Photo Album 10/6 & 10/7/2007

This weekend was unseasonably warm, and definitely a challenge for Walruses like me. But, the warm weather is also an excuse to extend the outdoor BMX season just a little longer ... so, we jumped at the opportunity to race Milwaukee and Fond du Lac this weekend. Here are some of the moments we shared.

Nate Booth chases Chris Wipijewski down the first straight over the step up / step down. Wipijewski has been killing it all season long on a Dyno freestyle bike that's nearly as old as he is and we hear he's about to score himself a long overdue new racing machine. Chris has a bunch of wins and we expect he'll make the move to intermediate soon. After Chris moves on, Booth will get his wins in a hurry and we wouldn't be at all suprised if by mid June of next season we ourselves a nice 15 intermediate class at Milwaukee BMX. Good stuff, guys!

Nepotism at it's finest! When I was Dane O'Donnell's (my son) age (7), I had a cinder block, a couple foot length of 1 x 6" plank, and television images of Evil Kneivel and later Ponch and John from CHiPS pushing me on. Dane's gotBen Kohls and Jacob Hinzpeter as his modern day local track heros. Heck, those two are my heros too, come to think of it ... scroll down to learn why. Nice air, Dane!

Lucas Rupp is tearing through the 5 and under novice class like the Green Bay Packers offensive line at an all you can eat buffet. Another race weekend, and another win for the young fella from Muskego. Dinnertime!

The first thing that came to mind when I saw this shot is that the bulldozer in the background is such an obvious visual metaphor. Three big guys with plenty of straight ahead power (me, Karl Ausdembruch and Mark Kluth) and almost no chance of "catching air" ... yup, that's a bulldozer allright. In fact, I even did a "bulldozer" immitation first round when I blew up and moved some dirt down the last straight. Maybe John Lennon said it best when he sang "I am the Walrus - Koo Koo Ka Choo ..."

I spy with my little eye -- one of the best rivalries in a while in Wisconsin BMX. Ben Kohls leads out Dallas Weimer down the first straight at Fond du Lac BMX. Both of these guys are super quick and have a ton of skills in their pocket. I have no doubt that there's a couple more NAG numbers that will get locked down between these two guys in the next few seasons ... and, along with Kommanche Jordan, this group is perhaps the best prospect of a nice little Wisconsin pro-class since Tim and Greg Eiring and Kris Weborg in the mid and late 90's.

Colin Kohls out front and in command of the 14i class at Fond du Lac. Colin had himself a fantastic weekend, having taken the win over Kommanche Jordan, a super fast 13 expert, at Milwaukee as well.

Quiet guy, Dana Mittelstadt, making a fantastic sweep into the last turn at Fondy to nail down the three spot in the main. The progress he has made since we started running the outdoor at Milwaukee is absolutely incredible. Dana has transformed from quick but tepid novice right at the end of the indoor season, to an absolute go-for-it intermediate who rides with quickness and confidence today. Chris Bratz who took the win over Dana and the rest of the class at Milwaukee the day before, and is third in this image, took a nasty hard fall in the first round of motos at Fondy Sunday.

It's tough to get a bad photo of Jacob Hinzpeter, who is just about as dialed in as 12 year olds can be. So, this week, in the photo album, ol' Jacob gets two pictures ... same obstacle at Fondy (table into the first turn) different perspectives.

What's more, while announcing the races Saturday, I introduced Jacob as the "Little Deuce Coupe" before the main. Good kid, great new nickname.

For months, I struggled to get a decent shot of Ben Kohls jumping. All that time he was pulling some really cool stuff ... and I'd either have my bike and was still riding, announcing, or whatever. Saturday, we decided to work for the shot, and this one makes up for a lot of frustration for sure. After getting a couple of good looks at this "look back" jump from the front, Ben thought it would be cool to get the image as he was moving away. Good call Ben ... this is a great shot ... and I'm sure it won't be the last.

