Beating the winter blues...

Once again, the time has come to put the motorcycles away for the winter and go into hibernation mode.  Yeah, right!  It's time for arenacross, baby!  My husband spent his day off cleaning out the trailer and getting the motorcycles race ready.  I have some work to do before Friday rolls around, but we will be ready.

Cael racing arenacross at Hot Rod's.  Photo by Mike Davis.

 I never feel quite ready to go back to racing in the cold after sweating my butt off at Loretta's.  The first race is usually quite pleasant though, as far as the weather goes.  The forecast for Saturday is sunny and 65 degrees.  Great racing weather!  I must say that I am looking forward to hearing the roar of the engines vibrate off the walls of the arena, seeing some good racing, and having something to do on the weekends.  It sure beats the usual conversation my husband and I have on non-race weekends - "What do you want to do this weekend?  I don't know.  What do you want to do?"

Photo by Mike Davis

With my son moving up to the ultra-competitive 50cc 7-8 class, it should be an interesting winter.  But with the Hot Rod's Racing crew, it is always an interesting winter!  Keep an eye out for pictures and videos from the arenacross series.  I hope to see you there, but you better bundle up!

The joys and perils of parenting

We turned a corner this weekend that I never even thought was on the map.  Kallie, the littlest and youngest child of ours by a mere one minute, rode a PW by herself.  Her twin sister, Katie, had already had her first two PW rides under her belt.  And, by the way, her first (of many, I am sure) big wrecks.  But Kallie had other things she wanted to do on those days.  Namely, drawing in her notebook and playing with her baby doll.  On Saturday, our baby decided it was time.  Time to get off the pit bike which was safely steered by Dad and try this riding thing on her own.  Now, I am not a nervous, queasy mother.  Any nervousness I had was cured by our son's daring antics from birth.  When Cael was one, he decided to climb up on the bedside table and wrestle the lamp.  He lost.  When he was three, he learned to ride his bike without training wheels and pop wheelies.  We taught him early to always wear a helmet!  Now, he is seven and he loves to jump off of things with his skateboard.  That still makes me a little nervous.  But when our four year old little girl got geared up and threw her leg over that motorcycle, I wanted to put her back into a playpen and never let her grow up.  In fact, I was so dazed by the thought of my youngest riding a motorcycle, that I did not take a single picture.  But Kallie is tougher than she looks in those princess dresses she wears sometimes.  She is also possibly the most stubborn child we have, although that is a toss up.  She bravely tried again and again, even after she wrecked hard a few times because she couldn't remember which way to turn the throttle to let off the gas.  I must say my husband also showed an amazing amount of bravery and patience that day.  He was teaching not one four year old to ride safely, but two!  He continued to teach even after taking a rear wheel to the shin, compliments of Kallie!  I had to laugh at the character of our youngest daughter - after she wrecked, she would jump to her feet, and say "It's ok, Daddy.  I'll pick it up" as she tried to pick the bike back up!  I don't know if our girls will ever race like their brother and frankly, I don't know if my heart could take it!  But I do know that children learn a lot about themselves by doing things that scare them.  Whether that means climbing to the next branch in a tree, reading in front of a roomful of classmates, or riding a motorcycle for the first time.  Our job as parents is to catch them when they fall and give them high fives when they succeed.  Being a Moto Mom of three kids , I have the opportunity to do a lot of catching AND high fiving! 

Fun and family at Loretta's

The MotoMomBooks.com Race Team recently returned from the Amateur National Motocross Championship at Loretta Lynn's in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee.  It was a very challenging week, with a new heat index record being set for the area - 115 degrees on Wednesday, August 4th.  One of our riders, Cael McCutcheon, had a very good week.  After a mediocre first moto in the 50cc 4-6 Stock Shaft Drive class, Cael came alive with some inspired riding to finish 13th in the second moto and 7th in the third moto.  His late charge was enough to give him a tenth overall.  We couldn't be prouder of our little rider!  He showed some real heart and determination. 

The funny thing is he probably won't remember much about riding to a tenth place finish in the nation when he is older.  He will remember the things that matter most to a six year old - swimming in the pool with his family and friends, doing a front flip from twenty feet up in a tree into the creek (after his last moto, of course!), eating a celebratory ice cream cone, playing corn hole at our camp site, holding up the pit board for his cousin Austin Coon and friend Jon Rudolph, riding around in the mule to find Motopoly cards, and playing video games with the big boys in Austin's camper. 

Having your six year old son place tenth in the nation at Loretta's is an awesome feeling.  It makes all the driving, all the preparation, all the time, effort, and money seem worth while.  But is it the most important thing to take away from Loretta's?  No.  We took our family on a vacation they won't forget for a long time.  We enjoyed each other's company and made the best of a very hot and somewhat stressful week. We supported each other through thick and thin, through wrecks and bad motos. We made memories that will last a lot longer than a ten dollar plaque.  That is what racing is for us -   fun and most importantly, family.

Riley makes it into Racer X Illustrated!

Hey!  Great news, everyone!  My first children's book, "Riley goes to the Races", was reviewed in Racer X Illustrated!  The book was reviewed by Vance Coombs.  Vance is the son of Davey Coombs, the founder and editor of Racer X Illustrated magazine.  For those of you who don't know, Racer X Illustrated is one of, if not the, biggest motocross magazines in the world.  It is an honor to be included in such a fine publication.   Click here for the link to Racer X Illustrated's digital edition.  The review is on page 224 and our ad is on page 235.  Thank you for your support!

High Point - in my career!

