STEVE LEIVAN WHAT/WHERE/WHEN: Round 9 OMA Nationals; Memphis, MO; September 19 MY BIKE: WR450 HOW IT ENDED: 1 st +30 “A” – 11 th Overall CLINCHED +30 “A” CLASS CHAMPIONSHIP BEFORE THE START: The “Moonshine” round of the OMA Nationals is always one of my favorite rides of the season and one that I have been looking forward to for a few weeks. The woods are fun and flowing, but the coolest part to me the last few years have been the grass track sections. They are long with wide sweeping corners and you can absolutely bury the throttle and feel like a hero (whether you look like one or not). We rolled out on Saturday morning and picked the Kenworthy’s up along the way. We got a bit behind schedule when we were held up by a gazillion bikers going through Lake of the Ozarks and that kind of led to us being too, late for Saturday practice. When we saw how muddy some of the bikes were though, missing practice didn’t seem like that big of a deal. We headed out for an hour or so walk and checked out the moto track and the woods around camp. For the most part things looked really good. There was going to be some ruts and some mud, but the majority of what we saw was going to be sweet. That night we started hearing things about standing water and “the pond”. Surely they were exaggerating. That evening Shannon rattled off his first wish. “I wish it would rain for about 20 minutes”. I gave him a “shut the hell up” and asked why he wished what he wished. “So it will wash the dust off my trailer” was his response. There was a garden hose and a hydrant at the entrance to the property. Had I known that the dust on the trailer needed to be removed, I would have gladly done it myself. Instead we got several of Shannon’s “20 minute rains” throughout the night. I don’t know how much it rained, but every time I woke up it was raining. It continued to rain off and on until just after noon. Without question, this one was going to be a nasty full-bore “mudder”. I mounted up a set of MX31 Dunlop tires to help me get the best bite that I could. I also fabricated some handguard extensions, packed foam into every crevice I could find (on my bike), and tried to waterproof my airbox. Then it was time to do work. THE RACE: I lined up way to the inside and far away from everyone else. There was some grass sticking up where I chose and I thought that may help get me some extra bite. It worked out perfectly as I didn’t jump off the line first but by the time we got to the corner I was out front. The course was slippery but not all that bad, but I still rode cautiously. Within one minute I was already starting to catch up to riders from the rows ahead of me, so I tried to stay out of their roost and pass them when the opportunity was there. The closer we got to the creek, the more standing water there was, so I made sure to keep looking ahead and not submarine my bike. When I got to the first grass track section it must have been a hundred feet wide with a hundred ruts that were all filled with water. I clicked into third or fourth gear and pinned the throttle while I criss-crossed my way through. The rest of the opening lap was much like that. Slippery in the trees and watery in the open. I managed to stay on two wheels and stay in front. I was 16 th overall the first lap and I had been able to save my goggles so I blasted through the pits and into another lap. Lap two started and there was a section added just after the scoring trailer that was super- duper slick and I felt like a total dork trying to get through it – and it was in a field! Then as soon as I got to the woods the trail looked totally different. The ruts were far deeper and there were bikes already stuck in many of them. Talk about trying to criss-cross! I got to the woods with all the water and stopped to mess with my roll-offs so they would keep working. Spangler was at the first crossing having trouble and he pointed out a good line and I started my way through that section. There were lots of little ditches that had gotten deep so I was searching for any traction to help get the front wheel light as I bashed my way through. I got hooked up with Kirk Foster and Keith Zaagman and we rode together for a long time, most of the time with me in front. That ended up being a good thing since I buried it in a deep crossing. Foster got through and then came back and basically got my bike out for me. I was sort of helping but he did most of the labor. If he hadn’t helped me out, I might still be there! While my first lap was just under 38 minutes, my second one was at least six minutes longer. I stopped at the end of the lap and Dad, Rick Jones, and Tanner (who had already had enough fun) hooked me up with gas, goggles, gloves, and peeled the 50 yards of track tape off of my bike – and no, I didn’t cut through the ribbons. Some out of control yo-yo must have done it before me and littered an otherwise pristine trail with it. When I took off, Dad gave me the old “they’re dropping like flies” saying for some added motivation. Then I saw Ashburns bike in the pits and Duvall pulled off just in front of me and I thought “maybe they are dropping like flies”! I got to the first uphill and there was a new line to the left so I tried that way and failed miserably. A spectator jumped in and offered to help push me – all the way to the top. I gave him a breathless “thank you” and ventured on. That watery woods section was horrible by now and I almost stuck it several times. I finally got to the worst spot, made a new line through some quick sand, nearly ended my day, and got hung up on a log cresting a six foot bank. A kid helped me over the log and I gave a breathless “thank”. Didn’t have enough for a “you”. The grass track that was such a pain was a welcomed sight and much better than the rutted woods. That part went fine until the last corner when I went wide to let Zaagman go past and I hit neutral and fell over. My bike must have weighed 400 pounds by now and I could hardly pick it up. The words “they’re dropping like flies” rang through my head. “Don’t be a fly” I told myself. I rode with Zaagman for much of the third lap and we picked our way past the broken bikes and battered bodies. We had three miles to go in the lap and I was wishing that the race would be over. I thought “what do I have to do to get lapped”? That would ordinarily be the total opposite of what I would be thinking. A mile later I heard a bike rev behind me and glanced back to see Whibs coming. “Hell yeah”! He rode by us and I tried to turn it up since I knew I was almost done. We had a couple of lakes to get through and once I made it clear of those, I knew I had it made. I was glad it was over! I ended up winning the class and wrapping up the class championship so even though it was about half miserable, it was still a really good day. I ended up 11 th overall and was just 51 seconds from 8 th overall! If I just could have got up that hill the last lap, or over that log, or stayed out of that rut, or not hit neutral………. THOUGHTS & OBSERVATIONS: Was it hard – yeah. Was it fun – some of it. Do days like this create memories – certainly! That’s three consecutive +30 “A” National titles in the OMA series for me. I have a lot of fun riding Gusse’s races and plan to keep on keepin’ on. It’s fun and that’s why I do it. Winning is a bonus. Most would assume that since the race is in Missouri that it is a “local” race for us. Is 360 miles one way really local? QUICKEST ON THE DAY: 1. LEIVAN (YAMAHA); 2. Johnson (Kaw); 3. Millsap (Hon)   THE NEXT WHAT/WHERE/WHEN: Something to do with dirt bikes! THANKS AGAIN FOR ALL OF YOUR SUPPORT! SPONSOR LIST – HELPING ME MAKE IT HAPPEN ALLIANCE - ARAI - ATHENA - CLARKE - DP BRAKES - DUNLOP EVS - FAH-Q - FASTWAY - FLATLAND RACING HOT CAMS - HYDRAPAK - LEO VINCE - NGK OZARK FOAM INSEALATORS - PIVOT WORKS PRO MOTO BILLET - RACE TECH SUSPENSION REKLUSE - RENTHAL - SCOTT - SILKOLENE SOURCE MX - SPORT CYCLES - TIRE BALLS TSUBAKI - YAMAHA MOTOR CORPORATION