Rider Updates
Dec 9 2010
Well as most of you know, Cole had his hand broke last summer. The put an early end to his season and kept him from placing in the overall standings at MPX. That wasn't as bod os a thing as is sounds like. Cole took a hard get off the race before the hand injory and it scared him pretty bad. Not only did he hit the ground hard, but he then was run over by the two riders behind him. After standing him up and brushing him off it was appearent he did not want back on the bike. We walked back to the pits and hung out a bit, then Cole deceided he was dont for the day.
While he has been back on his bike since then, he has not raced again. At this time he is undeicided about racing next season so we are just laying low for now. I will keep everyone posted as to what he decides to do.
May 30 2010
May 16 2010
Moto one
Both classes Cole ran he looked good in. He is still tentative on the starts with the new bike. The photos show his reaction times are great, he is just a little shy on squeezing the throttle. This is mainly due to his unintentional wheelie shows he put on several times in the yard before we reworked his clutch. Cole was taken out the first turn of his second moto. There was a downed rider, and as another rider tried to avoid the newly formed track obstacle, he took out Coles front wheel at the same time. Luckily this happened right in front of Grandpa Hess, and Cole was back up and running quickly, but still behind the pack. He hung out there putting in good lap times and finished a respectable 13th after the crash.
Moto Two
Apr 30 2010
Well its that time again. Time to hit the track and get dirty! For those of you that read the opening practice write up you know we had a few things to work on regarding Coles comfort level with the new bike. We have been granted permission from the team owner to set-up a small track in the back yard. The first thing we did was set-up a small berm turn for Cole. We went through the fundamentals of turning including distance verses speed. We spent as much time walking around the turn and talking about it, as well as pointing to random clumps of dirt as we did walking it. During our very first ride session, I followed Cole into the turn, and snuck around him on the inside as he was running outside on the berm. I was able to exit the turn in front of Cole and took the lead. The very next lap Cole took the inside of the turn, kept a good amount of speed up and we came out even, me moving to the outside of the turn that lap. I was both happy and surprised that Cole made the adjustment so quickly. So I was very interested to see what happened on the next turn. I really pressed Cole the next lap, I came up fast behind him into the turn. He again took the inside, and I railed the berm around the outside. My intention was to show Cole that the berm was also a fast line. But, as I came out of the turn Cole drifted wide and took away my line. The racing instinct nearly made me lean into him and send him into get a closer look at the terrain, but I guess the Dad instinct is becoming stronger, and I let him have the position. I still have very mixed feelings about that decision. Race Day. Everything was stacked against us making the race this weekend. From nasty weather, to a very untimely power outage at home. But with us asking Cole to put in the time on the bike, and having some sponsor commitment this year we
Apr 17 2010
We had some fun this weekend. And the weather was having some fun with us as well. It was mid to low 30's and snow. Most of us took refuge in the warm truck while we were not on the track.
Overall Cole did OK. He is still trying to get use to the taller bike. The turns are still a little new to him on the big bike. We have set up a turn in the back yard and have been working on different line choices, body positions on the bike, and throttle control again. Everything he did really well on by the end of last year needs to be adjusted to his new bike.
He has very limited seat time so far, but is really enjoying the new bike. He even took some hot laps around the yard Sunday on the PW. Currently the plan is to run 2 classes this year, both on the big bike, but we will see how we progress.
We will check back in next week after the race, stay tuned.
Feb 15 2010
Hey all, the company that we sought sponsorship selected Cole to represent thier comapny!!!! RoostMX http://www.roostmx.net/ has selected Cole as one of thier riders this year. We are extremely happy and proud of Cole. Also we appreciate the fact that the company is supporting not only big time Pro Racers, but also local racers that may not win every weekend, but also puts in the effrort and excells at sportsmanship. As those of you that follow us know, effort and sportsmanship are the areas that we push Cole to improve in. We feel if those are high then the wins will come later. Most of all we push to have fun. So thanks to everyone for the support, since this is our first sponsorship we are not sure how it all works yet but we look forward to learning.
GO COLE!
Dec 16 2009
WE only made one attempt at a sponsorship for the 2010 race season so far. The deadline to hear back is Jan 15th so wish us luck. I will keep everyone updated when we hear something. Thanks!