Results - Saturday October 6th

Moto 1: 16 Cruiser
1. Dallas Weimer, 14c - Fond du Lac, WI - Factory Direct Link
2. Ben Kohls, 16c - Racine, WI - CSR Sinz
2. Kommanche Jordan, 13c - Green Bay, WI

Moto 2: 36-40 Cruiser
1. Kevin O'Donnell, 40c - Milwaukee, WI
2. Mark Kluth, 38c - Waukesha, WI
3. Karl Ausdembruch, 38c - Racine, WI

Moto 3: 41-45 Cruiser
1. Michael Froh, 41c - Milwaukee, WI - Factory Direct Link
2. Jon Engelhart, 44c - Madison, WI
3. Terri Bratz, 47g - Kansasville, WI

Moto 4: 5 and under Novice
1. Lucas Rupp, 5n - Muskego, WI
2. Rachael Rankins, 5n - Twin Lakes, WI
3. Max Schmitt, 4n
dnq: Sam Maneely, 5n

Moto 5: 7 Novice
1. Dane O'Donnell, 7n - Milwaukee, WI
2. Luke Maneely, 7n
3. Jonah Ausdembruch, 7n - Milwaukee, WI
dnq: Garrett Kluth, 6n - Waukesha, WI

Moto 6: 8 Intermediate
1. Reece Rankins, 8i - Twin Lakes, WI
2. Max Maglio, 8i - Lynwood, IL
3. Raymond Eckert, 8i - Muskego, WI
dnq: Brittany Brzezinski, 8n

Moto 7: 9 Intermediate
1. Kasen Vanooyen, 9i - Oshkosh, WI
2. Samuel Rupp, 9i - Muskego, WI
3. Austin Bailey, 9n

Moto 8: 12 Intermediate
1. Jared Engelhart, 12i - Madison, WI
2. Jaden Vanooyen, 11i - Oshkosh, WI
3. Cecilia Ausdembruch, 10g - Racine, WI

Moto 9: 14 Novice
1. Chris Wipijewski, 14n
2. Nate Booth, 14n - Milwaukee
3. Jeff Drierzak, 12n

Moto 10: 14 Intermediate
1. Collin Kohls, 14i - Racine, WI - CSR / SINZ
2. Kommanche Jordan, 13x - Green Bay, WI
3. Jacob Hinzpeter, 12x - Twin Lakes, WI
dnq: Christopher Magio, 14i - Lynwood, IL - CSR / SINZ

Moto 11: 15 Intermediate
1. Dallas Weimer, 14x - Fond du Lac, WI - Factory Direct Link
2. Andrew Wipijewski, 15n
3. Josh May, 15n

Moto 12: 19-27 Intermediate
1. Chris Bratz, 20i - Kansasville, WI
2. Dana Mittelstadt, 17i - Shorewood, WI - CSR / SINZ
3. Ben Kohls, 16i - Racine, WI - CSR / SINZ
dnq: John Sanfelippo, 26n

UPCOMING EVENTS

Saturday October 6th - single points race
signups: 10:30 to Noon
Racing: ASAP

Saturday October 20th- single points race
signups: 10:30 to Noon
Racing: ASAP
BMX Picnic - Appreciation Party (please bring a dish to pass) afterward.


Photo Essay - BMX Racing in SE Wisconsin 9/29 & 9/30

Autumn is always one of my favorite times of the year ... summer yard work is winding down, and I generally have a little bit more free time to do the things I really enjoy doing. So, when Dane asked me if we could make the trip to Fond du Lac on Sunday, after racing Milwaukee on Saturday, the answer came pretty easily.

Here then, is some graphic evidence of the racing weekend that Dane and I did over the weekend. For fun, and out of much respect for our friends in Fond du Lac, let's begin our journey on Sunday the 30th in Fondy.


Ben Kohl's folks, Mike and Laura, are in big trouble now for sure. Ben has pretty much always had his head in the air ... but, now he's adding his front wheel as well. Style for miles and stretching one heckuva huck over the second straight triple at Fondy.


Not at all an unusual shot for Dallas Weimer at all ... double manual through a triple and just as smooth as you will find in execution. I will never get tired of watching this kid ride.


Milwaukee's newest Intermediate, RJ Eckert, had his move up stoke going ... until he saw his moto sheet ... a couple of older intermediates and experts is a humbling way to make the move. But, that's racing. RJ will be right in the mix in no time flat.


Q: How many times have we seen this? A: A lot! Colin Kohls (41) looking for a way around another rider. This kid has made more moves in the past year than Allied Van Lines.

