Loretta Lynn’s

Motocross Amateur National Championships 2000

By Nicole Weis

Saturday, August 5^th:

We headed out the door around 7:30 am, this was supposed to be a thirteen hour drive according to MAPQUEST, so we had a long day ahead of us. Somewhere just inside the Illinois State Line Sylvan was getting tired so I took over the task of driving. It was stormy out and those poor people who where riding their Harley’s to Sturgis were not having fun. Under almost every overpass you could see several bikers trying to take shelter from the storm. We literally saw hundreds of bikes headed to the big rally in South Dakota. They really had a rough day ahead of them.

Somewhere near Springfield, IL I got pulled over for the first time in my life and received my first ticket. I was cruising along at 75mph when I looked into my side mirror and saw some %@$@ flashing his headlights at me. I couldn’t go into the slower lane because there were cars there and I was just keeping up with the flow of traffic. I looked again in the mirror and the black sports car behind me pulled even farther out of the lane so I could see his red flashing light on his dash, the trailer that we were pulling blocked the view of the car initially. So I then told my husband that we were being pulled over. The wonderful officer then came up to the car and let me know that in the state of Illinois, if you are pulling a trailer, the speed limit is 55mph. There were signs all over, but…..I can’t drive 55!!!!! So I got a ticket for going 20mph over the speed limit, which added another $75 to our trip expenses. So learn from my mistake, DON’T DRIVE IN ILLINOIS IF AT ALL POSSIBLE, ESPECIALLY IF YOU ARE PULLING A TRAILER! (OR AT LEAST BE AWARE OF THIS REDICULOUS LAW AND OBEY IT.)

We traveled through part of Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, and 12 hours later, we were at Loretta Lynn’s ranch. As we pulled in, we signed the normal release forms and they gave us directions to our campsite. There were three huge campsites at the ranch and we were lucky when a guy in a dune buggy greeted us and took us to ours. Our site had hookups and we weren’t supposed to get them, but when we asked him if he was sure that this was okay, he said yes. So we began the wonderful job of unpacking our stuff and setting up our tent before it got dark. We also met our “neighbors” for the week, Jim and Jen. They were from San Diego, CA and where some of the nicest people that we have met. Jim is the racer and Jen is there to support Jim, we were happy to be camped next to nice people.

Sunday, August 6^th: We got up in the early morning and ran into the nearby town of Waverly, to get some supplies. The local grocery store was one stop, the clerk told us that they would be giving away a bag of groceries to the first person from each state starting Monday. So this was in the plans for Monday for us, why not, it’s free! When we got back, we were gonna walk the track, but just as we were heading out the same guy who showed us our campsite was now telling us that we would have to move because we did not have a hookup sticker. So we had to tear everything down and find a new campsite. Jim and Jen were sad to see us leave, and felt sorry for us. We could only hope to camp next to people like them. But we told them that we would be back to visit throughout the week. And I had mentioned the grocery giveaway to Jen, and she said “I’m there!”. I told her that we would pick her up around 5am the next morning, the store opens at 6am. It was hot and humid! It took half the day to tear down and set everything back up again. We finally got situated and got the opportunity to walk the track. My first impression of the track was that it was easy. There were some jumps and whoops, but it also had a lot of flat track. It consisted of sawdust/small chips, so it was really loamy. I ride at track in Kahoka, MO which also has sawdust, so I was used to this type of a track. I thought that this track would be more technical than what it was. I figured my 2000 Honda CR 250 would be great here, I could gain ground on the straights. The temperature was again in the mid 90’s F and very humid.

Monday, August 7^th:

Practice day for everyone. The women’s practice (both classes) would be practicing at 12:30. We started the day early, up at 5am, we threw on some clothes and a hat and we were off to pick up Jen. Jen was waiting for us, so she hopped into our truck, and off to the grocery store we went. It was like we were on some scavenger hunt or something, it was funny. We were the first customers of the day!! Jen won a bag for Ohio (that’s what was on her license) and I won a bag for Iowa, yeeha! The bag was filled with some camping goodies, toilet paper, paper towels, catsup, water, baked beans, and more.

