Cow Bone Creek, Cleburne, TX
July 14/15, 2001
TCCRA Race # 2906 (May 5/6, 2001 makeup race)

By: Jennifer Webb

The Cow Bone Texas Cross Country Association race scheduled in May was postponed due to severe thunderstorms. It was evident that all the rain in Cleburne over the past year or so had taken its toll on the track. As I talked to many, many had complaints, but most sucked it up and finished their sentence with what you hear from all true cross country racers, “The terrain is part of the challenge – you never know what your going to get so you just do the best you can… or…yeah it was filled with ruts, deep ruts, ruts coupled with dust and heat made for caution, but that’s all a part of it.” If it’s true what they say, “Some wouldn’t be happy unless they had something to complain about” - well, this track and weather made it their opportunity to shine!

Then there were some like 125/200 Expert, 17-year-old Corey Crawford, who loved the fact that few liked the track and used it to his advantage, “I liked it because it seemed like no one else did. I went at the race with a positive attitude about the track and it paid off for me.” Crawford achieved his first, first-place finish since transferring to the class. He asked to thank Pro, Oliver Benetis, for “taking me under his wing.”

It was a great weekend for the family. Crawford’s brother, 14-year-old Jody, also received a first place trophy for his race in the Mini Expert Class. Jody had quite a battle, “I was second out of the hole, but almost endo’d in the motocross section. After getting through a dusty, rutty first lap my front tire went flat at the beginning of the second lap - so now I also had to fight a bike that felt like it was washing out on me – I made it, though, and got first!” Both Corey and Jody are sponsored by SMS Racing, Motul, Acerbis, and IMS Products. Their Dad, Jon, wasn’t able to race in his Over 40 Amateur race on Sunday due to a separated shoulder.

In the 250 Intermediate Class, 16-year-old, Team West and Bridgestone Tire sponsored, Justin Davis, took another first and has pulled way out in front for the season (197 point lead). Davis’ Father, Ken, talked to me about his son, “It was only last April when Justin (then racing in the 125/200 Intermediate Class) took a nasty spill at Jean and shattered his kidney. He was a week in the hospital and restricted to bed for one month after that. He came back that same year in September (this time racing in the 250 Intermediate Class), raced at that same track and won!” Justin called me from church camp and told me, “I got the holeshot and loved the motocross section. I thought the track was the dustiest we’ve had so far. There were some nasty points where it was real tight, but in all, it wasn’t too bad – just technical.”

A guest in the Pro Class race, 22-year-old Arenacross racer, Josh Demuth, took top honors, but in the points race, Cycle Town, Moose, Suomy Helmets, Scott, and Michelin sponsored, Clay Hoenshell, pulled another one off. Hoenshell’s take on the weekend started off, “I wasn’t feeling too good on Saturday so I didn’t get to practice much and really didn’t know the track too well.” Later I found this to be quite an understatement. Over 40 Expert, Bill Fleming said, “Clay was sicker than a dog Saturday – had heat exhaustion or something… sick I tell you!” With that said, Hoenshell continued, “At the start of Sunday’s race I was feeling better. I took the holeshot and noticed Demuth with me until I way overshot a turn and he flew on past. Knowing that these Motocross/ Arenacross guys tend to peter out as the race goes on, I figured that I would catch him later, but I never did get him. He done good!”

Being a big proponent of harder racetracks, second place finisher, 27-year-old Brian Storrie said, “I thought the track was a fairly good variety. It was tight and technical – something that I do well on.” Storrie usually practices after he gets his son ready and watches his peewee race on Saturday, but he ate something that didn’t agree and came down with food poisoning. He said, “I rode one lap at about two miles per hour then came back and collapsed in someone’s air conditioned trailer. That was it for me – I drove home and came back Sunday for the race. I rode at about 75% the first two laps, just kept it conservative, and then I started to feel better and stepped it up. I put the hammer down, but couldn’t catch up to Clay.”

Storrie just started back practicing last month. On the way to the third race of the season he and his girlfriend were in a very serious accident. She was in the back seat and never knew what happened until she woke up in the hospital two weeks later and Storrie told her, and continues to tell her, but she has no memory of it on her own.

