Russell Pearson AMA Nat. H&H

Hello Everyone,

This past weekend marked the final round of the AMA National Hare and Hound series. It was located down in beautiful Lucerne Valley:) It has been a trying year with some problems we faced throughout and with a lot of testing and work done this summer with new mechanic/helper Earl Desiderio and myself, we were really looking forward to putting it all to test.

Nick, myself and Piper were getting ready and loading up at my house Friday morning and the whole Las Vegas valley was full of smoke and at my house smelled like nasty smoke. Smoke from the California fires had made it all the way to Vegas. Well, smoke might play a role in Sundays race is what we chatted about on the way down to the race and we also talked about the fires and how intense and overpowering fires and mother nature can be. Well, we got down to the race that afternoon and it was smokey, but you could still see enough to ride, so after unloading we did a little testing and had to do a bit of work on bikes that night. It was crazy, because in the desert you use the mountains as bearing points to keep your location and with the smoke, visibility was only maybe a mile or so, so it was pretty weird and easy to get lost. We then went up to Desert MCs camp and got some grub off the Nuss Family and back to the boxvan. Earl showed up in his motorhome and got set up and we finished the bike and lights out.

Saturday: We got the bike all dialed in and headed down to the start. It was about 2 miles long, kind of uphill, through the grease bushes and sagebrush. It was fast and we made a new little line on the left hand side. We were happy and headed on in. Got the Yamaha all ready and actually right before bed, got to watch the last 2 innings of the World series where the Rockies lost again…danget.

Sunday: Race Day. Well, it was finally here. The start opened up at 7, so I headed down and was there a couple minutes early. Ambulance wasn’t there yet, so bomb practice was delayed a bit, so we just chatted with other riders and club people until it was open. We burned in my line a bit more and time for test run. Braa, through the gears until the shifter doesn’t go up anymore and pinned, tucked. I had to back off a second for some dust, but back pinned. The line was good and I was happy. Got a peanut butter and honey sandwich and waited for the start. 9:30 and banner up. All hundred or so riders standing with their legs on kick starters, dead silence, waiting for the first flinch of banner drop and ……down and kick. Braaa, my YZ450 jumped out and Yeehaa, through the gears. my cousin David was to the left of me and we kind of drag raced through the gears. Soon, it was just me and my line, pinned for 2 plus miles. It is actually fun:), believe it or not. Got to the banners and couldn’t see anyone, but left it pinned, because as soon as you let off people just go vrooming by you. I got to where the course funneled through some rocks and still first..yeeehaaa:) The first loop was filled with a lot of fast stuff and some technical rock sections and of course, some whoops. I came in after 40 miles and they said I had about a 45 second lead:)   Second loop was 40 miles and usually gets tighter and rougher and it did. It had a bit of fast off the beginning and end, but mixed up some cool sandwashes and fun virgin stuff through the hills. I had lost my rear brakes once in the first loop for a bit and then it came back and in the second loop was pushing real hard and lost them again, danget, but they came back again(found out after race, must have clipped a rock because disc was bent a little). The last valley was fast and I was pinned, but swapping a bit and fighting it. Dang, what is going on?? so I slowed down a second and looked down and my stabilizer must have got bumped and turned almost off. I turned it back up and yeehaa, thank you GPR Stabilizer, bike worked good and back pinned all the way into the pits and they said I had like a 2 plus minute lead. Cool, but I know how racing is, never over until front wheel crosses finish line. Third loop, a bit over 30 miles, mixed it up with some tighter and fast sections and of course, rocks. I felt good all the way and came in the finish first with around a 3 or 4 minute lead…yipedeedoodaa:) It feels good to win especially after some of the stuff I have gone through this year. Finish order

1st Russell Pearson
2nd Destry Abbott
3rd David Kamo
4th Carl Maassberg

My cousin David was running second all day and near the end of the second loop had a bush or something go through his radiator(I heard, but not for sure??) and didn’t finish, but ended up with the Championship with throwaways, so a big congrats to him. #1’s are pretty special and although it sucks I didn’t get it, its nice to see him up there. I have to give a big thanks to my family, dad, brothers and sisters and Earl for all their help and support this and past years, couldn’t do it the way I do it without them. A big thanks to Yamaha and all my sponsors for there support and there help to do what I do also. And I have to give a big thanks to all my fans for their support at the races and at home. Man in the middle of the desert, there are people lined up on the side of the course cheering loud and it is pretty cool, so thank you guys and gals.. Chat with you again soon

Also, my computer has been down and just got this new one, so I got to get a little bit of help before I can update my website and past race reports, but last weekend I traveled down to Arizona for the final AMA National Hare Scrambles where I ended up 2nd overall. So, I will try to get this computer stuff fixed up and running. Also, I took some pictures, but need to figure that out as well.. Hopefully I can figure it out and maybe download them to my website also, but no promises. Me and computers aren’t the best of friends:)

Thanks for the support and Best Wishes

Russell Pearson
Russpearsonracing.com