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Well now, has it REALLY been 6 months since my last blog post? Boo!
The girls’ raced BMX most of the winter and spring at NW Indoor BMX, until they closed in early May for the outdoor season. Since then, we have done a handful of races at our local track (McCollum Park) and been to the Peninsula once.
In March, we attended the Dirty Poker Run put on by the Fringe Motorcycle Club. As always, it was a BLAST. This year, members from Maybelline’s 4H group attended – and she also got to work at one of the poker checkpoints (as part of her 4H Community Service requirements).
In April, Maybelline bought herself a new BMX bike – and gave her sister her old one. It was most definitely time for both of the girls to step a size up…love watching them improve as they grow!
Also in April, WE ADOPTED A PUPPY! For many years, the kiddos and Dan have been trying to convince me we need a dog. I was not sold on the idea! Eventually, when the right time/right situation came along, we jumped on it. On Easter Day, the ‘Easter Bunny’ delivered an adorable 10 week pure breed Mastiff puppy…we named her EB (short for Easter Bunny). We love and adore her SOOOOO MUCH!
We spent Memorial Day weekend over in tri-cities…racing Saturday morning at Walla Walla, Saturday evening at Columbia Basin, and Sunday morning at Columbia Basin. The girls’ swooped up podium finishes at all 3 of the races – and they sure went home as tired puppies. The weather that weekend was toppling in the 90’s…and of course, our AC in the #motohome had to go out in the middle of the trip – so that was quite the adventure. We are working on getting that fixed, as we speak!
Most of June was focused on wrapping up school and work, and preparing for the summer that lies ahead! In addition to graduation and birthday parties galore, we and trying to squeeze in some track time where fit.
Cycle Barns annual ‘Kids Day’ was in late June – and Poppa Wheelie and Maybelline volunteered for the event (and I somehow got coerced into working a few hours myself). It’s always fun to help get kiddos onto quads/dirt bikes/strider bikes for their first time…so many happy smiles!
Maybelline chose to have her birthday party at Poppa Wheelies again this year (I know, SHOCKING)! About 60 people attended, and we had as many as 15 kids riding the track throughout the day. In the early afternoon, we hosted a small ‘poker run’ ride for all the kids with some really great prizes/swag. Her birthday parties are always THE BEST – HAPPY 9th BIRTHDAY MAYHEM ♥.
It is now July (how the heck did that happen) – and the calendar is JAM PACKED with #moto #moto #moto through the rest of the summer. Both girls finish up swim lessons this week, and then we are off to Eastern Washington to ride with the 4H group for the weekend. Shortly after that, Mayhem is off to DIRT BIKE summer camp for an entire week. We have a big trip down to the Coos Bay sand dunes in August – immediately returning to 2 weeks out at the Evergreen State Fair (Mayhem will be competing on her dirt bike). We end the summer with BMX State Finals in Tri-Cities…than, back to school (and back to work for me).
Stay tuned for more adventures from Team #77 Racing!
#MotoMom
Another great day of racing for the Team #77 Racing / Diablos BMX Racing crew!
We headed north this morning for some single point racing at NW Indoor BMX in Burlington.
Penelope took 1st in all 3 of her motos, landing her with a 1st place trophy!
Maybelline took 3rd in her first and second moto, and 2nd in the third moto – totaling out to a 3rd place trophy!
Not too shabby…considering the girls’ have only been hitting the BMX track once a month or so this past winter. We have two weekends of Winter Flat Track {quad and dirt bike} racing remaining in the series before getting back to the BMX ‘grind’ on the regular…can’t wait!
This past weekend, Team #77 Racing had the pleasure of racing on ice at Xfinity Arena in Everett, WA! Our family has participated in ICE Racing for 10+ years now – but this was our first year building entire classes sponsored by us ‘as a team’.
The kid’s class consisted of 7 riders for the night: Kaleah, Addy, Maybelline, Penelope, and AJ {all friends/family of Team #77 Racing} + Blake and another little gal.
Maybelline and Penelope had both raced on ice before. It was Addy’s first year racing a quad on dirt, and now on ice. It was also AJ’s first year racing on ice, but his second year racing his quad. And Kaleah, she is the dirt bike girl – so this was her first time EVER racing a quad. Such a fun group of kids!
