I wouldn't even be riding this bike if it weren't for S.G. Power, Honda Canada, GP Suspension, Canadian Biker Magazine and Pirelli. So a big thanks to them and everyone else involved that has helped to get this bike ready for competition. Also, with the popularity of SuperMoto increasing, we did a story in Canadian Biker on what it took to convert the CRF from a dirt bike to a competitive SuperMoto machine, so please look for it in the upcoming issue.

As you can probably tell by the results, we had a very successful weekend of racing. Although SuperMoto isn't my primary focus, it does offer me the opportunity to stay sharp and competitive in between road races, not to mention it's an absolute blast.

Notes on practice.
For the last two weeks I had been familiarizing myself with the bike and how it worked in the dirt and over the jumps. As I have never really Motocrossed or ridden much in the dirt, I knew my weakest points would be jumping and the dirt section in general. My plan was quite simple - I just hooked up with the fast guys in the dirt to see first hand what they were doing. Although my learning curve was rather steep, I think we did quite well hanging with all but a few of the top guys through the dirt section. Once on the pavement though they were toast as my road racing experience definitely helped out. It was going to be a good race.

There were six races total so I won't take you through each one lap by lap. You would probably be asleep by the first corner :o). Instead I'll just give you the highlights of some of the better races. You know the ones with "drama" in them…

Day1
Race 2
I got an awesome start and had pulled a four second gap by lap four. Right after the dirt section I went for the front brake only to find the lever coming right into the bar. What had happened? I looked back to check my lead and see if I could still win with little to no front brake. On the last lap and still in the lead with only two corners to go, the second place rider, Brian Ashmore, was right on my rear fender. I held him off, but knew the last corner was going to have to be crazy if I wanted to stay in front. I rolled the dice and pitched it in plowing the front for about twenty feet in an effort to scrub off the speed. Unfortunately, I pushed every so slightly too hard and gently low sided at the apex. Uninjured, I got up, jumped right back on, and still managed to get third. Hilarious. The brakes? Air had somehow traveled from the reservoir to the master cylinder (I believe because of the bumps in the dirt section) and had become trapped inside. With a repositioning of the reservoir and hose, the problem was solved.

Day 1
Race 3
This was a knock-you-down brawl of a race. Jamie Dick wanted the win badly. He did what I see other top racers do, i.e. dug in deep and elevated his game when the green flag dropped. We must have swapped the lead four times on that first lap with both of us almost crashing several times during the first four laps. Some of his saves were spectacular - a front end tuck just saving it in the high speed turn two being my personal favorite. These antics carried on until it was my turn entering the dirt on lap ten. The front end folded away entering the left before the first jump. I pinned it and somehow managed to stay on two wheels, although, by the time I regained my composure on the bike, I had lost precious seconds. With that deficit and a few lapped riders, I wasn't able to challenge. Awesome race.

Day 2
Race 3
Jamie and I led the field one-two into the first turn so it looked to be another battle between us again. However a slight miscue on the second big jump saw him crashing right in front of me. In an effort to avoid running him over I went off track and stalled the bike. With Jamie apparently okay I managed to restart the bike and join back in the race in sixth position. The gap to first was considerable, but I was determined to win. I really put my head down turning lap record times. Two laps from the end I grabbed the lead and held it to the flag. I was stoked to have come from so far behind for the win.

From here we are going to work on the CRF a little and possibly get a few more HP from the already impressive engine. Hindle is sending us a pipe and I'm going to talk to the guys at Honda to see if there are any "kit" parts we can throw in.

Thanks again to everyone that supports our race program. Without you we would not be racing.

Oliver

Please click on image to enlarge

Photos courtesy Ken Sprinkling
KSprinkling@shaw.ca

Our 2004 CRF450	Action shot
In the pits	Way fun!
	Look how much grip our Pirelli tires give. Can you say lean angle!
Out of the dirt	In the air
In the air	Victory square
Victory square	Victory square
Interview with announcer	Interview with announcer