Rider Updates
Feb 18 2019
Wrapping up the 2018 season, I finished 5th in 200B for the year. Because of my overall finishes, I have been promoted to A class for the 2019 season. I am training on a different bike now, switching from the Yamaha YZ125 to a KTM 250XC. I am loving the power on the new machine and the speed I am able to get with it, so I am very excited for my upcoming performances with it during the 2019 season racing the 250A class.
Dec 17 2015
At Pipsico, I started off fifth and was up to second by the end of the first lap of a three lap race. I was riding at a strong pace until I clipped a tree, and even though i didn't go down, my throttle stuck, so I had to slowly ride out of the woods and find a nearby truck with some riders who helped me fix the problem. The speedy fix, thanks to the helpful riders, left me entering back where i came out of the woods at in 6th, about two minutes behind 5th. I made up a lot of time and ended up passing two more people before the end of the race resulting in a 4th place finish leaving me third in the overall points this season.
Oct 30 2015
At river's edge, there was multiple Z riders racing in my class (racers that are not racing for points). One of them checked out after the holeshot and another passed me on the third lap. I started in 4th and the second place rider went down early and I was in the middle of a pack of three battling for second for a while, until the leader of the pack went down and I ran into his bike and also went down and the 4th place rider passed both of us. We soon caught up but they pulled away from me at the motocross, which I was a bit timid of on the first lap because I had not seen it before then. I passed one racer in the middle of the second lap to get in 3rd and had a bobble in the middle of the third to lose a position. I finished 4th in my class, second in points, and 6th overall.
Oct 13 2015
Rattlesnake was a mudder! I started out in 8th and made my way up to 7th before we went into the woods. Three people wrecked within the first 300m of entering the woods so I got up to 4th. Not sure where I made the passes but I got to 2nd by the end of the first lap. Wrecked on top of a hill on the 3rd lap in a bottleneck and lost a position. I gained that position back at the beginning of the third lap and passes first place at the end of the third, but wrecked on the same hill I wrecked on the lap before and lost the lead spot. Charged out the last lap because most people had quit and the track was barren and finished with a strong second place, moving me into 3rd in total points.
Sep 14 2015
I started in 3rd at peninsula. It's a generally fast track with little elevation change. I was hanging in a grip with the top 3 for a while until I lost my groove and I dropped about 20 second behind them after the first lap (3 laps total). I found my groove again and got up to second, but 1st was out of sight. After making the pass, I got about a 10 second gap entering the 3rd lap. He caught up to me early in the third lap and we stepped up the pace and he passed me with about 2 minutes of trail to go. I was right on his tail as we stepped up the pace even more. We caught up to first, but no one was able to make any passes in the last moments of the race. I finished 3rd in my class and 5th overall in the morning event.
Sep 6 2015
At coyote run I had a good start right behind the top runners in 3rd. I got passed within the first minute by choosing a wrong line up a hill. I passed the same racer back about 3 minutes later and got back to 3rd place. I got to about a 3-4 second lead before wrecking on some loose rock off-camber. I dropped back to 6th there. I caught back up to the pack and the 5th place rider dumped it in a turn, allowing me to move to 5th. I made a pass up to 4th, and caught up to 3rd at the beginning of the second lap. I dumped it in the same turn I did on the first lap and dropped back to 5th, and had a hard time getting the bike back on the track: probably lost 30-45 seconds. I rode for a long time on that lap until seeing the 4th place racer wrecked, and I squeaked by. I finished the second lap (3 laps total), and put a charge down to catch 3rd. I caught him with the advantage of lappers slowing him down and stuck right on his tail until a lapper blocked his path while riding down a rocky creek, so I darted to the side and made the pass. I stuck in third for the remainder of the race and finished 5th overall in he morning event and third in my class. I'm now 4th in points. 6 points behind 3rd.
Jun 14 2015
At the Hillbilly hare scramble I started 4th and made my way up to 1st by the end of the first lap (five laps total). There was fifteen people in my class at this race and 156 people in the overall. I was 3rd at the end of the second lap, 4th at the end of the third, 6th at the end of the fourth, and I charged back to 4th for the finish. I finished 4th in my class, 6th overall, and I pulled the fastest lap overall. Hopefully I can maintain that speed in the upcoming races.
May 11 2015
I got a new yz125 to help me compete with the bigger bikes. I feel really comfortable on it and I'm ready to take it on the podium.
Mar 29 2015
I just finished my first race of the season at Race for Vision. I was 5th into the woods and chose a wrong line and got passed so i was 6th into the 3rd turn. I passed the one who passed me back and one other racer while going down a hill about 15 seconds later. I quickly caught the 3rd place racer, and made a quick move on him as well. I went from 6th to 3rd in less than a minute, and I never saw anyone else (Except for lapped riders) for the remainder of the race. I finished 3rd in my class, 3rd overall mini, but I want a win, and with two extremely fast racers in my class its probably not going to happen. This is why I am going to move up into the C class and race 200C. I consistently beat all three of the podiumers in that class, so I think it will be a good step forward to my first win.
