Sam Bangert
February 2 at 9:29pm · 
Sorry for the late post it's been a busy week: 
For round one of the NHHA series I would would begin prepping early in the week trying to get my bike running in tip top shape (in which I did). My mother, girlfriend, and I would head out in the am on Saturday morning out to the race site. I would test my awesome tbt suspension to get it the best I could possibly make it. Saturday was filled with fun and testing and a good time with family and i went to bed early to get a good night sleep. 
Sunday morning I woke up early to get my bike on the line. My start was one of the best starts I've ever had, I was top ten to the end of the bomb. I passed a lot of people and I also got passed by a lot of people. Coming in after the first loop I was inside the top 20, I got a quick pit from Michael Allenand my dad and was off on the second loop. The second loop was very fun and technical, but you could make a lot of mistakes, which I did. I had a lot of fun and know what to work on (patience) to get the win next round. I ended up 2nd open expert and 20th overall. Thank you to all my sponsors; amsoil, team true racing, vonzipper, moose racing, FMF, Racetech, Dunlop, parts unlimited, FasstCompany Flexx Handlebars, AME grips, dirt tricks, rekluse, ims, rsi, asterisk, rad mfg.

What an Awesome way to start the year! It was a beautiful day and just a slight breeze at the Last Race ever to be held in the newly lost Marine Expansion Area at the Johnson Valley OHV. I don't blame the Marines the real villain here is still the EnviroNatzis that took away most of the Marines training area at 29 Palms….

The quad Line was huge, returning Champion Colt Brinkerhoff was there with his Rosie the Riveter Quad

Chris Peatross the B class Champion was there and now riding with a red Stripe so that that meant my year for chasing a National Championship was about to begin!

Our line was about 20 quads, good turn out, lots of new and old racers and I was stoked. Little sad that my teammate Jim Evans was not there but he is healing from a broken Femur so keep him in prayer.

Peggy Ogaz was there on here TTR steed and we were about to take off!

Banner up, not a sound, I was praying for the race and Boom here we go. Got a great start on my TBT tuned Slo Boy racing Maintained Yamaha Raptor 700  only saw a couple quads get out in front of me on the right and I was charging. Right before the end of the Bomb Chris P jetted in front of me to make a charge for the lead. It got real dusty real fast and next thing I know Chris is Crashing in front of me with his bike landing on his back. I was praying before my feet hit the ground and when we got the bike off him Chris was ok and told us to go…God is Good.!!

Lost a lot of time but stared to pick up some of the novice riders and was about to make a pass on another one, he tried to keep me from passing and went too fast into a bad whoop section. Bam 2nd Knarly crash I watch of the day. Got the Quad off him and moved it to protect him. He was hurting bad. Some help showed up and looked like he was going to be ok so I got back on my Quad and let my new TBT race tech suspension do its job. I know I could not get back to the front but still wanted to push. about 25 miles in I started seeing dust.
I started praying and pushing and praying some more. God always calms me down when I get like this where I just see green and want to win. Passed a few novices and then realized I had caught up to Johnny McKeen. Love that guy but wanted to get a few more points. Made the pass and pushed to the Finish! was only about 3 minutes behind most of my class took 4th so all is good.

Just want to thank my sponsors who make this all happen. My wife Jeanne, Team True Racing, Tuner at TBT Racing, Panic Rev. RSI Petroleum, SLO BOY Racing, TnT Tires in Ridgecrest and Slime for keeping my tires full of Air!

But mostly I want to Thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I do not do this to win races but to win Souls. I love everyone of you and God does too. It is never to late to start a relationship with Jesus. 
FEAR NOT!!!