I would guess it was about 93 F degrees with 90% humidity. I thought that I would give my new CTI2 knee braces a try during practice since I had not used them yet. They felt weird at first and it will take some time to get used to them.

All practices were 30 minutes. Our practice had 84 bikes, almost too many in my opinion. As I was making the first lap, I could feel that my suspension was way too soft and springy. I didn’t feel comfortable taking some of the jumps because it was bucking me pretty good. I ended up just taking three laps because I felt that it wasn’t worth crashing and possibly getting hurt or breaking something on the bike as a result of my suspension being out of whack. So we took the bike over to “vender row” and stopped off at the Pro Circuit pit to have them adjust the suspension and check the jetting. We ended up changing the main jet from the stock 180 to a 172 and putting the needle clip on the second position from the top. The engine sounded crisp and ready to roar. They also stiffened the rear spring in my suspension.

There was pre-registration starting at 2pm, Tori Klein’s mom (a fellow racer from IA) suggested that we head up there around noon to get a good spot in line. We headed up there shortly after noon, there was already a line that was getting long, and it almost reached the pool area. I sat there for two hours and waited, I met a couple of gals (mothers) and chatted with them about the races and watched everyone drive by. It was like a fashion show of vehicles, there were some golf carts and Kawasaki Mules that had awesome stereo systems and were decorated like no other, and they were usually filled with kids. Around 2pm they started to let us in the pavilion, the line had stretched past the pool and wrapped around also. Once in the pavilion there was yet another wait, but at least we were out of the hot sun. I eventually got signed up, each rider received a riders packet which consisted of the riders meeting on paper and various catalogs and stickers along with the official program. We also got a scarf , water bottle, and energy bar from Gatorade. Each rider was given a pit pass for their mechanic and a pit pass holder that hung around their necks. These were mandatory for all mechanics to be able to enter the mechanics area.

Almost every manufacturer had factory support personnel on site to help out riders. Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, Yamaha and KTM were represented along with Pro Action suspension, FMF, Alpinestars, Dunlop, Scott USA, Smith Goggles, CTI knee braces, Ballzee’s, AXO, FOX, Parts Unlimited, and many more. The motorcycle manufacturers were there to help anyone; if you needed something fixed, they would do it for you. All you had to pay for was parts, if they were needed. It was again very hot and humid.

Tuesday, August 8^th:

This was the first day of racing for the 2000 National Amateur Championships, the temperature was again in the lower to mid 90’s F with high humidity. Simply breathing was a workout! Each moto is 20 mins plus 2 laps, it would be evident who had been preparing for this event and the heat and who didn’t. The women’s (12-15) class was at 9:30am, not the hottest part of the day, but the temperature was still very hot at that time of day. I was definitely going to watch this race, I have never seen forty-two women racing against each other, at most there has been eight back home. A couple of gals who race back in Iowa that I know where in this class. Tori Klein from Waterloo, IA is a definite threat for the title. She is one talented rider who is tough to beat, if I ever am successful at that task, it will be a major accomplishment in my racing career. The other is Tiffany Witte from State Center, IA who is continuously improving her riding skills.

Sylvan and I found a shady spot to sit and watch the race, which was near the straight after the start, a great place to witness the holeshot. The women went out for their “hot lap” (every class gets one hot lap before their race) and then returned to the start gate. A few moments later, a pack of bikes were headed our way. I can’t recall who got the holeshot, but Tori Klein was one of the front runners.

These gals are on 80cc to 105cc bikes (both women’s classes are open, meaning stock or modified bikes), there are some riders in that class that are fast and have a smooth riding style. The top ten in particular could give many of the boys a run for their money. At first they were bunched up, but within one lap, they were spreading out quickly. As the last few laps where approaching, you could see how exhausted these gals where getting, not only from the long moto, but the heat and humidity was really draining them. The top five results from moto one where the following: 1) Leah Cantrell, 2) Ashley Wheat, 3) Brandi Davis, 4) Tori Klein, and 5) Chelsi Dunkelbarger.

