Willow Springs Raceway * Rosamond, CA * 04/26/09

I was super excited to be back racing another Eddie Mulder WCVDTS event and ready to put my fresh out of Jim Kelly’s race shop H-D XR 750 engine to the test. At the last event I rode here I led the first 19 of 20 laps in the final so I was very motivated to make sure I led the last lap this time around.

The day started off great, as we rolled into the track there was a dumptruck dumping a load of dirt on the track and I knew that it was going to be a fun day of throwing a roost off the back of my H-D. I was in the second heat race and pulled a nice holeshot and never looked back.  I rode hard for the first 5 or so laps and then backed it down a notch and still had the fastest heat of the day.

That set me on the pole for the $1,000 to win Dash for Cash.  Thanks to Rod Lake for his contributions and then another thank you is due to everyone at the riders meeting who was so generous to donate another $1,200 so they could pay all four spots in the Dash. Tom Seymour of Saddlemen seats had the honor of waving the green flag to start the race and I anticipated it just right and nailed the holeshot and five laps later I took the checkered flag first!

Next up was the 20 lap Open Pro main event.  I started on the inside pole and didn’t have much of a lead going into turn one, so Joe Kopp made a very ballsy move and squirted under me coming off turn two and just let it drift into me pushing me up over the edge of the track.  I had my feet off the pegs and was jumping over berms to get back on the track but luckily I kept my Harley WIDE OPEN and held onto second. How ironic that Joe would blatantly run me off the track in the exact same fashion that was done to him in Daytona and he had to make such a big fuss over it when it was done to him. Oh well we can all dish it out but only some of us can take it. I started to size him up and was getting a little worried cause I hadn’t been behind anybody all day, and when I was following him my engine was bogging down running his pace, so a couple laps into the race I came off turn two really low and that apparently killed my momentum as Joe pulled out to about a five bike length lead. So I made sure not to do that again, once I had a little ground to make up I started running my own pace and reeled him in and went wizzing right by him to take the lead. Then I really put my head down and rode like a maniac throwing my big XR aggresively into the turns in a two wheel slide. When I would let off the gas the front tire would push like a dump-truck so I just had to stay on the throttle and away I went. A couple laps later Eddie Mulder gave me the hand signal that I had a big lead but I kept charging.  I was having too much fun to slow down, the track was in perfect shape! Then I finally looked back coming off turn two to see how big this lead was and I didn’t see anybody back there, so I did a double take and looked further back and there they were, woops I shouldn’t have done that next thing I know I am up off the track jumping those berms again… YEE HA! Good thing my Harley was handling so smooth it was soaking up the bumps like a Cadillac. I was able to take my time to work my way thru the lappers and everyone did a good job holding their line. Thanks to the starter for showing them the blue flag. Finally I saw the checkered it was ALL MINE.

I was 16 or 17 years old when I first got a second place finish at one of these WCVDTS events so it took me long enough to finally get a win and boy did it feel good. It was an honor to take Digger Helm around for a victory lap.

Thanks to Digger and Eddie and everyone else who made this event possible and made it worthwhile for all these world class riders to come on down to Southern California and make a paycheck.

We are staying at Jim Kelly’s race shop right now working away on one of our XR 750 engines getting it ready to compete for the AMA Grand National Championship.

A special thank you to everyone who has ever supported the Halbert Family Racing Team!

 

Photo’s by Jamey and Janice Blunt

(Included a picture of #3 Kopp running me off the track for the lead:)

 

Results:

Digger Open Pro:
1. 43 Sammy Halbert
2. 3 Joe Kopp
3. 37 Jimmy Wood
4. 54z Mikey Rush
5. 26 Brandan Bergen
6. 21 Jared Mees
7. 69 Jethro Halbert
8. 51 Steve Murray
9. 42e Kayl Kolkman
10. 28 Shaun Russell
11. 9 Tyler O’Hara
12. 1 Kenny Malaguranero
13. 65y Kris Bunch
14. 15 Nicole Cheza
15. 49 Chad Cose
16. 10 Briar Bauman
17. 34 David Brown (dnf)
18. 54 Michael Kirkness (dnf)

Ricky Graham Challenge * Salinas, CA TT * 4/11/09

Photos by: Karen Gould – Checkered Flag Photography

After getting second at the last event I rode, which was the San Jose Legends indoor concrete short track race, I was very motivated to train hard during the week and come back to Cali ready to win. I was really excited about this race as my friend Chad Lindsay was going to let me ride his very fast Honda dirt squirter.

