On February 22nd & 23rd, the TX4 Cross Country Series hosted another exciting weekend of off-road racing in Smithville, Texas. XC racing is supposed to be challenging, and Mother Nature played her part by bringing wet, frigid weather. Quad racers endured rain and 40-degree temps on Saturday, and side-by-side competitors sloshed around the muddy track under cloudy skies and mid-50 degree temps on Sunday. Those who braved the harsh elements were awarded with an awesome track on a brand new property thanks to Mr. Terry Deck and company.
This race was extra special to me b/c I brought my good luck charm and favorite son, Cash. Below is my write-up. Enjoy!
WHERE:
Smithville, TX… it’s a small town located 12 miles southeast of Bastrop. This was TX4’s first event held at McMahan Ranch and the property was great. The terrain included a mix of open fields, woods, dry creek crossings, small jumps, and whoops. TX4 was very lucky to add this beautiful property to the 2025 schedule, and I hope we get the opportunity to return in the future.
TRACK CONDITIONS:
At 7 a.m. on Saturday morning, Cash and I hit the road for the 2.5-hour trip to Smithville. Upon arrival, we grabbed our jackets and rode our quads to the TX4 trailer for sign-in and then met up with Weston R. for ATV inspections.
I noticed the property was already wet when we arrived, so that meant racers would compete in slippery mud rather than blinding dust. Between these 2 extremes, I prefer mud b/c it’s easier to see on the track, making it much safer for racers and spectators alike. However, the muddy mess results in much longer cleanup times afterwards. Everything takes longer to clean after a mud race, including quads, SxS, truck, trailer, riding gear, clothes, etc. But that’s all part of off-road racing, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.
ATV PRACTICE:
At 11:15 a.m., Cash and I rode our quads to the starting line for ATV practice laps. After a few welcoming words from Terry and Cory, they started the sight lap. Cash and I fell in line near the back of the pack, and we slowly followed the train of quads around the 3.6 mile course. This was Cash’s first ATV race in a year, so he took things slow and easy on the sight lap. I followed just to make sure he didn’t have any issues.
My initial impressions were that the course was mostly wide and fast with tons of sandy whoops and a few small jumps. As I recall, the course was laid out as follows:
The starting line was held in an open field near the edge of some woods. After a 25-yard dash towards the first left turn, racers zig-zagged around a few more turns in the rain-soaked pasture before entering an open gate. After passing through the gate, racers made a sweeping right turn into the woods and ran alongside a barb’d wire fence. The trail meandered in and out of the woods until it reached a small clearing.
From there, the trail made a left turn and continued a few hundred yards through a bumpy field that had a small jump in the middle.
Next, the course ran in and around more trees, climbed a small, sandy hill and then zig-zagged through more wooded sections.
Eventually, the trail ran through small open field that resembled an MX track with small jumps and whoops on soft sand. After one sweeping left turn, the trail hits a small jump located between 2 trees. Next, there were more whoops and sandy trails that weaved in and around trees before it finally made its way to the front of the property.
At this point, racers entered another open gate and ran back and forth through a dry creek bed surrounded by trees here and there. Finally, the course ran through the scoring schute and started the next lap.
After the practice laps, we headed back to the truck to warm up before the 12:15 a.m. race.
ATV RACE #1:
Cash and I headed to the starting area and lined up next to our classes. Cash raced in the Blaster class with a total of 4 competitors. I lined up next to the old-timer class (Senior 50+), which had 5 people, including my old buddy Matt Horton, Kevin G, Kelly R., Rodney B., and myself.
All quad racers were treated with a live engine start for this race, which was good news for Cash. His Honda trx250ex is bone stock and can only start in neutral (we need to bypass this feature, but haven’t done it yet).
