Super Regionals 2020

Congrats to Owen Salamon! Had impressive rides at Tomahawk going 1-1-1 in the 51 (4-6) Jr. Limited class.
 

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Haven’t rode a muck fest like that since Loretta Lynn’s 1997.

Over the bars on a straightaway. Bike was pissing coolant after half a lap. Once I crashed 4 times in one lap, got hit...trashed my foot peg and air box. I was like....alright. I’ve seen enough. Onto the 2021 qualifiers!
 
The staff at Tomahawk is terrible.

We were there for an area qualifier last year and had to point out to an official and an AMA ref that a bike on the line in a Limited class had an aftermarket pipe and silencer. Tomahawk official said “he was aware” and AMA official said nothing. I figure they would pull him off the line, nope, let him race.

I spoke to another AMA official (there were two that day) after the race and he told me he would look into it. Nope, raced again in stock class.

Finally after my son and I both separately went to their office to complain and let them know we wouldn’t drop it, they DQ’d him.

Point is, doesn’t matter if he finished last or first, he could be involved in an incident with another rider and affect their qualifying score. Pretty sure he was a local rider there and had some kind of relationship with the track.

Most likely won’t ever go back. Facility was not all that great.
They threatened to disqualify Logan right of the rip because I didn't want to park in the next spot, that was a mud hole. The water ticket was a joke, $10 bucks to fill from a single garden hose. Had to drive out to the entrance to get the water ticket then all the way back up to the garden hose. Kid running it pocketed $20 from and rv two spots behind me that didn't know he needed a ticket. While the sprinter directly behind me, he was going to make pull out and go get a ticket then come back to the line. I sent Logan down on the pit bike to buy them a ticket. In the mean while the workers switch out. Logan comes back up with the ticket. The new worker threats to disqualify Logan because he isn't 16, as I hand the guy the water ticket. I tell the guy how he is going to get chewed out by the guy in the rv he gives me attitude like I pocketed the $20 bucks. I said good luck with it and drove away.
Logan almost lost a spot to the main because he slowed down because they had yellow flags waving for 1/4 the track for a kid they had off the track for 3laps. They had just came over the PA about disqualifying kids for not paying attention to the flags. He told me he slowed down because he didn't know if some one new was down after each flag or if it was for the rider 1/4 around the track but he didn't want to get disqualified. ( for those familiar with the track, yellow flags started at the top of the hill with the rider being down four flaggers later at the furthest corner of the track after the table top, they had some kids riding down the water truck path while sending other kids down the track)
 
I've been racing for 35 years and granted I'm mostly a fair weather rider but I've certainly done my share of mud races.

WC was the worst mud race I've ever done. The really unfortunate part is that most of it was self-inflicted. Yes it rained buckets overnight each night, but Friday night after the track started coming around end of day, they chiseled the whole track 24" deep. Then it rained like 2 inches on it over night. Then end of day Sat, they scraped the whole track end of day, and again it rained buckets overnight on what they had just scraped.

It was total mismanagement of track. If they managed it properly, it would have been "normal" muddy in the mornings and working into decent by the afternoon. Instead it was nearly impassable.

If you want a laugh, look at my laptimes below. My first lap was ok (fastest lap of moto was 4:16) but my second lap I was stuck several times, once it took three people to get my bike out.

By pure survival and attrition I ended up 12th o/a out of 26 that raced.

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Yep. That sucks, but awesome for my friend Powers to get in. Much deserved on Matt's part. He is in great shape and will work his ass off until Loretta's.

I would have said screw it and left it in the trailer for sure at this point in my life. Although I made it to Lorettas out of a horrible mud regional at Red Bud back in the day with two 3rds in both classes. The gods were looking over me that day, because I suck in the mud.
 
Track was perfect Friday night after they chisel plowed.

Knowing the lines of red on the radar coming, I don’t think any of us could understand why the hell they didn’t seal that up ?

and of course vet 30, moto 1. The guinea pigs. Send me out there for 6-7 laps see how many bikes grenade.

