Go Pro! Be a He-ro!

Following the lead of the world's most versatile HD camera, I did just that! I went Pro. For those that don't know AMA Pro Road Racing has some of the most competitive racing in the world. In less than 36 hours I begin a new journey as I head to Barber Motorsports Park for the Barber Superbike Classic. Barber was touted as one of the most beautiful race tracks by Road and Track. With Father's day being this past weekend, I want to remember my father and dedicate this race weekend to his memory as a way I saying thank you for all that he has done for me and my family. My Father passed away before my first ever race. It is special because all through my childhood he was there for every practice and every game. I am doing this alone, but there is not a trackday, practice, or race weekend where I do not think of him. I will be in the skillful hands of what I consider to be one of the best motorcycle mechanics in America, in Aaron Ralph. My crew cheif will be Apex Race Services' Tim Hunt. I am really excited to be working with Tim again. We had some special race weekends last year and I know he will help me to do my best this weekend. For those interested, you can watch the races live on speed2.com Race 1 is Saturday June 23 at 1:00 pm Race 2 is Sunday June 24 at 1:15 pm The full event schedule can be seen here. Thanks for all the support and kind words from everyone! It is now time to go racing! Thanks to the following people my dream is coming true: Jesus Christ Deb Hendrix Track Junkie Racing Apex Race Services Suomy Helmets Ballistik Leathers and Gloves Axo Boots Vortex Pit Bull 212 Decals Bazzaz Galfer Dunlop

MY NOLA Review

Wow! What a weekend! My journey home began in the blistering cold and rainy wee hours of the morning on Friday February 10th. It is one of my passions to give motivational speeches and I was blessed to get an opportunity to brush off the cobwebs and speak to about a 125 students from St Alphonsus Catholic School in Baton Rouge, La. I was really blessed to be able to do this and felt like there were higher powers giving me a message to say. The rain would not stop the 171 machine from delivering this message. The school was gracious enough to allow me and a friend, Sean Hoffman, to bring our bikes inside and set up. The kids were grades 6-8 and I have to thank the principal, Cindy Ryals, for the awesome opportunity and really working the students up. From the very beginning they were enthusiastic and ready to hear what I had to say. The rest of the staff was AMAzing and very welcoming. After the speech was over we did a little Q&A with the students and I was pretty impressed with some of the questions they asked, and was even caught off guard by a few. LOL Before we left, we took group photos with each grade, 6th-8th, and allowed the students up close to see the bikes and sit on them. It really my day and I felt as high as a person could possibly feel. Especially after hearing the kids stand up and tell me and the rest of the people in the auditorium what their dreams were. As a club racer chasing his dreams, I thought what better subject to speak on than being a dreamer and never giving up on a dream. And they old saying goes, “If you want to learn something, then try teaching it.” So I attempted to teach these wonderful kids what it takes to make a dream go from impossible to inevitable, but in the end, it’s all God’s plan. If we allow him to guide us and use us, then all things are possible.

St Alponsus-6th Grade Class

St Alphonsus-7th Grade Class

St Alphonsus-8th Grade Class

Being from New Orleans, I can relate to all the reality tv shows that are in production right now such as: Swamp People and Sons of Guns. It dawned on me as we were driving in that Red Jacket (The gun store in the reality tv show Sons of Guns) is in or near Baton Rouge. I googled it and what do you know? It was only 4 miles from the school. So we make our way over to Red Jacket, where we were met by the security officer, Captain Curt. He informed us that they were filming and we would not be allowed inside. I said I was a big fan of the show and tried to get us in, but I understand the money involved with producing and recording and tv show. We settled for pics. And Captain Curt was a professional and obviously had done this type of thing before.

Tracktactics Trackdays was the organization that had the luxury of hosting this event at NOLA Motorsports Park. I had never ridden with 3T, but I raced against some of their staff last year. I knew the staff was some of the best in the country and I knew it would be very well planned and orchestrated, but I was in for a shocker! I completely had them under rated. Even with all the newness surrounding this track and being in a new part of the country, they were 10 out of 10. Can I give them an 11? First of all, this trackday had a lot of excitement brewing all around the country. Many eyes and ears were on alert as we tested the track for the many thousands of track riders across the country. This should be called the Superbowl of trackdays, except the next one will be the same way. LOL Let me just give you the star studded lineup so you can see what I am talking about.

