matt Henderson
4. Colby Begin

I just want to thank my Dad and Mom for helping me with everything and the rest of my family and friends. And all my sponsors; Victorville Motorcycle Center, BRP, Menace Clothing, Factory Backing, Murdock Racing, Scott goggles, Scott performance, Precision concepts, Maxima, SDG, AXO, www.off-roadphotos.com, Kicker, and Hayman Chiropractic.

Jack Rabbit’s Hare & Hound

This was the first race of my 2008 race season. Mainly just a warm up race but it meant a lot to me. I wanted to see where I stood against my competition, and also work out the bugs of my new bikes. I went out Saturday to take care of sign up and practice the bomb. I rode the bomb a lot but couldn’t seem to find a great line so I just started right on the marked trail. Rode around a little in the rocks to get used to my new suspension and called it a day.
Sunday I went out about 9:00am. The start was around 10:30am. My dad and I checked over my bike and got our pit ready. I headed to the start around 10:15. Lined up right next to Paul Krause and had a good talk with him for a while. Finally the banner was up and I was ready. I got a one kick start but Paul and his electric start bike got a better jump then I did. I pushed hard up the trail and quickly got by him. I was around 3rd to the end of the bomb and passed Nick Blais right after. Now I was in 2nd and feeling good riding behind Kudla. The roost from his bike started to get real bad so I decided to make my move. I passed him off the trail a couple miles after the start. From here I had clean air and wanted to push to see how my bike was going to handle to get ready for the next weekends race. I felt great the whole first loop and in the rocks felt even better then before. I had a quick pit stop wit gas, goggles and water. I was on my way to finish the 2nd loop. I just tried to ride smooth and consistent and not make too many mistakes. The 2nd loop went by pretty fast. I finished 1st overall. I was really pleased to start the year off with a win and with confidence.
1. Nick Burson
2. Brett Saunders
3. Ryan Kudla

Thanks to all the people cheering us on out on the course and thanks to all of my sponsors.

