TEAM DIRTBIKEMIKE
Round 3 --- Reno, Nevada
November 17 --- 19, 2006
TEAM DIRTBIKEMIKE
TOLLAND WEEMS--CROSSETT, ARKANSAS #911
ROBBIE SMITH--GUTHRIE, OKLAHOMA #660
CHAD COOK--OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA #713
BEAU ROMSTEDT--BALDWIN CITY, KANSAS #357
November 16
In my last report we had to spend the night in Nebraska and wait out the storm. The storm had passed on by during the night and we headed for Wyoming. We stopped for fuel at a truck stop and the attendant told us that several big trucks were blown off the road during the night. We pounded out the miles on the rest of the trip, too bad the motorhome is the only place I have to sleep or the Toyota and me could be at most of these races well ahead of the rest of the team. We finally arrived in Reno around 7:30 thursday morning. Everyone was road weary and ready to check out the track. Reno has the largest floor of all the arenas that we will be visit, so everything will be larger. The track looked great with a longer whoop section and more jumps with two rhythm sections. After being up all night we decided to get some sleep. Press was later in the day and there were over 30 riders ready to check out the track. Our riders got four laps after the factory guys did their thing. After press, we checked out all the bikes and prepped them for the weekend. When I'm not wrenching for the team, I have to take care of the Toyota truck. I found a car wash and got her all cleaned up for the show. Of course the truck always draws attention and I found myself surrounded by several guys asking questions about it. They always want to know how much the truck cost or who did the paint job and how much that cost. Of course being the great PR person I am, all of their questions were answered and I think they will head to the nearest Toyota dealership to buy a new truck. It took me about two hours to accomplish cleaning up the truck. I should have done it in thirty minutes, but hey I'm good at my job.
Later I headed downtown to check out the action in Reno. It was cool and I didn't win much. So I'm still looking for someone to sponsor me on the Toyota when the series is over. It will be hard to give it up. Dirtbikemike and Pam stayed at the hotel and checked out their casino. That lucky Dirtbikemike won $300 on a video poker machine.
November 17
On Friday we had to play with some jetting on the bikes. The altitude at Reno is 4900' and our sea level settings weren't working too good. Maybe Toyota could develop a fuel injection system for us. There weren't quite as many riders as the first two rounds, but they still only take 28 riders to the night show. Tolland went down hard in the afternoon heats and retired for the night. Robbie didn’t get the starts coupled with some bad luck and didn’t make the night show. Beau suffered in the whoops which translates to poor results in arenacross. Chad made the show in the Lites class but missed it by one spot in the Arenacross class. He went straight to the main out of his heat which makes your night go a lot easier. But, Chad had been sick all week and he was worried about hanging on for 16 laps. We just told him to go out and do his best. He got a great start and came out second and let the leader get away the first few laps but then began to reel him back in. But about the halfway point, he started making mistakes and you could tell he was done. He held on to finish 8th and we were happy with that. Another Oklahoma rider, Ryan Voit took the win.
November 18
Saturday was a new day for the team as Robbie, Tolland and Chad all transferred from the afternoon Lites heats to the night program and Chad also mae it in the Arenacross class. Three out of four riders in the night program is a huge step in accomplishing our goal of getting all four riders in the Lites main. Well, all three qualified for the Lites main Saturday night. You should have seen the smile on Dirtbikemike's face in the pits that night. Robbie crashed during his heat and his shoulder popped out. He got it back in and said he was ready to go. In the main he went down in the whoops but got right back up. When he picked his bike up, it popped out again and he was forced to sit on a Tuff-Bloc and watch the rest of the race. Chad was still weak and gutted out a 10th place. Tolland finished 12th in his first main of the year.
November 19
Since Beau hasn't qualified yet, Dirtbikemike made him ride on Sunday in the Collegeboy class. The track was a little easier and he was flying. He qualified, but got taken out in the first turn. It was good practice for him though. Sunday is my day to have fun, but ending up on the ground isn't much fun. I failed to make the main in either the B or Collegeboy classes. I will tell you that riding a bike that has been revalved for Arenacross makes you more willing to charge through the whoops. Thanks to Marshall Plumb at Marshall's Racing.com . We loaded up the trailer, hooked up the motorhome and headed for the Outback Steakhouse. Mike and Pam took the motorhome back to the hotel to check out and they headed for Denver. We caught up with them later and drove all night. Mike had to be in Denver for a 5pm flight and the motorhome wasn't going to pull those mountains too fast.
November 20
Mike jumped in the Toyota with me around 8am on Monday and we checked out the Toyota's cruising speed. He had to be at the airport in Denver for a 5pm flight and we had to put the hammer down to get there. We can roll in this truck. I put the cruise on about eighty. All the way through the Utah desert and through the Rockies to Denver and the gas mileage didn't change. We got to Denver in plenty of time and I hung out with a buddy from home that lives in Boulder until the rest of the crew caught up. Well, a skeleton crew consisting of Pam, Chad and Beau. Both Robbie and Tolland flew home from Reno. We went out to eat, then back to his place to meet his girlfriend, but when she saw the truck she wanted to take ride. So we loaded up and they showed me around Boulder. The motorhome finally caught up about 5 hours later. It took a while to get over the Rockies when the motorhome transmission got hot. I guess they need a Toyota motorhome.
November 21
We made it to Kansas early Tuesday morning and Beau’s ride wouldn't be here until 7am, so we got some good rest at the Pilot truck stop. We woke about 10 with all our stomachs growling and had breakfast at Grandma’s kitchen. We headed for Guthrie, Oklahoma to meet Robbie and drop off his bikes and gear. He had already gotten an MRI and he was waiting on the results. The next stop was Chad's house in Oklahoma City, but I missed the exit. Pam called and said she could handle the rest of the trip on her own. So I hammered down and made it to Waldron, Arkansas for fuel and lunch. It didn't take long for the Toyota to draw a crowd. Of course I had to answer all of their questions about the truck, the paint job, my job, where I was headed.......After paying for the fuel, there was a youth football team checking out the truck. They even asked for an autograph. Now that is a first. I hammered down again and finally rolled up at home with the both me and the Toyota intact. I was ready for some Thanksgiving dinner. Now you have the first three rounds of the Toyota Arenacross Series. I drove over 6000 miles without a problem in the Toyota. I'm digging it more and more. So, check back in after New Year's to see what we're up to. You never know what will happen next when you're on the road with Toyota Phil and Dirtbikemike. Until then we'll be Moving Forward.
Toyota Phil
