12 Hours of ATV America 2005

~Pit Talk~

Team: FD Racing #151
Jason Mickelson	Jarrod Sheets	Kevin Wehde

ATV Scene: Team?
Jason Mickelson: After last year’s victory, we began making plans for this year’s race. I based the team on two things. One was rider ability and two was who would be able to make the trip with the team. We knew from previous years that we needed a team that was comprised of people who could ride smart and keep the machine together, while still maintaining enough speed to win!

ATV Scene: Expectations?
Jason Mickelson: Our expectations from the entire crew was to go out and repeat as the champions for the second year in a row. In all actuality, we would have been happy with a good smart ride and finishing the race. We wanted to win, but it was more important to finish and head back home in one piece.

ATV Scene: Strategy?
Jason Mickelson: Our initial goal was to do everything humanly possible to stay on the lead lap! If we did not come out of the gates in the lead, we knew that we would have 12 hours to get there. Then as the morning unfolded we pre-planned to track the other teams position and get up at least one lap on the rest of the field if possible. If we could accomplish this, even by luck, we knew the afternoon session would be much less intense. Last year, we were victorious over Mike Penland’s team by 2 minutes. Our goal was to have a more convincing victory this year!

ATV Scene: Challenges?
Jason Mickelson: We were very fortunate this year. C&D Racing had the bike prepped to win. We had the easy job of just going out and riding it. Our biggest challenge was keeping things smooth through the rocks and the jumps so that our machine could finish!

ATV Scene: Setup?
Jason Mickelson: This year’s machine was the best one that we have ridden in one of these events thus far. It was prepped by C&D Racing out of Omaha and there wasn’t another thing that could have been done to it. It ran hard all day long and we did not have one mechanical failure.

ATV Scene: Next Year’s Setup?
Jason Mickelson: Next year we will be considering Tire Balls very heavily if it is at the same location because we did have one flat this year due to the rocky conditions.

ATV Scene: The Track?
Jason Mickelson: We like 5 mile courses! It seems to be a perfect length for this event. If they were any longer it would be extremely boring in the pits. We felt like the other riders were courteous and the event went very smooth. The scoring system is still the cat’s meow! We are lucky to run a race using that technology! I have to say, there was a lot of mx, but it was a great mix of woods and open sections. If you get the course any tighter, I feel the pros would be very frustrated with lapped traffic. The only thing better would be re-creating the exact same track without all the rocks!

ATV Scene: Likes, Dislikes?
Jason Mickelson: The thing we disliked the most was that the race moved. We preferred to see the event grow and prosper as it did each year in Fort Dodge. The numbers being down a little bit seems to be a direct result of pulling it from the midwest. A large number of midwest teams did not make the long haul to PA. This could be due in part to the reputation of PA as being very rocky as well. A couple of things I would like to see in the future would be to bring back some kind of display for the rider to see his/her lap time and position as he or she crossed the finish line. Also, it was very neat to have a radar gun on the pit lane to track speeds of the teams as they powered through the straight away. The plasma tv display of the current standing was a nice touch in previous years as well. The computer screen is hard to get close to and see. All in all, these are minor things, but I feel they could make the event even better!

ATV Scene: Next Year?
Jason Mickelson: We have already discussed it and if all goes well, we would love to bring the entire crew to the race next year! The riders got along very well and rode consistent times all day! We had the fastest pit stops of any utility team thanks to our crew: Colby and Dusty Kostman of C&D Racing, Angela Mickelson (my wife), Pat Kirkland (fellow FD Racing Utility Rider), Mike Flohr (Iowa Racer) and Kevin Wehde’s parents Brad and Val Wehde. We will be back again to try for three consecutive wins! We already know we will have our hands full if Team HMF returns with Ken Robey, Michael Swift, and Cliff Beasley. They went through initiation this year, but we believe they will return as a force to be reckoned with. Plus, lets not forget the teams we can only dream about for the next year! Congrats to TPC Power Center. We would like to thank them for their tremendous warm welcome and sportsmanship! Great guys and we look for an intense battle from them next year as well! From the whole FD Racing team and crew, thanks for a great event and we can’t wait for next year!

ATV Scene: Team?
Matt Bremer: I raced with Ricky at the nationals and I go to school with Mike.

ATV Scene: Expectations?
Matt Bremer: Just to finish. This was our first 12 Hour.

ATV Scene: Strategy?
Matt Bremer: Switch riders, fill the bike and inspect everything every three to four laps.

ATV Scene: Challenges?
Matt Bremer: The cold weather! Mike and I are from Florida.