Wednesday, August 9^th: This was the day for me, at 7:30am it was time to do what I came here to do, race and have fun. We were the first moto of the day, which I thought would be great because the track would be fresh, and we would be the first ones to start tearing it apart. I was so nervous, and Sylvan knew it, he was trying to calm me down and get me to relax before the moto. To determine who gets what gate pick for moto one, they had a bucket full of plastic spoons numbered one through forty-two, and each rider was to pick one. My lucky pick was thirty-four, so that meant that I would not have the best of gate picks. And as it turned out, I ended up with a spot to the left outside of the gate, the good picks where in the right outside since the first direction change in the track was to the right.

As I was taking my hot lap, I noticed that the track was somewhat muddy and greasy in spots, particularly on the faces and landings of jumps. The track crew had been watering the previous evening and more earlier in the morning. But for the most part, the track was looking great. The track crew plows the start after each moto, so it is loose and lumpy. I returned to the start gate, all sweaty and hot, took a quick sip of water and positioned myself behind the gate.

The two-minute card came up, so I positioned myself far up on the tank, and shifted into second gear to prepare for the drop of the gate. I looked again, and the card was now a one and I quickly focused my attention to the gate while revving the motor in anticipation of the gate dropping at any second. Then suddenly the gate dropped and away I went, within seconds I was in third gear and had it pinned, the loose dirt was robbing the horsepower for sure, but staying on the gas for as long as possible was the key to a good start. I was running with the leaders for the first lap, and then they where pulling away from me. I was able to get a rhythm through a portion of the track called the “Ten Commandments”, but the double triple jump ( a group of five single jumps) was pretty greasy, and I was reluctant to jump them more than one at a time in fear of landing or taking off and having the front wheel wash out on me. And I quickly discovered that my suspension was way too soft, it was bouncy, at times I felt like I was riding a Bull.

I was running in tenth place for much of the race, until I had a gal slam against me on my right side. She hit my foot and also my pipe, my boot suffered a rip on the inner part of the boot where it is plastic, my pipe acquired a few more dents, and my foot obtained a nice bruise right around the arch of my foot. What a tough crowd! The incident didn’t cause me to lose any positions. But towards the end of the race, I went down on the double triple jump, I overshot the single and my front tire hit the face of the next jump and my wheel found a greasy surface and came out from underneath me. Yes, this was all caused by me, by the time I picked up my 250 and got it started again many riders had passed me. I rode as hard as I could, but there was only one or two laps left.

I ended up with a twenty-third place finish, not good at all, I was disappointed in myself. I was riding too cautiously and it got me into trouble, I was tense and riding really stiff. I knew that I could ride better than what I did. Here are the top five results from moto one: 1) Jessica Patterson, 2) Sarah Whitmore, 3) Shelly Kann, 4)Angie Keuntjes, 5) Jacki Hudson.

At 4:30pm the second moto for the women’s (12-15) class was up. So after my race I got out of my wet and stinky gear, took a shower, and stayed in the shade to keep cool. Since it was so hot, we decided that this would be a good day to take a tour of Loretta Lynn’s house, there was air conditioning there. Her house was lovely, it wasn’t Hearst Castle, but it was a practical home with a ton of character. She could have had anything that she wanted, but this house was home to her. We also got to see a recreation of the home she grew up in in Buchers Holler. Typical of the old days, nothing fancy, just a small home to live in. We were also taken to a recreated coal mine, this showed what it was like working in a coal mine. She obviously was proud of her hard working father and husband, she wanted everyone to know what being a coal miner was all about. The last stop on the tour was the museum. Here Loretta has many of her prized possessions. Many of her awards that she has earned over the years, and many items that she was previously given by her friends, such as Conway Twitty, etc. Many “stars” of her early years have donated items to her museum also. I learned a lot about Loretta from that tour, but I still don’t know why she ever got into motocross.

