and so is life.

Great new year is in front of us!  I am really looking forward to this season.  I am as healthy as I have been in a while and with new suspension and a refreshed bike I have a lot for which to be thankful.

One of which is my Sponsor list which now is:

Bluegrass Cycle Corral (KTM), Poncer's Tax Shoppe, Dunlop, Sidi Boots, Scott Goggles, FMF, Race Tech, Renthal, Regina, MotoRex, PromotoBillet/Fastway, Powersport Grafx, and ASV Inventions.

Earl 

The one thing that bothers me about winter is that things slow down.  I like to work hard and play hard, stay busy, and it seems that in the winter time you are jsut not as busy?  For example I can not ride today becuase it is raining...  wait, I guess that is why I am no good in the slop!

Work slows down too.  Right now I am building a parking garage and not even the elctrician is working today!  Oh well, i guess it is time to really commit to breaking my bike down start the refreshing process, suspension etc.  So I will say good by and go the workshop. 

It is turkey time which means I am ready to start sending resumes. I know this is later than some people send out request but hey I work for a living, ha ha.

No really the season is finally over and I have time to reflect and offer opinions on products I have used. Good luck to all the sponsors and thank you for the support in 2007.

The Indian Bluff OMA was in a word, great! Everyone I spoke with loved including me. It was fun, fast, and single track. One of the more fun races this season and hats off to the promoters, sponsors, landowners, and riders. All and all it was a great day... except for my race.

In short, I started slowly trying to be safe only to find out I had lost my back brakes about two miles into the event. Sorely disappointed I rode on trying to do the best I could, as safely as possible. By the 2:30 minute mark I had decided I should end my season safely and dropped out. The trail was opening up and getting faster. I found myself pushing corners and getting closer to blowing through one without the back brakes so I decided not to push it too far. I ended up eight and am proud of that as it was a real struggle, but fun!

I will definitely pursue the OMA's next year along with a KORHS title.

Thank you again to all my sponsors!!!!!

Hope everyone else is looking forward to the LAst OMA Race of the year to held in Millersburg KY. This weekend! Good luck to all riders.

First and foremost I would like to thank my sponsors for the continued support of my racing through the 2007 season. I no have had several for multiple years now and with luck can continue the relationship for another year.

Poncer's Tax Shoppe
Bluegrass Cycle Corral
FMF
Race Tech
Scott Goggles
ProMoto Billet/Fastway
Power Sports Grafx
Renthal
Regina
Twin Air
Motorex
Gaerne Boots
Soumy Helmets

Thanks again for you support!

Due to problems at my regular Job I had to really back down form the travels associated with National travel. Therefore I was only able to complete the Kentucky Off-Road Hare Scrambles Championship Series for the class championship. I did compete in select events with the OMA series, GNCC Series, and KY Hare Scrambles Series. Below is a brief summary of my year chasing the KY Off-Road Series title along with other Race Reports:

KORHS - Round 1 Mountain Parkway Off-Road - March 4th

This event was allot of fun but highlighted my weaknesses, primarily the mud! I grew up in a sandy mountainous region so I have never been super fast in slick clay. To give you an idea of the soil for this race, it is held in a town called Clay City. Not good for me. Nevertheless, I rode hard and gave it my all. it started on a cold morning and my jetting was a little off. It took about a lap for the bike to really start doing well which was fine because it took three laps for the track to start drying out. I could not press early anyway. By lap three I was getting anxious and as the track started developing a good line I speed up. Eventually finishing fifth. not to bad for the first race.

KORHS - Round 2 Rough River Run - March 18th

I bean the day with a good drive to the track. Spring was starting to crack and the weather was great. Un fortunately the race was not so great. It was a tight track that was dry and rocky. Normally allot of fun but not this day. I began under control learning the track and doing my thing. By lap two I decided to drop the hammer and get on the gas. Three quarters of the way around the trail I was making a pass going into the woods from a high speed field section and had decided to make another pass. There was a slower fellow on my right and I did not want to get into the woods behind him. I flowed out too his left and passed then began to prepare to re-enter the woods. The entrance was a single track but I thought I had room about a yard left through some weeds. Problem was it was an old rock pile, which upended my bike and slammed me into a tree. My right thigh was hurt really bad! I did man up and finish but I suffered the next three weeks. I ended up fading to seventh.

KORHS - Round 3 Leslie County - April 1st

With a barely healed leg I began the day. This course was fun and I rode gave it another 100% effort. My leg did affect me early but by lap three had decided to let me race. I was able to pound my way to third in a very close race. We had four riders inside the same minute on lap times! I ran second for part of the race and then third. I was set to finish third when I made a mistake in a mud hole and hurt my left leg! (I have been hard on my thighs this year.) The fellow who was running forth was right behind me and popped right by relegating me to a forth place finish.