Control Riders/Instructors-Advanced Group:

• Vesrah Suzuki Team Owner & Fast Guy Mark Junge

• Vesrah Suzuki Rider Corey Wesy

• AMA Superbike Rider Skip Salenius

• AMA Supersport Rider Jake Morman

Control Riders Instructors-Intermediate Group:

• AMA Supersport Rider Miles Thorton

• Vesrah Suzuki Rider Jake Lewis

Plus there was the opportunity to do a two up ride with AMA Superbike Rider Chris Peris on a brand new 2012 BMW S1000RR. I finally had the courage to do the two up ride with Chris so I could see the difference between my style and his style, with his style obviously being a lot better. Chris is an incredible rider. I asked if I could put a camera on the bike and he said sure. We set out on our journey and I came back with a smile from ear to ear. I think everyone should do something like this. It was amazing how hard and late he could brake and yet how smooth he was in all his inputs. Getting on the gas is a part of my game I struggle with, and he definitely showed me how hard you could get on the gas. In the video, you can see him touching his knee down with me on the back. That is pretty impressive considering the weather conditions and lack of grip from the cold, rain, and wind.

Turn 16-NOLA Motorsports Park (2 Up with Chris Peris)

The weather forecast suddenly changed from a mid 60’s and sunny weekend to a blistering cold and overcast weekend with wind gusts reaching 30 mph. Saturday brought excitement to many fans, friends, and riders alike as we embarked on this journey to NOLA Motorsports Park; a brand new facility and race track that has the potential to be World Class. Even in the early stages of development, this place looks AMAzing. The layout of the North Track is one of the best in the country. For what it lacks in elevation change, it makes up for with speed and camber. As you enter Turn 8, you are approaching speeds of 140-150 mph and still carrying triple digits before you get on the brakes hard at Turn 13. Plenty of runoff makes this one of the safest tracks in the country as well. I think the tally of the weekend was three or four wrecks, and to be honest I didn’t know there was one. The staff kept the trackday on schedule both days. Maybe that is why, because normally crashes back the schedule up. Something new was a mid day track walk where whoever was interested could be trucked to certain corners as some of the AMA Stars did hot laps. It was perfect to see how hard and fast they get in and out of corners. I cannot wait to embark upon NOLA again in May with Tracktactics and take advantage of all the "Extra" goodness they offer with their trackdays. I got a free shirt for signing up for both days, and a free lunch both days. The lunch was catered by a trackside vendor. You had your choice of type of deli style sandwhich, two bags of zapp's potatoe chips (My favorite in the world) and a drink. I chose water over soda.

All in all this type of weekend could easily cost someone in the neighborhood of $600-$700 dollars. I paid $400 with a discount code 3T171 (you can use it if you sign up for any of their events) I feel like I owe them something, so how about a BIG "THANK YOU TRACKTACTICS TRACKDAYS" See you guys again REAL Soon!

GoFast-DontCrash.com Calendar has finally arrived!

For those who have been supporting and following us the last year or so, we decided to do something special as a way of saying thanks for your support. And the time has finally come! The calendar is here available for order. Here is a preview of what we were blessed to put together. I want to thank all of the beautiful ladies who gave their time, hard work and dedication. The 5 photographers that we were blessed to have, especially Jimmie Kelly. And the sponsors who helped make this possible. I hope everyone enjoys and if you are interested in purchasing a calendar you can do so by sending $15 plus tax (if in Texas) via paypal to dean@gofast-dontcrash.com or if local (Houston area) you can email me and we can discuss further options. These calendars will also be available for purchase at Texas Yamaha loctated at1660 F.M. 528, Webster, Texas 77598 and Cycle Gear-South located at 10900 Gulf Fwy, Houston, TX 77034 and other locations coming soon...

GFDC Preview

The Inside Line

WOW! The latest edition of the The Inside Line is huge! I am blessed to say that I am in it! You can read my interview by clicking here. It is on pages 17-24.

Be sure to check out the other two sections also. They are a very good read! Linz Leard is the editor and does a fantastic job. In fact, since he has taken over, "it is the best it has ever been", a quote from someone who has been around the CMRA for a long time. I would like to personally thank Linz Leard for interviewing me and allowing me to get my story out. "Linz, thank you sir!"

http://cmraracing.com/pdf/2011/Newsletters/DEC_11_CABLE_1.pdf
http://cmraracing.com/pdf/2011/Newsletters/DEC_11_CABLE_3.pdf

I would also like to take this time to tell you what's been going on with the GoFast-DontCrash.com team. Many of you know we are working diligently on a calendar to be released in January for February 2012-February 2013. If you would like your logo, website, etc on the banner please call me at 281-798-8086 to discuss how you can do that. You can also pre-order a calendar right now. The best way to do that is to send $12 via paypal to dean@gofast-dontcrash.com Please add a note with your address and the code 2012 GFDC.

We also recently took the delivery of a Team Hammer built GSXR 600 for the 2012 race season.
 Our 2012 program is shaping up very nicely and we will be introducing everyone to our sponsors very shortly.



Team Hammer built GSXR 600 Race bike. (Photo by: CPLemar)

 

WERA Nationals Rounds 4 & 5

Coming off my first win at Miller, I was really excited about the back to back race weekends at Summit Point and VIR. Both new to me tracks and I knew it would not be easy, but I was up to the challenge.

