by Mike Kowis, Esq.
Mother Nature played a dirty trick on TX4 racers and spectators last weekend as rain fell all around Texas in the days leading up to Round 8, but completely avoided Flatonia (until Sunday’s last SXS race). The dry and dusty conditions made it challenging for racers to see the course and spectators to watch the action. Dust bowl or not, Terry Deck and company made sure the off-road competitions ran smoothly and that everyone had a great time. Below is my write-up. Enjoy!
WHERE:
Flatonia, TX… it’s a small town located 12 miles west of Schulenburg along Interstate 10. The property has plenty of trees, a handful of (dry) creek crossings, a large pasture, and (on this weekend) enough dust to choke a horse.
TRACK CONDITIONS
Other than the lack of H20, the weather was comfortable during the race weekend with mostly sunny skies and pleasant temps (daytime highs in the 70s and crisp temps at night). Sunday afternoon was a bit different (more on this later).
The ATV and SxS courses are usually laid out on a very similar track except for a few tight wooded sections that require re-routing for the side-by-sides. This time, the Saturday ATV course felt a lot more different than the Sunday SxS course due to a few more changes than usual. According to my machines, the ATV track was 3.8 miles long and the SxS was 3.5 miles. Both tracks were mostly wide.
The starting line was located in a small area just past the end of the fenced in parking area. From there, the track ran through a small section of woods and crossed a dry creek before popping out on the other side. Next, racers zig-zagged between a sparse section of trees and then entered the large open pasture.
When we first raced at this property in 2023, the track ran straight across the edge of the pasture for about ¼ mile and then made a 90-degree right turn along the edge of the woods. At that time, I was hitting 60 or 70mph across this section. This time, the track included a man-made jump at the beginning and a chicane near the end. These new obstacles reduced my max speed to 50 or 55 max, but they were also lots of fun.
After exiting the pasture, the ATV course continued for 2 miles through the twisty, bumpy wooded trails and then crossed the other side of the same large pasture. Next, the course ran through more wooded trails for three-quarters of a mile before finally reaching the scoring chute and starting the next lap.
ATV PRACTICE:
When I arrived at the property around 10:30am, I immediately drove the Couch Rocket (my 2021 Canam Renegade 1000r Xxc) to tech inspection and then signed the waiver form at the TX4 trailer. Then I rushed back to the truck to get ready for ATV practice starting at 11:15am. A few minutes later, I joined the dozens of quad racers gathered around the starting area.
The first thing I noticed during the practice lap was that it was extremely bumpy in certain places and the soft soil was already starting to show signs of ruts — which I knew would only get deeper as the day went on.
After two practice laps, I headed back to the truck to top off my fuel tank and gear up for the 12:15 race. As usual, my plan was to do my best in the first race, but reserve at least a little energy for the 2pm race.
ATV RACE #1:
For my first race of the day, six others joined me in the “half century club” ATV class, including Todd Clark, Matt Horton, Kevin Glick, Thomas Morgan, Rodney Blauvelt, and Scott Carr.
When our class lined up on the starting line, I grabbed a spot near the left side of the line. Kevin G. was to my immediate left and the other 5 racers were on my right. Kevin (riding a Renegade 1000r nearly identical to mine) is normally the holeshot king, and I usually shoot for second position (immediately behind Kevin) as we round turn number 1. Our entire class was facing the first right-hand turn about 60 feet away. Then I focused on Terry and the flag he was holding.
When the green flag went up, I quickly pushed the start button and was amazed to pull away from the rest of the line, including Kevin. I let out a loud scream as I grabbed the hole shot and continued onward in first position with Kevin nipping at my heals in 2nd position. Yee haw!
Later, Kevin explained that his ATV battery has been acting weak recently, but he didn’t bother to replace it b/c he (mistakenly) thought we would probably do another live engine start at this race. Doh!
