Jeff@TireBalls
Husqvarna
A Class
Sorry about the delayed report guys, my 2 daughters performed in "The Nutcracker" at the Louisville Palace last week and this weekend and that has kept me very busy.
I LOVE long distance riding/racing and single track! So when I heard that there was going to be a 100 mile race run similar to Last Man standing called the Ozark 100 Miler in MO, I new that this is an advent that I would have to attend. I had also just received my new Team GATEWAY KORHS Husqvarna TXC 510; this would be perfect for a good shake down run.
The race was based on a 3 moto format. Moto 1 would be run in the morning consisting of 2 25 mile loops. Moto 2 would be run in the afternoon consisting of 1 25 mile loop and Moto 3 would be 1 25 mile loop with 4 EXTREME sections thrown in and would be after dark to make it even more of a challenge!
Moto 1 was for all classes from Pro's to amateurs and would also be a qualifier for Moto 2 for the Pro, A and B classes. I did very well on the start, my Husqvarna fired very fast, faster than any other electric start bike I've raced! The first 4 or 5 turns was grass track and I went into the woods in 3rd in the Vet A class. I quickly passed for 2nd and caught up to the leader of our class (Chili) who was Husky mounted as well. We seemed to be a good match speed wise and were running a nice pace together picking off the open A riders that had started on the row in front of us. The track was one of the tightest races I've ever run. It was 99% single track with lots of rocks, hills, valleys and other nasties that I seem to enjoy. There were 3 spectator sections that were very difficult. They were basically offcamber sections with huge rocks thrown in that created bottlenecks. I made it through all of those sections pretty easily by using lots of momentum. They Husky was easting this stuff up easily. I would just put it in 2nds and power up and over the rocks and it just stuck to the hillside like glue. Around mile 22, we came to a large up hill with a 3' rock ledge at the top. There were 2 A riders stuck right at the rock ledge, Chili made a new line to the right. I decided to take my chances and get around the two stuck riders in the main line. My gamble paid off and I got around the two riders and passed Chili for the lead. The 2nd lap I just concentrated on being smooth and not making mistakes. I passed more open A riders and actually caught the open A leader at mile 48. I followed him till the end tanking the Vet A win and finishing 1st out of all the A classes and about 10th overall. Cole Kirkpatrick won the overall. It took me 3 hours and 15 minutes to run moto 1.
We got about a 1 hour break but I didn't get to rest much as I had a guy come over and want to buy a set of Tire Balls, he had gotten a flat in the first Moto. So after that I had just enough time to scarf down a sandwich and head back to the starting line for moto 2. To qualify for moto 2, you had to finish within 20 minutes of the leader of your class.
I knew I had to ride more conservative than I did in moto 1 to save energy. I basically went into the woods in 3rd and stayed there for the entire lap just being smooth. To qualify for moto 3, I needed to finish in the top 15 overall. I qualified but was starting to feel very drained. Cole Kirkpatrick once again took the win.
I got a little rest after moto 2 and got more to eat. It starting drizzling rain and snow just after dark, which would make the newly added extreme sections even more difficult. I got my HID headlight mounted up and headed to the line.
I did pretty well on the start for moto 3 but it was hard to tell where I was since it was dark. At around the 3 mile marker, all hell broke loose! We rode up through a ravine and I could see bright lights in the tree's and a line of riders waiting their turn to be pulled by the spectators up a nasty dry waterfall section. Every rider had to be helped through this section, as it was basically unrideable. It took about 10 minutes until it was my turn to be pulled. I made it up and over the first few rocks but then came to a halt. About 10 spectators came up and basically yanked the bike out from under me and hauled it up and over the next few rocks. It reminded me of the old BlackWater days. I got back on my bike and climbed the last 4' ledge on my own and headed off into the darkness. By the time I was about half way through the lap I was completely exhausted! I was making silly mistakes and I knew that I had 2 more extreme sections do deal with. I rarely ever pull out of a race early but I new that was going to be the thing to do before I got my self hurt. I had drove 8 hours to this race alone and didn't want to take any more chances so I called it a night.
Even with the DNF I still finished 2nd in Vet A. This race format was an absolute blast and I can't wait to race it again next year although I will be in better shape! My new TXC worked incredibly well and other than installing the headlight and refueling I never did anything to the bike during the entire event. The bike was completely stock with the exception of the lights and Tire Balls and a skid plate.
There are several video's of the race on YouTube, just type Ozark 100 in the search block.
