Florida Trail Riders - May 2021

HI-PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS

VOL. 11

THE GAMBLE AT GATORBACK BARTOW PHOTOS & MORE Photo by Tyler Miller

CHRIS SPRAYBERRY MAY 2021

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FLORIDA TRAIL RIDERS

TABLE OF CONTENTS AREA DIRECTORS & CLUB INFO 4 WHO TO CONTACT 5 EDITOR’S NOTE 7 ON THE COVER 7 PREZ SAYS 9 CHAPLAIN’S CORNER 11 WHAT’S NEW? 12 BLAST FROM THE PAST 13 BARTOW HARE SCRAMBLE PHOTOS 14 GATORBACK HARE SCRAMBLE RACE REPORT

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FTR POEM 22 PIT DOG OF THE MONTH 23 FTR CROSSWORD 26

Photos in this issue provided by: Tyler Amber Gabriela Miller Trapnell Gamperl MAY 2021

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AREA DIRECTORS & CLUB INFO

AREA DIRECTORS AREA #1 - Out-of-State, Panhandle Don St. John (912) 674-9786 dirtyfaceracing@tds.net AREA #2 - Hamilton, Suwannee, Columbia, Baker, Union, Bradford, Nassau, Duval, Clay, Putnam, St. Johns James Benton (904) 589 0093 bentonracing116@yahoo.com AREA #3 - Gilchrist, Alachua, Levy, Marion, Citrus, Sumter, Lake Wiliam Toreki (352) 372-1135 stillbill@cox.net AREA #4 - Flagler, Volusia Joe Carrasquillo (386) 295-8428 fdjoec@aol.com AREA #5 - Hernando, Pasco, Pinellas, West Hillsborough Shane Hitz (747) 213-4399 shane.hitz@yahoo.com AREA #6 - East Hillsborough, Polk Jerry Curtis (813) 917-9885 jcurtis@4tbs.net

AREA #7 - Seminola, Osceola, Orange

Jason Ennis (321) 615-8227 jason.ennis@mypowersports. net AREA #8 - Brevard, Indian River Sam Boydstun (407) 467-3951 woodsracer@cfl.rr.com AREA #9 - Manatee, Sarasota, Hardee, DeSoto, Highlands Ron Thomas (941) 232-9562 ronthomasftr211@gmail.com AREA #10 - Okeechobee, St. Lucie, Martin Ken Harris (772) 370-4434 khei9862@gmail.com AREA #11 - Charlotte, Lee, Glades, Hendry, Collier Rick Miller (239) 707-5504 groundsforce@gmail.com AREA #12 - Palm Beach Kyle McAfee (561) 722-1318 rkyle914@aol.com AREA #13 - Borward, Dade, Monroe Billy Cone (954) 347-4605 clar123@comcast.net

CLUB CONTACTS

Apollo M/C Mark Bordelon (321) 794-0993 markbord115@gmail.com

Palm Beach Track & Trail Randy Rash (954) 931-5709 motodadfla19@aol.com

Azalea City M/C Gary Wyatt (386) 684-2698 wyattg1@windstream.net

Perry Mountain M/C Brad Belcher (205) 340-4298 perrymountainmotorcycleclub@gmail.com

Big O Trail Riders Derek Tremain (863) 634-8183 derektremain@gmail.com Big Scrub Trail Riders Curtis Bell (386) 679-8201 curtbell@rocketmail.com Central Florida Trail Riders Elesa Berard (407) 376-7115 elesa@embarqmail.com Columbia Enduro Riders Ricky Dennis (803) 786-0051 mastercraft@bellsoth.net Daytona Dirt Riders Joe Carrasquillo (386) 615-0722 secretary4ddr@gmail.com Family Riders, Inc. Johnny Thomas (843) 553-1463 familyriderssc@bellsouth.net Greenville Enduro Riders Chris Poole (864) 617-4342 info@greenvilleenduroriders. com Nature Coast Trail Blazers Rob Swann (813) 731-5552 rswann222@gmail.com Old School Dirt Riders Ben Kelly (941) 650-1473 ftr90racer@yahoo.com

FLORIDA TRAIL RIDERS

River City Dirt Riders James Benton (904) 589-0093 bentonracing116@yahoo.com Sarasota Area Dirt Riders Randy Faul (863) 244-3709 randt817@gmail.com Southeast Florida Trail Riders Frank Campbell (561) 689-8578 fltwoods35@yahoo.com Sumter Enduro Riders Johnny McCoy (803) 481-5169 serma@ftc-i.net Suncoast Trail Blazers Scott Doerr (352) 238-0337 doerr66@gmail.com Sunrunners Dirt Riders Ernest Burkett (863) 712-2600 ewburkettjr@yahoo.com Tallahassee Trail Riders Mikey Rainey (350) 591-5386 trailriderstallahassee@gmail. com Treasure Coast Trail Riders Luis M Rodriguez (772) 801-9777 luisabx@hotmail.com