We met up with Oregon racer Tim Rickets and drove all night long to make it in time for a practice session on Friday. I felt fast right out of the truck so I just practiced a couple times to get the feel for the track, and my competition. They did an excellent job on the track, it was fast & fun and the jump was near perfect as it had the fast guys just about landing in the corner.

Friday night we stayed in King City with the Nunes family whom were nice enough to put us up and even help us get our bikes ready for the race. Saturday morning we had a nice cloud cover that we hoped would stay to help keep the moisture in the track. I practiced a couple times then came in and put on my brand new maxxis tire to prepare for the days events.

I was in the fourth and final heat race with Jimmy Wood among others. I got a decent start and then won the drag race to the first turn. I put my head down trying to set the pole for the main event but I came up about a tenth of a second short to my brother Jethro who had the quickest heat race time and would sit on the pole for the Dash and Main event.

They took the top two finishers from the four Pro heat races and put them in a 12 lap dash for cash. Stevie Bonsey was the first to drop the clutch and had a wheel ahead of me off the line but my Honda just pulled right past him entering the wide sweeping first turn. As I set up to turn into the infield Bonsey came blitzing up the inside to take the lead so I sat back and followed for a couple laps then going thru the final turn that leads back onto the big half mile straight-away he made a bobble that left the door open so I picked up the throttle to try and get under him but that made me get all slapped out killing my drive onto the straight-away but as we hit turn one I just held it to the pin in 5th gear and just drove around the outside in the cushion taking over the lead I kept my head down for the remainder of the race and as they gave me the white flag they held out a wad of cash that made me try to stretch the throttle cable a little more on that final lap. A big thanks to Jim Beck and all the fans who kicked in to make sure we had Dash money to race for.

 
Before the 20 lap pro main event the track crew did their very best to give us a brand new track I was excited as it looked like it was going to be a deep cushion which would definitely play into my hands, but the sun broke through the clouds and it took too long to get the tractor off the track so we were going to have some dry slick conditions to deal with.

On the line all revved up and ready to go, the starter runs off the track and throws the green and I just launched off the line immediately ahead of everyone else, I knew I just had to protect the bottom so Bonsey couldn’t do another block pass on me but of course as soon as I left off to make the sharp turn into the infield Stevie was still on the gas and blasted into the inside of me nearly taking the bars from my hand, so I was all fired up and about to stuff him in the following right hander, then at the last second I backed out of it and decided to just wait as I had 20 laps to get it done. They ended up having to throw the red flag for a fallen rider. My brother Jethro was shaking his head after watching Bonsey just Bonzai into me in the first turn and told me to quit playing around….

 
I had just figured out a technique that was working really well on the starts here so I was pretty sure that with the power of the bike I was riding I would pull the holeshot every time, and sure enough I had the lead into turn one and this time I protected the bottom so Stevie couldn’t stuff me but then he was able to pull alongside of me thru the right hand turn, and the red flag was out again, so we would have one more re-start and it was the same thing I would pull the holeshot but couldn’t keep him behind me thru the first couple turns. So I was following him around trying my high line thru the sweeper the first couple times but that was simply not going to work. It was way too dry up there so I had to change up my lines a little and started to try to set-up the pass. He was going so fast thru the right hander I would do everything I could to keep up and I was definitely on the ragged edge, and in a two wheel drift thru that fast right hand corner before the jump. I finally passed him at the end of the front straight-away but he wasn’t done and was able to re-pass me as we hit the infield. This was turning into a real dog fight as we started to lap riders. A couple laps later he ran it a little wide coming into the infield so I gunned it and let my bike drift right in front of him to show him an aggressive block pass of my own. From then on it was smooth sailing. I think I was able to gap him before he had to pull off the track with bike problems making it a one two finish for the Halbert Bros. With Jimmy Wood third, then came Michael Avila and Mikey Rush rounding out the top five.