The {un-studded} 3-wheeler class consisted of 6 riders: Painter Dan, Poppa Wheelie, Freakshow, Jeff, Travis, and Scott.
Poppa Wheelie had raced 3-wheelers on ice before, for several years – but never un-studded. Dan had just recently started racing his 3-wheeler on dirt. For Jeff, Scott, and Travis – it was the first time racing a 3-wheeler at all for them. They LITERALLY put on the best show of the night!
Everyone arrived to the track by 4pm, and got registered. We had a team dinner over at Buzz Inn, and made it back just in time for the riders meeting. Everything from there on seemed like a blur…as the kids’ quads and the 3-wheelers were racing ‘back-to-back’, and both had 2 heat races and one main.
This year, I was lucky enough to capture video of all 6 of the races that happened that night! Below are the race results and video…ENJOY!
We couldn’t be any happier about how the night went! Everyone had such a blast, and the kids all had grins from ear-to-ear…
A HUGE thank you to Xtreme International Ice Racing – XIIR for having the Team #77 Racing crew out to Xfinity Arena to race on the ice!
We have been back from racing and visiting with family in Idaho for 2 weeks, and I am just now finding the time to sit down and share how it all went! It was a SUPER FUN trip, but it took a lot of energy, planning, and driving to make it all happen…exhausting all in its own (not to mention the packing/un-packing, work related stuff, the holidays, etc). Glad to be home and getting ready for the holidays!
We raced the OMC Flat Track Series in Idaho on the Friday and Saturday following Thanksgiving (which meant making the 8 hour drive over on Thanksgiving Day). We were hoping to make it back to our home track in Monroe in time for racing on Sunday morning as well – but with how tired we all were and the nasty road conditions on the 8 hour drive, we quickly realized that may not be possible. We arrived back home late Sunday evening.
First night {Rd #2}:
Mayhem took 1st in both the open kid’s quad and open kid’s dirt bike class.
Nelly took 3rd in the open kid’s dirt bike class, and took a hard crash in the kid’s quad class…still finishing 4th.
Chandra held 1st in the PRO class heat and main race, taking home the $65 purse.
Team #77 Racing also battled it out on our 70cc 3-wheelers (all 6 of our immediate family members)…
Video of the ‘Heat Race’ {this first portion of the video eliminates Uncle Jonny jumping the start line…}:
Poppa Wheelie taking 1st, Dan 2nd, May 3rd, Chandra 4th, Nelly 5th, and Uncle Jonny 77th in the main!
Second night {Rd #3}:
Mayhem finished 1st in the kids open quad class, and 3rd in the kids open dirt bike class. Nelly swooped up 2nd in the open kid’s quad class, and 4th in the open kid’s dirt bike class.
AND THEN, yesterday, we went to Monroe to support our sponsored kiddos still racing flat track out there! A minor detail (but a huge decision that I have pondered over how and when to publicly discuss/announce) is that our two girls, Mayhem and Nelly, will no longer be racing Flat Track at Monroe for WHR Motorsports (the current promoter). This is the first time in 26 years that Team #77 Racing has not had an immediate family member racing the Winter Monroe Flat Track Series. I plan to address the decision in full detail here in my #MotoMom Blog in the near future, but with an open investigation involving the promoter (the lessee) and the Evergreen State Fairgrounds (the landlord) – I am allowing things to run a due-process before discussing details related to this decision. Either way, we continue to support all of our sponsored kiddos and friends/family racing there on Sundays this winter!
The next race in the Idaho OMC Flat Track Series is not for another month. Meanwhile, we plan to get a few BMX sessions in at NW Indoor BMX – and get things prepared for Xtreme International Ice Racing on Jan 7th! This years’ Ice Racing line-up is SURE TO IMPRESS: Poppa Wheelie and Painter Dan will BOTH be racing un-studded 70cc 3-wheelers, and both girls (plus Addy and Bro) will be racing the kids class! Both classes have been stacked with 8+ riders. With great competition, family & friends, it’s sure to be a great time!