WHO TO CONTACT OFFICERS

RIDER REPS

PRESIDENT Randy Faul (863) 244-3709 president@floridatrailriders.org VICE PRESIDENT Pete Rose (941) 270-1189 vicepresident@floridatrailriders.org SECRETARY Kelsey Saltar (386) 315-4713 secretary@floridatrailriders.org

AA/A ENDURO Don Chriss (407) 694-5614 decorlando@gmail.com B/C ENDURO Sam Boydstun (407) 467-3951 woodsracercfl@rr.com

SPECIALTY A/B ENDURO Peter Magee (352) 472-6932 cr250@bellsouth.net SPECIALTY C/WOMEN ENDURO Jimmy Pitts (321) 234-5086

TREASURER Angel Mendez (407) 234-4987 treasurer@foridatrailriders.org HARE SCRAMBLE CHAIRMAN Randy Rash (954) 931-5709 hschair@floridatrailriders.org

ENDURO CHAIRMAN George Tolson (863) 698-3837 endurochair@floridatrailriders.org HARE SCRAMBLE REFEREE Dan Aitken (407) 461-8595 hsref@floridatrailriders.org

AA/A HARE SCRAMBLE Timothy Campbell (561) 723-4370 thetimtime@gmail.com

B/C HARE SCRAMBLE Ryan McCarthy (941) 234-5086 ryanmccarthy90@gmail.com SPECIALTY A/B HARE SCRAMBLE Danny Kittell (727) 244-7299 kittell@verizon.net SPECIALTY C/WOMEN HARE SCRAMBLE Kerri Chambers (863) 956-9140 jekchambers@aol.com

ENDURO REFEREE Glenn Hunt (678) 231-4100 ghunt350sx@gmail.com

SATURDAY CLASSES HARE SCRAMBLE Kurt Lucas (786) 385-7771 kurtlucas101@gmail.com

BUSINESS MANAGER Darlene Riggs (352) 538-6291 businessmanager@floridatrailriders.org

SATURDAY CLASSES HARE SCRAMBLE Pete Rose (941) 270-1189 pwrracingktm@gmail.com MAY 2021

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FLORIDA TRAIL RIDERS

ON THE COVER Chris Sprayberry combats the dust at the Sunrunners Bartow Hare Scramble. The dry conditions proved to be tough on a lot of racers. For more photos from this event turn to page 14.

Photo by Tyler Miller

EDITOR’S NOTE Man! It is hard to believe the FTR season is coming to an end! I feel like we were just getting ready to head to the Little Brown Jug Enduro to kick off the season. As we close out the season the focus turns to the FTR Banquet that will be held on July 24th at the DoubleTree at SeaWorld Orlando.

Tickets will go on sale May 15th and will be sold through July 3rd.

I know I am itching to hangout with all my FTR buddies in Orlando! Especially because last years banquet had to be canceled due to COVID-19.

Again, thank you all for reading the FTR Magazine and if you have any questions or concerns please reach out to me! ftreditor@floridatrailriders.org

Photo by Tyler Miller MAY 2021

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SOLVE OUR 20TH ANNIVERSARY CROSSWORD PUZZLE FOR A CHANCE TO WIN!

The winner will receive a case of Engine Ice, Plastic Shine, Helmet Renew, an Engine Ice Hat & Sticker Pack.

ACROSS 1.) It’s a race team we sponsor. [16] 5.) The main active ingredient in Engine Ice. [15] 6.) It’s a newer product to the Engine Ice family that kills helmet funk. [11]

DOWN 2.) It’s a common hashtag we use. [14] 3.) Always use this to keep your plastic looking new and shiny. [12] 4.) It’s the number of years Engine Ice has been in business. [6]

No purchase necessary, see official rules for details.

GO TO ENGINEICE.COM/CROSSWORD TO PLAY FLORIDA TRAIL RIDERS

PREZ SAYS requires organizing and running the Peewee event, I can tell you that if we didn’t have dedicated volunteers like Derek and Kyle, things wouldn’t happen.

Behind the Scenes First and foremost, FTR would like to thank Lacey and JC for filling in for Tim and Lisa as they were unable to make the April 3-4 weekend event. From driving both rigs and trailers to Bartow and then setting up, along with some of our faithful members (Dan A.); the weekend went off without a hitch. I think several of us found out what all it takes to set up the signup/scoring trailer and everything that has to be done to be ready for Saturday morning sign up.