A special thanks to all my sponsors for their continued support:

Kings Kustoms / Fredericktown Yamaha / Scott Powersports / F&S H-D / AGV / Dainese / Woody Kyle Racing / Deluxe H-D / A&A Racing / Top One / Barnett / Maxxis / Micah Racing / Grandpa Bill / Kibblewhite / Fluid Suspension / K&N / Bryan Trippe / Tucker Rocky / Tsubaki / Aqua Flo / Nymo Plates / Cometic / Utopia / Web Cam / Peiroli Racing / MSD / G2 Ergonomics / Saddlemen / Kalapus Chiropractic / CP Pistons / Thumbs-Up / J&M / Durelle Racing / Gene & Gail Cummings / West Coast Hotshoes / Racing Optics / Royal Publishing / Team K-POW / Chicken Hawk / Oury Grips

Neeses, SC * 03/07/09

With a $5,000 purse up for grabs I couldn’t afford not to come race this awesome little short track in South Carolina.

My Daytona set-up did not feel very good at all on this track so I was still trying to get comfortable when practice ended. I made a couple changes before my first heat race and was being led around by local Garth Brow and was chasing Aussie Luke Gough when all of a sudden down the front straight away my motor locked up. It sounded like the chain may have fallen off, but as soon as I saw it wasn’t the chain, I knew that it wouldn’t be pretty inside my engine.

Since we had already taken my stock Yamaha 09 engine out of my frame and given it to my engine builder, I was without a bike to finish the night. Matt Weidman and family stepped up and pulled Matt’s practice bike out of their truck for me to race.

The next heat race was for the big money class, I got a decent start from the bottom of the track, Jason Griffin had the holeshot so I just had to roll around him and then I entered turn three really hot on a bike I hadn’t ridden before, for a brief second I was worried whether it would stick or not but it was no problem at all. The bike was working really well, especially for a Honda! I was able to win the heat race and set the pole for the $1000 to win main event.

In the other class Chris Carr and I had to go thru a semi to make the third row of the final, I lined up next to him, beat him off the line and pulled down in front of him to the bottom of the track and started working my way forward until I got stuck behind someone on a framer. Carr was able to get by me and then I followed him past said rider and we were slowly catching the next pack of riders until I just blew it into turn three. I just didn’t get the bike sideways to scrub speed and so I blew the groove and went to the top of the track losing touch with Chris. I was only able to manage 7th place at the finish.

Now the big money class I picked the outside pole, and picked the very bottom of the groove so that all the other riders started on the loose dirt to the inside. I pulled a monster holeshot with a nice wheelie only to be red-flagged, so on the restart a couple guys to the inside jumped the line and had a wheel ahead of me at first but that didn’t last long as I was too hooked up and had the lead going into turn one.

Thru turns 3 and 4 I was just above the smooth line and the bike was bucking and bouncing all over, it took me two laps to smooth out and find the fast line around the bottom. I was still struggling to find a smooth line on the other end of the track and I could hear someone was all over me. Pearson ended up passing me around the halfway point on the end I was struggling with so I thought I gave it away, then he got in the rough stuff and I was able to sneak back by on the inside and was trying my hardest to hold him off and hold the low line but I still couldn’t get thru turns one and two clean so he was able to get back by me on that end on the last lap, so I followed him close thru the final turns and picked up the throttle really early, pulled to the inside and made it a race to the checkers… but I came up a few feet short in second place.

Thanks to Matt Weidman and family if it wasn’t for them I wouldn’t have even been able to race.

AMA GNC Singles Round 2 * Daytona, Short Track * 03/05/09

I made three key changes to my bike before qualifying/practice and cut the fishnet like sleeves to loosen up my under-armor protection jacket.
Right away in practice I knew I had it right. I felt so comfortable sliding my bike around the turns and was able to get my feet up way earlier than I was yesterday.

My times were really competitive and I was excited and rode harder the next session and my times got better, then the track started taking rubber. I was in the first session so what started out as a top five time would fall to around 20th. Then in the final qualifying session I over-rode the track and didn’t get a good time. I was a little disappointed in myself and worried that I wouldn’t have a front row start for the heat race but I lucked out and qualified 16th giving me the last pick on the front row of the third heat race.

I had fast starting Kopp to my inside, he was kind of freaking me out the way he was revving his bike on the line but I kept my cool, dropped the hammer and pulled him hard. Then pole sitter Bergen shot up the inside in front of me so I just turned under him coming off turn two and said see-ya. I led that heat the whole way I felt fast and had a big lead over Kopp at the finish.