She was pinned underneath the upside down pick up truck with Storrie administering mouth-to-mouth until they could get a chain hooked up to pull it off of her. She is doing much better now and has a 90% chance of a full recovery. With her getting back on track he is doing the same, “I was just going to the races and racing – that’s all. Now I’m back practicing and I’m seeing the difference.” He added, “With her out of the woods, I don’t have as much weighing on me personally – that helps, too.” Storrie races a Gas Gas and is sponsored by SMS Racing, Answer Racing, Silkolene, Tsubaki and ProClean.

Storrie tells me that he and his father are part of the newly formed group calling themselves TORO, or the Texas Off-road Racing Organization. This will be a North Texas “winter series” consisting of six races. There is a seven member Board of Directors and they are hammering out all the various details and will have a website up and running soon. Many members of TCCRA are very excited about the new club and the fact it will bring them, essentially, year-round racing!

Lastly, all of our thoughts and prayers go out to Donnie McMillon and his family. Going into Sunday’s race, McMillon was Over 35 Expert points leader and overall Expert points leader. McMillon’s throttle stuck wide open on the motocross section and left him with a broken vertebrae.

TCCRA is on summer break find out when the action starts up again at www.tccra.org.

The First Trophy
by Mike Meyer (E677)


Never doubt that the TCCRA committee doesn’t understand what motivates the masses. It’s the hardware, stupid. Do you really think it’s an accident that the trophies and plaques that are given to the top five riders in each class are strategically located near the entrance? Every time I pull into a track I think, “I’m gonna’ get me one of those this time.” Let's face it. Most of us spend thousands of dollars, risk serious injury and use all our free time to race with a bunch of guys who will never ride expert or pro. For what? A trophy. That symbol that says, “I’m a winner.” Same way people buy lottery tickets; I don’t care what I spend because “hope burns eternal.” Then every time I pull out, I think, “Next time, I’m gonna get me one of those.” 

Officially, having finished 19th, DNF, 19th, 17th and 9th, I thought, “Hey, I’m improving. After trying to explain to one of the scoring officials why I wasn’t really as bad of rider as my finishes would indicate, she looked at me with rolling eyes, and says, “Hey, everybody’s got a story, you finished 17th.” Ugh! 

Well, dadgummit, I did have a story. I’m a good rider, it’s not my fault, it’s the bike’s fault, the tracks fault, the weather’s fault, it’s John West’s fault. It’s anybody’s fault but mine. 

My ’97 WR250 has teased me like a gypsy all year long. She runs so nice in practice with speed, power, and a gold valve suspension that is dreamy. But in a race, I can’t trust her. At previous races, you may have noticed my blue steed with yellow number plates and nice graphics leaning against a tree near diabolical mud holes or at the furthest distance from camp geographically possible. The bike fouls plugs like a ’71 Carabella with bad rings and did I mention the difficulty with the hot start. 

Well, then there is my Kawasaki KDX 220. An engine that is easy to start and reliable. The downside to ole reliable is there is no chance of a holeshot, no chance of passing anyone on a straightaway, the only place the kow goes fast is in tight woods where it is virtually impossible to pass anyone. 

So I think, buy a new bike. Bubba Anders rides a KTM and he wins trophies, Clay Hoenshall rides a KTM and he wins trophies. So off I go to see Tripp Glenn and John Alencar at DFW KTM. $6,200 later I have a new KTM 300EXE, new vented jersey and pants, and a trailer full of necessary KTM parts, (plugs, extra air filter, throttle cable, hydraulic brake line, brake pads, etc.).

As I pull-in to Cowbone Creek Saturday morning at 8:00 a.m. with my new secret weapon in the trailer, I eye greedily the shiny trinkets to my right. 

Well, by noon it’s hotter than Marty Ishmael chasing kids with a pile of track ribbon dragging from their bikes and I am not having fun with my new KTM. It runs terrible. The jetting in the carburetor is way too rich. It sputters and coughs, spitting black goo out the pipe. Oh, and the front tire is going flat. 

