6/9/2008 - update from Brian Garrahan

Now that I'm back east, I'm getting used to the different elements: Tight trees , mud holes, roots and rocks. In the west, we have these objects too but they are not as confined in one small area. You have time between obstacles, but back here, everything is in your face constantly. It takes a lot of work and concentration.
     I headed to Loretta's for my first GNCC of the year. Unfortunately I was a little unprepared. I broke a bone in my foot a week before the event and could not train or ride. I went out to have a good time and meet up with some of my buddys I don't get to see to often. Wattsy was there, Kanney, and Mclevy, whom I hadn't seen since '05. I was out all of '06 with a broken leg and Mclevy didn't race last season.
     The course was rough. There were huge braking bumps going down the hills and the place gets rockier every year. Wattsy was leading the race when he decided he rather be riding with his good bud instead of winning another GNCC. It's funny Shane doesn't even race any more and he is still the fan favorite. He won't even be at a race and they still want him to win. The whole lap I rode with him flashes were going off.  My result was less than stellar and I ended up fourteenth.
     After Loretta's I was to have a home race in Kentucky for an OMA. I love saying that. For this event I was going to try something new since OMA's are so tight I figure the four five O was a little bit to much bike. Time to break out the karate kid. A two fifty F tuned by ( Al Pose) would do the trick in the tight muddy woods. Since we get a pro practice the day before I was pretty confident in my bike choice.
     My start on the little bike was superb and I entered the woods second behind Mullins. I was taking way better lines than Mullins so he let me by. We ran a really good pace and pulled away the first lap. I came ripping through the pits in the lead on lap one. My pit board read "ride smart" and right at that time, I grabbed a handful and spun a huge donut. Mullins passed me on lap two and I ran there until the last lap when another "yellow hornet" (Whibley) ran me down and pulled away almost catching Mullins. Third place was good and I was really happy with the performance of the bike. 
     Rio Grande, Ohio would be the next round of the OMA's. Nate "send it" Kanney was to show up to this one and mix it up with the "yellow hornets" with me. Nate has a factory KTM ride this year and is really riding well. He really is motivated this year and you can tell by his results. The conditions were going to be perfect for this race. It has a good mix of fast fields and some tight woods. I chose to ride the four-five-0. With there being some fast long fields, I would hate to give up that speed by riding the "karate kid". I hate the dirt in Ohio but this track got better as the race went on. Best I've ever seen the dirt in Ohio.
     Boom! The bikes fired and were off...well, everyone but me. My mechanic counted fifteen kicks before the big girl fired up. I worked my way up to eighth by the first lap. Mullins crashed on the first lap and I caught him and rode with him into the top five by the gas stop. By race end, I managed to work up to fourth, behind Whibley for the win, Jarret and Kanney.
     Sparta Gncc just down yonder. It is actually held at the Kentucky Speedway. Another local one for me. Kanney and Knighter wanted to do some riding and testing near the track. I hooked them up with a nice little place I go called Bucks Run. It has a two and a half minute moto track and plenty of quad trail to go around. You want hard pack, I'll show you hard pack!!
     My mechanic, Britt, took the truck down the night before to get a good spot in the pits. Big John always hooks me up with a killer spot. I got to stay home and sleep in my own bed and relax and spend the night with the family. Britt called me in the morning and told me he was going to race the morning race and needed gas. No problem. The race starts at ten. It takes me a half hour to get there. I'd be there around eleven on the side of the track.
     The track was really good, I thought, for a GNCC. It had some really good off cambers, lots of rocks and roots. It also had quite a few little rhythms sections you could jump through. I got off to a good start and rounded the first lap ninth. I stayed there until the last lap when Garret Edmiston caught me. I was pretty tired at this point and could not hold him off. I ended up finishing tenth. I was pretty disappointed that I got tired, because I definitely don't slack off during the week. I think I'm going to have to change up my routine a little bit.
     Well I'm off on a road trip. I've got a OMA in Iowa, then off to Utah for a hare scramble. Look for some race wins coming soon.