Rd1 race report Matt krenik 

Wow! Is one word to explain the journey yesterday. The race day started with me heading out to the bomb to get some runs in, feeling good with my line choice i headed back to our camp to go hang with Connor and Joe. After anxiously waiting for the start i finally got to head over to find I no longer had a spot on the side I wanted forcing me to squeeze 8 spots down before the banner dropped i wished all my expert buddies good luck and did a quick prayer with Brad Pace for safety and a fun ride, as my race started i had an amazing jump and I had a sweet overall spot from the end of the bomb right behind my buddy Connor as I turned right to make the pass my back tire kicked sideways and. I ate it hard. I soon caught back up to him because there was a bottleneck at a one little hill on this gnarly single track on the side of this big hill. As we both made it up that and down some more hills i came over this hill to see him stopped near this rock, I instantly pulled over and he told me he had cracked his radiator open and he was done racing he shouted, go have fun and I looked back at him with that remark of sure it's "fun" alright haha and after going down a couple more hills we came to this huge downhill and. Guys were cussing and shouting because they were falling everywhere, and he entire way down the hill I was encouraging the other riders "come on you got it" and "heck yea! This is what I payed for" multiple times to be exited for this rad hill. After that hill it was a super short flat section then back up to countless hills after hills after hills and more hills of the gnarliest rocky downhills i have ever been down... I got to this one uphill I have been down before! And was stoked to see Joe there rooting me on and also laughing his but off when I launched the bike and myself up the hill only to end up smacking myself so hard on this rock, I have never seen him laugh so hard at me jumping around in pain And after some words of encouragement I was off to complete the race, after running out of water my. Only goal was to make it to the pits and quit thats all i wanted to do, and the tease of seing the pits and having to go four more miles was the worst feeling, after getting to the pits and eating a ton of food my dads words "alright hop back on and keep going" was the worst thing to hear but I had so much urge not to be a quitter despite my physical strength. So I hopped back on the the bike and continued through the 40
More miles of all rocky hills and about no "fast and fun" spots i had been promised. My favorite spot of the race was check 7 seing my dad at the check with a reeces cup and his words "only about 20 miles left ur gonna make it" and that almost put me in tears. As I ate a reeces and the thought of finishing came in my mind I gained this super energy of excitement to finish strong. As I came to this one section I saw my buddy and me and him battled with what little energy we both had left, as I barely made the pass on him we both rocketed to the finish and the sight of trailers for the first time all race was amazing. Finishing was the greatest riding achievement of my life and I couldn't have done it without Travis at TBT, his suspension is amazing i cannot count how many times i would have ate it if I didn't have him work on it for me, Team True racing for the amazing prayers to keep me safe the whole race, SRT for the amazing parts that kept my bike in one piece for the entire race and all 5 times I dropped my bike in the rocks, and ruts and my family/ friends that pitted me and gave me inspiration to finish!
Thanks DMC

AUSTIN KEYS
Round 3 of the National Hare and Hound race series was held in Murphy, Idaho. My dad and I hitched up on Thursday and was on our way. We drove 7 hours the first day and stopped the first night at a little hotel in Winnemucca, Nevada. My dad and I got up around 10 A.M Friday morning to finish the 14 hour journey. We drove through rain, snow and wind. Any type of weather you could of but still made the trip safely and finished up around 3 P.M on Friday. Saturday morning was a chilly one but a beautiful one. I went to to the start to find out it was treacherous. With deep grass and a deep gully in the middle, I knew it was going to be an interesting start. After that, my friends consisting of Sam Bangert, Skyler Howes, Ben Meza, Brendan Crow and Erek Kudla, headed to the local Ford Dealer for an autograph signing. After a long day of hanging out and catching up with friends, we headed to a local Wingers for some dinner and Supercross! Once that was over, I headed to bed for I knew it was going to be a long race the next day.
    On Sunday I woke up bright and early to see another beautiful morning. But it was definitely a colder one. After warming up by the fire, I decided it was time to get my gear on. Once I was geared up and the bikes were loaded, we were ready to drive 10 miles North, to the start. I walked the start again to get a perfect line. By the time I got there, all the good lines were takin and I had to salvage what was there. I found a decent line and I knew it was the best one available. After the riders meeting I headed back to my bike and got ready. Around 5 minutes later the banner was up. It was as silent as it is in Church. I could feel my heart beat getting faster and faster. The banner finally dropped and we were off! My 2001 YZ 250 was a one kick wonder and I got a terrific start. Getting to the end of the bomb around 10th overall. I kept steady the first 40 miles. The dust was horrible but I knew it would settle out. The first 40 miles was fun and twisty thru tight canyons to wide open sand washes and jeep roads. I was the 11th or 12th rider that came into the pits. I filled up and went out to for the 63 mile loop. Just about 15 miles after the pits, I came into a rock section a little hot and smashed my pipe. It was a pretty good size dent and was hoping it would hold up for the remaining 63 mile loop. I kept a great pace the second loop and kept pushing. From almost hitting cows to getting a little sketchy in the deep whoops, I couldn't decide which would have been worse! I came into the alternate pit at mile 38 and filled up. I knew the pipe I was getting worse from the horrible loud sound it was making. When I hit the pipe, it broke the springs that held it on the head and it was coming off. At around mile 40, I made the pass for 2nd place and kept pushing. At the finish I was 2nd 250-A and 11th overall. For the first time Ever riding or racing out of state, I could say it was a great day! I had a great time and it was an awesome experience! Round 4 is in 3 weeks and I can't wait to race again! 