Happy Holidays to all of our family, friends, and supporters! Team #77 Racing has had the BEST year yet, and we appreciate each and every one of you that has encouraged us along the way. We sure are excited to see what 2017 has to hold!
#MotoMom
This past weekend, we hopped in Poppa Wheelies’ dully pick-up with trailer+bikes in tow – and headed to Nampa, Idaho (8 hours from home) to visit my sister + brother-in-law, and race the OMC Flat Track Series {Round #1}!
My only sibiling/older sister Chandra is what I consider a ‘flat track veteran’, holding several pro titles throughout her 25+ years of racing quads (on dirt AND ice). Just a little over a year ago, her career in racing was put on hold due to being diagnosed with MS. Since her diagnoses, she has worked hard to maintain her illness in a positive attempt to live a healthy and happy life. Anyone who has met her knows how much of a strong and amazing person she is…MS knocked her on her a$$, but she has fought back and kept such a positive attitude…I sure love and admire her! This past weekend was her first time back on the dirt track and I couldn’t have been any more proud and happy to be there to cheer her on!
Chandra got the whole-shot on both the heat and the main, riding fierce (running tire-to-tire with her competition in every corner, keeping tight on the inside line, allowing NO room for error) and maintaining 1st place for the entire 8 lap race in BOTH the PRO heat and main race – taking home the $100 cash purse at the end of the night!
Uncle Johnny and Shane raced their 3-wheelers, Johnny taking 1st and Shane 2nd.
Maybelline and Penelope both raced an open kids quad class, May sweeping up 2nd place and Nelly 3rd.
Both girls also raced an open kids dirt bike class; May fought hard taking 3rd, and Nelly shortly behind in 4th.
Now, 4 days of R&R before another double header event here in Idaho, then back to Washington… #Team77Racing #WinnersPodium #ParticipationPlaques
#MotoMom
Now, that was a GREAT way to start off Flat Track season! Team #77 had victories across the table this past Sunday, and we couldn’t be any more proud of all the kiddos!
Penelope raced her PW 50 in the beginners 50cc dirt bike class, and her LT80 quad in the beginners 90cc quad class. At the ripe age of six, this is her second year racing in both those classes. Last year, she had a tough time keeping up with the ‘big kids’ in both classes but held in there taking 4th overall in the series (out of 6 total qualifying riders) on her quad, and 4th overall in the series (out of 4 total qualifying riders, so last place) on her dirt bike.
Maybelline raced her new KTM 50cc Pro Senior in the advanced 50cc dirt bike class, and her LT80 quad in the beginners 90cc quad class. As we mentioned before, we were having a tough time deciding what class to put her in on her quad since she had already been in that class for two years. After consulting our fellow ‘flat track veteran’ family and friends, it came down to just a few things:
-In the 2 years she had previously raced this class, she only ONCE (in 18+ races) took home a 1st place trophy (and that’s when #1 and #2 took each other out on the last lap and she was able to pass by the crash).
-Also, she is still riding a stock 80cc quad, vs. the ‘shifter quads’ that are currently running in the advanced class. The ‘Myers’ family (racing mates for 20+ yrs) also have similar age kids on the same quads that always proven for fun competition, so we followed suit leaving them all in the same classes again this year as we’ve always done in the past.
-Finally, she is 3 years YOUNGER than the maximum age requirement for the class, meaning that she is still competing with people who are both less and more advanced than her.
Obviously, if she takes a podium finish in this class this year, we plan to buy her a bigger bike and move her up next year. As far as her dirt bike went, the ‘big bikes’ (KTM’s and Cobra’s) stepped up into the advanced class so Maybelline did too! With only a few short sessions of seat time on the new bike, we were not sure what to expect.
This year, we also added another new member to the Team #77 Racing Team! Our dear friend Makayla and her daughter, Addy (age 5) came out for Sunday RACE-DAY. Addy is using one of the girls’ old LT50 quads, and is racing the beginners 70cc quad class.
Another long-time ‘flat track veteran’ friend brought out his son, Bro, to also race in the beginners 50cc dirt bike class. It was sooooo fun to have him and Penelope in the same races (flashback to circa ’94…and that was us, now parents, racing each other). We are hoping that Bro will return in the near future to race quads with the girls’ as well!