I head for the DFW KTM trailer to share my frustration. Tripp Glenn is on an excused absence with a very severely broken right arm. His partner, John Alencar reluctantly puts the bike in his trailer and starts removing the carb from the bike. John is a nice guy but he is not inspiring confidence. After an hour-long display of fumble fingers, I ride the bike 150 yards and turn around. Fuel is pouring out the overflow tube making my brand new bike look like a Machiavellian water fountain. I am not a happy camper. In frustration, I tell John, to take the bike back to the shop and call me next week when it is running. I go back to decide the new question of the day, “Do I race the persnickety WR250 or the slow but reliable Kawasaki KDX?” I think I need some air conditioning. Tomorrow’s another day and I head to the house.

Sunday morning I decide to race the Kawasaki. My rationale is that there is no way I am going to make it through all these creek beds without stalling. An easy to start machine is critical to my quest for a top five finish in this heat. At the rider’s meeting Brother John decides to pray about holding our tempers. Are you talking to, me? I wonder. Well as I get back to the trailer, my friend Matt asks me if I am going to ride my new KTM. I tell him the sorry story. He says, John came by late yesterday and was looking for me. Says your bike is running great. “Don’t tease me, I’m really not in the mood,” I plead. “Really,” Matt says, “It’s right there.” And sure enough it was. My eye goes immediately to the front tire that looks anything but flat. I crank it up and ride it down to the mini track where to my unspeakable joy, my new KTM races through the gears with an engine that sounds like a Clay Hoenshell holeshot. 

On the starting line, our class leader, Tracy Lewis (E669) attacks the start and is riding very aggressively in first place. My new KTM propels me into about 4th place off the line. In the lead, Tracy Lewis attacks the series of jumps a little too hard and does a nose first endo. After the race Tracy told me, “I just boned it, nose down, big crash. Somebody hit my bike and then somebody hit me.” I stopped inches from hitting him myself. Did I mention the KTM 300EXE has the best front brake in the world? Three riders down including the fastest guy in the class. Opportunity knocking? Hmmmm. I get around the fallen riders and suddenly find myself in about 3rd place. Somewhere in the second lap, a spectator signaled I was in 2nd. In the 4th and final lap, I was beginning to make mistakes that were indisputable evidence of my sorry, out of shape, tired, exhausted, hot and hurting 44 year-old body. Ruts were getting harder, tree limbs getting lower, a serious burning sensation between my shoulder blades. Special thanks to whoever decided four laps was enough. I decide to ride very carefully and protect my top five finish. 

Suddenly, with only 4 miles to go, Ronnie Weger (E446) passes me. Forget exhaustion. Forget protecting my trophy. It’s race time. Let’s go! I get right on his tail and push him. We race hard for three miles. He passes a slow rider on the left and I try to go around on the same line. The slow rider comes back to the left causing me to spill. Five riders zoom by. I got up quickly and finish hoping not too many of those riders were in my class. 

Ronnie in his last lap heroics ended up passing leader Bill Hugill (E612) to take the win. Injured Tracy Lewis somehow came from his last place crash start to finish 4th riding with a cracked rib. Special note to John West: Tracy is way too tough of an hombre for the amateur class. Congrats to Ronnie for a great win. I’m trading in my Gatorade for whatever he’s runnin’ in his Camelback. 

Thirty minutes after the checkered flag, a barrel worker tells me she thinks I finished 3rd. Then it sets in. I have won a trophy. Sweeeeeetness. As one of the workers checks my name and hands me the shiny hardware, I feel like I’m in one of those MasterCard commercials. You know, “New KTM, $6,000, new vented jersey, pants, and gloves, $210, racing fuel, oil, goggles and stick-on numbers, $89. Third place trophy in the Over 40 amateur class….priceless!” Now, how do I thank John Alencar of DFW KTM for spending a miserably hot Saturday afternoon in the back of his trailer re-jetting my carb and fixing a flat front tire while I was headed back to cool down in Colleyville? I’ve never sent flowers to a motorcycle shop before. 

Mike Meyer (E677) 
Meyer2503@home.com