The track was maybe over watered just a little bit before the Dash for Cash so we had to wait a little while until we could take to the track, and they didn’t give us a warm up lap so it was going to be a surprise how slick it would be. I had a great start and went into the first turn with the front end pushing through the wet mess, so I just picked up the throttle and my foot and slid around that turn on the lock stops to take the lead.. I didn’t see anybody the whole race until coming off turn four on the final lap Wiles went for it and stuck a wheel under me just as I was pointed straight shooting to the bottom of the track so he just tapped my back wheel and layed it down. I looked back across the line and I had a huge lead over Coolbeth. I was stoked to hoist the big check on the podium and collect the five bonus points for the win.

Two down one to go, I was able to control my heart rate a little more before the start of this national, and I felt like I was prepared and was confident I would be fighting for the win.

I picked second out from the inside and was between Coolbeth and Wiles. I thought it would be a good spot but it wasn’t my first choice.
Well I didn’t get a great start but I would guess I was around fifth place when on about the second lap JR Schnabel came into turn one way too hot underneath me and instantly slid up into Jared Mees right in front of me. I got sandwiched between the two and JR basically just used my front wheel for a berm and I almost crashed hard into the bales but I held onto it but was unfortunately in 18th spot!

Definitely not the way I wanted to start the final, but I didn’t waste any time and was having fun working my way thru the field. At first it was easy for me to pick up the throttle earlier than the other guys and just shoot underneath them. My bike was working so good it was just carrying me to the front, but I was maybe taking my time a little too much considering how far I had to go as I would sometimes take one or two laps to find an opening past riders. I worked my way all the way up to sixth place without running into anybody. One of the last riders I passed was my brother Jethro, I just slowly inched up on him and when I got there I didn’t waste any time I just drove it under him into turn three as I knew he would not lean on me too much but instead try to follow me to the front. Next up was the guy with the #1 plate on his bike Jake Johnson.

I couldn’t seem to make a pass stick as he just kept fighting back so we had a great battle for about the last five laps or so going back and forth every turn. I wanted to clear him and get to Mees but it was not to be, it took everything I had to pass Jake as he was leading when we took the white flag I shot underneath him in turn one and hesitated to pick up the throttle so he couldn’t shoot under me, and now I just had to hold him off for one more turn he got a run on me to the flag but I had the corner squared up good and was shooting for the bottom of the track as he wheelied up into me coming off the final turn I held him off to the line for another 6th place finish at Daytona.

Definitely a little disappointing as I felt we had the bike to beat, and the speed to win if I just could have gotten a decent start.

I am now sitting in fifth place in the AMA GNC Singles Championship.

I apologize for not being able to be as informative and accurate as usual as I could not find any good coverage of the race or a lap chart.

Next Race:
Neeses, SC 3/7/09

Thanks to all my friends family and sponsors who helped make this a successful Daytona for me.

Glassman / Kings Kustoms / Fredericktown Yamaha / Scott Powersports / F&S H-D / AGV / Dainese / Woody Kyle Racing / Micah Racing / Deluxe H-D / A&A Racing / Barnett / Grandpa Bill / Kibblewhite / Fluid Suspension / Top One / Peiroli Racing / K&N / Bryan Trippe / Tucker Rocky / Tsubaki / Aqua Flo / Nymo Plates / Cometic / Utopia / Web Cam / MSD / G2 Ergonomics / Saddlemen / Kalapus Chiropractic / Rod’s Auto / WCR / CP Pistons / Thumbs-Up / J&M / Durelle Racing / Gene & Gail Cummings / West Coast Hotshoes / Oury Grips / Racing Optics / Royal Publishing / Chicken Hawk

AMA GNC Singles Championship Round 1 * Daytona Short Track * 03/04/09

The first laps we took in qualifying/practice the track was really dry and dusty, my bike was working fairly well and my times were competitive I was just searching to find that perfect set-up and get my comfort level where it needs to be to slide around the slick Daytona surface with my feet on the pegs, on my stock framed YZ 450F. I ended up qualifying 14th with my fastest lap time time a 20.798

My brother Jethro qualified 3rd so I knew he would be competitive.
This year the program is a little different with 18 riders in 3 qualifying heats, top four transfer to the main event, and the top two transfer to the points paying Dash for Cash and the front row of the final.

I was in the second heat race starting in about the fifth position out and I just pulled a monster hole-shot and  The track had some deep ruts in it and I wasn’t exactly riding the same line every lap, you could say I was all over the place. Just as I started to calm down and get some breathing room the red flag came out.