With a line-up of 4 kids, totaling 6 bikes/quads (and all races running back-to-back pretty much), it sure led to an eventful day for Team #77 Racing!
Nelly and Bro battled it out on their PW 50 dirt bikes (back and forth between #1 and #2 probably 5 times during the race) – with Nelly taking 1st across the finish line during the heat race. The main had seven dirt bikes total, Nelly taking 1st, and Bro at 3rd (but less than a bikes length from swiping 2nd). I think both of them are probably still sleeping with their trophies at night ;-).
Next race was Maybelline on her dirt bike! Just her (on her KTM) and another little girl (on a Cobra), both new to the bikes and class this year, hit the track. May blew up her clutch right out of staging, but made it through both the heat and main, taking 2nd place overall.
Addy was up next! For her first time ever on the track, she did GREAT! There were 2 quads in her class that did not belong in there (it was a 70cc and less beginners class, and there was a DDR 90 and a 110 both in it) that made it an even tougher race for her. Either way, she swooped up 5th in the heat race, and finished 2nd in the main…INCREDIBLE!
Next up was May and Nelly in the quad class! With 9 total riders in the class, both girls had to fight hard to keep their places. May took 1st in both the heat and main, and Nelly took 4th in both as well! SO PROUD OF THEM ❤❤
We got out of the track by 5:30ish on Sunday, and headed home with a bus full of happy kids and a bundle of trophies! With 26 winters spent at that track for Flat Track Racing…these sure are the nights and moments we live for…GO TEAM #77 RACING!
#MotoMom
Guess what? We got some moto’ing in today!
This weekend was the grand opening for NW Indoor BMX Racing…YAY! What does that mean for us? It means we now have an INDOOR track 52 miles north of our home! Since our only ‘dry’season(s) here in the Pacific NW are typically just Spring and Summer, most our local tracks operate only during that time of the year since they are all outdoor. We do have another indoor track on the Peninsula (75 miles southwest of home), but the last few times we’ve made a trip out there, traffic has been AWFUL, taking us 2.5+ hrs each way. So having this new indoor track up North (and the speed limit driving that direction is 70mph) means that the girls’ will easily be able to race BMX year round now, YAY!
We arrived at the track around 10ish this morning, and the girls had 90 minutes to practice. Since it has been racing since late August, we were not sure really what to expect. They both got in several practice laps and were feeling pretty confident.
We were SUPER impressed with the new track and its facilities! Not only is it indoor, but it has a great location just 2 mins off of I-5, REAL bathrooms instead of port-o-potties, some heat in the spectator areas, and accommodates/is laid out for large crowds. The track itself obviously had a lot of thought put into it and maximized all the space and features available, and was in TOP SHAPE! Pretty impressive for the 3rd day of a 3 day grand opening weekend…
Penelope had 4 kids in her moto, and Maybelline had 3. Both were ‘total points’. Penelope rode great today, and took 2nd in both her 1st and 2nd moto, and then fought hard, taking 1st in her last moto – total points shaking out to a 2nd place overall finish! Maybelline was also riding hard today. She took 2nd place in all 3 of here motos, and taking 2nd place overall. We were so happy to see that they haven’t lost progress and are still determined as ever to peddle their butts off!
Even better than the girls’ victories today was the sense of ‘team spirit in the house’! We had 7 diablos team members, many from Canada, come out to race with us. It’s always fun to meet new people and chat with others that we don’t see often enough!
We also had a ‘future Diablo’ join us for her first day at the track with her Strider. Aubrey is the 3 year old cousin of our Diablos team captain, Bill. She made a few attempts at riding the track during practice, but was quickly sidelined and distracted by the amount of people (and her food, LOL), so she decided to warm the bench for the rest of the afternoon. Sounds like she plans to get in some more regular practices and join us again for racing in the next few months!
Since we were racing locally today, we were lucky enough to also have my aunt/uncle and grandma come out and watch the girls’ race! It’s not very often that family joins us at the track, so this was a special treat for all of us.
