STEVE LEIVAN

2009 RACE REPORT

THE BATTLEGROUNDS: Round 5 OMA Nationals; Hixton, WI; July 12

WHICH YAMAHA I CHOSE: WR450

WHERE I FINISHED: 1st +30 “A” – 15th OVERALL

GETTING READY: Never before had I been to Wisconsin, much less ride a motorcycle race there. So when I saw that there was a race on the OMA schedule there, I put it on my schedule to go. We had a big and eager crew this trip. Chad Vaught had a good time at the previous round in Michigan so he wanted to go and he talked Zach “2-time washed up Hillbilly champ” Neill and James “I now have a really cool nickname” Yeager into going. Andrew Smith wanted to go also since he is getting over some injuries and feeling good again.

So we blasted off on Friday night, picked up James and Andrew in Kansas City, and by morning we were in Wisconsin. Dad drove the whole deal straight through – 650 miles or so – again. We did breakfast, got some fuel, and were at the track by 10:00 a.m. So we walked a good bit of the course and then watched the ATV race. The woods were in good shape moisture wise, but the open stuff and the moto track were dry and dusty.

We rode practice late in the afternoon and found a pretty short course but it was a fun one with plenty of logs and fresh cut trail and a couple of nasty hills – one up and one down. With the short course, traffic would be a concern so I spent some extra time on the moto track and tried to dial in some of the jumps so I could maybe make some passes there.

“GO TIME”: I started on row three along with about 20 other riders, so I got to watch the huge dust cloud from the two rows ahead of us and knew that a good start would be key. Actually the first few turns of the moto track were in pretty good shape, but then it got really dusty. I didn’t get a really good jump but got through the first turn in fourth place; which I was happy with.

From there I went to work trying to get to the front. Matt Stavish (+40 “A” rider) was right with me and had his 125 buzzing and we worked our way around the guys in front of us in the first few miles. So we were both leading our classes but we were both pushing each other as well. We went back and forth a time or two and then by lap three we had gotten pretty deep into the Open and Lites “A” guys from the row ahead of us. I got held up on a really silty hill and Stavish took another line to pass about three of us and that was pretty much the end of our “ego battle”.

The rest of the race went quite smooth and I tried to ride hard in the later laps to help improve my overall result. I figured some guys would be dropping off by then and I still felt good and strong. I actually enjoyed the shorter course for a change. It was kind of like riding a long motocross – lots of laps and lots of opportunities to try different lines. In the end I got the class win again and finished 15th overall. For sure, it was a good day but I hope to find a little more speed before the Millville round and battle it out again with Stavish.

OTHER STUFF: The rest of the tribe all battled it out in the “A” Lites class. Zach took 6th, Andrew 7th, James was 10th, and Chad 12th. I think at some point they all talked about how they were going to beat me but it didn’t quite work out like that. They started about a minute and a half in front of me and I was able to pass them all by the start of lap three. Not bragging – just setting the record straight and making sure they know how it all went down.

James got cramps late in the race and I think Chad may have stopped to help him work them out – or something like that.

TODAYS “3 FASTEST”: 1. LEIVAN (YAMAHA); 2. Strangfeld (Gas); 3. Moss (KTM)

WHAT’S NEXT:July 19; Round 7 Missouri Hare Scrambles; Newark, MO

THANKS AGAIN FOR ALL OF YOUR SUPPORT!

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