I literally made it 1 lap. Could smell the coolant. Couldnt see s**t. Figured I shut her down wait for the checker to stave off a DNF. Grand scheme of things I should of just pulled off and pressure washed. Didn’t know you went to the consi if you didnt finish the heat. Apparently you do.

So then, after two water barrels to clean the bike and assessing the damage 1 lap did, and consulting the weather man (more red bands coming 80% chance of rain overnight) said forget the consi, went back to the truck, put the kid on my back and had a few beers and watched the remaining onslaught of smoked clutches, coolant pissing, paddle walkers make their way around the track.

for those that got a ticket. Well deserved, only cost them $8399 plus tax title and freight.


Fast forward to Saturday morning same thing. Vet 30 guinea pigs...another 7 lap race. Bikes smoking and letting go everywhere. Then they said ok 2 laps and that’s it, will cut 3rd motos. No wait then we will run 3rd motos. Hang on it’s raining again. Let’s just get the motos To 4 laps not 2. (Ok fuggit, apparently just race to the checkered because even thoughts at this place are “convenience flags”) This place changed their minds more than Christie’s cabaret changes the stage talent in a night.

Wildcat provided water thank god. They have a raceabke track. Tomahawk charging for water that had to be a nightmare. If wild cat woulda done that, I’m sure people probably woulda left. Would of cost $500 to fill up the barrels for the weekend.


I think when tracks get a regional they get this wierd idea they gotta lay down tons of mulch and sand. They gotta be something else, when reallty these tracks just need to run their damn program on their native soil without trying new big bold things in the name of a regional. The base there was nice.

Some of you maybe wondering: “And how do we all know that the track would of shaped up fine if they wouldn’t of dug 24 inches deep Friday night ?” Because they never tOuched the start. And It was glorious, nice. No water splashing until you got to turn one when it was thick soup—-where they started the 24 inch chisel plowing.

hope they learned something out of this because the facility is nice. Level pits. Sprayed off lanes. The water was very helpful. Great track Friday afternoon. Very raceable, nothing dangerous. Owner was nice. You just wonder what the stress of a regional plays and if it influences making decisions that on a normal race day you’d never make.
 
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I will say I have no complaints about the track prep, from tomahawk.

But as I said earlier the staff was horrible, I heard numerous people saying they were calling mx sports telling them to not bring a regional bank to tomahawk because of the staff.
 
Was Tomahawk on the original regional schedule? Lets be honest, some tracks got regionals simply because of Covid19. Now all you hear on the news in the spike of Covid19 in the country. Let's all hope the governors in all these states don't shut everything down!
 
Was Tomahawk on the original regional schedule? Lets be honest, some tracks got regionals simply because of Covid19. Now all you hear on the news in the spike of Covid19 in the country. Let's all hope the governors in all these states don't shut everything down!
Yes they were. High point was an area and tomahawk was their regional.

Oh I also forgot, how they were installing fence the entire weekend throughout the property
 
Prolly took all that gate fee cash right to Home Depot to get fence material.
Dudes arms who was running the gas powered pole setter had to be jelly after running that thing. It was a hand held stamper that fit over the top of the pole. I knew I was glad it wasn't me running the thing all weekend.
 
Matt was camped next to me and Davey Jones. Nice dude hung out with him all weekend. Of course now I'm not quite sure about him though since you said he was your friend! haha

He was another of several Vets telling me to switch to a 350......
Matt and Temp are great people. It's well deserved. He has worked hard on his riding and conditioning, and its paid off. Matt and I had the longest consecutive streaks of racing at least one race at dirt country until they did not have races this year. Would have been like 32 consecutive years for me, and 31 for Matt. Think we are the only two in District 11 to be going that many straight years without disruption.

As for the 350....yeah, he has told me that too. But he even bought a 450. I don't think guys like you and I would like 350s. We like to be lazy and have the power right there.
 
I've ridden a couple 350, not my cup of tea. I always feel like I'm between gears. And don't tell me I need to ride it like a 125....i ride one of those regularly
 
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