Now that we home from today’s adventures, we are focused on getting ready for our Flat Track (quads and dirt bikes) season which begins next weekend. We have to the get the ‘bus’ out of storage and ready to go, we’ve got to get the covered trailer emptied (and figure out where all those bikes will be going for now), we have the kids 2 dirt bikes plus 2 quads that they will be racing (plus a few back up bikes) to get ready to go, and then the small things like gear/food/etc. Meanwhile, school and work is on full force for the next four days (thankfully we all have Friday off though). With all the chores aside, we are SOOOOOOOO excited for the season of ‘2 stroke Sundays’ to begin!
#MotoMom
Okayyyy, so I know it has been TOO LONG since I last updated this blog. But, good news – I have good excuses 😉
My main purpose for this blog is promoting and sharing the Team #77 Racing (mainly the girls’) journey racing their quads, dirt bikes, 3 wheelers, and BMX. As I am sure you could imagine, racing is SO EXPENSIVE. Over time, we hope that documenting this journey will allow the girls’ to secure additional sponsors and fans along the way, keeping a strong support system around them at all times. They both have BIG goals in mind – but how exactly we get there is another story.
With that being said, since BMX State Finals at PI (in late August), we haven’t been moto’ing at all. Lame, I know! Following finals, we took a quick trip over to Idaho for a few days to visit with my sister. The day after we returned, both girls were back to school full time. Two weeks following that, I went back to work full time. And now, we are still just as busy as ever!
BUT…it’s that time of the year again for the NW Flat Track Series out at Monroe. Team #77 Racing has been racing out at Monroe Flat Track since 1990, so this is pretty much a family tradition at this point. This year is a 9 round series, spread between 4 months. Sunday mornings, we arrive to the track by 8am, and we don’t leave until well into the evening. Half way through the season – a double point’s race takes place in Pasco, WA. The last two races of the season are run as a double header (Friday night, and Saturday afternoon). You must race 8 of 9 races to qualify – and it’s ran total points style (each finish equals a certain amount of points, add them all up at the end of the year for a total and final points count/finish).
This year, Penelope will be racing her PW50 dirt bike in the Beginners 50cc Class and her LT80 quad in the 90cc Beginners Quad Class.
Maybelline, on the other hand, we are not sure what classes she will be racing at this point. She will be on her new KTM Pro Senior 50cc dirt bike, and racing her LT80 quad again. Although both the quad and dirt bike beginners’ classes allow for kids up to 11 years old to race in them, it really isn’t fair to remain as a beginner if you’ve been racing that class several years, and you have taken away a podium finish. On the other hand, the next class up for quads is usually ‘shifter’ quads (which Maybelline’s isn’t), and then next class up for dirt bikes were some REALLY tough boys on some REALLY ‘trick’ dirt bikes.
As we get nearer to the season start, gossip sure is flowing! We recently found out (after spending a small fortune to build some race 3-wheelers) that the promoter has canceled the 3-wheeler class for this season. HUGE slap in the face to many people, but I honestly expect nothing different from this class-act of a guy. Another one of the podium finishers in the girls’ dirt bike class will also be stepping up to a ‘big girl’ bike this year and racing alongside Maybelline. Our sweetest buddy AJ (#99) will be returning for another year of Flat Track (his 2nd year) on his quad. The most adorable lil’ Zoe and her tough brother will be missing in this years’ dirt bike classes. Maybelline’s biggest competition in the quad class last year is moving up. So many changes – makes for lots of anticipation…we can’t wait!
#MotoMom
Washington State BMX Finals…WHAT A WEEKEND!
Although we knew that this weekend was approaching for a long time, no one could prepare us for the chaos that led up to it! I am glad the weekend itself went well, and that we are almost done with ‘BMX season’.
The week/days prior to State Finals:
![IMAG2176[1]](http://team77racing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/IMAG21761.jpg)
![IMAG2180[1]](http://team77racing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/IMAG21801.jpg)
And then, it was the weekend! As I mentioned above, we left for State Finals about noon-ish on Friday; Poppa Wheelie driving the ‘bus’ (with Penelope and Dan) and me driving our truck (with Maybelline). We had the option of taking the ferry or the Tacoma Narrows Bridge over to the Peninsula. With the ‘bus’ and the truck, the Ferry would have cost $170+ and who knows what wait times would have been on a Friday afternoon (typically 60+ minutes). We decided to head South thorough Tacoma, over the bridge, and up the Peninsula to Port Orchard! What should have been a 1 ½ hrs trip (normal traffic) was actually a 4 hour trip; we arrived at the track about 4pm.