Time for a single file re-start, Jared Mees and I believe it was Jake Johnson were all over me I was able to hold off Jake but Mees snuck under me and pulled a few bike lengths on me then I found a good line to deal with all the ruts and closed in. I would finish a close second and I was excited to be on the front row of the national and be in the $1,000.00 to win Dash for Cash.

In the Dash I started 6th out next to my brother.  Going into the first turn Brandon Bergen fell and I slowed up, squirted under that mess and passed Mees going down the backstretch and into turn three for third. I held my own but I think my tire pressure was too low for the fresh cushion at Daytona, and I just didn’t have the speed to fight for the win so I just watched as Jethro held off Henry Wiles for the win.

In the main event I had last pick and I got a pretty good one, I was like third off the bottom.  I was excited and nervous for the start, my heart was beating fast I had the rpm’s up I was ready to drop the clutch and then my clutch kind of grabbed right before the start and it threw me off just enough so that I was a little behind and was just about sandwiched between Wiles and Schnabel, as they were banging off each other.  Before long the red flag came out for fallen riders.

It would be a complete restart, I got my clutch adjusted and I was ready this time I just about had the holeshot but Wiles took over he was on the gas hard and got a little slapped out but he pulled it off, I believe I was on the outside of Mees in third place, I found some nasty bumps out there and almost got bucked off once so I made sure not to hit that hole any more, before long I was feeling the pressure from Schnabel, he was pushing really hard and was able to get by me and then I watched him have his way with Mees. I was wishing I could do the same but felt like I was barely hanging on so I just stayed right with Mees, the next to pass us was Coolbeth and then Kopp. I was really having a rough time, I could barely hang on and was wondering how am I getting such bad arm pump after all the training I did, my fingers were almost slipping off the bars and it was hard for me not to slide off the back of the bike when I pinned it off the corners. I was still able close right onto Jareds back wheel at the finish but we were both riding the same line and I didn’t want to try anything as I was making sure Brandon Bergen couldn’t pass me, so we all finished really close with me in sixth.

As soon as I pulled off the track I realized it wasn’t any lack of preparation holding me back it was the protection jacket I wore under my jersey which was too tight and my fore arms were just all  pumped up.

So a stupid mistake on my part, I will fix it for tomorrow.

South Point Hotel/Casino * Las Vegas * January 9th & 10th, 2009

January 9

Gene Romero and the West Coast Flat Track Series put on this double header event for us at a great facility, the track was inside a horse arena that is connected to the hotel/casino. The dry surface we had to race was very slippery and I was struggling to come to terms with it during practice, and the best I could do during qualifying was 14th place.

I tried a new tire for my heat race which seemed to help, I was in second place off the start and trying to make a pass for the lead, which proved to be very challenging as the track was so treacherous there was only really one decent line to ride on the track and that was the very bottom. So I finished my heat race a close second and had to go to a semi to make the main event.  I was able to win the semi without issue and I would have to start the main event from the second row, I knew it would be a challenge to work my way towards the front on this little track but I was ready for it.

I lined up to the outside of Robbie Pearson on the second row and knew I needed to beat him to the inside line quickly so I could make my charge to the front.  I was able to roll thru the first turn without incident and fought my way to the inside line in turn three and settled into about 5th or 6th place. There was dry dusty dirt getting spread out across the track making for a very inconsistent surface that I was able to use to my advantage as riders would still be trying to turn when they hit the slick spots and run wide, so I would just get my bike turned early in the corner and drive straight thru the slick spots and just bullied my way to the front, I was able to pass Brandon Bergren for third before the first red flag came out for fallen riders.

At Gene’s races we do a rolling re-start I was in third place behind Steve Bonsey and Brady Mueller.  We had a clean start and I held my position then proceeded to set-up a pass on Mueller which wasn’t hard as he was making a lot of mistakes, and just as I was putting a wheel under him coming off turn two he got extremely sideways and I pulled up alongside him but my tire spun up down the back straight in the dust loosing my drive a little but I felt it was now or never so I went for it and bump passed him out of the way finally in turn three and then proceeded to chase down the leader Bonsey. Then the red flags came out again for more fallen riders.

