Events Completed:
Jan 9-10 Durhamtown Plantation, Georgia-Riding School
Jan 12-14 Myakka City, Fl-Riding School
Jan 23-24 Durhamtown Plantation, Georgia-Riding School
Feb. 13-14 Indy Trade Show-Indianapolis, IN
Feb. 18-19 Battery Park, SC-Riding School
Feb. 20-21 Battery Park, SC-Riding School
Feb. 22-25 Travelers Rest, SC Riding School
Feb. 26-Cycle Gear Seminar in Greensboro, NC
Feb. 27-28 Asheboro, NC Riding School
March 1- Yamaha Demo Days at GNCC in River Ranch, Fl
March 2- GNCC at River Ranch, FL
March 6-7 Martinsville, VA-Riding School
 
Jan 9-10 Durhamtown, GA-Riding School
The weather was really cold (20 degrees for a high), but once we got going everyone was warmed up and not one rider said anything about getting cold . We had a great time and each rider worked really hard and each rider pushed themselves to become better. We had a couple of spills in the icy conditions on the grass track when they hit a patch of ice. By the end of the class each rider looked much more confident and they were trying and able to accomplish tough sections with ease. I am looking forward to seeing them at the races and making sure they are keeping up with their training on and off the bike.
 
Jan 12-14 Myakka City, FL
This was a great location and the weather was much better, a little chilly during the morning workouts but perfect in the afternoon during out riding portion. This school was with the Wittington's and they were a great group of guys. We worked the speed drill and made huge gains! I know I was pleased with the gains we made as where they. We had a great track with many obstacle I had laid out for them and they worked the fundamentals to be able to accomplish them. After 3 days of riding the riders made great gains on and off he track and I know they will have a great season and I look forward to hearing up-dates form them to track their progress.
 
Jan. 23-24 Durhamtowm, GA-Riding School
On my second trip to Durhamtown I was ready to go, because I knew the lay of the lay of the land and wanted to work a totally different area of the property. Durhamtown is a great place to not just do a school, but also to ride. They have a lot of great amenities for the riders. MX tracks, single track, flat track, open woods, rocks, hills, mud and about everything else you can imagine. Plus they have a restaurant, bike shop, pressure washers, gas, cabins, rv sites and mechanics on duty to increase the enjoyment of your stay. I had a full class booked for this location, but the day before the class everyone but 2 riders cancelled due to multiple things. It was ok, the two riders (Christopher Williams and Richard Reynolds) got the best of it and had a lot of one on one attention. The weather was a little spotty with rain, but we threw on some jackets and went after it! After all, we all have to race in the racing and mud, so you have to be good at riding in the mud when the time comes. We never had too much rain and both of the riders did excellent in the muddy conditions and I appreciate them soldiering on and making the best of the conditions. Both of these riders are very good and I was glad to be able to work with them more one on one and test their abilities and push them.
 
Feb 13-14 Indy Trade Show
Randy Hawkins and I went to the Indy trade show courtesy of Bill Reed (Sam Events) and the Knott County Trail System he is building in Kentucky. I am telling you what, it is going to be a great place to go up in that are once he has it finished! They are going to have great trails and awesome amenities for the riders and families alike, I can't wit to have my school up there later this year and see how it is coming!
 
Feb. 18-19 Battery Park, SC-Riding School
This was a private school with 2 AA class riders from the NCHSA series (John Jordan and Chris Gosselin). We had great conditions, the terrain is sandy and we where treated to some awesome terrain and weather. Both the guys improved immensely over the two day periods and I believe if they stick to the training program and also the corner drills we did, these two are going to be at the top of their class in 2010.
 
Feb. 20-21 Battery Park, SC-Riding School
The weather continued to get better the next two days at Battery Park and I want to thank Ashley Brewer for his help in rounding up students and letting us use his facility. You can check it out at www.bateryparkoffroad.com for more info. This class was a lot of fun because most all of the guys knew each other and kept pushing each other. We had some nice flips on the hills we where attempting and had some broken plastic, but everyone stayed safe. I was really impressed at how much these guys improved! One of the riders (Gene Saunders) improved 20 seconds (on a one minute track) after utilizing the techniques we worked on! And that was in just one day! All riders made huge improvements during our speed drill and it showed them that making small changes can turn into big gains on the track!
 