ATV Scene: Setup?
Matt Bremer: The bike was better than expected. Maybe

ATV Scene: Next Year’s Setup?
Matt Bremer: We want to run the same team in 2006. We might even run the same exact bike too.

ATV Scene: The Track?
Matt Bremer: The coarse was fair for everyone.

ATV Scene: Likes, Dislikes?
Matt Bremer: We liked the event.

ATV Scene: Next Year?
Matt Bremer: We’ll be running the B class next year.

ATV Scene: Team?
David Kyte: We all ride the same district races together. Last year my brother & I won the 12 Hours with someone else but he broke his leg and wasn’t able to race this year’s 12.

ATV Scene: Expectations?
David Kyte: We were there to win again.

ATV Scene: Strategy?
David Kyte: To stay close to the front and save the bike all the way to the end.

ATV Scene: Challenges?
David Kyte: We had a loose axle nut to deal with.

ATV Scene: Setup?
David Kyte: Everything was pretty good except for the gearing.

ATV Scene: Next Year’s Setup?
David Kyte: We’re hoping to get our first team back together again.

ATV Scene: The Track?
David Kyte: Fast!

ATV Scene: Likes, Dislikes?
David Kyte: The awards for the first place teams sucks for a 12hrs race. It’s like six GNCCs in a row — that’s a lot of wear and tear on the bike.

ATV Scene: Next Year?
David Kyte: It depends on the awards and where it’s held.

ATV Scene: Team?
Eddie Edmondson: We all raced in the Youth Production Class in the GNC. We all finished up there with top tens, so we thought we might give the 6 Hours of PA a chance and we ended up winning it. With the win, we were given a free entry into the 12 Hour and didn’t want to pass it up. We are also good friends and new it would be a blast to team up again.

ATV Scene: Expectations?
Eddie Edmondson: Of course we all wanted to win, but as most youth riders will agree, we just wanted to finish.

ATV Scene: Strategy?
Eddie Edmondson: We all decided to stay at a steady pace and concentrate on finishing.

ATV Scene: Challenges?
Eddie Edmondson: We broke the axle on the second lap of the race. We also broke both front rims (different times) and being amateurs at this type of race we ran out of gas, LOL. So I guess keeping our bike together was the biggest challenge.

ATV Scene: Setup?
Eddie Edmondson: We were satisfied with our bike’s setup.

ATV Scene: Next Year’s Setup?
Eddie Edmondson: Well, Richard Lindsay will be staying down in Youth Production next year (so all you Youth riders watch out!) and Nick Davis and I will move up, so I’m not sure where that will put us as far as a team next year, but I’m sure we all would like to stay together.

ATV Scene: The Track?
Eddie Edmondson: Of course it was more setup for the woods rider, but having the motocross part, which we ride, was cool. It would be great if we had a little of all three, including some TT.

ATV Scene: Likes, Dislikes?
Eddie Edmondson: Everything about the event was awesome!!! It ran really smooth. Thanks 12 Hours of America for letting the Youth class ride in this great event!

ATV Scene: Next Year?
Eddie Edmondson: We can’t wait to go again next year. We hope to have the chance to ride at least one of the 6 Hour races and definitely the 12 Hour again. It was a great race and we had good competition. Congratulations to the other teams in our class!

ATV Scene: Team?
Stefanie Verkade: We are all friends and we raced the 6 Hours of America together and had a blast!

ATV Scene: Expectations?
Stefanie Verkade: Didn’t really have any. We knew it was going to be like the 6 Hour. We were just hoping for great weather.

ATV Scene: Strategy?
Stefanie Verkade: Have fun, don’t get hurt and keep the bike together!

ATV Scene: Challenges?
Stefanie Verkade: Fatigue. Towards the end, everyone was very tired and cold.

ATV Scene: Setup?
Stefanie Verkade: We had a great machine. We were lucky nothing broke and nobody got hurt!

ATV Scene: Next Year’s Setup?
Stefanie Verkade: If it works, why change it!

ATV Scene: The Track?
Stefanie Verkade: The coarse was definitely 50/50.

ATV Scene: Likes, Dislikes?
Stefanie Verkade: The doubles. I felt a couple of them were very dangerous for someone that isn’t very skilled to jump.They weren’t marked with X or a danger sign either.

ATV Scene: Next Year?
Stefanie Verkade: 2006 is too far away. Haven’t talked about it yet.

Team:	Hertz Racing #91
Tom Hertz Rob Hertz Sean Neidlinger
Class:	Pro
Place:	2nd
Overall:	2nd
ATV:	Honda TRX450R

ATV Scene: Team?
Tom Hertz: We all race the GNCC series together. Our pit crew Bill and Deb Neidlinger, Pappa brothers, and Ed are part of the team too. They helped a ton.

