STEVE LEIVAN
2011 RACE REPORT
WHAT/WHERE/WHEN: Round 8 National Enduro; Cross Fork, PA; July 31
MY BIKE: KTM 350 XCF
HOW IT ENDED: 5th Vet “A”
BEFORE THE START: Pennsylvania was the site for round eight of the 2011 NEPG series. I could be politically correct and say how much I was looking forward to this event. However, the truth is that I have never been much of a fan of racing in that part of the country. The terrain is hard for me to read – and it is difficult terrain – and I just never have really felt good or comfortable when we headed that way for a race.
Nonetheless, it was time to give it a go. Dad and I left on Thursday night in the Airgroup rig and 1080 miles later we were at the race site. It wasn’t a smooth trip really. There was the keys getting locked in the truck at a service station along the way (that cost me $45 and an hour of my life I’ll never get back) and then the twisty road into the race site that was 56 miles from I-80 and took 93 minutes. I can average better than that on my mountain bike!
Once we were there though, the venue was pretty cool. We were down in low lying field at Quiet Oaks Campground where they host a couple of bluegrass festivals a year. There was no phone service for miles but there was a Verizon satellite brought in and stationed at the top of the hill for our convenience. That was cool.
We all pretty much had our ducks in a row and didn’t have much work to do Saturday so Cole Kirkpatrick and I hung out, rode bicycles, and told stories. We had supper that night, watched some video (including the honey badger clip on youtube), took in a cool fireworks show, and enjoyed the 57 degree temperatures Saturday night.
THE RACE: The first test started out in a grass track that had been pulverized during the KTM demo ride the day before. They had tried to water it but I don’t know if there was enough water in PA to keep the dust down. I was on row 28 with Cole and Tyler Trammel. I let them both go ahead of me and I took up the task of eating dust. We got to the trees and I passed Trammel and tried to ride hard when I could see.
There was another grass track at the end of the test that was sketchy with a bunch of water breaks that could kick you funny. I was almost to the end with just one fast sweeper and a little section of pines left, when everything went to hell. I was in fourth gear on the gas and had the bars yanked out of my hands. I went end over end and off through the banners and head first into the ground. When I started to get up, I knew my shoulder was jacked up and I really thought my collarbone was broken – having been down that road before.
Two guys came running and picked my bike up for me and I took off just hoping to get to the “out” check. I got there but knew I was in trouble. My bike was pretzeled and I felt like I was going to puke. Dad and Richard Kirkpatrick were just past the check and we were able to sort of bend the bike back to where it was ride-able. I putted through the transfer trail and waited for test two to start.
That test was worse for me. I took off third again and struggled the whole way. Trammel and I didn’t do each other any favors by each getting lost (to the point of stopping to look for arrows) twice each and taking the other guy with us. I had little confidence or strength in my shoulder and found myself sitting almost constantly in an effort to hold on with my legs better. That test was the saddest test of the year for me – as in 79th overall. I sucked.
The next section I took off in second and made it all of a couple hundred yards and wadded it again. That put me back in the dust and it was kind of a fight to the end again. I was better in there but far from what I would call good.
Luckily we had service before the next section and I was able to snag some pills, Biofreeze, and some other “get me through this stuff” from some buddies while Dad tweaked on my bike some more. Test four was the most fun of the day and I rode quite a bit better in there. Lots of little up and downs which didn’t help my shoulder but I was better in that section.
We went from a pretty fun test four to a not-so-much fun test five. I will leave it at – who thought it was a good idea to race us through that crap? I was over it about a half mile into it and just rode around waiting for the end of the section. If there was ever a section that I talked myself out of seeing the bright side of, that was it.
The last test was really chewed up and really dusty and I rode the best that I rode all day in there. I was 16th overall in that one which was pretty much the only bright side to my ride.
All in all, my ride was sad and inconsistent. I don’t know how I can be 79th in one test and 16th in another. My body hurts. My bike probably hurts. My pride hurts. What a bummer.
THOUGHTS & OBSERVATIONS: A bigger bummer on the weekend was the fact that Tommy Pierce got busted up a couple of days before the race and wasn’t able to ride. Although I have beat him a couple of times this year, Tommy is the guy to beat in the Vet class and him not being there was an opportunity to close the gap to him.
I guess the good thing is that I was able to tighten the gap a bit and stay in contention for the class championship. Probably if Tommy had been there this weekend he would have wrapped up the title. So I’m still alive, anything can happen, and I’ve not given up on this deal yet.
When the locals tell you that it isn’t rocky, assume they are liars.
If there was ever a place where “locals” rule, that part of the country is it! They killed it in a lot of classes this week.
With all of the boo-hoo crap out of the way now – when I think my world sucks, all I have to do is look around a little bit and see how good I really have it. I’m livin’ the good life, I got no worries, and I’m still runnin’ down a dream - one day at a time! Take a moment to smile - CHEERS!
QUICKEST ON THE DAY: R. Lafferty (KTM); 2. Pasqua (Yam); 3. Oeschle (KTM); 4. Kaza (KTM); 5. LEIVAN (KTM)
THE NEXT WHAT/WHERE/WHEN:Round 8 Missouri HS; Tebbetts, MO; August 14
THANKS AGAIN FOR ALL OF YOUR SUPPORT!
SPONSOR LIST –HELPING ME MAKE IT HAPPEN
AIR GROUP RADIANT RACING :: KTM NORTH AMERICA
ARAI :: ATHENA :: BULLET PROOF DESIGNS
CLOCKWORK :: DUNLOP :: ENDURO ENGINEERING :: EVS
FAH-Q :: FASTWAY/PRO MOTO BILLET ::FLY
HYDRAPAK :: LEOVINCE :: NGK SPARK PLUGS
NICHOLS ENTERPRISE :: OZARK FOAM INSEALATORS
PIVOT WORKS :: PROUD SIS :: RACE TECH SUSPENSION REKLUSE :: RENTHAL :: SCOTT :: SILKOLENE
SMS RACING :: SOURCE MX :: TIRE BALLS :: TSUBAKI