Quicksilver Enduro results

Top 5 (preliminary)

Brian Garrahan 51
Russell Bobbitt 52
Mike Lafferty 57
Patrick Garrahan 58
Stephen Edmondson 63

Had to catch a plane. This is how it looked when we left.

PRESS RELEASE - Edmondson wins Brown Mountain Lights Enduro

SALINE, MI (February 21, 2007) - Carhartt KTM mounted Stephen Edmondson conquered the rescheduled Brown Mountain Lights Enduro on Sunday, taking the win by one point over Jason Chancey despite a burned check. The 54-mile course was already technical and slippery, but the light dusting of snow overnight added to the challenge. Edmondson commented, "Off the start we had a short road section, then the race started with eight miles of frozen woods. The trail was really good but it was like riding on greased concrete. I rode very cautiously so I didn't kill myself." The remainder of the course was held on the mountain and featured elevation changes and huge boulders. When asked about his day, Edmondson replied, "I feel like I rode well, but figured my burned check would cost me. Thankfully, it didn't and it felt good to win the overall. Hopefully I can keep it up."

Unofficial top ten overall:

1. Stephen Edmondson
2. Jason Chancey
3. Nick Gentry
4. Mike Grizzle
5. Jason Moody
6. Mitch McRee
7. Michael Hines
8. Chance Baker
9. Trey Wellborn
10. Greg Roberts

The next event for the Carhartt KTM team is the second round of the AMA FMF National Enduro Seies taking place in Coalinga, CA this weekend.

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About Heimjoint Racing, LLC:

Heimjoint Racing, LLC has been formed to participate in - and better the sport of - off-road motorcycle racing by providing our riders with the best resources available in order to grow and achieve success both personally and professionally. By providing the best possible platform and utilizing all the resources at our disposal, we aim to achieve competitive results, and maximize sponsorship value. With that in mind, we recognize that this would not be possible without the help of our exceptional sponsor partners. We would like to thank and acknowledge them for their support: Carhartt, KTM, Ford Motor Company, Hammer Nutrition, Maxxis, Motul, PG, FMF Racing, Enduro Engineering, KTM Hard Equipment, Scorpion Sports, SCOTT USA, Sidi/ Motonation, SuperSports, Inc., FasstCo FLEXX bars, OGIO, EVS-Sports, Piedmont Motorsports, Lansing Cycle, and Linwood Cycle Sales. Each of these great companies shares a common belief - supporting programs aimed at helping to progress the sport we love. Please "Support those that support our sport." For inquiries/ additional information, please send email to: heimjoint@gmail.com or visit our blog at raceink.blogspot.com

New sponsors added!

The team is pleased to announce the addition of two new sponsors, both industry leaders.

EVS Sports (www.evs-sports.com) - "the original protective gear company" - a pioneer in rider protection, has signed on to provide the riders with knee braces and the finest protective gear in the industry. "I'm thrilled. When you have a company like EVS taking an interest in protecting your riders - keeping them safe - well, you can't ask for more than that. We are pleased to have such a respected partner on board", commented Team Manager Marc Heim.

Additionally, OGIO (www.ogio.com) comes aboard as gear bag sponsor. From humble beginnings to a modern phenomenon, top gear bag designer OGIO still thrives on the substance that spurred its existence…vision. With an innovative line of duffels and packs loaded with excess features, OGIO dishes out the inner extreme everyone craves. This cutting-edge company has single handedly revolutionized bag design and there is more where that came from. We are pleased to have them on the team.

Race Report - Brown Mountain Lights Enduro - Stephen

We got to the track about 9:30 Saturday night and just got ready for another chilly night in the van. I woke up to see a light dusting of snow. After signup I did some last minute things to get ready and just tried to stay warm until we started. Off the start we had a short road section then the race started with 8 miles of frozen woods. The trail was really good but it was like riding on greased concrete. I rode very cautiously so as not to kill myself.

Next we went to the mountain where the rest of the race would be. By this time it had started to warm up some. The next couple of sections were really good. The terrain there is really neat with all the rocks and elevation changes. Unfortunately I burnt a check-in by a minute which made me wish I had my computer (my computer is on my race bike in CA).

The last section was the best of the day. We rode over rocks ten times the size of my house! The terrain was just awesome.

After the race, I felt that I rode well, but figured my burned check would cost me. Thankfully, it didn't and it felt good to win the overall. Hopefully I can keep it up.

Random thoughts

Texas is in the books and we are looking forward.

The Indy dealer show is coming up this weekend. It is a great opportunity to connect with our sponsors and visit old friends while taking in the best the industry has to offer. The following weekend we are off to the California National Enduro #1, put on by the Salinas Ramblers. All the info can be found over at www.nationalenduro.com .