My dad Dylan Murdock and myself loaded up the trailer Thursday afternoon and we left around 6 PM for Denver. We drove to Mesquite NV and spent the night. The next morning we resume driving to Denver. The drive had lots of neat scenery and we saw lots of wild life. We arrived in Denver at 10 PM, drove to our motel had dinner and settle in for the night. Our sleep was interrupted several times due to our motel was located near a bar. Some what rested we got up and drove to the National Western Complex at around 7 AM. After we located the complex we drove around and found somewhere to eat breakfast. After breakfast we drove back to the event and set up our pit next to Mat Henderson from Apple Valley. I went to sign up and got sign in and got my racer instruction. Track walk was at 9 AM. The track didn't look that hard! Practice started at 10 AM and I got my first experience at endurocross. Well I was wrong! It was a lot harder than it looked. But I managed to get around the track and felt pretty good about my chances of doing well. At 12 PM the qualifiers started I was in group 7 and group 16. Things went from bad to worst. Keeping my bike on two wheels and racing at the same time prove hard to do. I ended up going to the last chance qualifier and I managed to win which transferred me into the 26 racers that went to the night show. The night show consisted of the 26 racers that qualified and the top 10 from last year’s event. I thought I was done till the show at 7:30 PM. I took off my gear and got dressed in street clothes and my dad and I went to watch the top 10 from last year do their practice. I was setting with my dad inside the complex when they started calling out the names of the three groups of racer, which would practice next on the course. Nick Burson name came out over the loud speaker. Yikes I'm in the first group to practice. I'm ran back to the truck put my gear on and got on my bike and drove into the complex. I missed practice and now for the next surprise the 36 racers completing in tonight race had to go out one at a time and do one timed hot lap. This timed lap would determine your gate pick tonight. I waited till they call my number and name went to the starting position on the track and waited for the guy on the track to finish. They had made some changes to the track to make it harder for tonight's show. I didn't have the practice that the other riders did and didn't know what the changes were. About then I heard my name called over the loud speaker and the starter was pointing to me to start. OH WELL! Here we go! I blasted into the first corner rounded the turn over six logs over a table top into the second corner around it wheelie the front wheel over a log up onto a mound of logs and up over it I went. So far so good. Climbed another group of logs piled six to eight feet high and on to the next obstacle. Now came the big tractor tires set upright and about six feet tall with no ramp. I wheelie right up on top of them and over. I'm feeling good everything is going all right. The next obstacle was some big rocks one to two feet high follow by some logs, which lined a hill about eight to ten feet high. At the top there was a dirt gap of three feet and then some really big rocks three to four feet tall I wheelie up these rocks onto a flat section of large rocks about ten feet long. This is where I got into a little trouble. I landed between some rocks and my wheel got locked in between them. I muscle my bike out of being struck and keep moving on. I lost about 5 to 10 seconds. Next I went through a turn over some more logs into a water hole about two feet deep and ten feet long over some logs in the water hole and another ten feet long. Climbed out of the water over some logs into a really soft sand turn and into a thirty foot straight of soft sand. Turned another corner over some logs stacked three feet high. Now I was in the river rock section, which consisted of three to eight inch rocks completely covering the ground and about fifty feet long. I made it through to the next obstacle which were longs running long ways in the trail with about ten inches between them. You had to climb over a log get your wheels between the logs running with the trail and climb back out over another log into a turn full of river rock. I went around the turn over some more big logs and onto some large tractor tires laying flat. I had to be careful not to fall into the center hole of the tires. THE END!! My time 1-minute five second. I made it and didn't fall in front of the large group of spectators watching. Now we had a few hours before the event started. At 7:30 PM the show started. I was in the first race of twelve. I got a good start and was running fifth or sixth when someone hit me and knocked me over going up one of the log up-hills. I picked up my bike kept going but on the second lap I fell going over one of the log piles and smashed my hand. It hurt so bad I pull over and I was out of the race. My next race again I got a good start and was running mid pack but got struck on the hill with the big boulders. My tires were stuck between some rocks and my hand was so sore I couldn't use it to pick up my bike. Track workers help me get unstuck and I was down a lap by the time I got going again. This was my last race so my dad and I sat in the grand stands and watched the rest of the show. I had fun and now know what to practice to get ready for Las Vegas. Nick

This weekend was the start of the 2nd half of my season. It goes into full steam after this weekend with not another weekend off until mid November. This weekend was round #6 of the US Desert Racing Series. I am leading the points and want to continue to keep leading the points and get as many wins as possible. Saturday morning my Dad and I headed out to the desert for Saturdays practice. The practice went well and the new technical section they added to the Expert course looked really fun. It gave the course a little break of holding wide open and got to use the more technical part of our riding abilities. I got 3 laps in and figured I was pretty well ready for the race tomorrow. My Dad and I went home to get the bike ready and to also get my Endurocross bike ready for next weekend.

I woke up early Sunday morning and headed out to the race to watch some friends in the 9:00am race. It was fun to watch some friends getting back into racing and having as much fun as I have. I knew today was going to be tough because Russ Pearson had showed up and he is the National Hare and Hound Champion from last year. I had a bit of an advantage because I was starting 3rd and he was starting 7th. I felt ready for the challenge though because it would be a good test to my speed against the best there is. I showed up to the start and was ready for battle. I took off 3rd behind Dylan Murdock and Ryan Kudla. I was pushing hard the first lap because I knew Russ was going to be coming fast. I caught Kudla about halfway threw the first lap but it was really dusty. Through the new technical section I knew I had to make my move. I pushed it off the trail through the rocks and made my pass. I was happy to already be ahead of him so I didn’t have to eat his dust. The following lap I caught Murdock and followed him for about 8 miles and made the pass on him going up a steep uphill. He had realized I already caught one minute on him and made the pass easy for me. Thanks Dylan!!! Now I had clean air, (minus the lappers dust which was really bad), and had to keep the pace going. On the 4th lap is when I was going to make my pit. As I was coming into the pits I smacked my shifter on a rock. I didn’t think much of it but when I went to shift down nothing happened. Oh no I thought I bent my shift lever. It wasn’t bent but it still wasn’t engaging. Luckily I was stuck in a high gear, I believe it was 4th. I had a 3-minute lead at this point over Russ Pearson but I knew that wasn’t much with his speed. I tried to push as hard as I could but it was really tough considering I was stuck in one gear for every section. The bike was not fast enough in some sections and too tall in the technical stuff. I stalled it once and it started right back up. I managed to limp in to the finish with a 50 second lead over Russ Pearson. Followed by 3 minutes over Dylan Murdock. The finishing order was Nick Burson, Russ Pearson and Dylan Murdock. This was a very good day for me. I accomplished both of my goals by winning the race and extending my points lead. My next race is the Colorado Endurocross next weekend. I want to say thanks to Paul Ondas from FMF for coming out to the race and helping me with some fresh pipes for the upcoming races.

