Alan Westerfield's MPOR2 Race Report (2007)
"White Lightnin’ Screams for Mercy"

Race Report: Kentucky Off Road Hare Scrambles Series (KORHS) - Round 6
Rider: Alan Westerfield - Bike 2nd Place Overall
Bike: 07 Yamaha YZ250F #4

By: Alan Westerfield

The promise of “9 fresh miles of new trail” had everyone in a frenzy leading up to the event.  Upon arriving, it was soon evident that a communication glitch in the MPOR public relations sector had not been corrected before reaching the public.  It didn’t really matter too much to me though, because I had a mini-vacation scheduled around this event and wasn’t going to let a bulldozer trail ruin my fun.  The day was made for sweating, and I made sure to save my energy and hung out in the shade in the hours leading up to the start.  Apparently, I hung out a little too long though, because as I made my way to the start, I soon realized that everyone was already gone, and I was behind the SR A class!  This was a complete self inflicted, stupid head move.  Rick is on a mission to get the races started on time, and made no exceptions for Marty, National Pro and KORHS visitor Dustin Gibson, or myself.  There are many series that play favorites and would have delayed the start for a few stragglers, but Rick has too much integrity for that–Integrity that has been a vital part of the growth of the series.  Rick and Kent have never failed to ask anyone (including myself) about questionable laptimes or other race related issues.  I have seen a lot of people get pissy when they are asked a legitimate question, but trying to do the right thing for the whole series will pay off.  So the moral of that little rant is to be on time, cause Rick ain’t holding that flag for your sorry butt.

I  put my game face on and went to work on lap one.  It was hard to pass in the dust but I worked my way through the riders and caught up Big Dave and Maury.  They soon let me by and I was getting it done; keeping white lightning on her rev limiter and staying airborne way too much.  Soon after the pass was made, I rounded a corner and my front wheel sunk in a patch of un-packed bulldozer fodder and I took a brief trip over the handlebars, allowing them to motor right back around me.  There was nothing left to do but twist the throttle wide open and do it all again. 

By the start of lap two, I had caught Billy Clark and made the pass, putting me into second place.  I know better than to try to catch Paul, but I knew Marty would be shooting for me.  The course was a wide open Dozer “trail” so Marty’s 450 would be at a clear advantage.  This meant I had to ride hard and not make any mistakes.  By the end of lap two, Dustin Gibson had caught up.  I let him pass to conserve my energy.  Dustin was also on a 250F.  He was riding wide open, fast and smooth.  We used to race together a lot, but when he got the KTM ride, I couldn’t hang anymore.  It is evident that he has taken it to the next level and is shooting for a career.  Obviously, Dustin has picked up a few pointers from the top dogs and has a great shot at achieving his goals. 

On lap three I came upon Dustin again.  Pretty sure something must have happened to the bike.  I keep white lighnin hammered and rode smooth.  I don’t particularly like going as fast as I had to go to hold my position, but sometimes you just gotta do it I suppose.  The race felt really long, and I was getting pretty bored by the last two laps, so I was glad it was over.  All in all, it was a fun day of racing with no major injuries that I know of. 

I stayed in the area for an extra day and went on a tour of the Red River Gorge area on Monday.  My fatigued body made the hike up to the Natural Bridge a bit torturous.  I hadn’t been there since I was a kid, but it was just as I left it- Big rock with a hole under it–whhoo hoo.  Phase 2 of the gorge trip involved riding my moped (double) around the whole park and looking around.  Its just hard to not think about putting all those hiking trails to good use by letting us bikers explore them.  I can’t even go hiking without looking at the obstacles – “ok, if I had a trials bike, I could go over this rock, shift my weight to the back and slip the clutch a little bit, and then maybe………”  It just never gets out of your system.

Till next time!

Alan Westerfield, #4