After the tour, Sylvan drove the truck around the ranch and into Waverly for about two hours. I was hot and tired, he turned on the AC and I had fallen asleep, he didn’t want me to get sick from the heat, which I was starting to show signs of. It felt great, but just as soon as we returned to the campsite, it was hot all over again. We just tried to keep our heads wet and cool, we did this by putting our heads under the showers up at the pool.

It eventually came time for the women’s race, so we headed over to the track to watch. The track was in my opinion, perfect. The jumps where now hard packed and dry, and it had some nice ruts in the corners. The track crew is continuously grooming the track and watering it throughout the day.

I couldn’t see who got the holeshot, but Ashley Wheat and Leah Candrell were the leaders of lap one. The two of them battled, and after awhile Leah somewhat phased back and Ashely was able to pull an even bigger lead. It seamed that every lap Ashley was getting ahead more and more. I’m sure the heat was a factor because it was later in the afternoon and you could definitely see these girls were getting tired. And I can assure you that every time they headed toward the scoring tower, they were hoping to see that white flag, and when they did, they gave it all they could for that last lap. Tori Klein ended up eleventh place, bad luck and heat took its toll, and Tiffany Whitte finished fortieth. Here are the top five places for moto two: 1) Ashley Wheat, 2) Leah Cantrell, 3)Chelsi Dunkelbarger, 4) Brandi Davis, 5) Jessye Davis.

Later in the evening, Honda was having their Chili cook off at the Pavilion at 8pm, and Kawasaki was to have Bingo at 8pm in the Pavilion also. As it ends up, they had the chili cook off first. The third place winner won a Jersey signed by Sebastion Tortelli, second place I believe got Windhams signed Jersey, and first place won one of Gary Baileys National Trophies that he won in 1978? But all participants got a nice Honda hat, and a really cool mechanics apron.

Finally, around 9pm Kawasaki started their Bingo. Everyone got two bingo cards, there was a nice crowd that showed up. Kawasaki was giving away some really awesome prizes, hats, t-shirts, Jerseys, video games, clocks, etc., and the grand prize was a Kawasaki leather Jacket worth $299. I didn’t win squat and neither did Sylvan, I came close a time or two, but it gave us something to do for an hour or so. It was somewhat funny too, people where getting confused on the games and thinking that they won, if you were there, you know what I’m talking about. I had a good time, and that’s all that matters. When we returned to our campsite, we sat outside and played SKIPBO until about 1am or so. I believe that Sylvan was the winner for the evening, I really didn’t care, I was tired.

Thursday, August 10^th: My second moto was at 2:30, so I chilled out all morning and tried to relax and stay cool. Being allergic to the sun is not fun, and after getting burnt on Monday and being in the sun so much, I had hives/blisters all over my arms. I’m not good in heat, and the sun can make me very sick. The temperature was around 103 F and the humidity was again in the 90’s, I believe the hottest day yet for racing.

At about 1pm I started to prepare for the race. First getting in the tent and stretching on the floor, and then changing into my gear. It takes a few minutes to get your gear on, especially when your already hot and sweating. I decided that I would not wear my CTI knee braces, I had only wore them in moto one and was not used to them and it would distract me. After getting dressed, I was already sweating a river without any effort. I slammed a few ibuprofen to help prevent arm pump, and I was ready. They generally would like you in the staging area a half hour before the start of your moto. So Sylvan hopped on the back of the bike and away we went, headed for the staging area.

We found a spot in the shade to wait, and in the meantime I chit chatted with several other riders until they were ready to call us up. The majority of the other riders are very nice and love to meet other women riders. There were a few that I had met at the Regional Qualifier in Casey, IL that had also made it, we seem to be pretty good racing buds. Since I had a twenty-third place finish in moto one, that would be my gate pick for moto two.

