Blais Racing Services/ Fasstco Team NHHA Round 2 Race Report!

Press Release

FEB 13th, 2013

Contact: Chris Blais

Blais Racing Services
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ROUND 2 - AMA FMF/GPR National Hare and Hound
Race Reports - 4 Aces Moose Run!

By:  Skyler Howes, Open Pro

Early Sunday morning, I headed out to hopefully reserve the line that I packed in
most of Saturday afternoon.  To my disappointment, I see Anthony (Caselli's mechanic)
parked right in the exact line with Kurt pre-running it.  No worries though, I'll
start right next to him, hopefully get the jump and take the line back!  HA!  Easier
said than done.  The banner dropped and I got a great jumped but pulled a fat wheelie
like a goon and lost a ton of momentum, allowing Kurt and Jacob (Argubright) to
pull the line that we were all hoping for.  My only other alternate route, TJ Hannifin
had jumped in on and checked out.  Left in the dust and bush whacking hoping to
salvage something out of the start, I came to the end of the bomb in thick dust
and nailed a couple huge rocks that sent me down.  Picking myself up, the throttle
was stuck and levers were bent down, I straightened everything out and got it working
well as rider after rider went by me.  I got going again somewhere around 30th overall.

The entire first loop was spent playing catch up.  I made some sweet passes in the
dust, valleys and technical sections, feeling really strong.  I came into the pits
around 9th or 10th overall and with a great pit from Bundy Inc,  I was back on my
way feeling fresh.  I hit my second wind not to far into the second loop and really
turned my pace up.  Blais Racing Services has that KTM 300XC running like corn through
a goose!  I came up to a couple riders which turned out to be Ross Neely and Brady
Elton.  I paced Brady for quite some time on the trails and was able to make a good
pass through a valley and take the position.  I had my sights set on Ross next,
came over a hill and found him stopped with apparent problems to his bike.

Shortly after I made a huge directional error and lost the ribbon, riding around in circles, I saw Brady come down and he was right on course.  I booked it back over, hopped back on the trail just in front of Brady and felt like I checked out from there. I was feeling so great, pinning it through the washes and valleys and felt really comfortable in the rocks.  I started catching more dust and found it to be Tuffy Pearson.  I gained on him and was able to make a pass stick in a rock section; this put me up to 7th overall.  I set my sights back on a Purvines rider which turned out to be Justin Morrow.  As I was pinning it, gaining time and closingin on his rear wheel, I came to the bottom of this rocky down hill going way faster than I should have been.  I guess I was feeling so strong and comfortable I mis-judged the size of these enormous whoops at the bottom of the hill.  I hit the first couple of whoops that kicked me sideways and ended up pitching me right over the front of the bars.  I full on lawn-darted directly onto my head.  Tuffy Pearson was the first person to me and told me that I was knocked out cold for almost 20 seconds. As I came to, I remember telling Tuffy over and over to keep going that I'll be
alright.  He refused to leave my side telling me "I'm not leaving you buddy." As
I tried to get up, I stumbled around, falling back down a few times.  I was still
able to pick my bike back up, start it and continue on.

My wrist was in a lot of pain and being all loopy it made it really hard to ride
smooth. I'm not really sure what drives us as racers to continue on after hard
hits like that.  I'm still not really sure how or why I got back up and followed
ribbon all the way until the finish, but I did. Losing a huge amount of time, I
went from 7th overall to 24th just behind my teammate, Ben Meza, who won the 200A
class.  I got my finisher pin and headed over to Rescue 3 to get checked out.

I can't express the amount of appreciation for Tuffy and all those that might have
helped. He was willing to give up his race to make sure that I'll be ok; that means
the world to me. Thank you so much to Chris and Patty Blais, for all of the support
that they show every one of us on our team and their hard work that they put in
for our team and making sure my bike is 110% for the next round.  I love the team
that I am on; we are one big family and make me feel at home every time I go to
a race. Thank you to the Bangerts for housing me the past two races, and all others
that cheer me on.

Sponsors: Blais Racing Services, Fasst Company, KTM, Torco Oil, ESR suspension,
Race Tech, RAD Mfg, Alpinestars, Kenda, Pro Moto Billet, Fastway, FMF , Rekluse,
HBD Motografx, Regina, TLD, BRP, Bullet Proof, DirtTricks, Eline, IMS, No Toil,
Acerbis, Muscle Milk, Xbrand Goggles, A'ME Grips, TMFG Designs

By:  Sam Bangert, 200B

Going into the 2nd round of the NHHA series, I had not only a win but an overall
win so I was feeling a bit of pressure.  When it started to snow on Friday night,
I thought just maybe it would be two races in a row with wet dirt.  Turns out it
was going to be a very dusty race.

Saturday was full of riding and helping with the Youth National Hare and Hound Series
which was awesome.  I went and tested the bomb start.... SKETCHY!  That's what it
was.  Mine shafts to the left and right of me.  I thought I was going to battle!
I went and rode with a few friends and was ready to race.

Race morning was cold!  Me and my dad rode to the bomb to set my bike up and guess
what?  I didn't bring gloves!  My hands were numb.  An hour before the race, I got
my usual jitters but a pre-race talk from Colt Brinkerhoff of Geralds MC got me
all settled in.  My start for the most part was... really bad, but my mom always
said, "You don't win it in the bomb", which she was right.  It took me probably
ten miles to break into the top five.  I had a really fun battle with my good racing
friends, Brenden Throckmorton and Bryan Denny, for another fifteen miles or so.
When I thought I was far enough to finally set in pace, here comes Bryan on his
KTM 550 5th gear pinned in a wash while I'm pinned on my 200 and he was going twice
as fast as me!  I came into the pits 2nd overall Intermediate, but thanks to a crazy
fast pit from Bundy Inc. and my dad, I went out in 1st overall.