First came Summit Point where I entered the weekend with a 19 point lead in C Superstock and tied for second only one point back in C Superbike. Summit is a nice track with a fun layout. With limited track time during the Nationals every session counts. The first couple sessions we worked on setup, a slipping clutch and learning the track. The afternoon sessions combined the 600 experts and novices which helped me find some speed. The weather was hot and hydration was hard to obtain. On race day, Ryan Haddock and I had two really good races. With one of the local fast guys checking out in C Superstock the battle for the two remaining podium spots was ours. We traded spots a few times in the 12 lap race, with me finally taking the second spot from him and increasing my lead by a few points. I knew the C Superbike race would be even better because we were battling for the lead in the Championship in that one, plus we got a chance to see each others strengths and weaknesses. We both got a good start with me following him for a few laps then swapping positions a couple times. We were actually in third and fourth but when I noticed we were gaining on second I stopped trying to fight for position and we worked together to get back to the leaders. Headed down the front straight we seen a lapper in turn 1. Ryan went inside and me outside, which ended up costing me big time. The rider stood the bike up when Ryan went inside and I was caught out and had to pretty much come to a stop to avoid runnig off the track. That allowed Ryan to get away and two other riders to get in front of me. I rode like a mad man the final two laps and tried to pass both riders back down the front straight but just didnt have the ponies to do so. I left Summit Point with a 2nd and a 6th. I really wish I could have switched those finishes, but thats what God had in store for me and I never second guess HIM.

With only one week in between races, and a little stretch of bad luck for Tim Hunt, we had some travelling to do. We left Summit headed to VIR, dropped off the trailer, then shot down to Atlanta to drop Johnathan Boswell of Mousebox Racing , and finally steered the truck towards the sunny palms of West Palm Beach, Florida.

We arrived at the track early Wednesday afternoon and was ready to unload, setup and head back to the hotel to get some rest. Thursday brought three rounds of practice. It took the first two sessions for me to learn the track. VIR ended up being my favorite track, but the most physically demanding and toughest to learn. I would not fully get comfortable until my last race of the weekend. Lenny Albin at Race Tech really helped me all weekend. We finally rebuilt the forks and had them replaced with Race Tech parts which would help me go fast. I only had two sessions to practice on the new forks but right away I felt the difference. The front didn't nose dive on the brakes, nor did it move around like it used to. I was excited to line up on the grid for C Superstock. Maybe even too excited, because I over-revved it on the start and the bike overheated and lost power. It was running so hot I thought it was on fire because I could feel so much heat coming from the engine case. I backed off as I had a decent lead in points and just made it to the finish line. I knew the next race is the one where I had to make it count. My entire crew worked their butts off to get the bike apart and fix the problem. When that was done and it was time for me to race again, I had the confidence that God would give me the speed I needed. I originally planned to put a fresh set of tires on for this race to give me every advantage I could, but time didn't allow for it so I went out on tires that had 5 sprints and one practice day on them. I was still able to put in my fastest lap time and follow Ryan around for a couple laps. I finished on the podium for the third weekend in a row and now look forward to the fantastic Barber Motorsports park, where the C Superbike Championship will be on the line!

I also want to say congrats to Curtis Murray for bumping himself to expert! I wish you the best buddy! And kuddos to Ryan Haddock who is a great competitor and a super good guy! I wish you the best these next two rounds as we go head to head for the C Superstock and C Superbike National Championships!

I have to take a moment to thank all those who make my racing a success:
First and foremost GOD has been working in my life and although it's not always easy to follow his path for you, I know in the end he knows whats best!
Tim Hunt-Apex Race Services Thanks for all your support and help I could not do it without you and Leigh! Tim is consistently one of the fastest guys in the paddock and truly a great friend!
Larry Ray-Track Junkie Racing-Thanks for everything! You helped me when no one else would!
Laurie Eckhart and Pam McCoy-Malavicious Ent. Thanks for the support! Riders helping riders!
Dunlop
EBC Brakes
Silkolene
Vortex
LP USA
PSR

2nd in C Superstock and 3rd in C Superbike

My Number 1 Fan! LOL

Me and Kevin Schwantz

Let's Go Racing Again!