May 27, 2007 USDR Round 5

This round brought some serious competition looking to claim the $1000 dollar first place money. There was Bobby Bonds, Mark Tilley, Ryan Kudla, Mat Henderson, Justin Morrow, Dylan Murdock, Anthony Modica and Jeff Truelove. I drew my start position and picked the second start position. Before the race my dad and I discussed some race strategies. Ryan Kudla was starting first and I was starting second. Ryan is a really fast and good desert racer and hard to pass. Also due to the lack of rain the dust is worse than it has been in years and this makes it extremely hard to pass a rider who has good speed, like Kudla. With Bobby Bonds, Mark Tilley, Mat Henderson, Justin Morrow, Dylan Murdock Anthony Modica and Jeff Truelove starting behind me I needed to get around Ryan and pull out a good lead. My dad suggested that if I catch Ryan and can’t get close enough to make the pass safely, then I should pit early, at the end of the second lap. We knew Ryan would probably pit on the 3rd lap so at that point I could get in front and hopefully pull away without the dust. The race began with the Pros starting one at a time on 30-second intervals. Ryan started and then I started 30 seconds later. I was able to catch Ryan and as we completed the twelve mile first loop I was 13 seconds behind Ryan. I tried hard to get close enough to pass but the dust would slow me down because I couldn’t see. As Ryan and I came around to complete our second lap I pulled into the pits and my dad fueled my bike and I took a drink of water. The pit took about 10 seconds or less and I was back out on the track. Now I had to get close enough to Ryan so I could pass him when he pitted. At the end of the third lap I was back to 10 seconds behind Ryan. My dad was right! Ryan pulled into the pits and I went right by for the easy pass. This was a nice change I had clean air (no dust). Now I was able to ride my pace without dust slowing me down. At the end of the fourth lap Ryan was hanging tough and riding really good and was only 10 to 15 seconds behind me. Our plan was working; Ryan and I were pulling away from the other pros with third place over four minutes behind us. My hands were starting to hurt but I kept concentrating on the course and riding as fast as I could. At the end of lap 5 I had put a little more distant between Ryan and me. The white flag was out and this was the last lap. My hands still hurt but I wanted to win and I put the pain out of my thoughts. The last lap was really cool because people were cheering for me as I made my way around the track. At the finish I had pulled a 35 second lead over second place Ryan Kudla. Add my start time of 30 seconds and I had won by one minute. Third place Bobby Bonds was five minutes back. I waited at the finish line for all the pros to finish and Dave Earl (promoter) announced that I was first, Ryan Kudla second, Bobby Bonds third and Mat Henderson fourth. I took my gloves off and I had huge bleeding blisters on both hands. The course was fun but demanding due to the high speeds and rough trails. The next race won’t be until September as it is too hot in the summer to race in the desert. I’ll do some motocross to keep busy until September. There are four races left in the series and I expect more great races with Ryan Kudla. The purse will keep attracting fast Pros and every race will be very competitive.