ATV Scene: Expectations?
Tom Hertz: To do the best we possibly can and have no problems.

ATV Scene: Strategy?
Tom Hertz: Our strategy was to be smooth and fast on the track and in the pits.

ATV Scene: Challenges?
Tom Hertz: To have no problems. And to keep up with Team Honda as much as possible.

ATV Scene: Setup?
Tom Hertz: We chose to stick with what we race all the time. The machine was the same setup we use at the GNCC series.

ATV Scene: Next Year’s Setup?
Tom Hertz: We won’t make any team changes, we have fun together. Next year we need to just go faster.

ATV Scene: The Track?
Tom Hertz: It’s the same track for everyone. We grew to like it, after all we went around it 57 times.

ATV Scene: Likes, Dislikes?
Tom Hertz: All the organizers need to slow down – they kill themselves. They need to just watch the race a little.

ATV Scene: Next Year?
Tom Hertz: Plans for next year are to show up and race like we did this year. See ya there.

ATV Scene: Team?
Blake Kramer: We know each other from running the B class at the GNCCs.

ATV Scene: Expectations?
Blake Kramer: We had strong expectations. We wanted to win.

ATV Scene: Strategy?
Blake Kramer: Our strategy was to stay on the lead lap with our class, but with all our troubles it didn’t work out that way.

ATV Scene: Challenges?
Blake Kramer: We busted a side case and had to change it after the break. Then on the next lap the clutch broke.

ATV Scene: Setup?
Blake Kramer: It worked well, but we will stiffen up the suspension for next year.

ATV Scene: The Track?
Blake Kramer: A lot of it was favored toward motocross racers, but that was okay because we got them back in the woods!

ATV Scene: Likes, Dislikes?
Blake Kramer: I liked the facility and how it was set up. I also thought the track was awesome. The only thing I disliked was that there were not near as many teams and spectators as last year.

ATV Scene: Next Year?
Blake Kramer: Im not sure what we’ll do next year. We might race the A class.

ATV Scene: Team?
George Long: Just friends that ride the local races and the GNCCs.

ATV Scene: Expectations?
George Long: We were there to win 30+ class.

ATV Scene: Strategy?
George Long: Stay fresh, change riders a lot and take care of the bike. The ATV is the most important thing out there. If you break it — you lose.

ATV Scene: Challenges?
George Long: About lap 10 or 12 a brand new chain broke in seven spots on the motocross track. It took us out of first and put as one lap down. We took another lap in the pits before we ended up fixing the chain. In the second session we lost a bolt out of the sub fame and had to fix that. We busted a lot of tire balls on the bike too.

ATV Scene: Next Year’s Setup?
George Long: Switching chain brands and investing in a lot of Loc-Tite.

ATV Scene: The Track?
George Long: It was good, definitely a lot of fast motocross in it.

ATV Scene: Likes,Dislikes?
George Long: Nothing I can think of — just a good old moto-crosscountry race.

ATV Scene: Next Year?
George Long: HLW Racing #999 will be back! You can count on it.

ATV Scene: Team?
Rob Zimmerman: I was using a quad provided by Honda for research for the whole season. I decided to use it for the 12 hours since it was not mine & I did not have to worry about fixing it after the race. I called Todd and asked him if he wanted to run the Industry class together since he also works at Honda with me. Todd was excited to do. He then ask his long time friend Eric Lemley owner of Hillbilly Racing (whom I had met a few times while riding with Todd), and that’s how our team was formed.

ATV Scene: Expectations?
Rob Zimmerman: We knew it would be a long day of racing and there would be a lot of potential problems that could happen.

ATV Scene: Strategy?
Rob Zimmerman: 1.Get together and see how everyone liked the current setup of the quad.Only a few minor changes had to be made – mainly lever positions. 2. Tear the quad down and inspect everything, red Loc-Tite every bolt on it and replace any bearings or parts that may be bad. 3. Install a set of 350X headlights so we can see where we are turning to. 4. At the race – change riders every hour, fill up fuel every other rider change. 5 Pray nothing breaks.

ATV Scene: Challenges?
Rob Zimmerman: Preparation – figuring out who was going to bring what, get what and do what.

ATV Scene: Setup?
Rob Zimmerman: The machine was perfect.

ATV Scene: Next Year’s Setup?
Rob Zimmerman: No changes planned for next year.