Thanks to: Valli Motorsports, Maxxis, Powerhouse Yamaha, Yamaha, Arai, Sprocket Specialist, Motion Pro, Pro Clean 1000, IMS, No Toil, Wiseco Scott USA, Maxima, Race Tech, Norcal, Powersportgafx, Works Connection, BRP, DP brakes, Answer Racing, Tire balls

4/17/2008

The migration has started. The family and I have headed back to Kentucky for the summer. I'm like a surfer chasing the perfect wave, or a snowboarder chasing the seasons. I'm the dirt biker searching for the perfect berm, or the right soil. California is baked right now, and there won't be rain for six months. Thanks but no thanks.
       The season has started off quite well for me. I'm leading the National Hare Scrambles points with three wins out of five races. I also got to race the first half of the local district 36 races, and to me, those are the best hare scramble courses. Out in Cali, the racing is all on the pipe up and down huge mountains with a really fast, smooth flow. I'm leading this series as well, and my brother, Patrick, is hot on my heels.
       Round One of the National Hare Scrambles was at Clear Creek. What a great course! They had a little of everything on this course. When I was done I said, "Now that was a race course! I'm shot." Patrick banged a huge holeshot and I got my usual bad start. I worked through the pack fairly quickly and was out front charging and ended with a couple minute lead.
       The second round was in Arizona and that was quite a shocker for me. The course had nowhere to pass and you had to be very aggressive. I got a bad start and rode way too excitedly. I would work up to the top five and make mistakes and drop back; work up, drop back. Finally, I had a huge crash right over the hangers. Goggles went a flying, and man, was I lucky to get back up. That's it. I'm done. Cruise control on. Eighth is all I could muster. The best part of the race was the private jet Valli Construction provided. We landed on an Indian Reservation with a car on the landing strip, waiting for us. We were in and out just like that. Home in time to watch some Supercross. 
       Round three was at Carnegie Hills Ca., and it went a little better. I had a good race with Brandt, Davis, and Powell. Unfortunately, I ran into Brandt up a hill and bent my front rotor. The sun was in our eyes on a big hill and we tangled going up it. That made for a hard race, because if you've ever been to Carnegie, the hills are monstrous! I made a huge pass at the end, down a big hill doing about seventy five with no front brakes. I made it stick and it really felt good to get that second win after such a bad race in round two.
      Off to Emmit, Idaho for round four, and the beginning of the migration. Idaho course was really fast but had a nice flow. Big hills with grass track corners and some really good air. Soule and I were literally jumping the entire hill. Rad, Bad Russ Pearson got off to a good start and left Soule, Brandt, and myself in tow. Russ had some bad luck and left me and Soule to battle it out. They had these long straights and my bike blew by Soule's KTM. I love NorCal RaceTech...good stuff. I got to the checkers first again and put myself in a nice points lead.
Patrick had a horrible race.  His bike blew up going down the first river bed off the start. Ironically the same thing happened to him in '95 in the same river bed off the start. Crazy stuff! After the race, I started back east for the first OMA National.
      The first OMA was in Tennessee, on some guy's private cattle ranch. This place was deep. The conditions were good but way different than what I've been racing these past months. No more wide open with the feet on the pegs. It's ruts, roots, rocks and bogs from here on out. I had a good race and ended fifth OA. The Suzuki boys got away, but Dustin Gibson and I battled it out all the way to the checkers. I was throwing up at the finish and really wore myself down. I was sick two hours later.
       I headed back to Cali for Shasta Dame Grand Prix, the fifth round of the hare scrambles. This place is a dump. There wasn't one bike after the race that had a Knob left on their tire. It was super fast and dusty so the start was going to be huge. My bike fired good but I missed my shifter, so back of the pack I go. I worked up to third by the top fire road but it was so dusty it took a lap and a half for me to work up to second. The race was only four laps long, so when I came into the pits on the second lap, I was informed I was three minutes down. With the conditions of the course and my points lead, I figured cruise control was in order. Never mind the fact Brandt got the holeshot, checked out and was putting a minute a lap on me.

       I've migrated out here to the Tri-State area, getting some riding in and preparing for my first GNCC at Loretta Lynns. Wish me luck. I couldn't do without my family Amy, Ian, Mom, Dad, Patrick, as well as my sponsors: Valli Con Inc, Maxxis, Powerhouse Yamaha, Answer, Maxima, Norcal Racetech, Powersportgrfx, Works Connection, Brp, Dp Brakes, Fmf, Arai, Sprocket Specialist, Motion Pro, Proclean1000, Ims, No toil, Scott, Steahly Flywheel, Ampro, Gbrothersraceing, Wiesco. 

e-mail kattoom@msn.com

This page was last updated on 06/10/08.