Unfortunately, Cash’s motor was still cold at the start and instantly died when he hit the throttle. So he was last off the line after he got it re-started. Luckily, he was able to pass a few guys in his class before the end of lap 1, but then pulled over to drink water and lost at least 1 position. After a few laps, his right thumb started aching and he struggled to continue. When he finished his 4th lap, the race still had 2 minutes remaining on the clock and he reluctantly did another lap. He suffered through it and was rewarded with a 2nd place finish! Congrats to Gracie B. for taking the win, Cash for taking 2nd, and Clay W. for finishing in 3rd place.
As for me, I got a solid start right behind Kevin as we made our way around turn one. Matt was close behind me at that point. After following Kevin for a half lap, he made a left turn right before a dry creek crossing. I remember thinking that I have NO IDEA where that left turn goes, so I continued straight just like I did during the practice laps. 30 seconds later, Kevin was suddenly on my tail, which meant I was in the lead. Yeehaw!
I continued to hold the lead through the scoring schute, and started the 2nd lap with Kevin on my heals and Matt in hot pursuit. After the first few turns in the open pasture, I pulled off to the side and stopped. I sipped water from my camelback and let Kevin and Matt pass. That put me in 3rd position overall. I knew I had a long day of racing ahead and didn’t want to get burned out too early. I continued onward at a comfortable pace.
One thing I noticed during the race was that the rain was coming down from time to time, even while riding under the canopy of trees! Of course, more rain meant the track would eventually get sloppy in places.
Around lap 4 or 5, I saw Kevin just ahead, and I picked up the pace. I followed til I found a safe place to pass and pushed onward. Kevin seemed to be riding at a slower pace at that point, so I’m not sure if he was tired or perhaps having goggle issues or similar. In any case, that put me back in 2nd place overall, and I pressed onward hoping to track down Matt.
On the 6th lap, I finally lapped Cash. He was riding much faster than his practice laps, so I was impressed by that. At the scoring chute, Cash and I were both relieved to see the checkered flag.
We immediately headed back to the truck. Cash decided to change clothes and warm up inside the cab while I topped off the fuel in the Couch Rocket (my mighty 2021 Canam Renegade 1000r Xxc) and put on a fresh pair of goggles. I was exhausted and not sure if I could finish the 2nd race of the day, which started in a ½ an hour.
ATV RACE #2:
Just before 2pm, I joined Matt H. and Ryan M. for the ATV Utility Expert Class.
When the green flag went up, I nailed the throttle and got a strong start. I was first around turn one with Matt on my rear bumper and Ryan not far behind.
I continued to hold the lead during the first lap and then pulled over to let Matt get around me on Lap 2. I was drained of all energy and didn’t think I could keep up an aggressive pace anymore. The rain continue to fall and the track continued to get more slippery as each lap passed.
As I drove through the scoring chute at the end of lap 2, I pulled up next to Cory Williams and asked if it has been 70 minutes yet. He laughed and said it’s only been 20 minutes. Ugh! I was not sure if I could make it the whole race or not. But I put my head down and kept going.
At the end of my 5th lap, I approached the scoring schute and slowed down. Through the sparse trees, I could see the official time clock counting down. To my relief, there was only a 1 minute and change left til my 70-minute race ended. I immediately pulled off to the side and waited til Cory started waiving the checkered flag next to the finish line. Then I pulled back onto the track and completed the race. I was happy to finish 2nd behind Matt. Congrats to him for taking the win and also to Ryan for finishing 3rd. But I was even happier to complete my 2nd race of the day and finally get the chance to change out of my cold, wet clothes. Hallelujah!
SATURDAY NIGHT:
On race weekends, I typically camp in a tent at the track. But this weekend was no bueno for tent camping. Instead, I did the smart thing and booked a hotel room in Bastrop for Cash and me. We fell asleep almost immediately upon checking in. A few hours later, I woke up and made a run to Whataburger to pick up our dinner. Cash was still asleep when I got back to the room, so I had to wake him so he could eat. After we ate, we were so exhausted that we immediately went back to sleep.