The second loop felt like Jack Rabbits race backwards. The last downhill was definitely
the most fun!  With really fun rock drop offs.  I finished the weekend off with
1st Place Overall Ammie and 1st Place 200 Lwt II Ammie.  I want to thank all my
sponsors:  Blais Racing Services, Fasst Company, Speed Unlimited, Bio Tearoffs,
KTM, FMF, Cytomax, MuscleMilk, Alpine Stars, ESR, TLD, and my club VCMC.  Also all
my friends and family for supporting me!  See you next time - Yee Yee!

By:  Brendan Crow, 250A

After having a disappointing opening round of the national series, my main goal
for the 2nd round was to finish.  I got a good jump off the start, but was forced
to pick a completely random line after a couple other riders jumped in front of
me.  After barreling through many huge bushes on the bomb (my arms look like I got
mauled by a small cat, and thank god for my Bullet Proof Designs radiator guards),
I somehow ended up to the left of the mines located at the end of it.  I had to
jump my way back to the main line, and was left sitting in a ton of dust.  I am
not used to riding in a ton of dust yet, but I am starting to get more comfortable.

The first loop went relatively smooth, other than getting stuck on a hill after
the first check and getting run over a few times.  I really enjoyed the five or
so miles coming into pits, my bike was running extremely well after Chris Blais
fully rebuilt my motor, and with my brand new FMF exhaust the bike was so much fun
to ride.  After a quick pit stop it was off on to the 2nd loop.

When I entered the pits I noticed Leon Hanson leaving the pits.  He wasn't very
far in front of me, and knowing he was in my class I wanted to get around him. Going
through the slower more technical stuff, I could see that I was slowly gaining ground
on him, but a bobble on one of the uphills erased any time that I had made up. 
I kept moving and didn't want to make any major mistakes towards the end of the
race.  I eventually got around Leon after he had some bike troubles, and focused
on trying to catch any dust that was in front of me to make up as many places as
I could.  I raced onward to the finish, and would end up 36th Overall and 10th in
class.

Overall I am happy to get to the finish safe, although it's not quite where I want
to be.  I am learning every race, which is something I need for my first year in
the expert class. My fitness is getting closer to where I want it to be, and there
is a little over a month to work on my bike setup and race pace before we head to
Idaho.

I would like to thank Alex Grabow for wrenching for me making the race a little
less hectic.  As well as all my amazing sponsors this year that makes this racing
possible:  Blais Racing Services, Fasst Co, Alpinestars, Fastway, Samco, Eline,
Kenda, TLD, No Toil, FMF, Dirt Tricks, Race Tech, IMS, BRP, Acerbis, HBD Motographx,
and Xbrand goggles.

By:  Ben Meza, 200A

My weekend started out with a drive out to Red Mountain for Round 2 of the National
Hare and Hound series.  Saturday night, I stayed in the city of Ridgecrest.  I woke
up around 6:00am Sunday morning and headed back out to Red Mountain.  The day before,
I had found a line that I liked on the start and went to the line around 8:00am
to get my spot.  My line was on the far left right next to David Kamo.  I got a
great jump off the line and chased Kamo all the way to the end of the bomb.  I passed
my teammate, Skyler Howes, who seemed to have crashed at the end of the bomb.  I
just got into my rhythm and kept up at a fast pace and was staying with the top
guys.

About ten miles into the first loop, it got really dusty in the tighter stuff and
at one point I couldn't see what was in front of me and slowed up, letting Skyler
pass me back.  I maintained my pace and eventually the dust thinned out.  A little
more than halfway through Loop 1, a guy on a KTM passed me pinned I didn't think
anything of it until I saw the name 'Keefer' on his jersey.  I realized it was
Kris Keefer and I made the pass back on him knowing that he was in my class.  We
went back and forth the whole second half of Loop 1 and I made the last pass before
the pits. I had the fastest pit of my life and was back on my way.

I was all alone on my second loop and was able to keep up a faster pace without
being in dust. I caught up to Paul Krause and just rode with him the last bit of
the loop to get an eventual 1st Place in my class and 23rd Overall, my best finish
yet!  Thanks to Blais Racing Services, Fasst Company, ESR Suspension, Race Tech,
KTM USA, Muscle Milk, Troy Lee Designs, Samco Sport, BRP, FMF, Eline, HBD MotoGraphx,
IMS, Kenda, Fastway, Regina Chains, Bullet Proof Designs, Alpinestars, everyone
from my club HBMC, and especially my Parents.  Thank you!

Thanks to all our team sponsors for 2013:  Fasst Company, KTM, ESR Suspension, Race
Tech, Alpinestars, Kenda, Pro Moto Billet, Fastway, FMF, Rekluse, HBD MotoGrafx,
Regina, TLD, BRP, Bullet Proof Designs, DirtTricks, Eline, IMS, No Toil, Muscle Milk, and Acerbis.
Be sure to check us out on Facebook
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Blais Racing Services offers engine rebuilding and online parts for all your Motorcycle,
ATV, & UTV needs.  Owned and operated by Chris Blais, former Factory KTM Dakar Rally
Racer. We specialize in KTM/ Honda, but can work on anything. I do all of the engine
work myself.   www.BlaisRacingServices.com