Nov 6 2014
I thought my bad luck this season had finally come to an end at Pipsico when i grabbed the holeshot on the last race of the season. I got to about a 10 second gap before my shifter stripped, and i was stuck in the fifth gear. I had to use my clutch a lot, and I was barely making it up some of the steeper hillclimbs in fifth, so I lost my gap and they were right on me by the end of the first lap (1 hour race (9.7 miles, 2 laps)). I held them off until twp of them slipped by when I missed a better line. Surprisingly, I hung with them even with the broken shifter. Eventually, however, we reached the hills again and I could not keep the pace and my bike had something go wrong. It wouldn't go up a hill at all, and it burst out in white smoke. Once I pushed my bike about 100 feet to where some spectators were, they tried to help, but there was nothing to do. My bike was stuck in neutral and no matter what we did it would not go in gear. So what may have turned out to be my first win, was a 12th place finish out of 15 (only because I finished my first lap before three others did, and they also did not finish their second lap.
Oct 27 2014
Rattlesnake was a mudder. A live engine start put me into 7th. I made a pass for 6th going into the woods. I made another pass for 5th on a fire road. When the track opened back up onto the endurocross section (Which I had no idea what to expect) the first obstacle, tires, was blocked off, so i gathered some speed and went around it and the next obstacle was a mud-pool. Of course my front end sticks after rolling the jump beforehand, and i flip end over end into the one foot of water. I dropped back to 8th in that 8 second dilemma and continued on with the race. After scoring on the first lap out of five, i made a pass for 7th, who ended up placing 2nd, but unfortunately that pass did not do me any good, for my bike blew up and locked up on the 1/4 mile dirt track, and my bike came back an hour later in a wagon. Therefore, I finished 1 of 5 laps and finished last (15th).
Sep 29 2014
At River's Edge, I started off 7th going into the woods. I made a pass for 6th in when it opened up to the mx course. My front wheel popped up on a hill and a got passed by two guys as I stopped to avoid flipping over. Made another pass on the same rider that I passed in the mx, but this time on a straightaway (7th). I caught back up to the others and one of them wrecked (6th). Later on another one got messed up for a second and I went for the pass, but I ended up hitting him and almost wrecking. I lost one spot there and a B rider passed me. The guy who almost wrecked me let me by thinking I was another B rider. I quickly caught back up to the other A rider that I was battling with, but eventually I wrecked in some tight trees. On the second lap I saw one of them wrecked as I went by, and I never saw another A rider til' the finish (6th).
Sep 25 2014
They changed up the normal hare scramble rules up at Peninsula by making the start live engine. I have improved quite a bit on my dead engine starts, but my live engine starts are still terrible. I started 18th going into the first turn and came out of it in 11th using the outside. I made a few more passes on the first lap and got up to 7th by the end of the lap. This was a very fast course, so that made it hard to gain ground on the faster riders that I am used to competing with, but one of them made a mistake and I managed to get in front of him, finishing 6th.
Sep 25 2014
They changed up the normal hare scramble rules up at Peninsula by making the start live engine. I have improved quite a bit on my dead engine starts, but my live engine starts are still terrible. I started 18th going into the first turn and came out of it in 11th using the outside. I made a few more passes on the first lap and got up to 7th by the end of the lap. This was a very fast course, so that made it hard to gain ground on the faster riders that I am used to competing with, but one of them made a mistake and I managed to get in front of him, finishing 6th.
Sep 8 2014
Blue ridge ll was definitely my favorite track so far this season. I started off fifth, and I quickly passed for fourth. Missed the track for a second and dropped to fifth. He got squirrelly up a hill and I managed to pass him back. Passed 3rd as he wrecked in front of me on a bridge, but he slowed me down a bit because i had to pop a wheely on the opposite side of the bridge that the track turned to after the bridge and I got passed (Still in fourth). Third wrecked and i passed him. Stayed in third for about 20 minutes until i wrecked on the same slippery bridge that my fellow racer wrecked on in front of me on the first lap. I pushed the bike out of the creek, but then when I went to hop onto my bike, my pants got stuck on the rear fender and a crashed again. I then got passed as i was starting up my bike again. Me and the racer in front of me really pushed the pace and we even caught up to second place. It came right down to the wire, but no one was able to make a pass so i finished fourth.
Aug 29 2014
The sandy bottom scramble had 1-2 inches of rain come down the night before. I am not a mudder, but I still gave it a shot. Third off the start but got passed early on by the points leader. Stuck in fourth with eyes on third for about 10 minutes until i dump the bike in a mud hole and dropped 4 positions into 8th. Dumped it again right before scoring and dropped 1 more position. Passed him back within a minute and continued my ride in 8th without seeing anyone else in my class for the rest of the 2 more laps.
Jul 24 2014
Tidewater was a very fast and smooth track, but it didn't have a lot of opportunities to make a pass. This made my bad start much worse than it would have been at a different track. On the 3rd lap (of 5) I had made passes up to 4th. Soon after making the pass for 4th, I go off the track a bit to avoid a lapped rider. Just before entering back onto the main line, a wire hit me right below the neck brace and flung me off my bike. After killing my bike for the first time that race, I discover that my kick starter had bent underneath my right peg! After kicking my anger into the kick start I realize it is not moving. I push my bike across the track and roll started it down a hill. I rode up the hill and cut right in between 6th and 7th. I made the pass quick on 6th and made the pass on 5th after the white flag.
