I started motocrossing @ 12 on a new Honda XR75 and enjoyed it as an extra sport to basketball, football and BMX until I broke my back (compression fracture of T7 vertebra) as a Junior in high school and was forced to stop riding for good. Or at least I thought for good. 13 years later my brothers happened across a very cheap '89 KX250 dirt bike that I bought as a way to show the old 30 and over class riders what great shape I was in - boy did I get a lesson in humility! Those old guys were fast and could ride all day. I practiced with my older brother for 3 months only to go out and get smoked. He won his first 2 races back then sold his bike and I went back to jetski racing. Then an old high school buddy (Woody Mace) showed up one day and took me to the local track. I got 5th my first race, 3rd my next and 1st in week three. I moved up to C class and immediately started doing well. It was about 2 years before I was winning the B class. I had another really bad accident in 1995. I was on a 95 KTM250SX and was winning the last round of a 6 race series in the rain and cold @ Woodbine and went for a double no one else was doing in my class.....that broke the left FEMUR & ended motocross for me for the second time.
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This is me on the KTM passing my arch rival Tommy and giving him a very long "look". This is the bike that eventually snapped my left Femur. I was 33 years old, ie #33 |
I traded in my motocross career for one on a mountain bike. That lasted only several months as I broke my thumb and ran into lots of other riders with broken bones. If I was gonna keep braking things I wanted to do it on a motocross bike.
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Finished 7th in the Gold Cup 2000 - Round 1 at Gainesville |
Check out my MXA cover photo
I
struggled through more injuries towards the
national championship
First Pro Race
July, 2002 There were six of us and I finished right behind the second place finisher the first moto and right behind the first moto winner the second moto. It proved I needed to work on my starts and I had the speed to run this class.
First Pro Holeshot
The next weekend I entered the Money class at a track I had not ridden for quite a while. NFMX in Hilliard, FL. I holeshot the second moto and led my first local Pro class laps until I came up short on the triple and lost my rhythm.
First Pro Podium
First Race on the new 2003 CRF450
Sep 8th, 2002
I took my first winnings as a pro rider taking 2nd in the second moto which paid back $25.00. I sold my other 2 trophies for 35+ (1st) and 40+ (2nd) back for two $15.00 practice passes for $55.00 total return. I paid $10 to get in, $65.00 to enter and I had a $5.00 spaghetti plate afterwards so it was a good day of racing for only $25.00 and some gas out of pocket. The three great finishes were really cool too! RESULTS
AMA 2002 Florida Gold Cup
Sep 15th, 2002
Round 1- Saturdays practice was great... I lined up the elevator and gave it a couple serious runs to get the feel of it then I thought I had a flat on my second one. I stopped and saw that I had broken all the spokes in my rear Talon/DID gold rim!! I put the spare mud wheel on just in time to get 2 more laps of practice. First moto on Sunday was a pure mud fest and my tire "choice" was working out. Unfortunately I fell on lap one trying to make a move into 4th and broke my clutch lever off. Starting and getting into gear on the CRF is not easy without a clutch and by the time I got going I was half a lap behind the 28th place guy. Finishing 13th was one of my biggest accomplishments. I put in a 6th, 4th(beating John Lundy) and 3rd as I got better all day and finished with 3rd overall. RESULTS I climbed the ladder all series long and finished 3rd at the end in both classes with $675.00 in Honda money. Raced the last 4 races with a broken finger. My best finishes came @ Pax where I got two 2nds (passing Layfield in moto 2). Led laps in 35 plus at Okeechobee and in 40+ at Reddick and Gatorback. Best holeshot came in 35+ @ Okeechobee - I had 10 bikes on everybody. SERIES POINTS
SHIFT sponsored me with $1000.00 worth of Gear and clothing FREE!
A new year brought a new bike with it
MADE THE SWITCH TO THE YAMAHA YZ450
Triple Crown Series
Round 1 - Alma , Ga - Feb 3rd, 2003
Won all 6 motos of 250B, 35+ and 40+ @ Alma, GA in round 1 of the Triple Crown Series. Led every lap but 1!!