Along with our regular Saturday adult activities, we also have the Peewee event along with scoring that has to be manned. A big shout to Brandon St. John for handling that and getting the scores posted in a timely manner.

While most of us don’t think too much about the effort it

I know that we need more members to get involved, help out or even come in and manage these events. These events are a lot of work that everyone takes for granted as it’s real easy to expect these things just to happen and be perfect.

Another area that is expected to be set up and ready all hours of the day is our tech crew. These guys and gals go way past the call of duty by providing a service that helps us all with the correct backgrounds and numbers. As the spark arrestor is alsochecked, it is a big part of us being responsible motorcyclists and gives us some security with our image with the outside world.

Along with our famous guy that yells out “Ten Seconds” at the starting line both days, we have a lot to be thankful for.All of these individuals do this because they want the best for FTR, it’s in their blood and they have always wanted to help. The fact that they all give up a big portion of their weekend because they want to is amazing and just incredible.

MAY 2021

For all you clubs out there, how many of you could step up and provide the manpower, expertise and knowledge to handle the Peewee track from practice to the end of the race, about 4 hours? Then have tech going on most of Saturday morning which takes about 4 people to run all of the Saturday riders through?

Let’s also not forget about handling practice by checking armbands and tech stickers before entering the course, then come back to start all the classes at all three time frames and be on time for each class.

Then we have themedical/ safety crew that is on duty the entire weekend for all sorts of things. We are very fortunate to have such devoted individuals and as we move forward into the next season, we need to ask that if some of you would consider coming along and learning the ropes, bringing new ideas and give some of your time for the betterment of your organization. I take phone calls, texts and emails.

I would be glad to hear from you.

Thanks for reading, Randy Faul FTR President

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Want to advertise with us? Email ftreditor@floridatrailriders.org for more info

HI-PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS

FLORIDA TRAIL RIDERS

CHAPLAIN’S CORNER you ask, yes, it is the same company that makes tires.

It is unrestored and will remain that way. This last weekend it earned a blue ribbon at the Riding into History antique show in St. Augustine.

Starting Line to Checkered Flag…

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” 2 Timothy 4:7 Of all the classes racing, I have a fondness for the Vintage class on Saturdays. Part of that is I can remember when the bikes racing Vintage were brand new!

Just seeing the Suzuki RMs, the Kawasaki KXs, the Yamahas and the Hondas (especially the two strokes) brings back so many good memories. Throw in the exotics like the Pentons, Huskys and the occasional Bultaco and I’m 16 years old again!

One thing I have learned about the bike. I can tune it, clean it, detail it, and polish it but it is still an old motorcycle. Nothing changed or improved since 1967.

Jesus has a very different plan for those who put their trust in Him. II Corinthians 5:17-18 says, “Now we look inside, and what we see is that anyone united with the Messiah (Jesus) gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life burgeons! Look at it!

All this comes from the God who settled the relationship between us and Him… .”

When we find and accept the Six years ago, I started a quest. free gift of salvation from Jesus, we have a new heart. We I was determined to find an see the world and each other example of my very first mothrough his loving eyes. Our torcycle. After three years of minds are changed.

Internet searches, phone calls and emails, I found one; a 1967 Romans 12 1-2 So here’s what Bridgestone 90 Sport. Before

MAY 2021

I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering.

Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for Him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops wellformed maturity in you.

An old motorcycle will remain an old motorcycle. Your life in Jesus will be a new walk EVERY DAY!!!!

“The Good Race” joy service is every Saturday night from 7:30 to 7:45 pm. We meet at the CMA tent. Bring a chair and come join us!

Blessings on and off the road, Jim and Betty Edleston CMA

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WHAT’S NEW?

Notes from the HS Committee Meeting on 3/20/21 Add Women’s Quad Master +50 class To provide additonal opportunites for women to be competve.

Women’s Quad Master: Blue Plate, White Numbers and “M” Race 9 3:45 PM – 5:15 PM Row 1 - Quad AA Row 2 - Quad A Row 3 - Quad B Open Row 4 - Quad +30, Veteran Quad Row 5 - Senior Quad, Super Senior Quad Row 6 - Quad Utlity Open Row 7 - Women Quad, Master Quad Row 8 - Quad C Open Row 9 - Quad Junior Row 10 - Women Vet Quad, Silver Master Quad add Women’s Master Motion Dan Aitken 2nd Pete Rose Vote 17 for 0 against Kyle Mcafee presented a proposal to change the age requirement for the Women’s Vet class from 40/above to 35/above Motion Ryan McCarthy 2nd Luis Rodriguez Vote 17 for 0 against Kyle Mcafee presented a proposal to allow a rider to compete in more than one event per day Chapter VII Hare Scrambles Scoring 3. a. A rider may ride multple events per day if they are eligible for each event being ridden. Riders are limited to entry into only one class per event. Advancement points for each class will be kept separately. b. A rider may not compete on both Saturday and Sunday at the same Meet (weekend), unless the Saturday class is Evoluton, Vintage, Pre-Modern, or Quad (except Quad Junior), except as noted in secton 3c below.

