RK Excel America

AMA H&H

Jericho, Utah

April 10, 2010

Race Day:

According to the club the conditions down in the valleys were supposed to be pretty dusty. However, up in the mountains they said it should have some good traction and even some snow on the ground. Thank goodness they were right and the course was actually really good! The race started out just in front of the sand dunes and then went right into them. I had a great start, and was leading for the first 4-miles until Kendall made a good pass on me in a tight corner. I stayed right on him for the next few miles, and then had to back off because of the dust. This year they kept us down low for the first loop and ran us through more sand, which was pretty cool. I was pretty conservative through a lot of the sand sections and most of the first 54-mile loop. After the alternate gas, halfway into this loop, I could still see Kendall and figured he was still less than a minute ahead of me. I also had David Pearson not far behind me, so I had to make sure I still was riding a good pace. Towards the end of the first loop, we had to stop at a check where we had to get off the bike and run beside it until we got to the other side. I’m not used to running next to my bike, but it was pretty cool. Coming into the main pit I was still in second with DP third, followed by Kamo and Sutherlin. After I gassed I was cruising down the pit, and to my surprise I saw Kendall sitting at the end of it with a course marshal. I thought he got a penalty for speeding in the pits, but after the race I found out he was stopped and held for a minute for not getting off his bike and pushing it across the road (he must’ve not known). Now I was just handed the lead and was pretty happy. The next loop headed into the trees, which I’m usually pretty good at, so I figured this was going to be my strong point in the race. I had a good pace going, but every now and then I could see Kendall a little ways behind me. This 51-mile loop was awesome and we actually rode across some snow in a few sections. I made a few mistakes, and hit a couple trees, but I figured the guys behind me were doing the same thing. This loop also had an alternate gas halfway into it, and I wasn’t sure if I could make 51-miles so I stopped and Steve Argubright gave me my gas can. As I was filling up, Kendall went by and didn’t stop for gas. Right away I was like I probably shouldn’t have stopped! Luckily I was able to push it and catch back up to him and that’s when we had some great racing. We were both on it and I was pushing it more then I would’ve liked. There was one point he blew a turn and when I tried to go under him we could’ve collided, but I backed off and wasn’t going to chance it. I was really having a good time with this until I blew through some trees, and had to turn around, which gave him a little gap. I started pushing it pretty hard again and then washed my front end out. I lost some more time and now we were getting back into the lower stuff (out of the mountains) and it was pretty dusty again. I figured I had lost my chance and now was just hoping for a mistake on his part. Believe it or not it happened, and I didn’t even realize it. There were some cows in the open fields, and I guess he didn’t see the turn arrow and kept going straight. Well I turned, and as I was going I was thinking to myself he either checked out or got lost. I still was pushing it with about 8-miles to go, but really wasn’t sure if I was leading. There were still a few small tree sections and I was trying to look as far ahead as I could to see if he was up there, but couldn’t tell. I can usually read the tire tracks and tell if there was someone going fast in front of me and I didn’t see any. Now I was looking over my shoulder, but never saw anyone. When I came across the finish there were a ton of people cheering, but I really didn’t know until I stopped at the end and didn’t see him. I asked someone if I won and they said YEAH! Jonny was there and I told him Kendall must’ve got lost. It was a weird way to get the win since it didn’t feel like I won, but I’ll take it! That’s the first time I’ve ever been on that end of the deal!

Overall Summary:

I felt I rode really well today considering where my shoulders at. I still have to be careful in some sections and then others I feel like myself. To now only be 3-points down for the championship (behind Kendall) feels really good. I just have two more H&H’s before the summer break and feel like I’m starting to ride better, so it should go good!

Results (top 10 Overall)

1st Destry Abbott

2nd Kendall Norman

3rd David Kamo

4th Gary Sutherlin

5th David Pearson

6th Robert Underwood

7th Morgan Crawford

8th Jacob Argubright

9th Nick Burson

10th Shawn Strong

Other Notes:

It was really nice to get my first win this year. I wasn’t sure if my luck was going to change, but it definitely worked out for me at this one. Kendall and I had some great battles today and he would’ve been really hard to get by in that last section since it was so dusty, but I’ll still take the win. I was in the same situation at a race last year and lost it with about a mile to go. We both kept our racing clean and that’s what made it that much better!

Here’s a video, from Beau, of the race. http://promoto.tv/10H&HRND5.html .

I also attached some photos from the race. Brad Bentley took a lot of great photos and even got one of Kendall and me battling with about 20-miles to go. I’ve also included a few other photos that were sent to my facebook page from other people. Thanks everyone!

I really thought the Sage Riders did an awesome job with the race. They ran us in a lot of new stuff I’ve never been through and they even made it over 100-miles, which I know takes a lot of hard work. Awesome job guys! They had a really good turnout too!