They called us each up one by one for the gate picks, of course the top riders were picking the right outer side of the gate. And by the time I got my pick, I was once again clear to the left outer side of the gate. It was time for the hot lap, the Ten Commandments were getting deep. I had tried to get a rhythm through them and when I tried the single, double, double, double, double, single method, on about the second double, I hit the bottom of it and got a gut full of handle bar. I would have to find an alternate route through this for the race, I didn’t like the feel of that ride. The rest of the track was in pretty good shape, it was wearing in corners, etc, and was rough in spots, but that’s motocross.

As I headed back to the start gate, I took off my goggles for some fresh air, and got a quick drink of water before the start. I told Sylvan that I was already hot and thirsty, this would be a tough moto, the heat was gonna be a challenge. I watched the start man at the end of the straight, he’s got his two card up, and I get my goggles on fast. I put my CR 250 into second gear, slid as far forward as possible and stared at the gate as I revved the motor in anticipation of the gate dropping. In a matter of seconds, it was dropping and I let the clutch out and was on my way.

I got another decent start, I was among the top eight or so. I was pushing as hard as I could without wearing myself out. Through the Ten Commandments, I was not able to get a fast line through, so a bike or two passed me. But following this area is a double jump that some were not doing, so I would catch up to them on that jump, and sometimes be able to make a pass. The first few laps were tight, I was constantly fighting with someone to maintain my position. After about three laps, the heat was starting to get to me, my face was hot and I felt that I couldn’t breathe as well, I wanted to take off my goggles for some air, but I know better than that, and left them on.

It was approaching the twenty-minute mark, I was just headed towards the rhythm section just before the finish line/scoring tower. I could hear someone behind me, and WHAMMM!!, before I knew what was going on, I was lying on the ground rolling around grabbing my foot. Someone had hit me on a Yamaha with their plate number ending with a one, I know this because I looked at them as they sped away. I got a direct hit on the outside of my left foot, and I was hit hard, tears instantly were running down my face, and there was intense pain coming from my foot. At first I thought that I had broken my ankle, I had broken that same ankle a few years ago, and this was the type of pain that I experienced then. Some guy (a photographer or flagman?) helped pick my bike up for me, the bike and I were lying right in the middle of the track, and riders were zipping past me.

I got up and got back on the bike, I remember hearing the announcer say something about the fact that I was gonna get back up and race again, he sounded as if he was in disbelief. I tried to start it, it took a few kicks to get it back going again, which felt wonderful on my foot. I looked over my shoulder to see if anyone was coming, and headed back onto the track. Before the crash occurred, I had been running in thirteenth place, I knew that I wasn’t gonna have a good finish, but I wasn’t gonna give up either.

I was so angry at what happened, I took off like a bat out of hell and just rode like a maniac. The white flag was now flying, so this was the last lap to gain any positions. The jumps hurt my foot, but the adrenaline was pumping, and I was ready to kill! My arm pump totally went away, and I was focused on passing riders to gain positions. I’m not sure how many I was able to pass, but I know that it was a few. The finish line was approaching and the checkered flag was flying. I pulled over just past the Gatorade tent to get something to drink and to visit the EMT people to have my foot checked out.

Somebody took my bike for me and put it to the side as I was talking to the EMT’s and having them look at my foot. They basically said that they couldn’t tell me if it was broken or not and that I should go get an x-ray. So we headed back towards my bike, Davey Coombs was there asking how things were going, we told him that we were not sure if I had a broken foot or not. He said that he was sorry and asked if I wanted him to start my bike for me, of course I said no, but it was very nice that he asked and cared about me. He seems to be very nice, he loves and lives for this sport, he has one very lucky wife.

We headed back to our campsite, loaded the bike, and I changed my clothes. I also took some baby wipes and kinda gave myself a “sponge bath”, I didn’t want to have to go to the hospital stinking like a pig. So we locked everything up and headed to the local ER, which was located in Waverly, TN just down the road. As it ended up, I took thirty-third place in moto two.