SXS PRACTICE:
On Sunday morning, Cash and I ate a hot breakfast at the hotel before heading back to the track around 9 am. Then we both suited up for the 10 am Driver’s Meeting and SXS sight lap. The good news is that the rain was all gone and it was already about 10 degrees warmer than the same time yesterday. So things were looking up.
During the sight lap, we noticed that TX4 bypassed a few of the tight wooded sections. Despite these minor changes, the SxS course was still about the same length as the ATV course. Due to overnight rain, the track was muddier than the day before.
After SXS practice, we went back to the truck to top off the fuel in Big Blue (our trusty 2018 Polaris RZR Turbo XP with nearly 2,000 miles on the odometer) and get ready for our 12:30 pm race.
SXS RACE:
Joining us in the UTV Turbo Open Class was Richard C. and Jacob B. I was lined up on the far right side of the line and Richard was on my immediate left.
From past experience, I know that Richard typically gets a fast start off the line. So I was just hoping to get a decent start and fall in line behind him.
When the starting flag went up, I turned the key and Big Blue’s engine finally got moving. As expected, Richard grabbed the holeshot and I fell in right behind him around the first turn. I was happy with my start and held on for a long 70-minute race ahead.
LAPS 1-8:
For the first few miles, I held onto the 2nd place position right behind Richard. Right on my tail was Jacob. I was a little nervous racing so close to Jacob b/c this was only his 2nd race and you just never know what a newbie will do. The three of us were slipping and sliding around every turn as we blasted down the track. At one point, I noticed Jacob was close to my rear bumper, so I decided to let him pass rather than trying to keep up a pace that I felt was a bit faster than my comfort level.
As soon as Jacob passed me, he disappeared into the trees ahead. A few seconds later, Cash and I made a sweeping left turn and headed straight towards 2 thin trees that lined the outside of a small jump. I immediately noticed a wheel sitting on the top of the jump near the left tree and Richard’s car was off the track on the other side of the right tree. I slowed down to let a spectator remove the wheel from the track and then I looked in utter amazement at Richard sitting in his 3-wheeler… Oh my goodness! No one appeared injured, so I pressed onward.
I didn’t know until after the race that Jacob accidentally bumped the right side of Richard just before they reached the small jump between the trees. This nudge pushed Richard to the left just enough to shear off his left front wheel when it contacted the tree and then send Richard’s car to the other side of the track. In Richard’s words, he suffered from “wood poison.” Yikes!
With Richard out, that left Cash and me in 2nd position. Jacob continued to put down 20 to 30 second faster laps and increase his lead over us.
For the first four laps, I ran consistent times of approx. 8 and ½ minutes per lap. Then something unexpected happened on the 5th lap. Suddenly, I pulled off to the left side of the course next to some trees and told Cash that I had to pee. He was in shock and said “ARE YOU KIDDING ME???” LOL Like an idiot, I drank a bunch of water about 30 minutes before the race and my old bladder was screaming at me on the 5th lap. That little potty break set me back an extra 2 and ½ minutes on Lap 5. Doh!
At the end of lap 8, Cash and I finished in 2nd place. Congrats to Jacob for taking the win. I felt terrible for poor Richard and hope he is able to get his rig up and running again for Round 3.
Just to recap, Cash and I endured 2 days of competition in difficult weather and took home four 2nd place finishes between the two of us. We also made lots of fun father-son memories to boot. Despite the harsh elements, I’m so glad we attended this event b/c a cold, wet race sure beats sitting at home doing nothing.
SHAMELESS PLUG:
FYI: I wrote a book about racing in the TX4 series entitled TEXAS OFF-ROAD RACING 2: The Battle for ATV and Side-by-Side Championships. I also wrote a similar racing book a few years earlier called TEXAS OFF-ROAD RACING: A Father-Son Journey to a Side-by-Side Championship. Both books are available on Amazon in paperback, Kindle eBook, and audiobook.
Finally, I want to say a BIG THANK YOU to Terry, Cory, James Dean and the entire TX4 staff for hosting another FUN event! I hope to see everyone at Round 3.