Motion Kyle Mcafee 2nd Pete rose Vote 17 for 0 against Sancton forms and sancton fees were collected from clubs for the 21/22 season

Full meeting minutes posted on FTR Website

FLORIDA TRAIL RIDERS

BLAST FROM THE PAST

MAY 2021

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BARTOW HARE SCRAMBLE PHOTOS

FLORIDA TRAIL RIDERS

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Photo by Tyler Miller

FLORIDA TRAIL RIDERS Photos by Amber Trapnell

Photos by Amber Trapnell

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GATORBACK HARE SCRAMBLE RACE REPORT The FTR faithful headed out to one of the most famous motocross facilities in the country, Gatorback Cycle Park, for Round 11 of the FTR Hare Scramble season. The “Gamble at Gatorback” presented by the River City Dirt Riders surely lived up to the name. With heavy rain leading up to the event and in the weekend forecast the event was in question, luckily for us RCDR decided to run the event as scheduled.

racers but RCDR made the best of what they could and had an adequate track to the little ones.

The big track was surprisingly dry, for the most part, on Sat-

urday and was getting better after every lap. By the end of the day the track conditions could not have been better.

Things were starting to look optimistic for the Sunday races.

Kody Gamperl navigates a slick uphill reroute. Kody would go on to win his first A 250 race of the season after a long battle with Josh Tolken - Photo by Gabriela Gamperl

The rains came down off and on Friday night into Saturday morning with the heaviest of rains happening right before sunrise. Needless to say, racers woke up to a soggy pit area. Luckily this property is very unique for Florida with a hard clay base and plenty of old mining lakes that allowed a good amount of water to drain.

The sun came out just as the big track practice started and the trail dried up fairly nice.

Unfortunately, the awesome peewee course that RCDR set up had to be scrapped due to the slick terrain, this was a huge bummer for all peewee

FLORIDA TRAIL RIDERS

The standing water made the start of the races very interesting. Many races opted for “water-proof” clothing like #45 - Photo by Gabriela Gamperl

That was until about five in the morning when a solid hour or so of heavy rain came down washing away pristine trail conditions. The rain subsided long enough for riders to sign up. Around 8:30 as practice was starting another large band of rain came through, further cancelling practice due to lightning.

It rained all the way up until the start of the morning race, where 166 riders braved the sloppy conditions. Unfortunately, the terrain did not hold up

to all the rain and hundreds of bikes. Massive reroutes were needed, cutting off miles of trail. The decision was made to only count the first two laps of the race. Kyle McAfee would take the morning overall over Shawn Clark and Sebastian LeBlanc.

Onell Lee navigates one of the many wet sections - Photo by Jamey Perdue

The sun came out during the 10:30 race which gave some false hope that the Sunday afternoon race would be somewhat dry. Unfortunately, the first few laps were uber slick and provided a challenge.

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Chris McGuckin navigates through the slimey clay before a tough uphill. The wet clay created “snot-like” conditions that required precise throtlle control, even the best of riders could not master - Photo by Gabriela Gamperl Due to the massive reroutes the track for the afternoon was very short, the top riders had lap times in the 17-minute range.

More laps allowed the track to dry up, lines were formed, and the track became more manageable as the race went on.

Blake Yahraus took the overall in his first AA race over Scott Gawler Jr. and Logan Lanier.

We have to give it up for RCDR and all others that were involved in putting this race on, it is never easy dealing with weather and the club went above and beyond to make sure proper reroutes were put in to adapt with the ever-changing track conditions. Great job guys!

