HOW IT ENDED: 2Nd Vet Main Event 3Rd Dash for Cash

STEVE LEIVAN

2010 RACE REPORT

WHAT/WHERE/WHEN: Round 1 National Endurocross; Las Vegas, NV; July 17

MY BIKE: WR290

HOW IT ENDED: 2nd Vet Main Event – 3rd Dash for Cash

BEFORE THE START: Summertime is here and that means the kick-off of the National Endurocross series and some indoor off-road racing. I’ve been looking forward to the series getting going for a couple of months now and the chance to do something different than dodging trees every weekend.

Dad and I left home on Thursday morning and began the 22-hour drive to Vegas. Everything went smooth on the way out, although the van got really hot crawling up from Hoover Dam on Friday morning. We ran the heater for a bit and got the temperature gauge to ease away from the red mark and rolled on into town just before noon

I didn’t have anything to do to my bike so we soaked up the sun (which there is an abundance of) and got caught up on the latest gossip. Sign-up opened, we got our passes and my transponder, and after Steph flew in, we went to eat. I was tired and we had to start practice at 9:00 Saturday morning, so I called it a night.

PRACTICE: During the track walk, everything looked like usual for an EX track. We did have a long run to the first turn (by Vegas standards) but then the Matrix and rock turn were the first two obstacles; and back to back. I figured that would cause lots of chaos. They threw in some big wooden spools for the first time and the water pit had a log in it but there was no way that anyone was going to be able to jump over it.

I rode the Vet class and the EX Pro and when I signed up my groups were back-to-back. I decided to just deal with it but I did ask Mike; the track director: to make sure I had enough time to get staged between races. He said he needed to get me moved so he talked to them and got me from group seven to nine; which gave me about 10 minutes to gather myself.

Practice went alright and I was able to get a good technique through the Matrix and I could get through the rock turn, two out of three times pretty well. The tires that were on their sides were the toughest part I thought. Steph came down after a couple of sessions and got me lined out on how to attack them. I think I only got screwed up there one time after that.

DAY RACES: My Vet heat race was first and I got a good jump off the line and raced with Trent Sandoval to the first turn. He hit the first log and fell in an awkward direction and I ran into him and had to stop which meant I was last to get going. The Matrix and rocks were parking lots and I finally got through them. I picked my way through the pack and got by Sandoval for second. On the last lap I passed Eric Hallgath in the Matrix for the lead but didn’t have the best entrance to the rocks and hesitated. Sandoval tried to pass me on the outside and fell into me and then Hallgath fell into him. I could do nothing since I was on the bottom of the stack. We were there forever and I finally got going to finish third. Still, I would have a good gate pick for the main that night.

The EX Pro class went about like usual for me in Vegas. I rode alright but missed it by two spots in the heat race and then holeshotted the LCQ and drifted back to third to miss the show by one spot. One of these days I’ll get it done out there.

NIGHT SHOW: I took my spot on the line for the Vet Main and focused on getting to the first turn in the front. I was confident that if I could get to the front early and miss the first lap chaos, I had as good a chance as anyone to win the race. The gate dropped and I launched out smoothly and got to the corner with only Martie Wells in front of me. I was on the outside though and he used most of the corner and then stumbled on the first log. I slammed into the back of him with his silencer getting crammed into the front of my left radiator. Did this just happen – again?

I basically fell into the barrier and that’s all that kept me from hitting the ground. As it was, I had to drag my bike back onto the track and take off way in last – again. I just tried to ride as hard as I could and hope something happened that would get me back into the race. Although I only had about seven minutes for something to happen, I realized this was an Endurocross race and it could.

The first time past the stripe I was sixth and the second time by I was up to fourth. On the third lap I got by Adam Booth from Dirt Bike Magazine when he fell in the rocks and then I got right on Hallgath going through the Matrix. He fell in the rock turn after that and I was blocked in. We got free and I passed him at the start of lap four to move into second. Wells was way out front and I kept hoping for him to stumble the last couple of laps.

It didn’t happen but I charged all the way to the end, doing all I could on my end. It ended up that second was what I could do. It wasn’t what I was hoping for, but it is what it is and maybe next time it will be different.

After watching the EX Pro semi races, I headed back down for the Dash. I didn’t get much of a start this time and rode around in fifth for the first lap. The race is just three laps so it’s important to do work quickly. I got by a couple of guys in the rock section and moved into third on lap two and stayed there to the end. It’s the best I’ve done in a Dash and it got me $200, so that made me feel a bit better.

THOUGHTS & OBSERVATIONS: What an unpredictable and tough sport! Sometimes I feel like a total squid out there and then I watch the guys that are the best, and they can look like squids as well. Just when it looks like someone has it dialed in, they don’t. Ricky Dietrich and Colton Haaker are a couple of the best at this stuff and they didn’t make the main event. That’s big-time unpredictable.

Taddy wins again. Geoff Aaron made him work for it though. They traded the lead a few times and then Taddy stuffed his way past for good about midway through. Cody Webb looked really good but also looked really tired. He told me he had ridden a “dirt bike” twice this year (he is leading the National Trials series). After running third, he slid back to 10th.

Kevin Rookstool came from the day qualifiers (the same group I was in) to make the main event. That is awesome! Rory Sullivan almost made the main, Ron Commo almost made it, lots of almost surprises – typical EX.

We loaded up as soon as the race was over and got on the road by 11:00 Saturday night to try to get the toughest part of the drive done when it was cooler. It sucks when “cooler” means 95 degrees at midnight! It went smooth and we were home at 1:00 Monday morning. About the quickest Vegas trip we have done.

One time when I looked at the thermometer in the van while we were in the pits, it said 122.4. I don’t know how close that was to correct, but I know that if you laid a t-handle down in the sun, two minutes later you would have second degree burns from picking it up!

Big thanks to Dad for all his help, to Steph for coming out and taking care of us, to Brian Elliott from Alliance for getting plenty of info to the announcers about me, Trent Sandoval for letting me cool off and rest in his camper, and to everyone that makes Endurocross happen. There are times that I am sure I hate it and never want to do it again, but those times only last for a few seconds and then I’m looking forward to my next lap – squid-like or not!

Oklahoma is next. Get there!

QUICKEST ON THE DAY: 1. Wells (Kaw); 2. LEIVAN (YAMAHA); 3. Booth (YAMAHA)

THE NEXT WHAT/WHERE/WHEN: Round 7 Missouri Hare Scrambles; Potosi, MO; July 25

HOW IT ENDED: 2Nd Vet Main Event 3Rd Dash for Cash

QUICKEST ON THE DAY: 1. Wells (Kaw); 2. LEIVAN (YAMAHA); 3. Booth (YAMAHA)

SPONSOR LIST – HELPING ME MAKE IT HAPPEN

ALLIANCE - ARAI - ATHENA - CLARKE - DP BRAKES - DUNLOP

EVS - FAH-Q - FASTWAY - FLATLAND RACING

HOT CAMS - HYDRAPAK - LEO VINCE - NGK

OZARK FOAM INSEALATORS - PIVOT WORKS

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