Hess Motorsports' Shawn Hess Wins Again at the OMA Indian Bluff XC
OMA - Round 2 - Rekluse Indian Bluff XC - Millerstown, KY

#22 Shawn Hess went into round 2 of the OMA with a win from round 1

Millerstown, KY (5/14/2009) - 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 one, 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.

With a tough battle behind him, Shawn Hess was happy to be on the podium with his 2nd straight win of the season

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.

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!
Hess Motorsports, Elka, Houser, 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

www.omanationals.com