Blake Yahraus with the overall win Photo by SDR Productions FLORIDA TRAIL RIDERS

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AN FTR POEM

by Billy King

The fog starts to settle as morning draws near The smell of bacon and race fuel hangs in the air Through two strokes and four strokes the silence is broken As two wheeled warriors are being awoken Sign up and register, practice and tech Then back to our campsite for one more quick check The gas is topped up, tire pressure alright Suspension is set nice, my steering is tight Ten seconds he calls, my heart is in my throat Butterflies in my stomach, breakfast wants to come out Uncle Bill hits the horn, I run to my bike The beast fires right up and we both take flight I make the first corner, first place in my sight Passed one on my left, was passed on my left We all hit the throttle and the dirt goes slinging I grip tight with my legs and the bars I am clinging An hour and a half or longer a race Sometimes I am leading and others I chase I win some, I lose some and sometimes I crash It is a looong looong way home if your bike you have trashed My friends they are racers, my family is too We come in all ages, races and genders that is true Racing hare scrambles and enduros through the marshes and ditches Bouncing off trees so sometimes we get stitches Pouring rain cannot stop us, freezing cold or hot sun Overflowing muddy creek beds is what we call fun Dodging the rattlesnakes, the cows and mine shafts We’ll race in old gravel pits and call it a blast As evening draws near and the races are done We load up our dirt bikes andd talk of the fun Throughout all of Florida we start for our homes Be safe FTR riders, wherever you roam

FLORIDA TRAIL RIDERS

PIT DOG OF THE MONTH Kato

Owner: Seth Robbins & Mariah Lacy Age: 6 Breed: Half Snarky Black Mouth Curr, Half Sweet Lab First Race: Snake River Favorite Food: Popcorn and Steak Hobbies: Getting into the garbage and sunbathing.

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FLORIDA TRAIL RIDERS

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU! THIS IS YOUR MAGAZINE, WE WANT TO HEAR YOUR STORIES! IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO SUBMIT CONTENT TO THE FTR MAGAZINE PLEASE EMAIL FTREDITOR@FLORIDATRAILRIDERS.ORG

YOUR AD HERE! MAY 2021

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FTR CROSSWORD

Name:

FTR Crossword Complete the crossword puzzle below 1 2 3 4 5 6

7

8

9

10

Created using the Crossword Maker on TheTeachersCorner.net

Across

Down

2. A thin plastic sheet that goes over your goggles lens 6. Large banked corner on a track 7. A narrow trail that must be ridden single file 8. The gathering of all of the riders at a race. Takes place right before the races begin to review any information riders may n 9. All of the apparel and protective equipment that a person wears while riding 10. A symptom from a rider gripping the bar too hard causing the forearms muscles to get hard restricting blood flow

1. To have the front tire lose traction, especially while going around a corner, causing you to fall over 3. Someone who is riding in a class that is slower than their own capabilities 4. A plastic vessel that carries water in your backpack/camelback and is accessible via a tube 5. Small bumps created by riders from continually braking, usually before corners

FLORIDA TRAIL RIDERS

Have you been out to Bone Valley?

Bone Valley ATV Park is an OHV area located in Polk County. Bone Valley ATV Park is on the south side of County Road 630 and east of State Road 37. It is a 200-acre tract of land with 15 trails, hill climbs and free riding areas. Below are the hours and fees for the park, along with important safety and registration information. The address is 10427 County Road 630 W. in Mulberry. (via Polk County Website).

With limited riding areas throughout the state supporting local OHV areas is more important than ever. Park fees are $15 for Polk County residents and $20 for non-resisdents.

You can learn more at polk-county.net.

Photo by Gabriela Gamperl FTR youngsters playing in the mud at the Gamble at Gatorback Hare Scramble

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Photo by Tyler Miller

FLORIDA TRAIL RIDERS

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2021 FTR Awards Banquet

Florida Trail Riders Annual Awards Banquet July Date:24th, July 24,2021 2021 Where: DoubleTree By Hilton Orlando At SeaWorld Time: Doors will open at 4:30PM Dinner at 5:00PM Dress: Sunday Best Tickets: Adult $45.00 Children 12 and Under $35.00 Tickets can be purchased on the Florida Trail Riders Website.

May 15th thru July 3rd

(NO TICKETS WILL BE SOLD AFTER JULY 3rd) Hotel Rooms Hotel rooms can be reserved beginning April 9, 2021 Use link below to book rooms Standard room with king or two queens $119.00 Rate applies for July 22nd, 23rd, 24th and 25th DoubleTree by Hilton Orlando at SeaWorld

https://www.hilton.com/en/book/reservation/deeplink/?&ctyhocn=MCOSRDT&groupCode=CD TFTR&arrival=20210723&departure=20210725&cid=OM,WW,HILTONLINK,en,DirectLink&fromI d=HILTONLINKDIRECT 10100 International Dr. Orlando, FL 32821 Any questions, call Darlene Riggs 352-538-6291

FLORIDA TRAIL RIDERS

Photo by Bri Avirett

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FLORIDA TRAIL RIDERS