This weekend was round 4 of the Big 6 Grand Prix Series. My Dad and I loaded the trailer Friday morning and headed to Palmdale, CA. We had a little detour on the way because the wind was so bad that Highway 14 was closed. Instead of taking an Hour and a half it took four hours. Oh well we were there and the drive wasn’t too bad. We got our pit set up and got signed up. My dad cooked dinner and we hung out with the Henderson’s. We all went to bed pretty early that night because the unclassified race started at 7:30am. In the unclassified race I started in the last row just so I could take it easy and learn the course. My first real race was four stroke Expert. It started at 10:30am. We got lined up and ready to go. Finally the race got started. I got a really bad start. The start was on asphalt, which made me a little cautious. I came around the first lap in about 5th place. I could see the leaders getting away so I started charging. I made my way into 3rd quickly. The leaders were battling hard and I could see them opening a big gap on me. I put my head down and charged. I made up a lot of time quickly. I got right behind the two leaders and then I blew a corner!!! Man I was mad at myself for making a mistake. They pulled out a big gap again so I had to work even harder. I noticed 4th place Bobby Garrison catching me quickly. He was really putting in some fast laps. While I was charging to catch the leaders he caught me and made a good pass at the end of the drag strip. I tried to stay with him and it helped me reel in the leaders. The white flag came out and I was right behind Mark Tilley who was in Third place. I made a couple pass attempts but failed to make them stick. I ended up 4th but I was happy with the way I rode and finished strong. My next race was on Sunday at 2:30pm, which was the Open Expert race. This time I was going to try and be more aggressive on the start. Well I was a little too aggressive with the gas and spun like I was trying to do a burnout for the crowd. Another last place start. I made some passes down the drag strip and then at the end of it a rider hit me from behind and pushed me off course. I was even farther back now. I pushed really hard through the motocross track and worked into 3rd by the 2nd lap. The leader had a huge gap already and 2nd place was about 15 seconds ahead of me. I pushed hard but seemed to make up no time at all. About halfway through the race I found some better lines and started riding really well. I could see I was closing the gap on 2nd place. I got right behind 2nd place and again it was Mark Tilley. The white flag came out and it was a repeat of the day before. The race was on. I tried making a pass in the off road section but he blocked me. I made a little bobble and Mark pulled out a couple bike lengths. I gained right back up on him. There wasn’t much track left, maybe 7 or 8 turns. I came underneath him in a corner and couldn’t make it stick. So the next corner I dove underneath and took his line away from him. He didn’t let off at all and we collided. I had a wheel on him so he got the worst of it going out of the rut. I still had my work cut out for me. I pushed hard to the finish and made my pass stick. I was still bummed about my starts but really happy I finished 2nd. It was another great weekend and I extended my points lead in the Open expert class. My fitness is getting really good and I charged the whole race. Thanks for everybody’s support and I will see everyone at the race’s.

