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Shawn
Hess on his Pro Series equipped Honda
TRX450R ATV
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Millerstown, KY (5/22/2009) -
OMA Round 2 was held on May 9, 2009 in Millerstown,
KY. Downpours made for a muddy weekend for riders.
But that didn't stop HOUSER-Racing Pro Rider
Shawn Hess #22, who came out on top for his
second win of the season. Hess has been competing
with HOUSER-Racing products for many years.
Currently he is running HOUSER-Racing's Pro
Series A-Arms, the HOUSER-Racing/Hess Hybrid
XC Linkage, and Elka Shocks. Read his race report
below.
This year for economical reasons I decided
to try my hand at a different national series.
The GNCC's are just too far for me this year,
and I decided to stay a little closer to home
which landed me into the OMA series. I admit
I am excited to race at new locations and
look forward to what Bill Gusse and his crew
have in store for us this year. Round 2 of
the OMA Nationals was held in Millerstown,
Kentucky which is located north of Bowling
Green. I headed into this round with some
extra confidence having come off of a win
at round 1 which was held in Nashville, TN.
We left for Kentucky Thursday evening which
began our 12 hour drive to the race. All of
the weather channels were predicting rain,
and they were dead on. We drove though several
rain storms on the way to the race and a very
heavy shower right as we were pulling into
the track. There was water everywhere! Fortunately
the parking area was on high ground with a
hard, rocky, clay base, and we were able to
pull right in. I took a walk around the place
and decided the quads needed to be prepared
for mud. I installed Powermadd Gauntlets,
grooved my Maxxis tires, and added duct tape
to protect the areas my Blingstar bumper didn't
cover.
The OMA's allow you 30 minutes to practice
before the race, and I decided to take advantage
of this time to see what the course had to
offer. The course consisted of Mud, Mud, more
Mud, Rocks, Big Hills, Tight Trees, Lots of
Fallen Trees, Fast Straights, Virgin Trail
and Deep Water Crossings. Oh, and did I say
Mud? The track had a nice mix of every cross
country element. I returned to the pits before
the race to find out that an ice storm was
responsible for the downed trees and tree
limbs that littered the track like toothpicks.
Race Time! I rolled to the line and waited
for the green flag......30 seconds.......10
seconds...... And we're off!!!! I had a decent
start rounding turn one in 5th or 6th, and
with the aid of my Maxxis tires headed into
the woods in 3rd. Kyle Martin took the Holeshot,
and set a good pace off the start. We were
all riding somewhat cautious through the mud
to avoid losing positions. I worked my way
into 2nd, and Kyle and I started pulling away
from the pack. The track was very slick on
the first lap and mistakes where inevitable.
I managed to pass Kyle and picked the pace
up a notch. Kyle stayed with me most of the
race keeping me honest and on my toes. The
second lap was the fastest of the day for
nearly everyone. The slick slime was off of
the top and we were able to increase our speeds
yet again, but that was short lived. Due to
the deteriorating track conditions we caught
lappers by the end of the second lap. Now
we had to really be smart and cautious to
make quick work of the lappers, and avoid
them in the mud holes. Lappers can make it
difficult to lead a race since you are clearing
the way for the other Pro riders, and that
keeps the racing tight. I fought through the
lappers and made it to lap 5 where I decided
to pit for fuel and goggles. I knew I had
roughly an hour left to race. Lap six was
quite eventful for me as I got stuck twice
which allowed Kyle to get around me. I knew
I was running out of time and pushed hard
to catch him. Just as I got him back in sight
I was focused on finding an area to pass when
I found myself stuck again. I thought that
I let the win slip away, but I know that the
race isn?t over until the checkered flag is
out. I fought my way out of the mud hole and
was able to make up time. I passed Kyle to
put myself in the lead again with two laps
left. Shortly after passing Kyle we battling
for the lead yet again only to find ourselves
stuck side by side. We were both doing everything
possible to free our quads from the mud. We
got our quads unstuck nearly at the same time,
and quickly fired them up only to have the
battle as it was before the mud. I was in
1st and Kyle was on my heels. On the final
lap of the race I was able to pull a gap and
came through the checkered flag only to find
that Kyle had got stuck yet again allowing
Shane Gaunt to move up to 2nd, and Kyle finished
out the day in 3rd.
My HOUSER-Racing XC A-arms gave me the extra
and much needed ground clearance to maintain
momentum in the deeply rutted track. The suspension
preformed flawlessly, and the HOUSER-Racing/Hess
XC rear linkage soaked up the kickers from
the ruts and the many fallen tree limbs that
covered the track.
The mud created havoc for all of the racers,
and the race became more about survival than
racing. It was a brutal one, but I had a lot
of fun! See ya at the next one!
Thanks to all of my sponsors. Without your
support this would not be possible!
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Houser
Pro Series A-Arms
|
Sponsors: Hess Motorsports,
Elka, HOUSER-Racing, Hiper, Maxxis, FMF, Fasst
Co., Hot Rods, Hot Cams, Pivot Works, Tire
Balls, RPM, Blingstar, Hinson, JE Pistons,
Tucker Rocky, Answer, IMS, Streamline, Ti
Fuel, Maxima, Quadtech, Maier, Stomp Grip,
Fluidyne, CV4, Powermadd, Decal Works, Crank
Works
For additional information on the Pro Series
Suspension Components contact 877-6-GO-FAST
or visit www.houser-racing.com
About Houser Racing:
It is an aftermarket
company that manufactures suspension components
for race competitive quads including: A-Arms,
Steering Stems, and Swing Arms.