Immediately after that, the first weekend in March, we head south on an epic spring trip. Four races in the span of seven days begins on Sunday in Pelion, SC for the Sandlapper Enduro, then down to Florida for the Triton GNCC in Vero Beach on Tuesday, the Alligator Enduro in Daytona on Thursday, and then on to the General GNCC in Georgia on the way home Sunday. While in Vero Beach, we are scheduled to speak at an elementary school in conjunction with GNCC Racing (www.gnccracing.com), details to follow. That should be exciting for the kids and our guys. After the Alligator on Thursday, we'll take a day off and relax in the Florida sunshine and soak up a bit of Bike Week until we need to head to Georgia. I am definately looking forward to the warm weather because as I write this it is snowing sideways and somewhere near 15 degrees outside here in Michigan.

On a sunnier note, we are in talks to be one of the first - if not the first - team to utilize the Leatt brace off-road. If you are not familiar, the Leatt brace (www.leatt-brace.com) is a neck protective device designed to limit the movement of the neck in the event of a crash in order to prevent serious neck injuries. The Leatt folks have done some considerable testing and I believe that the device is clearly a step in the right direction. How it will work in the woods remains to be seen, but we will be testing soon and if the guys feel safe wearing it, you'll see the braces (and the riders) flying through the woods in the near future. While we are excited about sharing this news here, this device is seeing considerable topic time on message boards. Over on the message board "mototalk" at www.motonews.com, the debate rages on as to whether it should be mandated for Supercross/ Motocross and by whom. Go take a look and sign up to join the discussion.

Looking ahead, the guys are training and riding and look forward to competing in what we consider to be the two best series in the U. S. - the National Enduro Series, and the GNCC's. We believe we have the right support, riders, and approach to be successful this year. It remains to be seen, but we're off to a good start.

On another note, personally, I want to thank everyone for their support of our effort this year and for all of the good wishes for our success. Jason Weigandt and the GNCC family - have been and continue to be - extremely helpful in getting the word out about our program. Our press release ran on Racer X online (www.racerxill.com) and on the GNCC website, we have been making the weekly updates (Quick Fill). Additionally, Erik at www.offroadchampions.com was the first to run our press release and is working on setting up personal pages for the guys. Stop by and look at his site. It is probably the most comprehensive site as far as coverage of US and World Enduro is concerned. In addition, he has quite a few products online as well. To all the guys at www.ktmtalk.com that have shown their support - thank you. For those of you we've yet to meet, stop by and say hello.

Lastly, I have to say that it has truly been a pleasure working with our sponsors, these riders in particular, and of course Joe, without whom this would not be working as smoothly as it is. I especially need to thank the wives, girlfriends, and our extended families for all of their support. All of these people make the dream a reality on a daily basis, and I couldn't imagine it working without any of them.

That's it for now. Time to go shovel out the car and head on down the road. See you at the races.

Marc

Pictures from TX National

photo courtesy of Jeff Cox, www.photographybyjeff.com

Stephen

Chris

photo courtesy of Jeff Cox, www.photographybyjeff.com

Joe

Jordan mixing up some HEED

Our guard dog and team mascot - Mason

all photos property of Heimjoint Racing, LLC unless otherwise noted

2007 Graphics - final proof

Here they are, our 2007 team graphics. A big thank you goes out to DJ, Matthew, and of course Bart at PG (www.ridepg.com). Especially DJ, for putting up with the changes.

What is not shown are the front number plates which have Piedmont Motorsports on Stephen's plate, Lansing Cycle on Chris', and Linwood Cycle Sales on Jordan's. These dealers get such prominent placement because they have really helped us out a ton this year, and without them -as with all our sponsors - this year, this dream, would not have been possible.

Race Report - Chris

TX National Enduro - round 1
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Off to the races again. The time off the year I love the most. It may be -5 in Michigan but it is always better wherever the first round may land. This year it would be Gilmer, TX. I was super excited to get this thing under way. This year is going to be completely different for me - new team, new travel arrangements, new scooter. I feel the change will be good. It is something I have needed to help break the plateau I feel I have been on for the last couple of years.

So we are off to TX, and 16 hrs later (and showing Jordan that I am just as good at video games as a 15 year old) we arrive in Gilmer TX. The practice session went very well. I needed no changes to my bike and felt very confident for the race the next day. After packing up the trailer, we traveled to town to get a bit to eat and a good night’s sleep, being that we had to get up before the sun. Rising early is not my cup of tea, but when I have to get up early to race...well, let's just say I would do it every day. We got some grub and headed to the track. As I was suiting up I could tell it was going to be a good day. The sun was shining and not a cloud in the sky. It was time to go racing.

Heading out to the first section I wicked it up to see how everyone on our row would line up. Of course Lafferty checked out, then me, but right on my heels were Jake Fiddler and Geoff Aaron. Going into the first timed section I jumped in behind Lafferty, then Jake and Geoff sorted it out behind me. Apparently, Geoff hit a couple of trees and we lost him, but Jake was nipping at my heels the whole section. This was a good thing, because we would be able to push each other all day long, and we did. In the end, it all came down to the last section. I beat Jake by only 5 sec. and took top A rider for the day.