KORHS - Round 4 Salt River Run - May 6th

I should just copy the MPOR race report for this one with the exception of the weather. It was a great weather. This was a sloppy clay race which doe snot bode well for me. However, inexplicable it started drying out and by lap three I was on the gas. Unfortunately I was only able to make it up to sixth. The course was good when it dried out. One of the locals said it was the best riding for the area he had seen. I enjoyed it even though the mud was rough.

KORHS - Round 5 Boiling Springs - June 3rd

The weather for this event could not have been better but it was a bit dry. I lined up thinking I was going to redeem my self from the last race. I began by pulling a big hole shot, probably the best I have ever gotten. I had it in my head that I was going to win!! I had also decided I was going to attack early and hard. My conditioning was great and for the first time in the summer my legs were fresh. This went great until I got to the second corner, I got on the gas to power towards the woods when my bike just bogged and quit? I immediately watch every single ride blow by... I jumped off and started troubleshooting the thing when I finally figured the in tank fuel filter was stopped up I had lost nearly 20 minutes. I did get started and rode hard. I passed several and eventually made it to sixth.

GNCC - Spartan - June 10th

This was a dusty race. Allot of fun but dusty. Since I had raced courses a lot tighter the GNCC's a tougher. You have to race a different pace and you have to learn to trust that the trail will not bite you (trees - the GNCCs are so much more open). Problem was I took me a couple of laps to increase my pace and trust the trails. While I really sped up I was never in contention for the win. I ended up moving through the field on the last couple of laps but only made it to twelfth. Rough day.

Big Hill Two-Man Race - July 29th

The week of the Snowshoe race a crashed really hard a seriously damaged my bike. All in all it took me over a month to get it back together. I was able to race a two-man race. These can be fun with less pressure than a series event. Also you normally do not get tired which allows you to enjoy the socialization after the event. My partner started the day on the bike through the Big Hill area of Jackson County. He rode hard and promptly changed out with me. I loved the course. Long downhills and some smooth woods riding. There was new single track so it was good. We chased the leaders through many laps. We ultimately finished 2nd but the day went great.

KORHS - Jackson County - September 9th

Finally, I had my bike back together. Good thing was that most off-road series takes August off due to the heat. Good thing for me. This too was in the Big Hill area of Jackson County. The problem was that the area had been extremely dry all summer and this was the first real dust race. It was tough to follow, especially in the tight stuff. The woods were powder and the fields were simply risky. That said we all lined up a rode the wheels off the bikes! There were some huge hill climbs and I knew early that by the end these could play an important role. I just kept trying to find a smooth line up them when on the third lap places 3-6 got hung up in a bottleneck. I was able to see a clear line around them I went for it, right through the trees. I made it up using the same line ever lap thereafter. Worked out great and I finished fourth. Good Day in dusty conditions.

KORHS - Elk Run - October 14th

Here we go again - this one was known as Ky's first desert race. An absolute dustbowl! It was on an old strip mine that had been reclaimed so the terrain was not normal. When rocks are placed by a dozer they do not react the same as if they were placed there by the good Lord. I never did get settled in this and was a little off pace of the leaders. I did finish 4th though so the day was OK. I gave it my all in extremely hot and dusty conditions so I left satisfied.

KORHS - Mountain Parkway Off-Road - November 4th

The location was different than the earlier event but was in the same area. The clay again had me concerned but not as much as my leg. I pulled my hip-flexor on Friday two days before the race. I had a hard time starting the bike as well as holding my leg out in a right hand turn. I very quickly learned to corner without the use of the right leg... This was a fun race and extremely competitive. The first three laps for spots 1-5 were completed within the same minute. My first two laps were fast or faster than the eventual winner! The problem for me was that my leg really began to give way toward the end. The last two laps I really backed off in order to not crash and I ended up fifth.

OMA - Indian Bluff - November 18th

The Indian Bluff OMA was in a word, great! Everyone I spoke with loved including me. It was fun, fast, and single track. One of the more fun races this season and hats off to the promoters, sponsors, landowners, and riders. All and all it was a great day... except for my race.

In short, I started slowly trying to be safe only to find out I had lost my back brakes about two miles into the event. Sorely disappointed I rode on trying to do the best I could, as safely as possible. By the 2:30 minute mark I had decided I should end my season safely and dropped out. The trail was opening up and getting faster. I found myself pushing corners and getting closer to blowing through one without the back brakes so I decided not to push it too far. I ended up eight and am proud of that as it was a real struggle, but fun!

I will definitely pursue the OMA's next year along with a KORHS title.

Thank you again to all my sponsors!!!!!