May 26 2014
At Harleywood, I had a solid start in 4th. I gained two positions, then blew a turn going up the first big hill and lost a spot. I battled for 2nd until I took a spill early in the 2nd lap (3 lap race, about 15 minutes each lap). While trying to catch back up, halfway through the 2nd lap my rear brakes had a problem and remained useless for the rest of the race. I lost two positions due to the brakes because I was so far in front of the other riders behind me, but then let another rider by that was hollering (thinking he might have been in a different class). After glancing at his number plate I realized that he was another A rider like me. I quickly passed him back and was able to hold off 6th and 7th for the rest of the race with no rear brake. I finished 5th, however the 2nd placed rider was not racing for points (a Z rider), so this race will count as a 4th place finish for points.
Apr 14 2014
At central virginia, there was a wreck involving three people in the first turn that I was in. Once I started going again, I realized that my front wheel was very crooked, and I had to stop while a spectator helped me straighten it. DEAD LAST! (19th). Up to tenth at the end of my first lap out of 4 laps. Me and my friend that I wrecked with in the first turn battled each other throughout the whole race while we moved through the pack. He ended up finishing right in front of me and the 4th placed rider, him, and me finished right behind each other with me finishing 6th.
I will not be attending the next race (Dad has to work), but I will be coming back strong at Harleywood, possibly on a 2011 yz112!
Apr 7 2014
At April Fools, I started out 8th/20 and got up to 4th entering the woods. Chose a deep line through a creek and got passed (5th). Right on the tail-end of a slower rider when he dumps his bike and slows me down allowing 2 riders to pass by (6th, because I passed the guy that was wrecked). The 2nd placed racer's bike blew up allowing me to take 5th. I caught up to 4th, but got caught up behind a lapped rider with 2 miles left to go. I wasn't able to catch him again, but now I have the confidence needed in order to make an early pass on him.
Mar 17 2014
Just finished the first race of the VCHSS series yesterday. It was my first race in the super mini 14-15 class and I took a 4th at my home track (6th overall mini). Started off a little behind in 7th, luckily I made two passes in the first 20 seconds. about 10 minutes in a settle in for 4th by passing two more riders and one other faster rider who had a bad start passing me. Great way to start off the season and finished in a solid 4th, 33 seconds behind 3rd, 16 seconds in front of 5th.
Nov 13 2013
At the last race of the season (Pipsico) I started off with the hole-shot and got passed by one rider early on. He missed the track, and I was able to make a pass on him. He passed me back again and left me stuck behind a slow rider for him to get away. I continued to chase him even though I couldn't catch sight of him until I caught another slower rider that I couldn't get around. I was trying a strange line for an attempt to get around him when I see the third place rider zip on by on the main line. I am right on his tail as we are trying all lines possible to get around this rider and we both get around him at the same time. We catch another slower rider, but the 3rd place guy passes him quickly and I am stuck behind him for over 20 minutes. I never saw anyone else in my class from that point on and finished 3rd.
On that note, I finished 3rd in the points standings and am looking forward to next year. Next year I will be racing the Super Mini 14-15 class instead of the Mini 12-13 class.
Nov 3 2013
At the 301 race I started off 3rd and passed 2nd in the first minute of the race. About 15 minutes in I heard the 3rd place guy behind me and started picking up the pace. I caught some B riders (start 1 minute in front of my class) and the 3rd place guy was able to get around me. I was following him for a while as we weaved through the traffic until he got around someone and I did not. He was still in my sights until he got around another rider. I never saw him again until I was on the podium for 3rd.
Oct 17 2013
At Rattlesnake I started off dead last. As soon as I entered the woods, I kid wrecked right in front of me on a steep downhill, and I spent 2 minutes trying to get out of there because when I was trying to get around the kid in front of me, I got tangled up in some vines. About 5 minutes later, I dumped the bike going down a hill which knocked my left bark buster into my clutch so I couldn't pull my clutch in. I took a 5-10 minutes trying to figure out how to fix the problem when I realized that I could pull the clutch up, then in. I was 10th at the end of the first lap and 7th at the end of the 2nd lap even with the many stalls I had with the clutch issue. This was not a good race, however I am expecting much better at the 301 race considering it is my home track.
Sep 30 2013
At River's Edge I felt great. I loved the track, however I was 9th off of the holeshot. I was battling for 7th rounding the second turn. I was 6th on the third turn which was the entrance of the woods. About five minutes into the race I made the pass for 5th. Following fourth for 5 more minutes until he wrecked, and I had to back up to get around him. While I was doing that, the guy that I originally passed got around me. I followed him for about 20 minutes, then he wrecked in a spot where there was no way to get around and it took him a minute to get his bike out of the way, but he cut in front of me and didn't let me pass, so when we went onto the motocross track I made a nice pass on him there. I made a mistake on the 3rd lap (last) which allowed him by, but I got back around him and pulled off my fastest lap, by far.