![Screenshot_2016-08-31-09-42-16[1]](http://team77racing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Screenshot_2016-08-31-09-42-161.png)
Friday night was single point racing. Racing was to begin at 7:30, but didn’t start until closer to 8pm (which is usually their bed time). For both girls’, it was ‘total points’ racing (which means that they race all 3 motos and their finish/points for each moto are all added up to determine their total/final points). Both girls’ rode hard in all their races – both taking 3rd for the night! We didn’t end up getting to bed until close to midnight.
Saturday’s racing didn’t roll around until 4pm. We slept in, and had a great breakfast/lunch back at camp; then headed in for some practice. Gates were packed, and both girls’ had to qualify for their mains. Nelly swooped up a 4th place win for the day, and May took 5th!
Sunday was the State Finals! This normally wouldn’t sound like a ‘big deal’ to most people – but with over 2,000+ miles on the odometer and $6k+ from the pocket book this ‘BMX race season’, the girls were ‘in it to win it’ at this point. Maybelline was holding the #10 spot in the State for 8 year olds, and Penelope was also holding #10 spot in the State for 5 year olds. USA BMX awards ‘State Plates’ (the privilege of running a green Washington State number plate with your qualifying number on it for one year) to the top 10 qualifying kids of each age. The girls’ were barely making the cut (currently standing at 10th both, and the final race determining their final spot) – so the State Finals were truly a ‘make it or break it’ type of moment.
Registration and practice started at 10am, and racing began shortly after noon. Most of our Diablos Team-mates made it out, YAY! Both girls’ were pumped and ready to race…improving as each practice lap went by. Both had full gates and were split into 2 motos and had to qualify for their mains (1st and 2nd place from each moto would advance to the main). Somehow, Penelope managed to shoot out of the gate in 1st place, and maintain it for the whole race! She placed first and was automatically was moving onto the main (so she didn’t have to race her 2nd moto). Maybelline struggled out of the gate, and held 4th/5th the entire race…and needed to try again (in her 2nd moto) to qualify for the main. Her 2nd moto, she took 2nd…advancing her to the main.
By the time mains rolled around, the indoor area was PACKED and everyone was ‘on edge’. Their ‘motos’ were only 3 races apart, so it seemed to fly by so fast! Nelly loaded onto the gate, launched out fairly quickly, and finshed 4th place. Maybelline also got a good start, but fell behind the pack going into the first corner. She also finished 4th! Thank goodness both final motos went well, but we still had NO IDEA where/if they finished in State Finals ‘top 10’ as far as points were concerned.
We waited around for another 2+ hours for the ‘State Finals Award Ceremony’. We pulled up some chairs early on, but were quickly over came by crowds of people. When the 5N class was finally announced, Nelly was SHOCKED to hear her name (she was half asleep on my lap) – she finished 9th in the State for 5 year old kids – WOW! Shortly following, they announced the 8N class – and Maybelline was awarded 10th in the State for 8 year old kids! PRETTY AMAZING FEELING AS A PARENT – SOOOO PROUD OF MY GIRLS!
After the awards, we headed back to the motorhome and cooked a quick dinner. We were on the road by 6pm, and home by 8pm (thankfully, traffic wasn’t bad at all). Wowha, glad that weekend is finally over!
Now, we are preparing for school (supplies, clothes, paperwork, etc. + me returning back to work) which starts one week from tomorrow. We have one last trip/vacation on the calendar before school starts to go see Auntie Chandra and Uncle Johnny in Nampa, Idaho. Although we are not exactly ready for another road trip, we sure are excited to spend some family time with those who mean the most! Here…we…go…
![Screenshot_2016-08-31-09-35-00[1]](http://team77racing.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Screenshot_2016-08-31-09-35-001.png)