Beat Ray Stillings in 35+ and Mark Thomas in 250B and #413 in 40+
Loretta Lynns Regional Qualifier
DBMX - London, Ky - May 2003
QUALIFIED 7TH - GUARANTEED SPOT
Moon & Stars Series
Round 1 - Hilliard, Fl - Jun 2003
Won the first moto of MONEY and the overall in 250B
Beat Lee Tatham, Alan Andreau, Alan Assaf & Waylon Malloy(250B) during the day
Round 6 - Pax, Fl - Oct 19 2003
Won all 4 motos of the TWO classes 35+ and 40+
(moved over at the finish to let Arty get the win in moto2 to help his points)
New Year, New Bike
2004 Florida Winter-Am Nationals
Round 3 - Reddick, Fl - Jan 11, 2004
Holeshot moto2 and walked away from Eggers, getting 2nd overall in 40+ (got beat by Kevin Knight #0)
Battled with Dumond in 35+ for 4th, slid out and got 6th overall (Arty = 5th)
Got 15th overall in 250B - earned my first points in the series in this class
It actually sounds a lot worse than some of my other accomplishments, but the level of riding at the Winter-Am's is so much more advanced than any of the other races I have competed in that I feel it is one of my best finishes ever! The top B riders many times already have factory contracts (Davi Milsaps, Kyle Chisholm, etc.)
Winter-Am Overall Points
2nd - 40+
3rd - 35+
12th - 250B
Made $550.00 in Honda money in 40+
$200.00 in Honda money in 35+
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some personal firsts |
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Hilliard, Fl
2nd in 30 Money, 2nd in 250 Money, won $100.00 and knocked Darrell Assaf down to get the 2nd place in 30 Money. He was finger pointing and making threats. Lee Tatham won both classes, Matt hurt his ankle.
Other fast guys were Waylon Malloy#515YZ, Ty Panell#26CRF, Zach Crosby#279RM, Matt Theus#22KTM, Jordan Gooch #168YZ
2nd annual Vet National MX Championships by Pro Sports
Won the 35+ Expert Class easily
Won the first moto of 40+ Pro beating all the 30+ Pros but one in the process
Loretta Lynn's National Motocross Championships
Tore something in my right shoulder after 1 lap in moto1.
the guys I beat in the Regional Qualifier came in 9th, 12th, 13th, 14th.
2005
After Taking the entire season off after Lorettas to race mountain bikes, I came back faster than I had ever been. I learned something new about applying the front brake going into and through turns that related to a much higher corner entering speed. I was now battling people like Lee Tatham, and beating guys like the Assafs, Stalls, Dumond and others I had never beaten before.
Game Over
While riding a brand new 2005 CRF450, it bogged and shut off at the top of a steep downhill, threw me over the bars, followed me to the bottom and crushed me into the ground. I broke 4 vertebrae, 5 ribs, the right thumb, and wrist. Typical of some of my worst accidents...I was too relaxed.
2006
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Happy New Years Rode some borrowed bikes at a New Years Day BBQ at William Manors house. Had a blast! I got the bug and started riding again |
Just
like RC
I bought a barely used 2006 RMZ450 on Valentines Day
I loved the bike. Great low end power, awesome cornering, light feel. I Started riding twice a month, then once a week and by April I was up to twice a week. My back was getting stronger all the time, but the riding was keeping me a little sore and weak feeling.
Am I strong enough to ride??
3rd annual Vet National MX Championships by Pro Sports
Feb 18th
Rode scared the whole time, letting everyone go on the starts, when all of a sudden I found myself leading the second moto in 40+ Expert. I stalled and let Jim Edgar and MT pass, then MT stalled trying to pass Edgar. I got by and rode hard into a rutted corner and bounced enough to feel the need to jam my right foot into the ground. Goodbye win, goodbye finishing, and goodbye right ACL. This really hurt me emotionally as I thought I would never do something so stupid.
Failed Test 1
Loretta Lynn's National Motocross Championships
Q1 Mar 5th (Reddick) 25+ = 7th, 40+ DNQ (fell down)
| I know I can do much better. I am overweight and out of sorts on the bike even though I jumped the big tabletop and the big downhill triple. My corner speed needs a lot of improvement. |
Failed Test 2
On April 20th while riding some hot laps at Hilliard with Arty, Assaf and Thomas. I showed them all I was back in top form, outlasting Allan to put the last of them behind me, when 3 turns later I launched a 3rd gear tabletop and saw a bike laying in my path. There was no avoiding this one as my point of landing was less than 3 feet before the rider-less Honda. I woke up with 7-8 people kneeling around me, the lights on at the track and no recollection of the lost time. From the descriptions of the bystanders, I am glad I "slept" through it. I suffered some broken ribs, a dislocated shoulder and a bruise with swelling the size of a grapefruit on my left gut. $14,000, 2 CT scans and numerous Xrays later I was released from OP hospital. No damage to the upper back.
Passed Test 3
Q2 April 30th (Virginia) Allan rode my bike to qualify me in 25+ and 40+
Q3 May 28th (Lazy River, GA) Got bumped, went down, then got ran over
on the start of the first moto of the weekend
3 broken Lumbar Vertebrae, broken rt collarbone, scraped/torn butthole and left buttcheek from a knobby
no surgery needed, motocross career over for the 3rd and final time
Failed Final Exam
2007-??
I don't plan on riding again...ever