ATV LAPS 1-5:
Taking the lead position in a dusty race like this one is a huge advantage b/c clean air means you can actually see the course. Alas, my lead only lasted the first mile until I caught up to a lapper who stalled in the woods. He was stopped in front of a small pine tree that had fallen across the path in front of him. I quickly stopped when I realized he wasn’t moving at all and then attempted to reverse and go around. Suddenly, Kevin squeezed past both of us on the right side. Ugh!
I held onto 2nd position for the rest of lap 1, but heard Todd Clark reach my rear bumper about the time I went through the scoring shute. A few seconds later, I pulled to the left side and let him pass. I’ve been racing Todd for more than 2 decades, and I know there’s no way I can outrun him unless he has mechanical issues or hits a tree. LOL
Todd’s pass left me in 3rd position at beginning of lap 2. So, I pushed forward with the hope that I could somehow hold off the other 4 racers in my class.
Somewhere around the middle of lap 3, I was riding the rear bumper of a lapper with the intent to pass as soon as possible. At that moment, there was a sport quad on my tail. Suddenly, the trail ahead turned reached a dead end and all 3 of us had to turn around. My heart sank b/c I knew I just wasted precious seconds by blindly following the lapper down the wrong path. By the time I back-tracked to the place were we got off course, I thought I saw Matt H. go past me. Nooooo! If I was correct, that meant I had fallen to 4th position.
For the remaining laps, I kept pushing myself to catch up to Matt. But I never saw him.
When the checkered flag came out at the end of my 5th lap, I assumed I finished somewhere around 4th position. However, that was just a guess as it was hard to know for sure given all the dust that filled the course. When the results were later announced at the podium, I was thrilled to find out that I actually finished 2nd. Mucho Congrats to Todd for taking the win and Matt for placing 3rd.
ATV RACE #2:
After finishing the first race, I made a beeline to my truck to top off the Couch Rocket’s fuel tank, clean the air filter, and rest a bit before the 2pm race.
At the truck, I felt somewhat tired and my left hand had a nasty blister that stung. Otherwise, I was ready for my 2nd race of the day, or at least the first few laps of it! LOL
Four others joined me in the Utility Expert class, including Kevin Glick, Matt Horton, Cory Williams, and Ryan Moles. The big surprise was seeing Cory show up on an old Polaris 800 sportsman. Cory is always a fast competitor, so I don’t usually count him out. However, I figured there was NO WAY the old beater with stock suspension that Cory was riding could keep up with the rest of us on a bumpy course like this one.
Like the earlier race, I grabbed a spot near the left side of the starting line with Kevin G. to my immediate left and the other racers on my right.
This time, Terry got me good at the start…
While holding the green flag, he pointed to each racer on the line and awaited their acknowledgement of being ready to start. When he got to me, he asked over the loud speaker if I was ready, and I gave him a BIG THUMBS UP. As soon as my right hand was raised in the air, I knew that I screwed up!!! Sure enough, that’s when Terry raised the freakin’ flag… DOH!
I immediately hit the start button with my left hand and then reached back down to grab a handful of throttle with my right hand. Despite falling for Terry’s little trick, I somehow managed to win the holeshot (again).
ATV LAP 1:
With clean air in front of me and a much-needed boost of energy from taking the holeshot, I attacked lap 1 without hesitation. I was determined to hold Kevin off for more than a mile this time.
When I reached the end of the first pass through the large pasture, I looked over my shoulder and saw that I had a decent lead over Kevin and the rest of the pack behind him. So, I put my head down and kept pushing. I finished lap 1 with the lead position and still felt somewhat energetic.
ATV LAPS 2-6:
At the end of the first pass through the pasture on Lap 2, I looked over my shoulder and noticed that Cory had taken over the 2nd position ahead of the rest of the pack. At this point, I still felt confident b/c I had clean air in front of me and I knew there was NO WAY Cory’s clunky ride could catch me on a bumpy course like this one.