Moto Mom Books was given a wonderful opportunity last weekend.  We set up as a vendor at the High Point Pro National in Mt. Morris, Pennsylvania.  Rita Coombs, Carrie Russell, and Tim Cotter from MX Sports were gracious and very accommodating throughout the weekend.  This was the first time we sold books at such a big venue, and we were well received.  Track announcer, Rodney, did an excellent job promoting our books, especially on Friday.  Our location could not have been better, as we were very close to the entrance to the pro pits, as well as being between Risk Racing and the Legends and Heroes Tour.  We were happy to meet so many families from so many different backgrounds. 

Cael was one happy camper since he got to meet some of his motocross idols, including Justin Barcia, Ryan Dungey, Chad Reed, Josh Grant, Nick Wey, and Will Hahn.   The kids had a great time cruising the pro pits and seeing what the pro riders and mechanics do off the track.  Some guys had a remote control car they were having fun with and when that got too boring they built a quick ramp to jump the car from.  A few riders were helping their mechanics with bike set-up.  Most riders were very gracious and more than willing to take the time to give an autograph for their young fans.  Overall, we had a great time and hope to be back next year with the second book of the Riley series and possibly the third book.

I would to thank my husband, David, who put a lot of time and effort into making this weekend a success.  Also, thanks to Rita Coombs, Carrie Russell, and Tim Cotter for the wonderful opportunity they afforded us, and the guys at Risk Racing who were very hospitable neighbors and who helped us when the wind almost took our canopy back to West Virginia for us!  Thanks to all the parents, grandparents, and families who stopped by our booth to chat, pick up a business card, purchase a book, or just to say “That’s a great idea!”

As a special post-High Point offer, the first person who orders a book and sends me an e-mail mentioning the code “holeshot”, gets a free t-shirt!  Have a great week!

Mud and snow cones make for happy children

Ahhh!  Finally, some time to sit down and relax!  The past two weeks have been very busy for us.  Two week ago, we traveled to Livingston, Tennessee for the Loretta Lynn’s Mideast Regional.  The supposed 8-hour trip quickly turned into a 12-hour trip when we hit construction traffic in Tennessee, not once but twice.   We finally arrived at Thunder Valley MX at about 8pm and settled into a shady, but hilly spot.  After spending about an hour getting the camper level, we finally cranked up the generator and the air conditioning and hit the sack.

 The track was in good condition for Friday’s practice.  Cael didn’t have any bad wrecks and we didn’t experience any bike problems, thank goodness.  We were happy to retire to the cool camper after a long day in the hot Tennessee sun. 

We woke Saturday morning (at about 6am, thanks to Central Time) to hot, humid conditions.  We were hoping for some early motos, but unfortunately, we were not granted that wish.  After waiting around for a lot of the day, Cael had a great first moto in the 50cc 4 -6 AMA stock 1 class.  He had a good start and had a smooth, consistent race with no wrecks to finish 12th.  The stock shaft drive class was next for us.  This class was stacked with some very fast and talented riders, such as Gage Linville, Austin Johnson, and Dawson Simms.  Cael had another good start and a consistent race.  He was in fifth place until the last lap, when he was passed a few corners before the checkered flag.  Still, he was very pleased with a sixth place finish.  The second moto of the 4-6 class did not go as well as the first.  After having a pretty good start, Cael went down in a rut on the first lap.  He had to pick the bike up and start it himself.  By the time he took off again, he was almost in last place.  But being the tough kid that he is, Cael managed to fight back to 22nd place.  We decided not to run the last moto of the 4-6 AMA stock 1 class.

Sunday morning was very overcast, but it was much cooler!    Cael finished fourth in the second moto of the stock shaft drive class.  The real drama, though, came in the third moto of the stock shaft drive class.  Thirty minutes before our moto, the rains came.  It rained hard for twenty minutes before slacking off and finally stopping while Cael was on the line.  Unfortunately, the damage was already done.  PW’s don’t handle mud too well, but when you add in a hilly track, that makes for some interesting racing!  Once again, Cael had a good start.  But he wrecked in a rut shortly after the first turn and was then hit from behind by another rider.  When he got back on the bike and started moving again, he was in next to last place.  Fortunately for us, the mud proved to be tough on everyone else, too.  Several bikes quit and wouldn’t start again.  Kids were wrecking everywhere in the mud.  Most kids couldn’t make it up the steep hills without the help of an adult.  Most of the parents should be applauded, as they helped not only their own children, but also all the children they could feasibly get to.  The checkered flag flew three very long laps later, with Cael in fourth place.  He had a great time in the mud and ended up second place overall!  Look out, Loretta!  We will be making our way back to Hurricane Mills, Tennessee for the AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship.  But for now, we get to unload the camper for a couple of months.  Now, who wants a snow cone?!?!

Austin Coon takes TWO National Titles!

It was an exciting weekend for the Hot Rod's Racing team.  More than 30 people made the trip to Las Vegas to watch Austin Coon compete in the Amateur National Arenacross Championship on May 9.  After winning every class in which he entered at 4 different events in the East and North Regions, Austin was extended an invitation to compete in the Amateur National Arenacross Championship at Sam Boyd Stadium.  Going into the Championship as the favorite to win added to the pressure on this young man's shoulders.  He did not disappoint.  Austin rose to the occasion and will be coming home with two National titles for his efforts.  As an added bonus, another Hot Rod's rider made it to the podium in the AX Lites Novice class.  Jon Rudolph battled for a third place finish to the delight of the Hot Rod's fan club in attendance.  Congratulations boys, on a job well done!