Feb. 22-25 Travelers Rest, SC-Riding School
This was a one on one class for 4 days with Patrick Cappetta. Patrick told me he was going to ride C class this year and I was really surprised at how good he was when we started! He hadn't had much time on the bike because living up in PA this winter was not a good place unless you wanted to ride a snowmobile! Patrick was a super hard worker and we had tough workouts in the morning followed by aggressive training in the afternoon. We went to Columbia, SC one day to get him and his bike set-up for the sand and ready for the GNCC in Florida. When Patrick left I knew he was ready and I was not surprised at all when he took the holeshot at the first GNCC in Florida and finished a strong 3rd on the day. I knew when he got back into more familiar soil the competition was going to have trouble. And not to my surprise at all HE WON round 2 of the GNCC series at Washington, GA! I was really proud of him and know he can continue that streak the rest of the season.
 
Feb. 26-Cycle Gear Seminar-Greensboro, NC
This was my first Cycle Gear seminar and I was really nervous. The length of the seminar was 2 hours and we covered all kinds of things like diet, nutrition, bike set-up, training on the bike, training off the bike, pre race warm-ups, how to get sponsors, how to corner, how to cross logs, drills to get you faster each day you ride, and much more! I felt like it went pretty good for the first time and I appreciate everyone that showed up and their patience with me considering this was my first run at it.
 
Feb. 27-28 Asheboro, NC-Riding School
This was a great group of riders, and a great track that Ricky Laughlin let us use. We had plenty of hills, creeks, grass track, tight woods and open woods to keep us busy. The weather treated us nice and where treated to cool temps during the morning workouts, but perfect temp in the afternoon. We had some big log crossings we worked on and each rider tested their ability and accomplished about every obstacle they approached by applying the proper techniques we worked on. I saw hughe gains during our speed drill, and that's what we are all about, getting faster while staying smooth and controlled.
 
March 1- Yamaha Demo Day-Hurricane Ranch, FL
This was my first shot at the Demo ride and we made it just in time! I left Asheboro, NC at 7:30 Sunday night, picked up my dad at midnight here in Greenville and he drove all night and we arrived at River Ranch at 9:30. And the demo started at 10:00 and we had riders already waiting to test the bikes! The GNCC crew did a great job for us and gave us a great practice track to use and a perfect parking spot so we where in the middle of everything. I felt the demo ride went very well and we had a lot of participants that tested all the bikes. On hand we had a YZ 85, WR 250F, WR 450F and a YZ 250 to ride, each bike was set-up just like I would set them up to race. I use a pretty stock set-up so if a rider gets a new Yamaha there isn't a lot you have to do to get them race ready.
 
March 2- GNCC Round 1 Hurricane Ranch, FL
I didn't race this one because to be honest, I was not prepared to race. The years I did well in Florida I spent a lot of time riding in the sand before hand and this year I knew I was in no position to go and race and be competitive so I helped out the team. Randy and I hiked out in the woods and kept the riders motivated and gave the mechanics in the pits up-dates on how they where doing. The riders all did great, and it looked like we where going to have 2 riders on the podium at one point, but Charlie Mullins got watered out in a mud-hole while leading and then Paul Whibley ran out of gas wit one mile to go! Charlie ended up 4th and Thad was fifth, so all in all it was a good day, the riders got valuable points and stayed healthy.
 
March 6-7 Martinsville-VA Riding School
This was another location that was flat out awesome! You want hills, we had some big hills here! The weather was perfect and with all the snow they have had up there this winter I was surprised how good the dirt was. By Sunday it was dusty if you can believe it. We had a long 2 days and the riders all worked hard during the two days. We worked hard on and off the bike from sun-up to sundown and where treated to some world class BBQ by the owner of the Checkered Pig Tommy Houston. This was the best BBQ I have ever had, hands down! All riders showed significant improvements and I know the VCHSS series is just around the corner and if the riders can keep up with the drills, techniques and workout's they will be ready to go for the first round. Our biggest improver on the speed drill was Hunter Chitwood, he gained 20 seconds on the speed drill on a 1 minute loop! That is huge, if you think about it in a larger scale, if he could gain 20 seconds every minute after 5 minutes he would be 1 full minute faster than he was before! That is a lot faster, but again, he was a lot faster, but he was also smoother and in more control which is very imoprtant, speed is no good without control.
 
So, it has been a busy few months for me and I want ot thank you for all your help and support and look forward to seeing you somewhere in the U.S.A in 2010!
 
Up-Coming Events
March 13-Travelers Rest, SC-Riding School
March 19-Cycle Gear Seminar-Sarasota, FL
March 20-21-Myakka City, Fl-Riding School
March 27-28-Tony Smith's Property, PA-Advanced youth Riding School
 
Have a great day, talk to you soon! Jason Raines