So now I had worked my way all the way up to second place from the back row, I was the only guy that was making stuff happen on this one lined race track and that seemed to hurt a few peoples feelings and my Dad told me to be ready cause they are coming for me. Sure enough Mueller didn’t waste any time and was starting to pass me on the rolling re-start before we even started so I let him finish the pass in the turn and turned under him down the front straight, held it to the pin and did a sweet slide job on him to make the pass in turn one. Apparently he couldn’t handle it and tried to retaliate in the next turn and proceeded to fall on his face. All this allowed Bonsey to stretch the lead and Bergen was passing me for second. At this point I was using every indoor short track trick I knew to stay ahead of him but it wasn’t enough and he had second as we took the white flag  with one lap to go. I was fortunate enough to get a wheel under him down the back straight and went for it making a nice bump pass in the final turn we both ran a little wide and had a drag race to the finish, I held second and my buddy Scott Baker was able to get Bergen at the line for third. It was such an exciting finish the crowd seemed really into it.  I was pumping my fist in the air when Bergen came by to exchange some words.  The crowd and the South point casino/hotel owners loved the drama saying it is like nascar and will sell tickets so it looks like they will help to promote this race to be something really big next year.

January 10

One of the great things about this weekend was the fact that we had two chances to compete and make money, tonight I was going to try and step it up a little and go for the win.

My qualifying lap was only good enough for ninth place, which put me third over in the first heat with Brandon Bergen, and Mickey Fay Jr.  I started in third and was all over Fay trying to get by but every time I would move off the inside line I would lose time so it was just a follow the leader type of race, then Fay spun out in the middle of the front straight-away right in front of me, I wasn’t gonna be able to miss his bike so I just gassed it and plowed right thru his bike and somehow was able to keep it up-right and finished the race in second place then as I was pulling off the track I looked down and noticed I busted the waterpump cover and all my coolant was gone so I shut it off and rushed back to the pits.  Luckily the Zanotti Racing team was there and loaned us a spare so we got it back together in time for the semi which I won going away. It seemed the changes we made to the bike were working and I was excited for the main event.

This time I would line up fifth out on the front row of the main event, the track was so sketchy I didn’t even go for the holeshot I just let them all go in front of me and turned down to the bottom beating the second row to the inside and then just pushed my way past a couple riders on the first lap and settled into fourth place behind my brother Jethro.

At first I thought I had something for him until my Maxxis tire got too hot and I started losing touch with the front runners and just held onto fourth until there was a re-start for two fallen riders.

Before the start my brother and I talked strategy, our plan allowed him to do what he had to do to set up Bonsey for a pass and I was to be ready to follow him thru the opening he was going to make. So Jethro used his race savvy to stick a wheel under Bonsey going into turn three and did a sweet bump pass on him causing them both to run a little wide and allowing me to sneak into second place which I was able to hold to the finish. I was on the podium once again and this time with my brother.  It proved to be a very successful and fun weekend for me, my two second place finishes were better than any other rider did on the weekend overall.

Thanks to Roger Landberg for bringing me to Vegas, to all my sponsors who make this possible, and to all my fans/bodyguards who had my back at the track!

Pacific Coast Nationals * Pomona, CA * 10/25/08

 
I was happy to have one more chance to beat all the top dogs this year, and riding this 5/8 mile cushion track is enough fun in itself. I went out twice in Practice and felt fine, for Qualifying today we would have one chance to make a fast lap, so I tried to put in a really hot lap but pushed maybe too hard and did not run a great line so I qualified in the ninth position.

 
I was in the fifth and final heat race with a very fast Cushion track rider Dan Gedeon. He nailed the holeshot and I was in second sizing him up and trying whatever line he wasn’t riding when the red flag came out.
This gave me another chance at the start and this time I did it just right with the front wheel coming up off the ground a couple inches, I kept it to the pin and was in the lead, but thru the first turn I did not run the greatest line allowing Dan to pull up alongside of me going into turn three, this time I had the outside line and I ran it in way too deep, hit the cushion that was built up on the outside of the track and twisted the grip until it wouldn’t go no more and just railed the outside line so fast I never saw Dan again. I really put it down the first couple laps before I started to ride a more sensible lower line thru the turns and brought home the heat race win putting me on the front row for the feature.

 
It was several hours before I would take to the track again so I had no idea where the fast line would be. When I dropped the hammer on the start right away it looked like Kopp had the holeshot from the inside but it seemed he forgot to turn left so I took advantage of that and turned under everybody, nailed the throttle, put my feet on the pegs and held on as I was so sideways in front of the entire field thru that first turn but it worked and I had the lead down the back chute.  I decided to do like I did in my heat race and just ran like a mad-man around the top of the track stretching the lead for about seven laps until I ran a little too wide meaning I was practically in the hay bales.  That let Bryan Smith pass me for the lead so I started to follow him.  It looked like we had a solid second until there was a crash and we had to re-start and try to do it all over again.

