CampeonatoUPMmotocrossFest: April 2011

Hello All:

I have had of inquiries (and help) with my new (to me) 2009 KTM 450F. So……with such pressure from friends, family and fans, I put together a quick “report” on the acquisition of the bike.

I purchased the bike, sight unseen through the internet from a gentleman (Scott) in New Jersey. I had no idea how to get it to Panama at the time, but I knew it was the best bike for me. The KTM 450 is probably the most powerful bikes made for motocross competition. It won the “best bike” review in one of the Motocross magazines this year. Apart from being the bike that I wanted, the owner had made several modifications that enhanced the performance and handling of the bike…..For example, the suspension was redone to racing specs for a rider of my weight and ability. The other item is that the bike is impeccable……….I mean, it is almost as nice as a new bike. The care that Scot took of the bike was evident and one of the main reasons that I bought the bike.

After several months of trying to arrange transportation, I had a business trip that took me though NJ so I decided to pack it up in bags and bring it with me as luggage……….OK I admit that it was not one of my sharpest moments, but it resolved my problem.

With Scott’s help, the motorcycle came apart and was put in 5 separate bags. He was incredible helpful……not only did I use his garage for 2 days, he helped me dis-assemble, look for boxes, and made it all possible to get the bike ready to ship. Thanks again Scott.

So……I arrive at the airport with a moving truck and about 300 pounds of luggage….You can emagine how that went. At the end of the day, I paid $700 in overweight charges, but was credited the same amount due to a problem I had with the airlines……The photo below are the bags in my ship (terrace) ready to begin assembly.

On must have proper tools and a good workbench. Of course my Cigar and rum and coke are off camera, but close by.

The motor is in, and the suspension. The first stage is complete.

I spent a lot of time reading the manual. I purchased the service manual for this bike to help an inexperienced mechanic put this bike together.

O f course, when in doubt……….Call inthe big guns to help you out…….With the promise of dinner and open bar my expert advisers came to tell me “how I should really do it right”.

Once everything was in place, and fluids in the motor………IT STARTED!!!!! I woke up all the neighbors. It is not a quiet bike.

The bike had to go from the ship to the testing grounds.

This is the photo taken after the first test by the test pilots. Proper protective gear and foot protection is very important

Of course…………The bike was ready the day before the race. I took it and my other bike(just in case I couldn’t figure out how to ride the new bike) and tested it on the track for the first time the day before the race. It is VERY different from my other race bike, and it is taking some time to get used to, however I felt comfortable enough to ride it for the race. There were unfortunate grumbles about “unfair advantage” and “he can’t begin to ride that thing” by my fellow veteran competitors, but I paid no attention. Despite not really knowing how to ride the bike, I took all the jumps that I usually take, and due to the incredible suspension, I floated a lot longer on a big tabletop jump than I normally do.

The picture above is in the middle of a long (maybe 75 feet) tabletop jump that afterwards my friends told me I completely cleared it……..I didn’t realize it, or more importantly, feel the shock of hitting that I normally would have it.

Now for the Race report…..A group of friends and family that race organized to go up to Santiago Panama for the first race of the season. We had 6 people competing in the races: Kevin, Ian and Giancarlo Taylor; Carlos Noriega, Max Garcia and Carlos Nunez. To support this role of stars, the support crew of Moms, Dads, Uncles, friends, brothers, sisters, relatives came along also……….Our pit area was big and we had lots of people.

The Boys and the girl…..Who says that motocross is all dust and mud?!!

Giancarlo and his support crew

This is Ian racing. Number 13…and dad giving good advice “GO FASTER!!”

Our friend and coach..Rudy Waller. The boys did an interview with him. The photo below is a photo of Rudy doing a freestyle jumping exhibition at the race.

The racers and MOM

They did an interview of “how do you feel about having your sons racing”

This a photo of Carlos Noriega winning the MXb class

One of my favorite photos: Giancarlo & a kid he competed with.

Carlos Nunez (100), Ian (red uniform) and Giancarlo waiting for the start.

We all had a great time and did fairly well at the race. The only sad note is that Carlos Nunez had a bad fall off a jump and was hospitalized. He was not seriously injured, but we were all worried for him.

Well……….that is about it. Our next race is the first weekend in May.