Thanks to Team true Racing, TBT Racing, FMF, Dunlop, PanicRev, EKS Brand Goggles, Fasst Co., and IMS. Without you guys, none of this would be possible!

Four Aces is always one of my favorite races. Its in my backyard and so I always feel like I have an edge. The Bomb this year was SKETCHY!  Cross Gained and whooped out with just enough Mine Shafts at the end to cause the seasoned Veteran to PUCKER!
I did a couple of dry runs saturday afternoon and at one time had more Cactus in my arm than hairs, but as I was leaving Kendall Storming Normal showed up so I followed him and that young man just gets it...
Sunday Morning we got up and had RACE DAY CAFE!  It was awesome and we had a great Prayer before we headed to the Bomb.   I lined up all by self on the far left of the bomb behind Kendall. When the couches finally got to go I had an amazing bomb and was out in front at the end but saw Colt racing up on the right so I let him go as no way did I want the stress of keeping him behind me...
I stayed in 2nd until after the Rail Road crossing and was really feeling great. My TBT Suspension was working great and I felt that I could keep that pace for a while. Andy Caught me in the cross grain of the Teagle Wash  but that was ok, still going strong.  I started to fade after the 1st check and then made a bad decision at the bottom of a steep hill and lost a few places... Tired from getting my quad back on course I knew it was time to just set my pace and stay on the rubber. My wife had surgery the next day and for once it was my turn to be there for her.
I let Bill and some of the AMMIE quads by and just rode for fun. It was an awesome course and was enjoying the beauty of Gods Desert.
     I got a huge 2nd wind when we crossed into my Backyard (west Side of Trona RD) Kicked into fourth and just flew to the finish. I was starting to catch dust and felt good. Five more miles on that trail system and I may have got a place or two back. Love riding that area and it is just fun running through the rocks and hitting the little rollers and catching my 4 or 5 inch air!
    Finished 5th and was feeling Awesome. So grateful to Travis at TBT for Setting up my suspension. God is GOOD!

Big Shout Out to Michael Allan for helping with Race Day Cafe this week. You Rock!

