Team Wildcat. L to R - Cass...
Team Wildcat.
L to R - Cass Morgan, Eric O'Harra (USMC), Kevin Carpenter, Andy Brown, Andy Taylor, Mike Looper.
What brings a custom home builder, an advertising agency owner and operations VP, a military officer, sales representative and a services branch manager together to test their abilities and physical limits in a torturous endurance event?
Fame? Fortune? Charity? A chance to climb Mount Everest or sail around the world? No, something much more significant; a common geographic tie and most importantly a love for dirt bike racing!
Our adventure started with an email invite between two racers soliciting participation in one of the best-known challenges of man and machine: The Honda Yamaha of Redlands (HYR) 24 Hour Race at Glen Helen. Then someone came up with the "great idea" to make it something more, an opportunity to bring friends together who share a common bond to the desert community of Tucson, AZ where they first learned to ride and race motorcycles.
Players quickly assembled. With over 100 years of combined racing experience, Carpenter (team Captain), Looper, Brown, Morgan, Taylor and O'Harra (author) formed Team Wildcat!-aptly named after their favorite college team mascot and common alma mater. Carrying the number of Tucson's favorite son, Sean Elliot, Team Wildcat! was ready to challenge the 30+ intermediate class against all comers. They would settle for nothing less than total domination of the class. Or so they hoped...
The first order of business was finding a capable steed to propel them to victory. A hush fell over the crowd. It is one thing to volunteer your body to race for 24 hours, quite another to offer up your bike to endure the strain that a 24-hour race presents. Fortunately, through the gracious charity of Dirt Rider Magazine and many other sponsors, a "factory prepped" 2008 CRF 450X became the mount of Team Wildcat!. With a pile of parts from numerous other sponsors (see below), Looper went to work assembling and prepping the Honda for battle as the team anxiously awaited race day.
Number 32-Sean Elliot is our...
Number 32-Sean Elliot is our guy
The HYR 24-hour race at Glen Helen is quite unique. It tests both man and machine to a point of endurance not found anywhere else. Requiring extensive preparation and support, it epitomizes the word TEAM. From the racers to the equally important pit crew who keeps the bike running, everyone must give 100%. You will become fatigued as you navigate a course which deteriorates into a whooped out, rutted rock filled nightmare. You will crash and have to pick up a 250+ lb bike when your body aches and muscles strain from hours in the saddle. Tires, filters and oil must be changed and hasty repairs made. It takes a special extra something to complete the event and everyone must be relied upon to do their part.
As race day arrived, the team glowed while admiring their bike. It looked awesome! From the custom Decal Works graphics and backgrounds, Pro-Moto Billet guards, kickstand and foot pegs, Renthal Bars and Grips, Dunlop tires, RG3 triple clamps, and Baja Designs headlight, the bike was definitely race ready. Personalized gear from Shift and Fox and X-Brand goggles was provided giving Team Wildcat! a truly professional look.
As race time approached, strategy was discussed. The overarching theme was to keep the bike running and not try to win on the first or any one lap. To start, each racer would ride one lap allowing everyone to get a look at the course before settling into, hopefully, a two lap rhythm. The timekeeping device change was rehearsed and perfected. "Sit in chair, stick leg out, pit crew exchanges ankle bracelet, get on bike, GO!"
Number 32-Sean Elliot is our...
Number 32-Sean Elliot is our guy.
At the riders meeting the 10.5 mile course was described. The usual trips around the National and REM motocross tracks would start things off with the option to ride through an "endurocross section" or a very monotonous chicane. This would be followed by the ever popular Sheriff's road course, offering the opportunity to test ones supermoto skills before heading out into the surrounding hills which featured wide open fire roads and single track. Something about a 'boy scout trail' that may provide some 'issues' was mentioned. But team Wildcat! was a bit too anxious to pay much attention to that detail. It was time to get it on!
Carpenter got off to a conservative start, crashing in the 1st turn was a definite no-no. By the time the racers completed the motocross sections and headed up the first hill into the trails, Carpenter had passed everyone in the class and was looking good. All was well to this point and optimism filled the Team Wildcat! pit....
The first pros passed through the pits on lap one at the required 5mph. More and more bikes went by but no Carpenter. Concern came over the faces of Team Wildcat!. Did we forget something in bike prep? Catastrophic bike failure? Horrific crash? Finally Carpenter emerged, hand on hip in frustration. As he stopped to hand off the bike to Looper, initial track observations and experiences were passed.
"I Took it easy on the start and then went into FULL MOTO mode, passing guys left and right! Was catching guys who started in the row ahead of us! Then that boy scout trail came up! Bikes all over the place! Had to wait in line to get by, but made it through. There is this big silty hill after that. I fell over and was trapped under the bike for like 5 mins. Someone had to pull the bike off me. I was stuck there forever. Watch out for that area!" Carpenter warned.