Special thanks to my sponsors:
Gateway Cycles
KORHS
Tire Balls
IMS
Fasst Flexx
Elka
I LOVE long distance riding/racing and single track! So when I heard that there was going to be a 100 mile race run similar to Last Man standing called the Ozark 100 Miler in MO, I new that this is an advent that I would have to attend. I had also just received my new Team GATEWAY KORHS Husqvarna TXC 510; this would be perfect for a good shake down run.
The race was based on a 3 moto format. Moto 1 would be run in the morning consisting of 2 25 mile loops. Moto 2 would be run in the afternoon consisting of 1 25 mile loop and Moto 3 would be 1 25 mile loop with 4 EXTREME sections thrown in and would be after dark to make it even more of a challenge!
Moto 1 was for all classes from Pro's to amateurs and would also be a qualifier for Moto 2 for the Pro, A and B classes. I did very well on the start, my Husqvarna fired very fast, faster than any other electric start bike I've raced! The first 4 or 5 turns was grass track and I went into the woods in 3rd in the Vet A class. I quickly passed for 2nd and caught up to the leader of our class (Chili) who was Husky mounted as well. We seemed to be a good match speed wise and were running a nice pace together picking off the open A riders that had started on the row in front of us. The track was one of the tightest races I've ever run. It was 99% single track with lots of rocks, hills, valleys and other nasties that I seem to enjoy. There were 3 spectator sections that were very difficult. They were basically offcamber sections with huge rocks thrown in that created bottlenecks. I made it through all of those sections pretty easily by using lots of momentum. They Husky was easting this stuff up easily. I would just put it in 2nds and power up and over the rocks and it just stuck to the hillside like glue. Around mile 22, we came to a large up hill with a 3' rock ledge at the top. There were 2 A riders stuck right at the rock ledge, Chili made a new line to the right. I decided to take my chances and get around the two stuck riders in the main line. My gamble paid off and I got around the two riders and passed Chili for the lead. The 2nd lap I just concentrated on being smooth and not making mistakes. I passed more open A riders and actually caught the open A leader at mile 48. I followed him till the end tanking the Vet A win and finishing 1st out of all the A classes and about 10th overall. Cole Kirkpatrick won the overall. It took me 3 hours and 15 minutes to run moto 1.
We got about a 1 hour break but I didn't get to rest much as I had a guy come over and want to buy a set of Tire Balls, he had gotten a flat in the first Moto. So after that I had just enough time to scarf down a sandwich and head back to the starting line for moto 2. To qualify for moto 2, you had to finish within 20 minutes of the leader of your class.
I knew I had to ride more conservative than I did in moto 1 to save energy. I basically went into the woods in 3rd and stayed there for the entire lap just being smooth. To qualify for moto 3, I needed to finish in the top 15 overall. I qualified but was starting to feel very drained. Cole Kirkpatrick once again took the win.
I got a little rest after moto 2 and got more to eat. It starting drizzling rain and snow just after dark, which would make the newly added extreme sections even more difficult. I got my HID headlight mounted up and headed to the line.
I did pretty well on the start for moto 3 but it was hard to tell where I was since it was dark. At around the 3 mile marker, all hell broke loose! We rode up through a ravine and I could see bright lights in the tree's and a line of riders waiting their turn to be pulled by the spectators up a nasty dry waterfall section. Every rider had to be helped through this section, as it was basically unrideable. It took about 10 minutes until it was my turn to be pulled. I made it up and over the first few rocks but then came to a halt. About 10 spectators came up and basically yanked the bike out from under me and hauled it up and over the next few rocks. It reminded me of the old BlackWater days. I got back on my bike and climbed the last 4' ledge on my own and headed off into the darkness. By the time I was about half way through the lap I was completely exhausted! I was making silly mistakes and I knew that I had 2 more extreme sections do deal with. I rarely ever pull out of a race early but I new that was going to be the thing to do before I got my self hurt. I had drove 8 hours to this race alone and didn't want to take any more chances so I called it a night.
Even with the DNF I still finished 2nd in Vet A. This race format was an absolute blast and I can't wait to race it again next year although I will be in better shape! My new TXC worked incredibly well and other than installing the headlight and refueling I never did anything to the bike during the entire event. The bike was completely stock with the exception of the lights and Tire Balls and a skid plate.
There are several video's of the race on YouTube, just type Ozark 100 in the search block.
Special thanks to my sponsors:
Gateway Cycles
KORHS
Tire Balls
IMS
Fasst Flexx
Elka
, good to hear you're happy with the Husky. 