Hey race fans, just wanted to update you on what’s going on with the number 171 machine. We leave for round four of the WERA Nationals Thursday at Summit Point, followed by round 5 at VIR the very next weekend. The race report will follow shortly after we get back the week of August 7-13. We are leading the points in C Superstock and one point back in C Superbike. These two rounds will be the ultimate test as the pressure mounts. It will be the first time I go into a race leading the points, and I have to admit, it’s an awesome feeling and I don’t want to ever let it go. I feel really confident in being able to ride at the front with the other very fast and talented Novice riders. Tim Hunt @ Apex Race Services has helped me with my race craft as well as the confidence to win each time we grid up, and that’s the plans from here out. Good Luck to all the other racers, family, friends, and supporters. If you don’t have anything to do please come out and support us and help the sport grow! I also wanted to thank all of my sponsors one more time for helping me make these two rounds:

Larry Ray at www.track-junkie.com

Tim Hunt at www.apexraceservices.com

Laurie Eckhart & Pam McCoy at Malavicious Ent.

Dunlop

EBC

Vortex

Pitbull

LP USA

Please repost this if you feel so desired!

Miller Motorsports Park/WERA National Round Three Race Report

Round 3 of the WERA Nationals was held at Miller Motorsports Park outside of Salt Lake City, Utah. It was set up to be an awesome weekend of racing as the National riders invaded Tooele, Utah to challenge the WERA West and MOM riders. Friday and Saturday were both the kind of days we dream about back in Texas. Mid 70's mostly sunny and low humidity. Friday's practice brought a surprise as the trackday fee was $230 not the $200 advertised price. (OUCH) And to make things even more interesting they combined the street group with the slower (novice) race bikes. The trackday wasn't a successful one until Tim Hunt gave me a tow in the afternoon and showed me some lines. After that I worked on a few turns where I needed to gain some time and felt good when I left the track on Friday night.

Sunday Funday:
If you ask those around me I had a swagger I had not had before. I believe this was a day of destiny confirmed by something I seen on television before I left the hotel. (Joel Osteen) I knew the rain was to make this a better story. It wasn't easy and nothing seemed to be going my way. Dunlop was out of rain tires, but Tim Hunt came through and I was able to get a set from him. Time was running out and I got two laps of practice on rains for my first time. Tim has the first race of the day and after dominating the race he came in and gave me a few pointers. I asked one more question about the start. After he gave me my answer I knew my time was here! Race 4 & 5 were combined which meant I got to go 6 laps instead of 4 and was in the race with Jake Lewis and Garrett Gerloff. I was hoping to not get lapped. LOL As the green flag dropped so did my fist on the throttle. I got the holeshot and wasn't challenged down the mile long straightaway. I tipped into Turn 1 very gently. When I noticed there were no other bikes around me I knew my dream had come true. Controlling my breathing/emotions for 6 laps was the biggest challenge I would face. For the first time ever, I led a race for an entire lap/race. Coming on to the front straightaway I seen my team and friends standing there cheering me on. At one point I began catching and passing experts. One guy didn't want to let me by so I waited patiently, but I got the sign from my team that someone was closing on me, so I dropped the hammer again and in a heart filled with emotions, I crossed the finish line where I believe I should every time, in 1st place. C Superbike didn't go as well. After talking to Dan Crawford who just came off the track and tore up some rain tires, I opted to go for DOT's. The weather had been so unpredictable it was 50-50 on which tires to run. I had a 3rd row start because the Wera West and MOM guys got first priority on the grids. I still managed to get into second place and tried to make a pass for the lead in the 'attitudes', but the dot's were slipping and sliding and I almost took us both out. The rain started coming down harder and the decision was made by race control to not stop the race. I fell back to 7th place and finished there. It was all I could do not to crash out. I just changed tires and only had the warmers on for a few seconds and the pressures werent right. It was like being on ice. My problem wasn't on the exit of the turns as much on on entry.
All in all it was an awesome weekend! I have to first say thank you to GOD, because he really blessed me this weekend-I was able to give my mom the plaque and my dad a win on Father's day. My father passed away before my first race at Oak Hill. My sister who also came in town had text me the night before saying she loved me and go win a race, I DID! 2011 was all about this moment, it was all about faith and I can honestly say that when I woke up Sunday morning I knew I was going to win that race and nothing would stop me, including rain! I don't say that to be cocky or arrogant, it is a more divine statement that is brought about by me getting closer to living the right way. I know with The Almighty Lord as my savior, that everything is possible if only I can dream it. With that said. "Winning is very addicting and I will be back on the top step very soon!"

The team would also like to announce it's new sponsor Malavicious Entertainment. ME represents a way of life that's defined by a shared passion for motorcycles. It works to encourage riders to explore the world and their own potential while fostering the cameradie between motorcycle enthusiasts.

To all my sponsors who make racing possible:
Tim Hunt-Apex Race Services, Larry Ray-Track Junkie Racing, Dunlop Tires, EBC Brakes, Optimal Bodywork, GoFast-DontCrash, Matt Ting-Ting, Malavicious Entertainment

We now lead C Superstock by 19 points and trail first place in C Superbike by one point.

Sitting on the WOrld Superbike Stage soaking in my first race win.

The hardware.