OMA round 5
Memphis, MO

  The OMA National headed west for round five of the series. This race in Memphis, Missouri was smack dab in the middle of nowhere!! There were endless roads and cornfields ten feet high. The long dusty road into the track was a good indication of the conditions we were about to endure.

      I have some friends in Illinois: Daniel Janus, Britt, and Illinois Troy, to name a few. It's always worth the trip to stop in at Weiser's for a dip in the pool. Brice Olson and Ryan Powell have been out here giving the riding "back east" a go. I directed them out to some riding I knew in the Illinois area, called White City. Well, they also found their way to the pool and seemed to be enjoying themselves. We all met up and did a little bicycle ride that Friday night. We had a dip in the pool, some chow, then wewere off to bed for the long drive to the middle of nowhere.

     A good start would be ideal for the conditions we were about to race in. The big four stroke does not get off the line as well as the two strokes, so I was left in the dust. I had to make my way past a few riders on the first lap. I had some good lines eyed out in the trees and put them to good use to make a few of my passes. Going out onto the grass track, I had two riders right in front of me, and I made good use of the power my Yamaha 450 makes. Making my passes on the grass track really got my momentum going, and I put my head down and tried to charge to the front.

     The track started out in a field and headed straight into the woods, which was really dry and dusty, not to mention, tight. And with it being summer, all the trees and greenery are grown up, making it hard to have hot lines. The course gets broken up with a couple of grass track sections, which are really fun to get your bike rung out through. Getting up to top speeds is very exhilarating. The end of the loop had a motocross track that had a good natural terrain layout to it. All we needed was a little rain and it would have made for a perfect race.

     Bye the end of the first loop, I had made my way up to second. Unfortunately, Jarrett had the holeshot and dealt with no dust on the first lap. My pit gave me the sign that Jarrett had forty five seconds on me already. I just tried to race my own race and keep a close tab on the riders behind me. I was putting time on the rest of the field, but Jarrett and I were running about the same times.

     Jarrett finished thirty nine seconds in front of me, which is a lot better than my results in the beginning of the year. For a recovery season, things are starting to turn around for me, and hopefully, I can get on top of the box again, instead of just spot number two. Also, when the races start up after summer break, I will be a new dad, which I am very excited about. Who knew I could have a passion other than riding??

Brian Garrahan #501