About a mile up the trail, I realized my assumption about Cory was dead wrong! As he got close to my rear bumper, I started making mistake after mistake. Exhaustion set in, which caused the mental errors. I went too wide around one turn and plowed into several branches of a small tree… rather than stop and back up, I kept ramming into the branches til I could get back on course. I realized that was dumb and knew I could “kiss a tree” if I maintained this pace to stay ahead of Cory… especially on a dusty track like this one. So, I begrudgingly pulled over to the left side to let Cory (and a faster sport quad behind him) pass me. Cory let the faster rider pass us, but he didn’t pass me out of courtesy. I pulled back onto the course, but quickly found a place to pull over again and waived Cory around me. This was the right call as Cory quickly checked out on me, and I returned to a safer pace.
Near the end of lap 5, Matt Horton finally caught up to me and I started to push myself again. But I quickly realized I was mentally and physically spent at this point. I somehow held him off til the scoring shute, but was felt DEFLATED when I saw there was no checkered flag yet. Geeez!
As I started the 6th lap, I felt confident that Matt would soon pass me and knock me back to 3rd position.
When I finally reached the first pass through the pasture on lap 6, I knew Matt was not far behind, and he was probably going to pass me in the pasture area. When I reached the jump, I let off the throttle as usual b/c I prefer to roll the jumps and keep my wheels on the ground as much as possible. Obviously, this was when I was most vulnerable to be passed by Matt.
Scott Hardy (TX4 medic and a professional funnyman) was watching from the pasture and described this moment as follows…
Unlike my approach, Matt accelerated hard into the jump and obviously wanted to pass me more than anything. Just as my wheels touched the ground, Matt’s quad was hovering 8 feet above the ground just behind me! Suddenly, I got traction and shot off like a rocket towards the far side of the pasture and Matt slowed up considerably as he landed the big jump.
That moment made all the difference b/c once I reached the woods on the far side of the pasture, I was able to hold onto 2nd position til the checkered flag came out at the end of that lap.
Congrats to Cory for taking the win and to Matt for finishing 3rd. My hat goes off to Cory for winning despite the old beater he was riding and also to Matt for giving me a run for the money on the final lap! As usual, it’s always exciting to race with these guys.
SATURDAY NIGHT:
After my 2nd race, I went to my truck to wash my face and hands and then headed straight to the food vendors. My first stop was to wash down the dust at the delicious lemonade stand! Mmm…good! Next, I hopped over to the food truck for a tasty BBQ sandwich and chips.
Just I sat down on my flatbed trailer to eat my late lunch, Ramone Collins pulled up and invited me to eat a Thanksgiving meal with others at one of the buildings near the parking lot after the poker run was over (around 7:30pm-ish). I was thrilled to get the invite and had every intention to join them.
I also intended to do the Poker Run b/c that’s always great fun. However, they decided to start the poker run a little earlier than normal due to the sun going down so early at this time of year. Sadly, I decided to skip the Poker Run b/c I still needed to set up my tent before dark. After setting up “Hotel Kowis” on the flatbed trailer, I took a cold sponge bath and climbed into my tent around 7:30pm. I immediately realized that I didn’t have the energy to join the others for the Thanksgiving meal. In fact, I was so exhausted that I didn’t get out of bed again until 8am the next morning!
SXS PARADE LAP:
On Sunday morning at 10 am, Terry led a mandatory riders meeting for SxS racers and then sent us off for the parade lap. As mentioned above, the UTV course looked noticeably different than Saturday’s ATV course in certain areas, including the start which ran directly across a dry creek crossing towards the large pasture area. There were other changes in the middle of the course and again near the end (removed a short run through a dry creek bed). After completing the parade lap, I went back to the truck to top off the fuel tank and clean the air filter in Big Blue (my trusty 2018 Polaris RZR XP Turbo), and then get ready for the 12:30 race.
DISASTER AVERTED:
30 minutes before my race started, I decided to check Big Blue’s tire pressure and immediately noticed something wrong with the rear anti-sway bar. The (aftermarket) bar had snapped in half near one end and was no longer providing resistance to the rear trailing arms.