Out of all the H&H’s I go to, the Utah spectators and fans are the best. I for sure sign more posters there than any other place. I even had some people bring me some gifts, which really meant a lot. They love their motorcycle racing!

I want to be sure to have you guys check out Korbin McEwan’s Facebook page. He’s a 7-year old that was diagnosed with Burkitts Lymphoma cancer last month. It really hits home when you have kids and know what they mean to you. They’re raising money to help out and I highly recommend helping them out. I ran his armband on my bike during the race (photo attached) and that win was definitely for him. Hope to see you at the races soon Korbin! Here’s his facebook page http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=14028&id=1753306198#!/group.php?gid=361236388490&ref=ts

Gary Sutherlin drove up with Jonny and I to the race. He had a horrible start and couldn’t get it started until the 10th kick. He still worked his way up to finish 4th OA. Still a great ride for that far back!

This summer I’m planning on doing a two day riding school up in Utah, while I’m recovering after my shoulder surgery. I’m planning on doing one day for kids and the next for adults. I’ll only be taking 10 riders per day though. As I know more, I’ll post something on my message board.

My next race is this weekend up in the high desert of California (Racetown). I missed the last WORCS race, but I’m going to see how I feel for this one.

“Championships are won on your bad days” RC!

www.destryabbott.com
2010 Sponsors: Monster Energy Kawasaki, Thor, Dunlop, GPR stabilizers, Shoei, Akrapovic exhaust, Stephen Gall Training, SIDI, IMS, Zip-Ty, HoyFox.com, Motion Pro, BRP, Braking, Works Connection, Concept2, CTI2, Maxima, Kicker, O’GIO, Traxxas, Renthal, Hinson, Jonre Multimedia, dragonfireracing.com, Matrix, Scott, Cyto Sport, N-Style, UNI, Parkway Chiropractic, Tire-Balls, and ZLT.

AMA H&H
Round 3
March 7, 2010
Superstition Mountain, Ca.

Race Day:
I can’t believe the first three rounds have been wet and this one was by far wetter than any of them. The start had puddles everywhere, and I only ran the bomb three times before the race since I was soaked, cold and it was raining again. When the banner dropped I didn’t get a first kick start, but it started the next try. I was trying to pass guys, but was getting soaked by a ton of riders with all the standing water. A mile out I had already used all my tear-offs and knew right away I should’ve went with roll-offs. UGH! A few miles in I was around 10th and just was trying to play it smart and get a good feel for the ground, since it was so slippery. I kept picking guys off, but was having a tough time seeing out of my goggles. At this point I saw Jacob on the ground, and he gave me the thumbs up so I kept going. By now I had moved into 4th and had Gary Sutherlin right in front of me with David Pearson right in front of Gary. I knew Kendall was leading, but couldn’t see him. Just before the alternate pit (mile 21) I was able to get by Gary, and get right on David. I stopped for a splash and put roll-offs on. I left a little bit behind David, but was able to get right on him and then made the pass. I could now see Kendall and wanted to get on him so I could key off him. Around the 35-mile mark, I lost my front end over some really slicks hills and went down. I was soaked with mud and my gloves and left grip were really bad. I took off and was thinking this isn’t going to be good, but luckily I came up to a big water crossing and I slowed down to clean the mud off and then was back on the gas. After the first 59-mile loop was over, Kendall had about 2-minutes on me and David was about 45-seconds in front of me. I stopped for a quick splash and changed my gloves (which was really nice since it was still raining). Now I knew the second loop was where it was going to be won, but Kendall had a pretty good lead on us. I was pushing and was able to catch David about 10-miles into the last 37-mile loop. I passed him, and then once we got into the rocks I started to really feel comfortable and had a great pace going. However, David was able to stay on me since it was so much easier to key off the guy in front of you. The rain really played havoc on the arrows, and they folded up or fell off so it was super hard to follow the course (not the clubs fault). Halfway into the loop I could tell we had really closed the gap on Kendall, and were within a minute of him. David and I kept pushing each other and were going back and forth for quite a while. Next thing I knew we were within about 20-seconds of Kendall, and was looking forward to a three way battle for the win! David was ahead of me at this point, and I was following him down this really tight ravine that had two big drop offs that were filled with running water. Unfortunately David rolled off it and went flying over the bars. I sat there for a few seconds and I could tell he was struggling to pick it up so I figured I would try and jump over his front end, but it was going to be tight. I tried anyway and boy was it a bad call on my part! My front end slammed into his, and now we were both stuck in the deep puddle of water and neither one of us could do anything to get unstuck. He finally had to lay down his bike the opposite way we were going to get it unstuck, but there still wasn’t enough room to get by so I had to sit there and wait for him to try and get his bike flipped around. I knew we had just thrown away any shot we had at the win, since we were there for at least 2-minutes. Once we took off it was another epic battle and we kept going back and forth, but with about 3-miles to go he made a good pass on me. Right after that his bike came to a stop and I knew it was because of the huge wash we were trying to ride up that was flowing a few feet deep in areas. I was thinking I should be on a jet ski here instead of a dirt bike (it really was that deep for a good mile). I ended up finishing 2nd and a few minutes ahead of David who finally got his bike started. Kendall put in a great ride and got his first National H&H win.