Nov 6 2009
Well, we decided not to attend the last race of the year due to the massive rain that the track got the week leading up to the race. We will be working late into the fall, and early spring on Coles riding skill, as well as some of the finer points, like braking and body positioning. We will see you then!
Oct 21 2009
The end of the 2009 season will be here in a couple of weeks. At this time we have made the decision not to race indoors. There are a couple of reasons, the main reason is that Cole will be on his KTM and not ready to handle the much tougher indoor Supercross style tracks. We also want to spend the winter preparing for the outdoor season for 2010. We are looking at making the commitment to race the entire MPX series, as well as maybe hitting Coles first national event. The team owner and I are talking about pursuing some MX company sponsors this fall for the 2010 season, but we want to make sure we can commit to properly putting their product. I will be keeping everyone posted here on this site. Thanks again to everyone that has helped us this year.
Oct 20 2009
Well, as we mentioned in one of the earlier news sections, Cole is getting big and is ready to move up in the bike department. We have discussed options of what to do for a new bike, and the cost of a new machine was out of the question due to the hard economic times. We set a price limit, and then started looking in many different areas for used bikes in that price range. Like everyone else, we wanted to get the most for our money. But we had an advantage because we did not need a new bike until next spring, so we had time to shop around. Last Friday, we found a dealer with a deal on a new 2008 that was literally to good to pass up. So, with the help of both Grandpas, we loaded up in the truck and drove to PA Saturday morning, leaving at 3:30am. We made it to the dealer minutes after they opened and there were already many shoppers in the showroom. We struck a deal and less then an hour later started the long journey home, with a new mount for Cole in the bed of the truck. Cole has one race left this year, and at this time he is electing to finish out the 2009 season on his PW, which is a decision we are leaving up to him 100%. I will however, be hauling both bikes to the track, just in case =-)>.
Oct 19 2009
Well, We were rained out Saturday so we attended the race on Sunday. We didnt even decide to attempt the Sunday race until late Saturday night, due to the miserable at best weather conditions. And to be honest, if we did not have a couple of new spectators looking forward to see Cole race for the first time, we probably would of skipped the weekend racing all together. The morning...... It was raining, about 45 degrees out and all together just nasty when we arrived at the track. Cole took his practice, which resulted in multiple wipe outs, needing to be pushed up some of the jumps each lap, and all together just a complete waste of time and gas. All the morning practice session did for us was confirm that the day of racing was going to be a big pain. After the practice session, the team next to us in the pits offered to power wash the added 60lbs of mud off of Coles bike for us. Of course I accepted the generous offer as it would save me about 20 minutes of scrapping. Now, being around dirt bikes for years, one thing you pick up on rather quickly is the fact that power washing is inherently bad for bikes. The bikes are made to endure running in poor weather, and even the occasion mud or stream crossing. What they are not made to endure is being blasted by 4500 psi at about a 6 inch distance. If you don't believe me, go home and look in the owners manual of your motorcycle, ATV, or even lawn mower. It will state "if you power wash this machine, it will not function correctly, if you have a race starting in 20 minutes it will not function at all". Having this knowledge, I started the bike after returning back to our pit. And after it started, and died, I started again, then again, then again, then......well you get the picture. As luck would have it, the start of the races were delayed as they used a dozer to scrape the top
Sep 29 2009
Well we attended the last race of the 2009 season at MPX on Sunday. Those of you that have followed with Cole know he has advanced every race, and we have been hoping for his first ever Moto win. While that did not come on Sunday, Cole did make his personal goal of landing on the podium (actually, he just wanted a big trophy, I added the podium thing). Moto 1 In the first Moto it had appeared that the bad luck that followed Cole in the previous race was gone. He got a good start and went into the first turn in 5th place. Cole wasted no time putting the 4th place rider behind him, making the pass on the second lap. What followed was a 2 lap game of cat and mouse between Cole and the third place rider. The first and second place riders slower increased the gap as Cole and his new foe battled, slowing each other as they swapped lines. The second place rider went down, and was able to remount his red stead just in time to stay in front of the two pursuing Yamahas. What was a two bike battle turned into a three bike fight, and down the back straight away, Cole kept his mount pinned and backed his bike into the corner, splitting the two bikes in front of him. Over the next lap, the second place bike was able to pull out a few length lead on Cole, while he was busy holding off his Yamaha brethren. Just when it appeared Cole would have to work hard to settle for a third place finish, the red bike went down again. Cole avoided the heap of Honda in front of him, and he took over the much deserved second place, about a half of a lap behind the leader. The red rider remounted and again there was a three bike battle for Coles second place position. Cole was able to pull away from the two bikes behind him and hold on for a solid, hard fought second place. Great job Cole!!! Moto 2