Sunday morning I woke up not feeling to well. I was nervous for this being my first National Hare and Hound ever. I took a good 45 minute walk trying to clear my mind and get ready for a good race. I got back and had a good breakfast. I got dressed and went for a little cruise before the race. I felt a little weighed down with my neck brace, kidney belt, chest protecter, fanny pack and camel back for water. When I got back to camp I decided it was to much weight and had to cut down. I took off my chest protecter and it made a huge difference. It was around 9:00 o'clock and it was time to head down to the start. When I got down there I found out Kurt Caselli's line was the same as mine! I didn't even know that. I knew I had picked out a good line. The expert line took off and it was time for my race. They did a riders meeting for my line then we headed back to our bikes and got them warmed up. The banner was up and all the bikes were shut off. It was almost completely silent besides a few fans yelling, telling their riders good luck. It was an intense situation. Complete concentration on the banner! The banner dropped! My bike started first kick and I was off! I was the first to the bomb and from there, I was gone. Pounding through the first 20 miles, I already had a good 3 minute lead on the second intermediate bike to come through. We went out for another 20 miles with my lead building even bigger. I came into the pits for gas and goggles after the first 40 miles. I was only half way done. I knew going onto the next 40 miles, (loop 2) that this loop was going to the more technical and rougher loop. Right when I left the pits, it went straight into the hills. We then went down a super technical down hill. It wasn't too bad, though, a little rocky and steep but all in all a fun downhill. The course crossed a few valleys and trails, then took us on top of a mountain that actually flattened out at the top for a cool, little trial. At about mile 60, was a really technical downhill. It was an uphill for King of the Motos. But they had us go down it. It was in a canyon and was like a goat trail. I would say it took me around 3 or 4 minutes to get down. Stopping about half way down to take off my goggles because it was so hot in the canyon and I was not moving very fast. There was a guy behind me who yelled something at me for stopping and taking off my goggles. I really didn't like that. I finally got down the downhill. He passed me while I started my bike and put my goggles on, but it didn't take long and I went flying past him on a silty single track leaving him in the dust. After 85 miles and a great race I finally made it to the finish! It was the greatest and biggest race of my career. I know I surprised a lot of people and hope that opens bigger doors for me then I could ever imagine! I got called up onto the podium and was interviewed. It was awesome! I got a certificate for a free IMS Desert Tank! It was one awesome weekend! I had a great time and surprisingly didn't get tired! I can't wait to see what the 2013 racing season brings me!
I would like to recognize my #1 sponsor Jesus Christ, Team True Racing, TBT Racing, Panic Rev, Dunlop Tires, Fasst Company, High Desert Cycle, My Mechanic\Dad + Mom.

The Final race of the 2012 NHHA was amazing. 100's MC laid out an amazing course and it was a never ending roller coaster of rocks and whoops. Not nice even whoops that you can get on top of but cross grained so that the distance was never the same, tuff.
   The first loop had an A and B section so fans and family got to see the racers come thru the pits half way thru. I love this format and wish more clubs would use it. I had a great start and was third at the bomb but saw that fellow racer Eric Holm was coming up fast so I wanted to give him a shot at winning (I am only an Ammie and knew he would pass me eventually) so let him by as we funneled into single track.  Regretted that decision right away as the dust was blinding. It hung in the small canyons and made some areas extremely dangerous as you would be missing joshua trees at the last second as they came parting out of the dust like Terra Cotta Warriors that had mal-intent on their mind, spooky.
   about 15 miles in while passing a group of bikes I went flying off a small ledge and BAMM! Popped my right front tire, my new Kenda Parker Desert Tires did great though and with about 10 ounces of Slime I was able to ride that flat to the finish line. It was tuff in the rocks but back out on the whoops and desert valleys my TBT racing suspension  was able to get me almost up to speed. Jim Evans got by me right before the pit but I was still happy about the race.
   Five Miles before the end of the race I saw our little Angel, Dawnell Unsworth, go down climbing the last big hill. Dawnell was dressed up with Fairy wings for halloween. I jumped off my quad and helped her get her bike to a flat area so she could make another run. Awesome! For me that was the best part of the race, I love to win but frankly I am out there to love on people and be a Chaplin to the Racers. I have a great race when everyone finishes and no helo's have landed. Don't get me wrong. I will do my best to pass you and win a race, I just wont do it if I see a down rider. We are a family and I love every rider and team out there.
   1 mile out, I see the pits and I am cruising into a 3rd or 4th place finish, have not seen another quad behind me for awhile, BOOM. Mark Ogaz chargers on the left and gets by me....I tried to get him back but it was too late, Perfect pass at the end of the race....I forgot what I preach. Do you not know that life is a race? Therefore race in such a way as to win! 1 Corinthians 9:24     Peace