I would like to thank Marc Heim for choosing me to be a part of his dream. All I have ever wanted was to be able to just race my motorcycle and not worry about the details of getting support to get me to the races. Marc is definately headed in the right direction and I am very glad to be a part of his ideas.

TX race report - Jordan

Well, we started off in Bay City, MI and met Chris and Marc in Lansing for the long ride down to Texas. Once we pointed the Ford Super Duty south, it seemed like it took forever, but when we got to Texas, I was happy we drove that far. We arrived in Gilmer on Saturday, and unloaded the bikes to test them out. Saturday was the first time riding the new KTM 200, so it took me a while to get the feeling I wanted. But thanks to My Dad and Marc, we got it all set up to where it felt perfect to me. We finished our day of riding and went to get something to eat before we went to bed at our hotel. Being the rookie, I got stuck with the cot and a new nickname (thanks Chris). After a good nights sleep, Sunday was the day I would find out what a National Enduro would feel like, and I think it was the most fun I have had on a motorcycle now that I look back at it. Because of so many pre-entries, I ended up on row 60, which was pretty far back, and the trail was even rougher. Even though it was pretty chewed up, I still though it was fun. We just don't see terrain like that in Michigan. In the first timed section, I felt pretty good, not having too much arm pump, until I did something dumb over a bridge. My front end ended up going right into the creek, so it took me a good two or three minutes to pull it out. Once I got going again, I struggled to get into a rythm and lost more time then I should of. In the second section, I didn't ride that bad, but still fell a few times over what seemed to be logs but really turned out to be huge tree roots. In the third section I never fell, even though I came close a few times. In this section they had something called Chaos Canyon, which I made up alright even though I didn't pick the best line. Chalk it up to nerves, or the fact that there aren't many hills like that to practice on here at home, but I know I can ride better. Considering all that, overall I would say it was a good day. The team did well and I ended up getting first place in my class. For the rest of the year, I'm switching classes and I'll be running in the B Class, so I am looking forward to that challenge and stiffer competition. In the end it was a successful trip and was a really good day for our team, which made for a better trip home. After a day of 60+ degree sunshine, it was tough to head home to Michigan, considering it has been at zero or negative degrees. They even cancelled school because it's so cold. Well, that's all this time. I really want to say thanks to all of our sponsors, Erik at offroadchampions.com, and especially to Casey at Hammer for getting us the HEED and Edurolytes. Because of the help, it was a successful weekend and a great learning experience.

Thanks.

Jordan

TX National Enduro race report - Stephen

Within the team, we have a race for the race reports getting turned in. Stephen takes the top spot this week. - Marc
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Texas Enduro-
We got down there Saturday afternoon after about a 16 hour drive, got through sign-up, spent a little time working on the bike and talking some team stuff. Then grabbed a bite and settled in for the night. While we about froze to death when we stopped to sleep Friday night, Saturday night was real nice, actually good sleeping weather - cold, but not too cold. Saturday morning it was cold but warmed up fast and turned out to be in the 60's, perfect for racing. In the morning, I had a chance to warm the bike up some and found that the perfect weather conditions made for perfect traction. The ground had a little moisture in it which really helped the new Maxxis tires hook up. The race started with a transfer section, not timed, which allowed you to warm up some, but then you had a long reset before the restart so if you rode the transfer quick, your wait was longer. We had three test sections before gas and re-rode the same tests again after gas. As for the course, it was very rocky with a few slick roots mixed in. The shorter sections made it tough with no room for mistakes. By the time you got good and warmed up it was time for a reset. Tough to get a flow going, but overall, my day went fairly good. My KTM worked awesome and I just missed the flip of the card a couple of times with one actually being a .00. So unfortunately, a few seconds cost me a few points. Being the first race, I was able to try out some of the new gear and parts. Everything worked great. It was the first time I got to wear my new Scorpion helmet because we only got them in on Friday. What a great helmet. I didn't know much about them before this year, but I'm impressed. It fits great and looks really good. With all the rocks, we put an FMF Gnarly pipe on for this race and I'm glad we did. The torque from that pipe is awesome and it was definately a help on the rocky hills. All in all, I had a really good time, it was an awesome event, and I am really looking forward to the next race in California. Thanks to everyone for their support and I cant wait until the next race.

TX results

1. Russell Bobbitt 10.451
2. Mike Lafferty 10.532
3. Dustin Gibson 13.626
4. Stephen Edmondson 15.627
5. Travis Green 16.648
6. Pat Garrahan 16.666
7. Nick Fahringer 16.689
8. Brian Garrahan 16.706
9. Chris Gallt 16.720
10. Jake Fiddler 16.725