Sep 16 2009
Well, Cole has really advanced through his own desire to improve. Cole has shown some good dedication, and has made an honest effort to apply what he learns in the yard during our practice sessions at home on the track. We have 3 races left in the 2009 Outdoor season and as it comes to a close we are starting to talk about next year. And while the team has not discussed the possibility of running indoors this winter, we are talking about next year. Cole has out grown his PW50 and we are looking at moving Cole to a KTM SX SR Pro. We are talking to dealers about the options of a new bike, as well as looking at several used ones. I will keep everyone posted as we move into the next stage of Coles racing, as well as the introduction of Coles little brother Kyle, if he makes it to the track next year. At this point, we may take the winter off to help store some funding for next years outdoor season. We are going to try to commit to a series next year, but we have not decided on which one we will pursue. See ya at the track!
Sep 15 2009
After Coles first race at MPX we worked really hard on throttle control. He learned a lot and has been using that on the track to increase speed, but he needs to learn braking now. With the addititional speed he could carry into the turns he found himself very high on the berm, and actually over shot a couple of sweepers. So over the next two weeks we will be working on braking coming into the corners which should help him carry the speed up to the corner, then get around it with much better control. But mainly, the goal is to keep it fun and not make a job out of it.
Sep 14 2009
Cole has been working hard on his over all speed and turns coming into this race. During his morning practice session, Cole showed a lot of speed and aggression. In fact, he executed a perfect block pass which resulted in a young girl making a great recovery after being put over the berm. Although it was a legal move, and well done, Cole and his team had a talk about race edict on the Jr. track. Over all Cole looked to be in the top 5 kids as far as overall lap times went. We were really looking forward to some personal best finishes for him.
MOTO 1
Due to a record turn out at MPX on the Jr. track, they divided the 4-6 year old 50cc Trail class into 2 races. Cole got a great draw, and it looked like most of the faster riders drew the other race. Now the team was really looking forward to a person best for Cole. It was not to be however. At the start of moto one, two riders tangled coming out of the gate which resulted in Cole dragging a Honda down the start straight. He made it nearly to the first turn before being wrangled by some Dads. After getting rid of the hitch hiking bike, Cole was second to last, about a half of a lap down. Cole fought hard, and made his way all the way bac
Aug 17 2009
Since posting we have had 4 offers to date. One we strongly considered, however we feel at this time we are not ready for that kind of commitment. We are still getting into the routine of racing and do not want to feel pressured into making it to the track. We want to make sure when we accept a sponsorship that we can make it worth their while by getting the brand name out there. Thank you!
Aug 17 2009
Well due to the heat wave we had this weekend, we did not get to the track to practice. We will be working on throttle control and braking around the yard this week, and taking this weekend off for vacation.
Aug 6 2009
We wanted to say thank you for the support to Papa Mayer and Char. They have helped us out in many ways that has allowed us to focus less on getting to and from the track and such, and focus more on racing. THANK YOU for all of the help and support!
Aug 5 2009
After only a few hours of practice at the track I was ready for my first race. We selected Baja because thats where I practiced. I was really nerves on the starting gate. My Dad said thats OK, when your no longer nerves its time to find something else to do! When the gate droped I took off for the first turn and I was in the lead! I blew one turn way wide but stayed in the lead somehow. I guess I was a little excited because I got way to much air off of the finish line jump and crashed. After that my bike kept stalling I went a lap down until my Dad fixed it. The race was a lot of fun, and I cant wait to do it again!
Aug 5 2009
My parents bought me a PW50 for my first birthday. I started riding that spring with my Dads help and a set of training wheels. I rode all the time. When I was 3 we moved to a house with some more land and I soon dumped my training wheels.
The rest as they say is History.