OMA Maxxis Coyote Iowa Round

Click Your Heals, There’s No Place Like Home

by Darcy Gusse

As if our off road racers needed another mud run, well, Mother Nature once again put the boys to the test. Not just any test, this would be the test of all tests. With Tornadoes running across the horizon on Saturday, many opt to play the throw away card and those who did not would skip practice. Sunday, not exactly better. With down pours from 3 pm Saturday into Sunday afternoon, the estimate of rainfall was around… 12 inches. Good news… No tornadoes on Sunday, just buckets of water.

Unfortunately, this round I would not make. I always miss the good stuff. My phone would blow up all morning with racers wondering if the race was canceled, “Canceled??? Nooooo, Old Bill would never fathom the idea of canceling. That’s just absurd.” Brian Elliot from ProMoto Billet/Fastway would make the call and ask the absurd question… “Your dad’s gonna cancel this race, right?” All Brian would hear is laughing and a quick Nope. “Your dad is crazy; there is mudslides, torrential downpours, crazy winds… Darcy! A mudslide hit our motel!” “Well, look at the good side Brian… there’s no tornadoes today.” He would quickly respond with labeling me in the “insane bracket” with my pops. After receiving many phone calls and our family being labeled as clinically insane, the thought briefly crossed my mind, maybe??? Naaaa, they’re just whining.

So a call to Brian Garrahan and Paul Whibley would confirm there’s no medical condition running in our family, Garrahan firmly “Who’s crying? We’re racing!” Whibley would enthusiastically state “It’s just a little mud, Darcy, not bad at all, we’re racing!”
Reluctant, but with a little push, Jimmy was on his way to the track. Jimmy’s day did not begin as well, with a telephone pole landing on his motel room, it was early morning for JJ, so cut him some slack.

Onto racing…
The sun would make a brief appearance, bringing false hope to some. The track would be altered and many sections taken out due to the terrain situation. Aaron Wegner (Kenda/Promoto Billet/Fastway) would slide into the Vemar Helmet $200 Holeshot Award, just nudging out Paul Whibley. Team Mates Whibley and Jarrett (Suzuki/FMF/Motion Pro) would take off and transform into a two man race. With Jarrett anticipating a white flag any lap now at lap 6, due to the creek turning into a raging river. Racers would state it was a scene right out of classic move “The River”. Steve Leivan (Sport Cycles/Acerbis/Answer) would attest to this, with an attempt to cross the creek with strong currents, he would fall short on making it across and watch helplessly as his Yamaha WR250 washed away downstream 30 yards. Spectators would jam logs to form a make shift damn further down to prevent a complete loss of Leivan’s bike. Leivan would approach Bill Gusse and fire off a “few choice words” in Gusse’s direction and demand an atv to save his bike. All in good fun! And Leivan’s WR would see another day.

Whibley would soon pull away from the pack and as the white flag dropped, the determination he started with in the morning would soon deteriorate, as he questioned the creek crossing. Around lap 9, the creek would begin to come out of its banks, with a current strong enough to take a bike right out from underneath you within 2 laps. Jarrett’s last attempt at the creek crossing would take him 20 feet downstream. As the checkers were waved, the relief set in for the boys. Jarrett stated “What a blast! It was the most fun I’ve has in long time!”

What kind of fun is it to stay clean all the time? If you don’t like the mud, stay home!
OMA would like to thank Maxxis, Parts Unlimited, Moose Racing, Sidi, Vemar, DP Brakes, Motion Pro, Johnny Signs, ReKluse, Cycra, Promoto Billet/Fastway, Scott, MotoComm, and ZipTy Racing. Most importantly the racers, fans, and landowners who make this great sport possible!

~Darcy

OMA Round 4 – Maxxis Coyote XC – Waukon, Iowa

1st – Paul Whibley – Suzuki/FMF/Motion Pro
2nd – Jimmy Jarrett – Suzuki/FMF/Motion Pro
3rd – Brian Garrahan – Valli Construction/Maxxis/Answer
4th – Nick Fahringer – Husaberg/DP Brakes
5th – Cooper Bailey – Storm Lake Honda/Pro Moto Billet /Moose Racing
6th – Aaron Wegner – Yamaha / Kenda / Promoto Billet/Fastway
7th – Dennis Stapleton – Yamaha
8th – Aaron Branham – Storm Lake Honda/Pro Moto Billet /Moose Racing
9th – Adam Bonneur – Yamaha/Maxxis/Pro Moto Billet/Moose Racing
10th – Shane Klimek – Yamaha