Overall Summary:
Even though I finished 2nd I had a blast and felt really good on the bike again (my conditioning is getting better too). I really felt I could’ve been right there for the win, until the last mistake which was my fault. The conditions really made it fun, and challenging, and then to have some great battles just made it that much better. Definitely a fun day of racing for me!

Results (Overall):
1st Kendall Norman
2nd Destry Abbott
3rd David Pearson
4th Robert Underwood
5th David Kamo

Other Notes:

Here’s a short video clip from Beau. He wasn’t able to get a ton of coverage because of the weather, but it’s still pretty cool! http://www.promoto.tv/

It’s nice to be in the points lead, but I really want to be pulling off some wins again. I’ve been close, but just haven’t won one this year! Come on Idaho!

I would rate this H&H with one of the coolest ones I’ve done in years. The first loop was unbelievably slick and you had to ride smart. The second loop was awesome, and the weather conditions made it interesting and challenging. Even though I didn’t win I had a blast, and thought the club did a great job considering the conditions they had to deal with (all the rain). It definitely wasn’t easy and I think that’s what national events should be like, but the rain did help make it that way!

I’d like to give a big thanks to the Argubright’s for letting Jonny and I use their truck to help us stay dry. Jacob was putting in a great ride and was running 2nd early, but took a big digger and had to call it a day.

Yesterday Gary Sutherlin teamed up with Justin Soule to win the Laughlin Hare Scramble and then showed up late last night to race the H&H. He had a solid 4th place until he bent his sprocket really bad, 20-miles from the finish, and ended up with a DNF.

I have this weekend off and then have a long drive up to Idaho the following week for round four of the H&H series.

Here’s a little video clip that me and my teammates did to plug Kawasaki’s new Facebook page. It was kind of funny! http://www.kawasaki.com/Racing_news/Article.aspx?id=1360

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Best Wishes,
Destry
www.destryabbott.com
2010 Sponsors: Monster Energy Kawasaki, Thor, Dunlop, GPR stablilzers, Shoei, Akrapovic exhaust, Stephen Gall Training, SIDI, IMS, Zip-Ty, HoyFox.com, Motion Pro, BRP, Braking, Works Connection, Concept2, CTI2, Maxima, Kicker, O’GIO, Traxxas, Renthal, Hinson, Jonre Multimedia, dragonfireracing.com, Scott, Cyto Sport, N-Style, UNI, Parkway Chiropractic, Tire-Balls, and ZLT.

AMA H&H
Lucerne, Ca.
January 24, 2010

Race Day:
Well the season is already here again, and it sure didn’t feel like I had much of an off season. However, I couldn’t have asked for better weather to start out the racing season. It was super cold in the morning practicing the bomb (it was in the 20’s). The start wasn’t going to be as crucial as most H&H’s since they’ve been getting pounded with rain and snow. When the banner went up I shut my motor off and was waiting with a few 100 riders, on the first row, for it to drop. Once they pulled it down, I got a first kick start and was off. It was a really fast start and we were all wide open up until the banner. Once we got onto the trail, I was in third with Kamo leading and Caselli in second. A few miles in I was able to get by Kurt and close the gap on David. I was happy with the pace, and figured I would stay where I was for a little bit. But then not too much further Kendall Norman put a good pass on me and then got by David. I knew I didn’t want anyone to check out, so I was starting to work on David until I overshot a corner a little past the 5-mile mark. I clipped a rock and it ripped the end of my brake lever off. I was like no way! At this point I knew I still had around 35-miles until we came back into the pits for the second lap. I still kept pushing it and just tried to key off David. I was actually really surprised they weren’t checking out. A few miles later Kurt passed me back, but I couldn’t see anyone behind us. I would close in on the guys in front of me and actually could’ve tried to make a pass, but it was a lot easier keying off them to know when I had to slow down. I had a few scary close calls where I wasn’t able to slow down enough for a g-out or a corner, but other than that I felt really good. Unfortunately, I started to lose a little time when we got up in the snow. Yes I said snow in the desert! It was awesome, and it’s pretty rare I race in snow out in the desert. It was pretty much all white in a few areas for miles, but boy was it slippery. I had to take it easy, but as soon as we got out of it I was able to close up the gap again. There were basically four of us all really close to each other. Kendall was still leading and now Kurt had worked his way up to second, followed by David and myself. Finally coming into the pits, (40-mile mark) I was happy to know I was going to have brakes again. It took a little longer then I was hoping, and we lost close to 2-minutes in the pits. As I was leaving there were four other guys leaving at the same time. I pinned it to try and put some time on them, but Brendan Ritzman was keeping me honest for the first 10 to 15-miles and then I think he went down. I didn’t see anyone behind me and just really kept pushing it hard and hoped to catch back up to the top 3 guys. We were in some pretty gnarly rock sections and this is where I usually do really well. I wasn’t sure if I was making any ground up, and then with about 10-miles to go in this 40-mile loop I saw Kendall a little ways ahead of me. A few miles later I got right behind him and made the pass. Then I saw Kamo a little further up. I was closing in quick, but I knew we were getting close to the finish. With about a mile to go I got within 10-seconds, and then before I knew it we were done. I could’ve used a couple more miles and I think I would’ve had a great shot at second. Kurt put in a great ride and took the win.

