Personal History
Kenneth Myers - #372 (2004 Honda CR250R, Sr. C & MX Beginner Classes)
I'm 36 years old, married, with 3 teenage boys (2 that also race MX). I rode dirtbikes and quads/3-wheelers when I was growing up in Florida, along with minibikes, go carts and such. I never had the opportunity to race, but I dreamed of it - Ricky Johnson was my hero back in those days. My first bike was a dual-purpose Suzuki SP125 that I used as transportation and my means of pursuing my hobby of riding. In the 2 years I had that bike, I put over 14,000 miles on it, and a good majority of those were off-road.
After joining the Army at age 17 and starting my family, I didn't have a bike for almost 20 years, until 2005. I started riding quads again (I had recently suffered a broken femur in the line of duty), and had hoped to start racing it (surmising that it would be easier than on a bike). We had started my middle son Cameron (#687), then 14, on a 1998 YZ80 in the summer of 2006, and we were hooked on MX. Since there is no local quad MX racing in this area, I decided to get a bike and start racing MX in 2007. I hadn't been on a bike in a long time, so I was very "rusty" and had no confidence. I did ok my rookie season, but a broken collarbone during a camping trip over the July 4th weekend ended my season early. Despite not being cleared by my doctor yet, I went back to the track about 2 months later, and after only 2 races, got hit by another rider on a jump and re-broke the collarbone. That was the end to my first year.
Meanwhile, Cameron had outgrown his 80 and I got him a 250F. His first year on the big bike went ok - he improved his riding skills and became more consistent. His younger brother, Cory, took over the YZ80, and showed definite promise (he did better than his older brother did his rookie season on the 80). He really needed a bigger bike (physically), but was not ready for it. Unfortunately, we had a catastrophic engine failure after 5 or 6 races, so that ended his season.
For 2008, we got Cory a big bike - a KTM144SX, which he loves. Cameron's 250F needed valves, and we discovered just how expensive a 4-stroke can be (my bike is a CR250R) - part of the reason we got Cory a 2-stroke. Cameron did very well, and raced most of the season, getting 5th overall in the Summer Series Standings. Cory continued to improve, but due to a broken ankle during practice, he missed a good deal of the summer. I, on the other hand, had another injury, ironically ALSO during practice while riding Cameron's 250F! Later it was determined to be a torn ACL, requiring surgery. I had that done in July, almost 2 months after the injury (Jun 2). Recovery has gone well. I did manage to get a top-10 finish (8th) prior to my injury, which I was very happy about.We were lucky enough to get our first (and only) sponsor for the 2008 season - Decal Works. We hope to get sponsorship from them again for the 2009 season. The number plates for our bikes and chest protectors are sweet!
Riding Goals
For the 2009 season, I have a number of goals. The top priority is to have a safe and healthy season, as in NO INJURIES! So, for this year we will be purchasing (or hopefully getting thru a sponsor) Leatt neck braces for all 3 of us. I already purchased a set of Asterisk Cell knee braces (due to my previous ACL injury), and we of course have helmets, chest protectors, and boots/gloves.
Cory will be attending a 2-day MX Training Camp locally (his brother did the camp on his 80 during his rookie year). I may attend as well. We also hope to gain membership to a local track so that we can go to practice on a weekly basis. This will help us to improve our abilities, which should help us to keep the wheels pointed to the ground.
Next on my list of goals is to race as many events and classes as we can, and to develop consistent finishes. Of course, each of us wants to win, but I'd rather be consistent and safe than to push too hard for the win and get injured. Can't do well in the points if you're not racing, right? I expect that the boys will do really well this coming year, and expect to see Cameron advance from Beginner to Novice by the middle of the season. He may even move up to Amatuer by the end of the season. Cory will hopefully start getting top-10 finishes, which would really boost his confidence. For me, as long as I'm consistent and don't get injured, I'll be happy. Top-10 would be icing on the cake! I would like do well in the points standings.
The next goal is to gain some additional sponsors. This sport is very expensive, and the bikes require constant maintenance, parts, fluids, etc. Not to mention the cost of getting to/from the tracks, race entry fees, etc. We do all the work on the bikes ourselves, which helps with the costs. If we could get some sponsors to help with some of these things that would be awesome! Stuff like parts, fluids, and riding gear would really help out with the expense.
Another thing that has been on my mind lately is helping another person get into the sport. The person I have in mind is my wifes' nephew, a boy that is 10 and whose parents do not have the means to be able to afford for him to get a bike, much less to race one. He has been to the races with us on a few occasions, and you can see the desire in his eyes. I don't know how I'd be able to make it happen, but it would be really cool if I could.
Finally, I'd like to get an enclosed trailer (I have a 7x12 open trailer now), as it would make prepping for the races much easier - the bikes and gear would already be in the trailer, locked up and ready to go, instead of having to get up at 5 am to load everything and then drive to the races. One additional bonus is the fact that I can put decals on the sides and back of an enclosed trailer - something I can't do on the one I have now. Decals of.........our sponsors (hint, hint)! If I pursue the previous goal, this will probably have to wait another year though.
Competitive Highlights
Best Finish 2007 Sr. C was 13th in Moto 1, 15th Moto 2 for 14th overall.
Best Finish 2007 MX Beginner was 9th in Moto 1, 8th in Moto 2 for 9th overall.
Best Finish 2008 Sr. C was 7th in Moto 1, 9th in Moto 2 for 8th overall.
Competed in my first Hare Scramble event in the Novice Quad class and finished 19th overall out of 80+ racers in my class. This was just 3 months AFTER my ACL surgery. I was very pleased with this result, and would have done even better if I would have been more agressive off the start. The knee gave me no issues whatsoever!