 
I held second on the start but was having problems running wide thru the turns as all night I would set up for the turn by sliding it in and then grabbing a big handful of throttle to try and steer it with the back wheel but at this point in the race, the track was too slick and my front tire would just push causing me to have some scary moments. I was struggling so bad that Nick Cumming was passing me for second just as the red flag came out again for my brother who fell.

 
Same thing on the next start, I still couldn’t figure out how to get my front tire to stop pushing until Cummings, Coolbeth, and Gedeon had all passed me and I was back to fifth place when it finally clicked that I simply couldn’t pick up the throttle that early anymore. Now that I had finally figured out how to safely navigate the race-track I was trying to get by Gedeon who was trying to pass Coolbeth for third. I wasn’t having any luck making it past these guys as I was just following them so I tried some different lines and at times it seemed like I would be riding 20-30′ higher on the track than these guys trying to make something happen but I just couldn’t get it done and finished in the fifth position. I learned some valuable lessons from this race and I will try not to make the same mistakes again.

 
Back at home now and preparing for the 2009 season, right now we are looking to get a truck to build a hauler with for next year, and another Harley-Davidson XR 750 for the Twins Championship, I will be sure to keep you updated on what we have planned. Be sure to check out the Lucas Oil Indy Mile on the versus channel Nov 2nd 6pm (EST) also on Nov 6th 5pm (EST)
 
Thanks,
Sammy Halbert

Puyallup, WA * State Fairgrounds * 10/11/08

Photo Courtesy Matt Dillon, taken from the heat race battle with Brad Baker

The weather has turned in the great northwest and we are now racing indoors, on a red clay race-track. This was my first time racing this track since they brought in the new dirt and the corners were much tighter than before. I practiced both my Yamaha and my J&M framed Honda 450 numerous times until I finally decided to ride the Honda.

It felt a little like I was playing catch up to the locals who have this track dialed. I started all the way up against the wall in my heat race and was running third when I stuffed the top amateur rider Brad Baker to put me in second place, well Brad didn’t go out without a fight as he stuffed me right back in the next corner then I quickly got him back and tried to block him, and that is when I noticed he is a pretty big kid now as we went shoulder to shoulder into turn three. I tried to lean on him and he was able to muscle me out of the way. We couldn’t get free of each other so Eric Beers ran away with the win. I was barely holding onto the lead coming off turn two on the last lap and Brad passed me going into the final turn but I was able to get the drive on the outside and just edged him out by a wheels length.

Second place in the heat race got me in the Dash for Cash in which I was running 4th place out of four when the rider in third stuffed the leaders running them wide. I was able to pass them all in turn one on about the second lap and went on to win the Dash for Cash.

We made one more adjustment to the bike before the final and I got a good start and was running second to Eric Rickman. I felt like I had the race under control, as I was trying to set him up for a pass. He was holding a really tight line so I was trying to do a typical high-low pass on him, but this left the door open for Brad to stuff it up the inside of me as I entered turn three, so I carried my momentum around the outside of him, banked off the wall and was going to get him right back. At the last minute I changed my mind and wanted to follow him for a while so I tried backing out of it but my indecision caused me to kind of spin around, so I pulled in the clutch as riders piled into the side of me I kept the bike running, shot through the infield throwing dust everywhere and jumped back onto the track. I made one pass which was good enough to get me in second place as the first two riders took each other out.

It was a little dissapointing to not get the win but we are just coming to this track for fun and to put on a good show for the home town crowd and I think we accomplished that.

Our next event is the Pacific Coast National at the Fairplex in Pomona, CA on October 25th.

Once again I would like to Thank everyone for their support this year.

Here is a list of what we accomplished this year.

5th place in the AMA GNC Twins class
8th place in the AMA GNC Singles class
8th overall in the Grand National championsip with
12 top ten finishes, five top fives and three podiums
750/1000 Hot Shoe National Champion
Second place in Eddie Mulder’s WCVDTS

AMA GNC Twins Season Finale * Topeka, KS * 10/04/08

I was a little nervous going into this event as I had finished second place at this race track in July. I knew what I was capable of, and if I could get it done then I could place top five in the championship. If I didn’t I could finish as low as 10th.