As we were waiting to be seen, there just happened to have been another woman rider there also. She had whipped out in the first moto and cut her knee open, she had to get stitches. She was their with a friend who had poison ivy so bad that he apparently was blistering and he had a long sleeve shirt on covering his hands and arms. We finally got to see the ER nurse in a small room, this room had two doors, and the back door that opened to the ER was open. There was another gal in another room holding her arm, she had broken her thumb in moto two.

We finally were taken into another room and I got my x-rays. They showed that nothing was broken, I just had a contusion, which is a fancy name for a bruise. My entire left foot was swollen and already black and blue, I generally don’t bruise easily. The doc said to take it easy, and he thought that I might be able to race on Saturday. And as we were leaving, yet another victim of the races walked in, a man who broke his collar bone. I knew what that felt like, I had been in his shoes only a couple of months ago. The ER staff had said that this was a busy week due to the races, and there were many broken bones, and a few had to be air lifted to other hospitals.

We got something to eat in town, and headed back to camp. We pretty much did nothing the rest of the day and night. I laid down for a nap around 6pm and I didn’t get back up until around 6am Friday morning. Here are the top five finishes for moto two: 1) Jessica Patterson, 2) Shelly Kann, 3) Sarah Whitmore, 4) Jacki Hudson, 5) Tiffany Reed.

Friday, August 11^th: At 2pm would be the final moto for the women’s (12-15) class, I would sure be there to witness this race. On and off all morning we would watch different races, I would observe different areas of the track to see how others where attacking the obstacles and jumps. There are some fast riders across the US, any race was exciting to watch.

We also visited vendor row and got our Free T-shirt from Yamaha and took a look at the 2001 bikes they had on display. I believe that all manufacturers had their 2001 bikes on display, well except for Cannondale. Honda gave everyone who qualified on a Honda for Loretta’s a unique T-shirt and sticker, I thought that was cool, and of course I got one because….NO WINGS..NO PRAYER!! That’s right, nothing but Honda baby! We frequented the Kawasaki tent for their free Gatorade and misting tent.

2pm rolled around, so we headed to the track to watch the final moto for the women’s (12-15) class. I was hoping to see Tori Klein get a top five finish this race to help her overall placing. It was fun to cheer on people that you knew, they really appreciated it too, I know that it helps me out when people are cheering for me.

They took their usual hot lap and returned to the start gate. We were towards the back of the track awaiting the arrival of the lap one leaders. And sure enough, they came in a pack, the top five or so from the previous motos made up the front of the pack. This was a little bit cooler day, it was in the 80’s F and not so much humidity, so these gals would be able to battle a little harder and longer.

Every time Tori Klein and Tiffany Witte came by, we whistled at them and cheered them on. As the moto progressed, Tori had obtained a respectable position. She was doing a great job of keeping on task and focussing on passing the rider in front of her. Tori ended up in seventh place for the final moto, which gave her a seventh place overall finish, good job Tori. Tiffany Witte got a thirty-seventh place finish which gave her a fortieth place overall, keep it up Tiffany. Here’s the top five finishes for moto three: 1)Ashley Wheat, 2) Leah Cantrell, 3) Chelsi Dunkelbarger, 4) Erika Cook, 5) Jessye Davis.

Following the Women’s class was the Vet B/C +30 class. Our new friend Jim Schmidutz, whom we were initially camped next to, was in this class along with another friend, Tery Meyer from MO, who we met earlier this year at a race in Kahoka, MO. Sylvan and I watched from the back corner of the track again, every time either of those two would pass by, we would holler and whistle at them. Tery was awesome in the corner and had that YZF thumping all over that track. Jim on the other hand was doing great until he seized his motor. He was victim to a carburetor that was jetted too lean. We had a great time cheering them on, and afterwards, they both thanked us and said that we kept them going out there.