ATV Scene: The Track?
Rob Zimmerman: Nope – our team worked even better than we had hoped. We expected to just win our class. Then as the race went on we kept moving up in the overall standings – all the way to 7th overall! We sort of wished we had ran a Pro or A class for the money.

ATV Scene: Likes,Dislikes?
Rob Zimmerman: The cold! I don’t like the cold. The fact that the rear taillights / glow sticks were not enforced. I saw a number of teams that did not have either working. Pit lane was perfect. Scoring was great. It seemed geared a little toward the MX racer. The woods were not technical and were wide open in sections like a motocross. The MX track was about perfect though as the jumps were fairly simple with only a couple that separated the men from the boys. I would like to see a little more technical woods sections with slower speeds in them.

ATV Scene: Next Year?
Rob Zimmerman: Find someone to donate a Honda to us and race it again, same team, same strategy.

ATV Scene: Team?
Michael Lucas: I created the team, Mike Johnston and I have done three 12 Hours and two 6 Hours together. We lost our third rider from last year so we selected Keith who is a local District 6 racer that races with me.

ATV Scene: Expectations?
Michael Lucas: We have learned from our mistakes every year and have also learned how to build a machine as well. Our experience in how to build the machine, pit strategy and how to actually ride for 12 hours without destroying the machine has been a work in process the last three years. So building a new machine with the correct components was very important and so was having smart riders and a great pit crew. I knew we would do well as we have run in the front before.
I am not surprised we won, but I am happy we finally did it.

ATV Scene: Strategy?
Michael Lucas: To run a new machine with the right aftermarket parts. Have three smart fast riders that won’t destroy the machine, and have a pit crew that understands what needs to be done.

ATV Scene: Challenges?
Michael Lucas: We were up to 2nd overall at about 7 1/2 hours in and had a lap lead over 2nd in our class. We decided to be a little conservative at night so we wouldn’t break anything. They were Pro Am MX and TT riders and jumped everything at night, which a lot of pro teams didn’t even do. They caught us with about an hour left. So I guess riding that conservative was a mistake, but we did overcome and still won.

ATV Scene: Setup?
Michael Lucas: The quad was perfect. The only problem is we had a headlight bulb go out – we were able to replace the whole light. I wouldn’t change anything except go a little faster.

ATV Scene: Next Year’s Setup?
Michael Lucas: We won, so it wouldn’t be smart to do any changing, but we lost our rider from last year with three weeks left until the race. Next year is a year from now, so it would be hard to say what will happen until then.

ATV Scene: The Track?
Michael Lucas: The track held up well and I think it should stay at Rausch. Last year the track was too soft and was brutal at the end.

ATV Scene: Likes, Dislikes?
Michael Lucas: I am a XC rider so I would say it was bias towards MX. There was too many fire roads for the woods sections. It needs more tight trees and turns. Also, we were not sure when the first half of the race would end. It messed our pitting up. Something should be done about that next year — maybe a 2 lap sign and a white flag, that would help a lot.

ATV Scene: Next Year?
Michael Lucas: A 2007 YFZ450, same team and same setup. We’ll probably run the A class again, but that is far away yet and things could change.

Team: HMF/Quadzone.com #115
Phil Cole	Matt Zeleski	Jeff Frank

ATV Scene: Team?
Phil Cole: We all ride the GNCC series together and we’re all live pretty close to one another. We also all run twist throttles so it made sense to run together.

ATV Scene: Expectations?
Phil Cole: I was very excited leading up to it. I had great expectations and everything worked out great! I would have liked a little longer track though.

ATV Scene: Strategy?
Phil Cole: We decided that we should all run three laps each to keep fresh and to tie in with our pit stops for gas every 6 laps. In the night session I was running faster laps so the team wanted me to stay out as long as possible. I paid for it after however, I was so sore!

ATV Scene: Challenges?
Phil Cole: We had a flat in the first session, but that was about all. We changed air filters in the 2nd session, and had a slow leak in the rear right at the end of the night session.

ATV Scene: Setup?
Phil Cole: The bike performed awesomely. We should have ran our shocks a little harder as they were bottoming out on the jumps on the MX track.

ATV Scene: Next Year’s Setup?
Phil Cole: For next year we would run stiffer springs and also a larger tooth front sprocket for more top speed on the wide open sections. I think we would make a great team again for 2006

ATV Scene: The Track?
Phil Cole: The course had a good mix of stuff. I would have liked to have seen more tight stuff – but that’s because I’m a woods racer!

ATV Scene: Likes, Dislikes?
Phil Cole: I liked it a lot I would have preferred the interval to have been two hours and not 1.5 hours. We had to rush to get things ready for the second session.

