I headed out to the Evansville mud-n-snow harescramble with alot of anticipation. This was going to be my niece's first race, and I had decided to run in two seperate classes, running two races. I loaded up my trusty YFZ, my not-so-trusty Wolverine 450, and the Predator 90 in the trailer on Saturday night, and my sister and niece came up to stay overnight so we could get out early in the morning. My niece and I loaded the last bit of her gear, and we all got to bed at a decent hour to be rested for Sunday's race..

We headed out at 7:30, and got to the track about 10am. Got everybody signed up, and they announced that the races were not going to be 30 minutes, but rather 50 minutes each. Ok, I liked that idea, but was nervous if my niece would like it as much. No worries though, she was thrilled that she could race longer. I suited up, gave my sis the camera and headed to the line.

My first race of the day was on the YFZ, and I stepped it up a notch and ran in the Vet B class. Only 4 guys in my class (including myself), but overall turnout wasn't huge either.. I went into the woods 3rd in my line, and the two riders ahead of me were keeping a nice pace.. On our first lap we came to an area with 2 tires with arrows on them. One arrow pointed to the left, up a hill, with a clearly obvious set of quad tracks running up it. The other tire had an arrow pointing straight ahead, down a much less used path. I followed the two quads in front of me up the hill, and the rider behind me went straight. He gained a considerable lead right then and there, and we never caught up. The 2 other Vet B riders and myself stayed together pretty tightly for the race, you really needed to capitalize on the other riders mistakes in order to make a pass, the course was too short and tight to otherwise pass.. I really should have either flipped my back tires around, or put on new ones, as it seemed that my biggest downfall was a severe lack of traction. I would be on the tail of the guy in front of me going into a downhill turn, but as we went back up the hill, they were pulling away as I was spinning my tires. I would catch up by the next turn, but thats all it was, a game of catch-up because it happened over and over. I ended up finishing 4th, out of 4, but I was happy. I ran in a higher class, and the 2nd, 3rd and 4th place riders were a pretty tight group for most of the race.

My niece raced next, and boy was I excited.. Her first race.. So many things I had told her, would she remember them all? Would the bone stock predator keep up with the more modified minis out there? Would she be confident, or intimidated? So many questions, but not a thing to worry about. Olivia was calm and confident before her race. We went over some basics in the trailer after she suited up, she seemed to remember all the important points, so we headed to the line. I must admit, I was a bit nervous on the line for her. I expected maybe 3 or 4 youth entrants, and there are TEN on the line. FIVE of which have some serious upgrades. I'm really nervous now that she will be outpowered by these quads, but again, nothing to worry about. Olivia paid attention to all the tips I gave her, and when other racers were stuck, she found ways around them instead of waiting. She rode a smart race, chose good lines and passed alot of people in the woods! Her mom and I were running all over the woods and fields getting pics of her, and I have to say, I was proud of her riding even though I didnt know what place she was in. She was doing really well! Her race finished, and my race was right after, so Lori and I ran out of the woods and back to the truck to meet her. I had to get changed for the 4x4 race, and Olivia wanted to get the 30lbs of mud-encrusted gear off of her. We didnt even have a chance to see what place she came in before I had to be on the line for the 4x4 race.

Now I am running the 4x4 class, but I am the only quad in it :( Kinda stinks because I DO like some competition.. All I need to do is one lap, and I have a lock on 1st in my class (and last place as well! LOL).. Well, the flag drops, and I decide to try to hang with the C class sport quads. Other than the front end being washy on the wolverine, I wasnt doing so bad. Some of the larger dips I had to really slow down or my machines weight would just slam into the ground.. Overall though, the wolvy felt pretty good, I had lost a few pounds, and the suspension actually felt kind of plush for a change! So.. I am in a groove, enjoying my race when about halfway into my second lap she stalls and just dies in the fields. Definately a short in the wiring somewhere, so I called it a day and waited for a tow. By a stroke of luck, I had forgotten my phone in my pocket, and I was able to let my sister know that I would not be doing another lap. They came and found me in the field, and that's when Olivia told me about her Third place finish! I had to wait almost the entire race for a tow (and it was a small utility, no bigger than 300cc), it really worked hard to get me out of there...

All in all, an AWESOME day. My niece took 3rd place in her first race (against a field of TEN!), and I came home with a 4th in Vet B and an easy 1st in the Utility class.. I would also like to thank my sister, Lori, for being the trackside photographer for us! Definately love the shots sis!!