#129 Tyler O'Hara "Livin' the Life" Race report:

Round 1 AMA Supermoto Championship-Monroe, Washington

Saturday July, 5 was the opening round of the six round XTRM/AMA Supermoto Championship schedule....... Well, I woke up to a hazy overcast morning in Seattle, Washington.......apparently a normal summer day.....lol

I had a tough time sleeping the night before the race as I was excited and ready to race. We arrived at the Evergreen Speedway on Saturday morning. The track was wet from a rain storm the night before. We rode practice on Friday the day before so I  knew the track.

Weather aside, I was ready. The track was about 70% asphalt and 30% dirt.. The track kept every one on their toes, the asphalt was slippery and the dirt was technical. We started the morning out qualifying with timed practice. I would be racing two classes, the Unlimited, and the 450 premier classes. Unlimited was the first practice out. My bike was dialed in and I was ready. My practice started slow and I took a few laps to examine the track and see other rider’s lines. I learned the lay of the track and was ready to throw down some fast laps.

 As I started to get up to speed and into a rhythm "lighting struck", my BP Racing KTM decided that it no longer wanted to run. I turned the motor off as soon as I could to salvage what we could. But unfortunately it wasn't soon enough, the damage had been done! What a way to start the day. I could do nothing but stay focused and turn all my attention onto the premier 450 class. I rode the 450cc practice on a Honda that was relatively new to me. My practice went OK though I was struggling in a few sections due to the bike set up. When the practice was over I talked with my crew and did my best to explain what the bike was doing. We made some suspension adjustments and a gear change. By that time we were ready to get back on the track for the second qualifying practice the bike felt way better but I was still struggling in one particular section of the track.

 I ended up qualifying 13^th giving me a second row inside starting spot for the heat. We made a few minor adjustments before the heat race. The heat race started well and  I got a good jump off the start and came out of the first turn in fourth place. I was running with the leaders. I quickly got caught up in a battle for fourth place with factory Husqvarna rider Derek Costella, and we diced the whole race. He ended up passing me for good on the straightaway. I ended up coming in the 5th spot which qualified me for a spot in the main event.

For the main event I was gridded on the 3rd row. I pulled up to the start line in a trance.....every thing around me was silent.......I could do nothing but focus on the start light.  The light turned green and we were off! It was a mad dash to the first turn. I was surrounded by motorcycles........ I rode tough and made it through the first turn about mid pack. I felt great the first few laps every one got sorted out. Then one by one I started picking people off.

 I made my way into the 8th spot behind Jason Conlon and Dalton Dimick. I was faster than them in one section of the track...... I stayed close and started to put the moves on, but when I tried it just wasn't enough. I couldn't stick the pass so they gapped me a little.

 I slowly started catching them. As it got later in the race I made a few more attempts to pass Conlon in the dirt but he snuck around me. By this time the race was about 3/4 of the way through. I felt fresh and knew I could push to the end.

Coming out of the dirt section in hot pursuit of Conlon, "Lightning” struck again.. The motor in the Honda made a big bang, and that was all she wrote, dashing my hopes of a national top ten finish. It was a very frustrating and long day. I have been racing motorcycles for a long time and understand that bikes break and that it’s part of racing.

Bad luck struck us this weekend but now our season can only get better. The team worked their butts off all weekend. Mike, Big Glen, Glen, and Teri I can't thank you enough! You All Rock!

Sponsors-BP racing, SME, Sheehan Construction, Dunlop, Scuderia West, ERC, Will Pennington, QTM, SPS, Sidi, Supermoto Photo, Dirt Digits.

Tyler O'Hara #129 "Livin the Life"