ATV Scene: Next Year?
Phil Cole: A little faster bike, same lights and another podium finish!

Team: Rekluse Racing #224
Darrell Bozarth	David Robinson	Kevin Smith

ATV Scene: Team?
Darrell Bozarth: I ride and race with these guys. We are all about the same speed and ability.

ATV Scene: Expectations?
Darrell Bozarth: We expected more XC terrain than what was there. We also expected more prizes and contingency for the $200 entry fee.

ATV Scene: Strategy?
Darrell Bozarth: Consistent smooth riding, to save the machine and finish.

ATV Scene: Challenges?
Darrell Bozarth: Well, on the first lap we lost the center hub out of a Hyper rear wheel. After running one mile round trip to swap out the wheel. We were two and a half laps down after completing our first lap. On the second lap of the race, teammate Kevin Smith faced a double on the MX track and broke his arm. So, that left myself and Dave Robinson to charge from behind and finish the event by ourselves. By the way, we were able to get two laps back and finished 2nd in our class. And only half a lap behind the leaders.

ATV Scene: Setup?
Darrell Bozarth: The machine was perfect, except for the rear wheel problem at the beginning of the race.

ATV Scene: The Track?
Darrell Bozarth: It sure as hell wasn’t a very good mix of both XC and MX. I bet there wasn’t a total of a half mile of actual woods trails. I don’t mind the MX, but put some woods in it at least — and not just a half mile plus straights around every other corner for fill.

ATV Scene: Likes, Dislikes?
Darrell Bozarth: Prizes and contingency would have been nice after paying a $200 entry The track needed a lot more XC style riding/trails too.

ATV Scene: Next Year?
Darrell Bozarth: We were not happy with a few things this year. Whether we attend next year will depends on what changes are made. Rausch Creek as a whole was not even half the event as it was last year in Iowa, track, or prizes.

ATV Scene: Team?
Mitch Reynolds: JB Racing selected us throughout the year.

ATV Scene: Expectations?
Mitch Reynolds: We came to win the A class

ATV Scene: Strategy?
Mitch Reynolds: Keep on the lead lap for first 6 hours and to try and keep a fresh rider on the bike

ATV Scene: Challenges?
Mitch Reynolds: A crash in the first 6 hours, we were in the lead in the A class and 2nd overall, We were left with 2 riders to finish the last 7 hours

ATV Scene: Setup?
Mitch Reynolds: The bike setup was great

ATV Scene: Next Year’s Setup?
Mitch Reynolds: We will know when it gets here next year

ATV Scene: The Track?
Mitch Reynolds: The width of track was great, the track layout was great and it was a good mixture between cross country and motocross.

ATV Scene: Likes, Dislikes?
Mitch Reynolds: The parking was unorganized and what’s up with taking off on the rocks? The pit set up was great though.

ATV Scene: Next Year?
Mitch Reynolds: Its too early to know.

Team: TPC PowerCenter #55
Lance Schwartz	Dave Porzi	George Richards

ATV Scene: Team?
Lance Schwartz: We raced our first race together in 2004 at the 6 Hours of PA and won the Utility Expert Class. I was actually supposed to race on a different team this year.

ATV Scene: Expectations?
Lance Schwartz: We were really hoping to get a podium finish, but first and foremost, we always expect to have fun and to be as safe as we can.

ATV Scene: Strategy?
Lance Schwartz: Our strategy was to not tell any other teams our strategy! In all seriousness, we just tried to race “our” race and not pay attention to what the other teams were doing. We really just wanted to stay out there and keep turning laps and finish with a mistake free race.

ATV Scene: Challenges?
Lance Schwartz: We had major tie rod end problems all day long. Once we got that straightened out, we broke the frame with about an hour left. We welded it back together and went out and limped it home to finish up with a 2nd place.

ATV Scene: Setup?
Lance Schwartz: All things considered, the Brute Force performed pretty well.

ATV Scene: Next Year’s Setup?
Lance Schwartz: No changes for the team members – we run together or not at all. We really compliment one another and it’s really fun to race with these guys. I think we will most likely run a Prairie next year, though.

ATV Scene: The Track?
Lance Schwartz: I think there was a fair share of variety for everyone.

ATV Scene: Likes, Dislikes?
Lance Schwartz: We liked everything but the cold weather. I know you can’t change that though, except for maybe scheduling it earlier in the fall or maybe even in the summer. I also like that the race was covered live on this web site! That is just an awesome feat!

ATV Scene: Next Year?
Lance Schwartz: We are planning on running it, depending on where it is scheduled to be. Of course all of us being local, we’d love to see it at Rausch Creek again next year.