mike od

Fabulous, Pat. Keep it up. Who cares about "smiling?" Curious, too -- when is the last time someone had back to back clean days in any of the classes at a WTC event?

Ron, Karen and I thank you for all you have done for us. Best wishes for the future and we hope to see you and your family sometime this season. Mike OD

6th place in his first WTC competition in a while. Not bad for an also ran.

Pat finished 12th in the European Championship round on Saturday. Way to go , kid -- wick it up tomorrow.

She's always on call for that! LOL!

Curt is one of the nicest people you will meet in this sport, or probably any sport for that matter. If I had to describe Curt's riding style in one word, I think the word would be enthusiastic. I love watching him ride -- he just seems to be having such a great time. Congratulations Curt and good luck this year.

Nothing... absolutely nothing. Same for the Sherco rider.

Barry, have you tried to get in touch with Steve Ahlers in Duluth? I'm sure he is very busy with last minute things, but he might know of someone who could mind, or at least put out a request, as some people will probably start to arrive today. I don't have contact information for Steve, but you may be able to get a phone # or e-mail address from the NATC. I think all the potentially qualified riders in the Minnesota club are either riding, minding, or working. Good luck, Mike OD

I can't argue with that! My 25 bucks is on the way.

The schedule is now posted on the NATC site.

As Brock says, Shooting Creek is a great event in a beautiful setting, and he always sets up a fun, very Novice-friendly event. Try to make it if you can. Mike OD

Mike: There is an active trials club in the Carolina-Virginia area. Go to www.cvotc.org to get information. They have a very nice event coming up in Axton, VA on June 23/24. Where in NC are you located?

I can open the combined support class scores for Sunday, but that's it. Some low scores -- Garry Hoover topped the support riders with 6 points! Congratulations to Patrick. Is he on the 290? MOD

I have replaced several Sherco rear tires/rim bands with mixed success. I soon learned that if it leaks, quit trying to make it perfect and shoot some ATV tire sealant (low pressure stuff and water soluble) into the tire. Fill the tire with air to 20 psi or so, ride around for 10 min and the leak should stop -- always has for me anyhow. When you change the tire again, the goop is easy to clean off the rim as it is water soluble.

Laid off? I can't think of a better time to get a bike -- no work to get in the way of riding!!!

There is an active, local club in MN -- the Upper Midwest Trials Association (www.umta.org). Up until last year the UMTA held an annual two-day event at Spirit Mountain. Also, the winners of the national High School class the past two years are from the Duluth area. Spirit Mountain was also the site of a national event in 2000. So there has been and still is a strong local trials presence in the area.

I know you say under $2000, but I will echo what Kevin J says -- if you can squeeze out just a little more, you'll get something more modern and better in the long run. There is an '03 Beta Rev 270 for $2500 OBO on the Northern Illinois site -- www.nitrotrials.com. I know the owners -- great folks. They live west of Chicago in Algonquin and have a few acres of great practice riding. There are several pics of the bikes on the website. Give 'em a call or e-mail. What the hell, a trip down and back to see/ride the bike is a lot shorter than Kevin's trip to MI. Kevin -- 1290 miles in 28 hours? Your next drive to TTC will seem like a trip across town by comparison. Mike OD

I had a new '03 200 with a small crack in one of the floats.

I'll second that, and hats off also to RYP for its sponsorship. What a great opportunity for our young riders!

I had a chance last week to ride the 4 stroke at Trials Training Center for about an hour. Going right from my 290 to the 4 stroke, the weight and handling seemed no different. I'm only a Int/Sptman level rider, so I didn't try anything big, but the bike has great power and the front wheel comes right up with no problem -- had a great time doing logs. I killed it once doing some slow, tight stuff and it restarted easily on the second kick. David Chavez looked very comfortable riding the bike in the Expert class at the TTC National. Impressive machine -- be sure to ride it if you get a chance.

Ringo, Ishy, and all others who feel that the checking at the World Round was "generous", "pathetic", or any other nonflattering adjective you can think of: Get off your high horse and see if you can do any better. This is the second World Round that I have worked as a checker, the first being in 2002. It's not an easy job -- you've got things happening very quickly, minders walking in your way, spectators asking you questions, etc -- all going on simultaneously. Moreover, to imply that a better job should have been done because observers were paid is insulting. Not all observers were paid and some that were donated their funds. Our section had experienced riders/checkers each day, and we all tried to work together to do the best job possible. Did we miss some things -- quite possibly. We're not infallible. Were we lenient because it was pouring rain, or because we were observing the best riders in the world? Hell, no and to insinuate such p#ss*s me off. Again, if you think you can do a more competent and professional job, show up at the next WR and volunteer to check. Just don't sit on the sidelines and criticize those who are partly responsible for your privilege to see a WR. Keep in mind -- no checkers, no event. From one checker to the rest who volunteered their time -- thanks for your effort and I hope we have the opportunity to do it again in the near future. Mike OD

Craig: On Saturday Ray finished 16 pts behind Bruce leRiche and only 8 pts behind Wilson Craig. If those two riders were entered in the World Round (Is Wilson riding it?), I'm not so sure that you would ask how in the world will they handle the sections. Ray can hold his own. Let's get behind all the US riders and wish them the best. And if, indeed, the Colorado Pro sections were at a World Round level, then they've all had a good tune-up. See you in Duluth. Latest weather is partly cloudy both days with temps in the 60s. Hope it holds.

I certainly agree with Al. Also, having only ridden a few years, one thing (among others) I still have trouble with is looking ahead.