The track was a little bit inconsistent in qualifying. I had a couple of big slides early on so I didn’t ride very aggressive, and I ended up qualifying 10th.

I was in the third heat race with Bryan Bigelow, Chris Carr, and Robbie Pearson among others. I had a decent start and was running third to Bigelow and Pearson, on lap two Pearson got a little sideways coming off turn two so I took advantage of the opportunity at hand and ran it in under him in turn three taking the spot. At first I thought I would be able to run down Bigelow but I just didn’t have it in me. I finished second which would be good enough for a front row start in the main event.

I knew we didn’t have the speed to win but had a shot at it if we could make the right adjustments so we changed a couple things on the bike and rolled it out for the last national of the year.

I did not get a great start and ran 6th on the first lap, then I settled into fifth for the next seven laps. I was trying to hang with Coolbeth but I was definitely not catching him. Then Jake Johnson passed me and I knew I was in trouble if a Suzuki was passing me, so I desperately tried to get back ahead of him but I just couldn’t seem to get it working as I got passed again putting me back in seventh place when the red flag came out for a fallen rider on lap 12.

I was sitting in seventh place on the restart looking at the riders in front of me and realizing there were three of them that were gonna beat me for fifth in points if I didn’t do something about it. So with the pack all bunched up going into turn three I ran it into the corner really deep all the way on the bottom of the track passing my way all the way up to third. As I drifted back to the outside of the track I was able to get the bike turned and it actually worked. I can’t believe I went from seventh to third in one corner. For the next couple laps I was running around the top of the track thinking I might actually be able to hold onto third, but it wasn’t to be as two laps later Mees got me back. Then I ran 4th for the next five laps until Coolbeth passed me on lap twenty, then my brother the next lap. I think I must have smoked my tire or something as I was just not getting any traction. I was back in seventh when Mees fell, bringing out the red flag and another restart with five laps to go. It was a very exciting five laps as we were having an epic battle going four and five wide at times. At the end I was trying to keep Carr behind me and almost did but he just got me at the line putting me in 6th place, which was good enough to put me in a tie for fifth place in points with my brother Jethro. We both ended up with 126 points, luckily the tie breaker goes to me as my best finish (2nd place) was better than his (4th place).

A big Thank You goes out to the many people who made it possible for me to have a successful 2008 racing season.

I will keep you updated on my racing activities during the GNC off-season.

Eddie Mulders WCVDTS * Willow Springs * 09/27 & 9/28, 2008

Willow Springs Photo’s Courtesy of Jamie Blunt
Please don’t use for advertising without permission

09/27/08 I was happy to be on a fun race track and going fast. I won the fastest heat race of the night by over four seconds to set me on the pole position for the main event.

I got a pretty bad start and was behind a few guys, but was able to make a good first lap putting me up to second place in no time. I quickly got around Jared Mees for the lead and as I started riding my own line I encountered some problems with the slick surface, it was so wet it was like riding in mud and I made a few mistakes allowing Jared to get back by me. When he did I tried riding outside of him, but the mud out their made me fall back a few bike lengths so I had to put my head down and try really hard to catch back up and when I finally did, I made a great pass running it in super deep into turn one. I thought I would run wide but I was able to get it turned and complete the pass. I went into turn three just a little higher to try and bump the cushion but it was still muddy and my front tire just washed out putting me on my face. I picked the bike up really quick knowing they wouldn’t restart the race. I put in about five hard laps making a couple passes in the process to put me in fourth place at the finish.

09/28/08 Today I was determined to get good starts and it worked as I pulled a holeshot and won the fastest heat race which put me on the pole for the Vizzo Racing Dash for Cash and the main event.

In the Dash I was able to pull a nice holeshot and lead it all the way to the checkers setting the fastest lap time of the weekend in the process.

In the main event I was able to once again get the holeshot and was cruising along putting in some good laps. The track was getting very slick making it difficult to put in good consistent laps on my Harley, but I still had a decent lead until a rider I was about to lap put his hand up and pulled to the outside of the track right in front of me. I had to go wide to miss him and that put Mees right on my tail. This was on the last lap and Mees made an aggressive move to take my line away from me almost putting me in the bails. I was able to hang on to it to finish a disappointing second place after leading every lap except the one that counted.