With only a half-hour til show time, I immediately grabbed my tools and started removing the left side of the broken sway bar so that it didn’t bounce around and cause further damage. It took all the strength I could muster to break the bolts loose and remove that side of the broken bar and attached links. Just as I finished that side, my racing buddy Ryan Moles (TX4 staffer and a professional mechanic) drives up after finishing his SxS race. He saw me wrenching on Big Blue and asked if he could help. No sooner than I explained what I was trying to do than he jumped on the other side and started removing that broken piece. He quickly knocked that out, and I was able to head to the starting line on time. Clearly, Ryan knows his way around a wrench, and I highly recommend him if anyone is looking for a mechanic!!!
SXS RACE:
Just a few minutes before the 12:30pm race was scheduled to start, the clouds opened up and started raining. Everyone was happy to see the property get some much-needed moisture. However, lightening also came with it and that delayed the start til 1pm.
In the meantime, the UTV racers hung out by the starting line. Terry explained that they would do a staggered start (Rally style start) with each racer taking off separately in 30-second intervals. They occasionally do this for safety reasons whenever the track is extremely dusty.
Joining me in the SxS Turbo class, was Jacob Beyer and Richard Carter. Of the 3 of us, Jacob would start off the line first, then me, and finally Richard.
Speaking of Richard, I told him before the race that I just removed my (broken) rear anti-sway bar and also removed the front anti-sway bar a long time ago. So, I had no anti-sway bars at all. Richard joked there was no way he could keep up with me given ALL THAT SWAY that I got. LOL
The rain continued to fall as all of the SxS racers waited in a single-file line for the rally-style start to begin. Finally, it was time to get going and we took off one at a time.
When I Cory waived the start flag, I raced down through the dry creek crossing and then crossed the bumpy course on the other side. After hitting a small jump and making an immediate right turn, one of my front wheels hit a short stump hidden in the deep, sandy ruts and it made a loud bang. My power steering instantly went out, and it became incredibly difficult to turn the wheel. I had no choice but to slow down, kill the engine, and re-start it so that the power steering would re-set. That worked, but it cost me precious seconds off the clock. Not a great start!
SXS LAPS 1-8:
For the first few laps, I got comfortable with the track and then tried to pick up the pace in the following laps. The track was very bumpy in places, and I was tossed round like a rag doll at times. Despite my best effort, I never caught up to Jacob, but kept pressing forward nevertheless.
Somewhere near lap 6, I reached the end of the first pass through the pasture area and saw a red buggy ahead. As I got closer, I realized it was high-centered in the deep, sandy ruts just past the hard right turn when you exit the pasture. As I passed the car on the left side, it was throwing roost 10 feet in the air! I wasn’t 100% sure, but thought that was probably Richard who was stuck in the ruts. I felt relieved b/c that meant I was safely in 2nd position and could ease up a bit on the speed if I wanted. Later, I found out that was NOT Richard and letting up would have been a serious mistake! So, I’m glad I pressed onward.
When the checkered flag came out, Jacob took the win (Congrats to him!), I placed 2nd, and Richard finished in 3rd. All 3 of us should be proud just to complete that grueling race given the tough conditions that we endured.
To recap, I placed 2nd in all three of my races last weekend. I didn’t win any of them, but at least I was consistent! I also grabbed the holeshot in both of my ATV races (which is rare) and enjoyed camping under the stars (as usual). Most important, I had a blast with my TX4 brothers and sisters. Hope to see everyone next month for the last race of the season. Happy Turkey Day!
SHAMELESS PLUG:
In case you haven’t heard, I recently launched my new book about off-road racing in the TX4 series last year entitled TEXAS OFF-ROAD RACING 2: The Battle for ATV and Side-by-Side Championships. I also wrote another racing book a few years ago 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.
***If you get a copy of my new book, PLEASE consider leaving a short review on Amazon b/c good reviews will help more readers find the book and spread the word about the TX4 series!***
I have to say a BIG THANK YOU to Terry, Cory, and the entire TX4 staff for hosting another FUN event! I hope to see everyone at Round 9.