This weekend was another AMA National Hare and hound. This race was held in Lucerne Valley, CA. Unlike the last National in Utah this one was going to be really hot, fast and rocky. Usually we go out Saturday and practice the bomb and hang out. One of my good friends brother was getting married this weekend so instead of going to the desert early I went to his bachelor party. We held it at Pole Position raceway in Corona, CA. It is an indoor go-kart facility that is owned by the motocross industry. We had a great time and my buddy Matt Henderson and I took first and second in our main with myself coming in 1st. Then it was out to Lucerne to stay with the Abbatoye’s and get some sleep. We woke up early and my Dad showed up about 6:30am with my bike and I went and practiced the bomb. I felt I had a good line so I rode back to the truck to get my last minute preparations ready. We checked the bike over, prepped some goggles, got the dump can ready, and filled the bike up with gas. I went to the starting line about 9:15am to get ready for the 9:30am start. At 9:30am the banner went up and I was ready. My Kawasaki 450 fired up first kick and I was gone. I saw Destry Abbott off to my right so I knew I had a good start going for me. My line Crossed with another and I got dusted out pretty good but started moving right to get out of the dust. Finally once I got going I think I was about 17th or so. I made a lot of passes right away in this really rough sandy valley. I made a few more in the rocks and a couple on a dry lakebed. Before I knew it the first loop was over. I came into the pits and got a fresh pair of goggles, a drink of water and a tank of gas. My Dad said I was 10th overall. I really wanted a solid top 10 finish so I pushed on. I caught Kendall Norman who was having some troubles right away. That’s when I realized the front end was all over the place and I had a front flat tire. I figured I could still push and be under control so I still charged on. Then I caught Brett Saunders and made the pass on him. As soon as I passed Brett, I realized the back end was handling really bad. I looked down and now I had a rear flat tire also!!!! Man I was bummed!!! Right then Kellon Walch passed me. I figured if I could stay with him I would be ok. I pushed hard but was fighting the bike really bad because of the two flat tires. Kellon pulled me but I kept pushing. Finally after forever we hit the final valley. I saw some guys closing in behind me but I wasn’t going to lose my top 10 finish in the last 5 miles. I pushed as hard as possible hanging on for dear life with the flats it was really scary. I finally made it to the finish. I finished 9th overall first Open Expert. It was a good day and if it wasn’t for the flats I believe I could have been close to a top 5. I just need to thank all my sponsors and My Dad for prepping my bike. My next race will be a District 37 AMA Big 6 Grand prix at LACR.

This past weekend was a rare weekend off for me. So I spent all day Friday driving in traffic in beautiful L.A. I had to visit some sponsors and pick up my motor and suspension for my other bike. Lucky for me, my buddy Matt Henderson went with me to keep me sane for the drive. I left Las Vegas at 5:30 am and didn’t get back to Matt’s house where I was going to spend the weekend until 8:00 pm. It was a really long day but I accomplished a lot. So we worked on bikes for a couple hours and then went to sleep. Saturday morning we drove to the new track Adelanto Motoplex. We got some good riding in since I haven’t been to a regular practice day all year because of are really busy racing schedule. It was fun putting in some good moto’s and just playing around with some friends. The track is really good, the dirt is nice and loamy and they have some big jumps that are a lot of fun. It’s nice to see new tracks doing well because it gets boring riding the same tracks all the time. We left kind of early because we heard about a grand prix that was at competitive edge Motocross Park the following day. We went back to Matt’s house and prepped our bikes and just hung out for the rest of the night.
Sunday was the race but our race wasn’t until 1:30 pm and the practice was at 11:30 so we didn’t have to get up early at all. We got to the track around 10:30 signed up and waited around. It was very windy but the track looked like fun. For practice we got about 3 or 4 laps and the track was about 5-6 minutes long. It was mostly motocross with two short straights. I liked the track a lot. About 1:15 I went to the line and got ready to race. There were about 10 people on the line and I believe 6 or 7 people in my class. It was a flag start with a live engine. I got a really good jump and pulled the hole shot. I took it easy for the first lap and just tried to get my lines down. About the 3rd lap I started putting in some fast laps and tried to pull away. I had about a ten second lead. I kept charging and pulling 3-5 seconds a lap. The course was rough but I had really good lines and just kept charging. I just started to think how long we had been going when I got the white flag and realized the 45-minute race was already over. I took the last lap real easy and just cruised in. I finished with about a 30 second lead. Matt finished 3rd and I was happy for him because he made some of his money back too!! I felt really good about my race because it was more of motocross then a grand prix. My stamina was excellent and I feel that I am getting close to being ready to charge for two hours. I will continue to work and hopefully after summer be ready to go to a worcs race and challenge for the top 5. I just want to thank all my sponsors for helping me out. My parents, for driving down to the race and taking Matt and I out to lunch afterwards. I couldn’t do anything without my Dad he keeps my bikes running perfectly and he keeps me motivated to do better each week even after such a disappointing race last weekend. This weekend coming up is the next AMA national hare and hound and I am hoping to put in a really good ride. See everyone at the races.
Nick Burson#657