John Ragon - AMA Pro ATV rounds 2-3
04.18.2008(This release posted as submitted by John Ragon)
Round 2 took place at Mill Creek MX in Alabama. We struggled a little with bike set-up in the qualifying practice, so my lap times weren’t in the running to qualify straight to the Sunday motos. No big deal, except that the rain started pouring 1 hour before the LCQ that afternoon. Still, by riding smart and slowly picking off the other riders, I was able to work towards the top in the short, 4-lap moto. Somehow, I came out with dismal starts in both motos on Sunday. However, we didn’t get too worried and put our heads down to charge every lap of the moto. By the end of the day, I recorded 14-12 moto scores.
Round 3 at Ballance Moto-X in Kentucky proved to be a busy weekend. Ian Harris from SSI Decals had rushed my graphics through the printers, and shipped them to me at the track. I really appreciate his punctuality and all the hard work it took fitting it in his daily schedule. By the way, they also look amazing and really stand out among all of the cookie cutter designs these days. Jorge Cuartas deserves all of the credit for the artwork—I think it represents our team well…very creative, and boldly displaying your logos.
Unfortunately, the non-stop rain last weekend pretty much ruined any visibility for both the riders and fans. My Utopia roll-offs worked great, but all of the mud caked on my helmet and bike added plenty of weight! Throughout both motos, riders were dropping out left and right. My radiator was even punctured during Moto 2, but our DASA motor kept pulling and never overheated. We carded 12-11 moto finishes, and remain in 9th in the points race.
Granted, 9th in points is respectable for a privateer but it is not where I want to be. With more testing/training, I really believe we can push higher by the end of the season. I am one of the only riders without any DNF’s thus far, and I believe it is a testament to the quality of your products. From here we head to Virginia and hopefully look forward to great weather from here on out!
