Steve Leivan - 30-39 A - 1st - steveleivan.net
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STEVE LEIVAN

2009 RACE REPORT
THE BATTLEGROUNDS: Round 6 OMA Nationals; Millville, MN; August 2
WHICH YAMAHA I CHOSE: WR450
WHERE I FINISHED: 1 st +30 “A” – 13 th OVERALL

GETTING READY: M-I-L-L-V-I-L-L-E! This is probably my favorite race on the OMA schedule so I am always looking forward to it. We had a short week to get ready but by Friday we had the van loaded down and ready to roll. My plan was to ride the Pro-Am race on Saturday just so I could spend more time on the coolest motocross track I’ve ever been to – and then ride the Saturday afternoon practice session. So I had my Endurocross bike with me for the Saturday stuff.

Kole Henslee, Andrew Smith, and James Yeager were all in for this trip. I should have told them before we left that everyone who has gone with me to Millville for the last two years, has went home, got married, and pretty much quit racing motorcycles. Maybe the third time was the charm and they can all avoid that.

We got to Minnesota and it was COLD – in the 50’s at 10:00 a.m. – but that was awesome. There were puddles along the road on the way to the track so it looked like it would be unreal conditions. Andrew and I walked a couple of miles and things looked great. The moto track was amazing – they didn’t even have to water it. They even left all of the jumps faces steep like they were for the outdoor National MX two weeks ago.

Cole Kirkpatrick and I rode much of the Pro-Am race together and he pulled me over a couple of the jumps, which I knew would help for the Sunday race. After that race, there were some course changes made and practice opened up. The course was really busy – constant left-right-up-down. The ground was on the soft side of perfect so I figured it would get rough during our race.

I did the moto section a few times and tried to get over the “claimed” 105-foot tabletop but just didn’t have enough juice. My last attempt was sketchy to say the least and I was fortunate to not wad it up so I headed back to the woods. I did get to see Yeager “Meister” take his final shot at the same jump. I would say he was 30 to 35 feet short and he did a mid air stall that didn’t help. Somehow he kept his big carcass on the right side of the bike, but he was done for the night.

“GO TIME”: I was a little late off the line but since we run a big portion of the moto track right off the bat, I was able to get through some guys and up to third by the time we got to the woods. Matt Stavish and Jeff Colbert were just in front of me but both of them were in the +40 “A”, so that put me in the lead of the “30-plusers”.

Stavish was “on it” like usual and started to inch away and then I made a couple of mistakes, which made that gap even bigger. Colbert washed out and I went by him and then I went about trying to quickly get through the Lites and Open riders from the two rows ahead of me. It turned out that Stavish missed a turn and I gotten around him. Of course I didn’t know that till after the checkered flag so I continued chasing a 125 that wasn’t there.

Sometimes it is harder to push than other times, but since I kept catching riders from the rows ahead of me, it was easy to stay on the gas and go after the next guy. On the moto track, I jumped the jumps that I wanted to and the ones that I didn’t have total confidence on, I didn’t jump. The whoops were rough like usual and I just tried to do like I heard LaRocco say one time; “every time the front wheel drops, I pick it back up”. It was working.

Dad gassed me after four laps and I went about putting in a solid and steady final three laps of the race. I was still looking for Stavish on the moto track but couldn’t see him so I figured he had “worked” me pretty good this time. On the last lap, I exited the moto section and headed towards the woods and I glanced down on the moto track and saw Stavish – behind me. I didn’t know what was up but we only had a lap left so I stayed on the gas and kept him back there.

It was a great race and maybe the roughest that I recall Millville being. I won the class and took 13 th in the overall and had an awesome time – like I always do at “Spring Creek”. I only used two tear-offs all day and basically never rode in dust. How much better does it get?  

OTHER STUFF: Andrew had a really solid ride and got to carry home a trophy. He actually carried home two of them. On Sunday he got 4 th in the Lite “A” (25 th O/A) and he took fifth on Saturday in the Pro Am race. He’s such a kid – he likes trophies more than anyone I know so I am sure he is still smiling.

Kole and James didn’t fare as well. Kole busted out a good start, then got arm pump, then got hung up on a rocky uphill (which allowed some old guy from the +30 class to pass him), then tried to puke, then hung out in the pits with Frank. James diced it out with Andrew early in the race, passing him on the moto track and then getting passed back in the woods. Then he unloaded on a gnarly down hill, broke his visor and rattled his cage, and hung out in the pits with Frank. Guys – Frank can handle the pits by himself. He has plenty of experience. You guys can go ahead and keep riding.

TODAYS “5 FASTEST”: 1. LEIVAN (YAMAHA); 2. Johnson (Kaw); 3. Magnuson (YAMAHA); 4. Goldammer (Suz); 5. Studniarz (KTM)

THANKS AGAIN FOR ALL OF YOUR SUPPORT!

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