Overall Summary:
I was a little upset since I felt I had a great shot at the win today and I really wanted to give Kurt a run for his money. Since I lost my rear brakes 5-miles in, I’m actually pretty surprised I still ended up on the podium. I’ve been training hard and it’s good to know that has been paying off towards the end of the race. My bike set-up was awesome, and besides the brake issue it was a good day with no crashes! I’ll be ready for the next H&H in 3-weeks!!!

Overall results (top 20):
1st Kurt Caselli
2nd David Kamo
3rd Destry Abbott
4th Kendall Norman
5th Jacob Argubright
6th Brenden Ritzman
7th Quinn Cody
8th David Pearson
9th Robert Underwood
10th Colton Udall
11th Ryan Abbatoye
12th Bobby Garrison
13th Brad Goolsby
14th Nick Burson
15th Colton Sanders
16th Cory Graffunder
17th Ryan Kudla
18th Justin Morrow
19th Powers Irving
20th Brett Saunders

Other Notes:
Here’s a great video Beau put together from the race. http://promoto.tv/

I was actually pretty happy for Kurt Caselli to get his first National H&H win. I used to race Kurt all the time in the H&H’s and then he stopped doing them to concentrate on the WORCS series. I know his old man would’ve been proud!

This was our first race with some new sponsors that we will be using this year. We’re now running Akropovic exhaust and they’re awesome. We also have Traxxas on board which is pretty cool too http://www.traxxas.com/v2/racing/news/?id=66 ! Looking forward to getting them some wins!

There were a bunch of new riders that came out to give the H&H a try. I’m sure the wet dirt helped too. Some new guys were Kurt Caselli, Ritzman, Udall, Garrison Graffunder, and Goolsby to just name a few.

JThe club did a pretty good job. The course wasn’t as tough as I was hoping and we had quite a few more valleys than normal. The weather really helped make this race great and they did a great job on the markings considering all the bad weather they had to deal with. We just need to make sure the second loop is a national caliber one

This year we have the AHHA group watching over the H&H series and making sure every round is ran the way it should. They also put up a pro purse for the top 3 riders (the winner get $1,000 and then down to third). They did an awesome job and now we have an official podium and a PA system to keep everyone updated on the race and afterwards. Great job guys! I know this is only going to help the series!

There were a bunch of people that came out to help me this weekend. Of course my mechanic Jonny did an awesome job again, along with Jeff Decker, helping out on the race bike. John Braasch let me crash in his motor home the night before the race so I didn’t have to drive back into town. Also Reid Nordin, Jason Smigel, Argubrite’s, Bret Leaf, Kit Kamo (who brought me some sweets), and I know there were a bunch of other people too and I really appreciate all the help!

My next race is this weekend at the first WORCS race in Arizona. It’s nice to have a close race, but I know this year is going to be stacked with some fast pros. It should be fun!

I’m working on updating my 2010 site with my new sponsors and some other cool stuff as soon as I can. Sorry it’s taken so long!

www.destryabbott.com
2010 Sponsors: Monster Energy Kawasaki, Thor, Dunlop, GPR stabilizers, Shoei, Akrapovic exhaust, Stephen Gall Training, SIDI, IMS, Zip-Ty, HoyFox.com, Motion Pro, BRP, Braking, Works Connection, Concept2, CTI2, Maxima, Kicker, O’GIO, Traxxas, Renthal, Hinson, Jonre Multimedia, dragonfireracing.com, Matrix, Scott, Cyto Sport, N-Style, UNI, Parkway Chiropractic, Tire-Balls, and ZLT.