After watching Tery and Jim race, we needed to head to town for some more ice. We were going through about six bags a day, the heat was getting costly, but the local ice man was sure happy. We went to Walmart, and as we were shopping, I thought that it would be neat to make a donation to the local animal shelter. We bought a bag of dog treats and headed for the animal shelter. It was located right off the main highway so it was also convenient. One of the workers asked how many adoptions we would making, but I had to tell her none at this time. They were thankful for the donation and gave us a quick tour of the place and let us meet the animals. They had some cute puppies and a really cute Basset Hound, they called him ER. ER ended up at the local hospital ER often, he would sit outside the door and wait for anybody, that’s how he got his name. It felt good to do something good while on vacation, and it sure gave the motocrosser’s a good name down there.

At 8pm the Fox fashion show was up at the pavilion, and following that would be the Yamaha/Moto Tee’s talent show. I was looking forward to watching both. I laid down around 6pm or so, I was tired, and my foot was hurting. Again, I slept through the entire evening, I was obviously tired.

Saturday, August 12^th: My final moto was at 9:30, so I sat down to a wonderful breakfast that Sylvan had prepared. Jimmy Button had been signing autographs in the Yamaha tent and I had missed him, he was to be there again today from 10:00am – 11:00am. I figured that I would have to get his autograph right after my race, or I wouldn’t get one, so that was my plan.

I started to get my gear on, I was worried that I would not be able to get my foot into my boot because my foot was so swollen from the previous days incident. It fit, but it was a tight fit and it wasn’t exactly comfortable. There was no way that I was gonna miss this race, I didn’t care how painful, I didn’t come here to sit and watch. It was a little cooler, not so much humidity, so I was hoping that would help me some.

We headed to the staging area around 9:00am and sat in the shade until my number was called to get a gate pick. After two motos I was sitting in thirtieth place, so I would get yet another crappy spot on the gate. I ended up in the same area as the previous two motos, so my work was cut out for me. We did our hot lap, the track was in pretty good shape, and I was ready to go. I got back to the line and prepared for the start, I knew that I wasn’t gonna be riding my best because of my foot, but I was sure gonna give it all I had.

The start guy had his two board up, then one, and then the drop of the gate. I came out of there doing a wheelie and riding it for about fifteen to twenty feet, it wasn’t intentional, the power of the 250 and my awesome Dunlop D756 rear tire hooked up and took me for a ride. There was a little bumping in the first corner or so, but then things started to spread out. I sucked in the Ten Commandments, they were deep and sucked you in, and they didn’t treat my left foot so well. I was able to do most of the jumps, but I wasn’t doing the back double/triple in fear of landing hard and hurting my foot even more.

I stayed on the gas in the straights and was doing much better in my corners. I was trying to get the best finish that I could, I would need it to pull me up. I basically maintained position for the majority of the race, at one point I was around seventeenth, and towards the end I would remain in twentieth. Every lap Sylvan was letting me know what position I was in with the pit board and would sometimes write something like “have fun” or “relax”, and he would also let me know when I was approaching lappers. My bud Tery Meyer would also cheer me on and give me that old twist of the throttle hand signal.

There wasn’t anything too exciting this race, nobody hit me or made me crash. It was just a relaxing ride on the track. I ended up in twentieth place, which had given me a twenty-sixth overall placing. My goal was to get into the top fifteen, I knew that I was up against some great riders . I guess National number twenty-six isn’t so bad for my first try, at least I now have credentials, so it may help me with obtaining some additional sponsors.

Immediately following the race, I headed to the Yamaha tent to have Jimmy Button sign my scratched up goggles and my FOX hat. It was nice to see him out and about again, hopefully he will soon be back to racing. I also got a signed poster from him to give to my buddy Rose back home. I was glad that it was over.

