Mitch Reynolds
- Updated: June 7, 2008
By Todd Sweigart, photos by David Web
I slept in late today. It was a long night last night. “Tha Rocket”, as we like to call him, has won his first Pro National and we stayed up and celebrated. In case you don’t know, the rider I am referring to is ATVA Extreme Dirt Track Pro; Mitch Reynolds. 2008 will be Mitch’s second year as a pro rider. Mitch and his JB Racing, Baldwin Motorsports, Rath Racing, PEP, Hoosier Tires, Sunrise Honda TRX 450R are off to a great start!
What follows in this, and future columns, is my adventures with Mitch throughout the 2008 ATVA Extreme Dirt Track National Series and the ATVA National MX Series where Mitch competes in the Pro-Am ranks.
We all took a couple of days off before heading out Thursday morning at 8AM on our way to Walnut, IL. About seven hours into this road trip I got my first stint behind the wheel of the massive hauler. It’s only about 60′ longer than anything I have ever driven, but other than the suicidal turkey I encountered crossing the highway, I thought I did pretty well.
Mitch took his first pro national win at his home track in Greenbrier, AR after beating Harold Goodman and Brad Riley. At round two of the EDT Series in Ava, MO Mitch finished just off the podium with a fourth place in the main event.
Mitch took his first pro national win at his home track in Greenbrier, AR after beating Harold Goodman and Brad Riley. At round two of the EDT Series in Ava, MO Mitch finished just off the podium with a fourth place in the main event.
Just about dark, we pulled into Sunset Ridge for the 4th round of the ATVA National MX series. The track and facilities at Sunset Ridge were excellent and everyone working there seamed very nice as well. It was cold and rainy and Mitch did not have the best of weekends. We got a little water in the electrical system Sunday and that was that.
On Monday, we pulled out with four other riders and headed to Taylorville, IL to train and practice at the South Fork Dirt Riders track. When we showed up, they thought we had not gotten the news that the WPSA ATV Tour was canceled and were there for that race. We informed them we were here to practice for a few days and they welcomed us with open arms. Terry and Leroy Harris as well as Janet and the very colorful Elaine bent over backwards to make us feel at home. If you are ever in the area, this is a great place to ride and excellent people.
I can now see what separates the top riders from the rest of the pack. Mitch and the devoted bunch of riders he was with spent three days working on their equipment, training and riding lap after lap on the beautifully prepped motocross track. They were putting in multiple twenty minute motos plus two laps. I was amazed at how hard these guys practiced. It was like they were gunning for a race win.
What really surprised me was that none of these riders had any problem with the local riders on the track. As a matter of fact, when I ask one of them if the less serious riders were messing up their lap times he told me, “they’re all riders just like me, and I probably screwed up their practice.” I thought that was a pretty respectful response.
It’s now Wednesday and we will spend one more day here before we head to Brownstown, Illinois for the second round of the EDT Nationals and hopefully another win. I will report back as the racing season progresses with my experiences on the road and at the track. Hope to see you at the Races!
Oh—by the way, my name is Todd Sweigart, and I’m road trip’n with “Tha Rocket”.