I’m planning on coming back next year and I’m gonna take one of the top fifteen positions! I’m giving up my night schooling for the next year just to train for this event in 2001. I’m gonna devote all of my spare time to training, this is mandatory to be able to stay with those top gals and possibly beat them. Hey, I’m optimistic! The only thing that will stop me will be an injury, and god knows that I’ve had enough of those this year!

We headed back to the campsite, and tore down our tent that we called home for past week. It took a good part of the day to complete this task, and after all of the good-byes, we headed for home. We didn’t stay for the trophy presentation because we wanted to get back home. By the way, we didn’t travel through Illinois either, Missouri all the way!!

This was an experience of a lifetime. There were so many things going on all of the time, and there was plenty for the kids to do too. The week flew by so fast, I didn’t want it to end. I would suggest that anyone, who is somewhat serious about motocross, try to make it to this race at least once. It is where the cream of the crop gets together and sees who’s the best in the US. “Just making it to this point, makes all of you champions”, was a saying that was heard throughout the week repeatedly. It does kinda feel good to know that you are one of the forty-two top riders in the US, and you have the opportunity to show that you are number one.

I didn’t make it to Loretta’s alone, I have many supporters who helped me get there, and they all deserve to be recognized. I have to first of all thank my husband Sylvan, without his support, I would not have had the opportunity to make it to Loretta’s. He has given up countless weekends to go racing with me, and I appreciate all the effort that he has given to my dream. He is my mechanic and my coach, at times it gets frustrating, but we seem to be able to work things out. Thanks Sylvan, I love you dearly.

Another person who has been a tremendous help, is my mother. She will never come to a race (in fear of me getting hurt) but she baby-sits my dog Buddy when we go racing, which is about every weekend for a seven to eight month period. She is supportive like my father, but they both would like me to retire, they hate to see or hear about me getting hurt. But like all children, I’m not gonna listen (at this point) and continue living my dreams. My father is supportive too, if he didn’t live so far away, I’m sure that he would come to watch and do whatever he could to help out. I’m living my dream, many people never live their dreams, my devotion to this sport has allowed this to happen and the many sacrifices my family has made for me is a large part of the equation also.

Papa Juans Mexican Restaurant, which is a local business in Cedar Rapids, IA, has been supporting me for the last three years. Rich Abernathy (the owner), has believed in me from day one, and continues to show his support year after year. Thanks for being supportive of me and helping me achieve my racing goals. By the way, if you’re ever in the Cedar Rapids area, stop by for the best damn margarita this side of the border, they have the strongest margs in Cedar Rapids, and they taste good too! They also have some of the best tasting food in the area. Thanks Rich!

Pro Cycle, a used motorcycle sales/service center/accessories/parts business out of Muscatine, IA has been supporting me during the 1999 and 2000 racing seasons. The owner George Reimer is one of the nicest guys you will ever meet. He has been supportive of me even before he started his own business. He goes above and beyond any other parts dealer I know. He not only has the best prices, but his service is outstanding. He takes good care of my parts needs and will continue to do so. If you’re in need of a dependable parts man or need to have your bike serviced, Pro Cycle is the place you wanna be. Give George or Bill a call at 319-288-0919, they will be glad to help you out and get your bike running in no time.

By the way, my buddy George from Pro Cycle ended up with the goggles that Jimmy Button signed. He helped me out tremendously, this was the least I could do for him, and his eyes sure lit up when I gave them to him!

Norris Motor Sport in Muscatine, IA was another big sponsor for me. They sold me my 2000 Honda CR 250 at an awesome price, at the time, nobody could beat their prices. They have sponsored me for the last three years, and they treat me good. Norris carries Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki, and Suzuki bikes, so no matter what your looking for they carry it (except KTM and Cannondale). Give John a call at 1-800-848-0609 he will give you one of the lowest prices you’ll find on new and used bikes, and they have a pretty good sponsorship program for racers.

After all was said and done, this was the best week of the year 2000 for me. I had a great time and learned a lot. I plan to be back in 2001, and watch out, because I will be ready to accept the challenge again, and I plan to conquer!