It's hard to imagine a rider with more determination than Kommanche Jordan. I've heard from comments about this kid's intensity from several people that have been around BMX for a long time. With his skill, determination, and attitude ... he's just going to keep picking up speed.

Cole Baake made the trip to Fondy from Port Washington and scored a second place finish.

Now, we turn our attention to more local pursuits ... here are a few photos from Milwaukee BMX taken on Saturday. My wife Denise was behind the lens this time, and did a pretty fair job for her first shot at shooting "action sports".

No, there's no need to try and adjust your screen, and, we haven't created any "two way" straights at Milwaukee BMX. This is just Sam Rupp (right and on the last straight) with a huge lead over Austin Bailey and Cecelia Ausdembruch (moving left to right and heading for the last corner.

The apple didn't fall very far from the tree here ... Cecelia Ausdembruch all decked out in SE colors and tearing it up on an "SE PK Ripper". Founder Scot Breithaupt (Scot Enterprises - SE) and current SE BMX group leader Todd Lyons would be proud.

Thing about this picture that's even more interesting about this picture than the fact that you are looking at the very first women's cruiser (gotta love the moto moms) class at Milwaukee BMX ... what's that dude in the background laughing at. Listen buddy boy ... if you think getting around that track is so easy, bike #26 is yours any time you wanna take a lap. Nice job Ginger and Terri ... it's pretty rad that you guys got out there.

Mike Froh doing exactly what he's done all year -- pulling the 41-45 cruiser class on into the first corner. Mike's leading WI-01 cruiser points -- and tells me he's never been a district #1 -- so, it's an accomplishment he'd like to add to an already lengthy resume. He's doing it mainly on the points he's earned in local races, although he's been super competitive at the few nationals he's traveled to. We're pulling for ya' Mike.

Talk about competitive at the national level, those gray number plates mean that the two riders to the right in this frame are among the elite riders in their age group in the nation. National Age Group (NAG) numbers are earned by racing at and doing well in the ABA national series. And, 3&4 mean that there are only two better in the nation than #3 Randy Behnke (Wauwatosa) and #4 Curt Zizzo (Kenosha). FYI, #1 36-40 cruiser racer, Chris Verhagen, was ABA's national #1 cruiser racer in 2007. Mark Kluth sits first among the mere BMX mortals in this shot.

Six 36-40 cruiser racers were joined by Ben Kohls (16) and Dan Tritt (13) to run out a full gate of cruiser riders. Horsepower was on the line. From left Tritt, Zizzo, Kohls, Behnke (who about flipped the gate and is still in recovery mode here), O'Donnell, Wilson and Ausdembruch (Mark Kluth didn't quite make the frame and is coming out of gate #1.

Results - 9/29/2007

Moto 1: 36-40 Girls Cruiser
1. Terri Bratz - Kansasville, WI
2. Ginger Kluth - Waukesha - WI
3. Michelle Mittelstadt - Shorewood, WI

Moto 2: 36-40 Cruiser
1. Randy "Sweet RB" Behnke, 36c - Wauwatosa, WI
2. Curt "Snackbar" Zizzo, 37c - Kenosha, WI - Factory Direct Link
3. Ben Kohls, 16c - Racine, WI - CSR / Sinz
4. Dan Tritz, 13c - Wildwood, IL
5. Kevin O'Donnell, 40c - Milwaukee, WI
6. Mark Kluth, 38c - Waukesha, WI
7. William Wilson, 38c
dnq: Karl Ausdembruch, 38c - Racine, WI

Moto 3: 41-45 Cruiser
1. Michael Froh, 41c - Milwaukee, WI - Factory Direct Link
2. Ed Morris, 44c - Fort Atkinson, WI
3. John Wethall, 42c - Lake Mills, WI
dnq: Len Cabaltera, 42c

Moto 4: 5 & Under Novice
1. Lucas Rupp, 5n - Muskego, WI
2. Mikey Cabaltera, 5n
3. Max Schmidt, 4n

Moto 5: 7 Novice
1. Dane O'Donnell, 7n - Milwaukee, WI
2. Sam Cabaltera, 7n
3. Jonah Ausdembruch, 7n - Racine, WI
4. Garrett Kluth, 6n - Waukesha, WI
5. Luc Marchessault, 6n
6. Maxwell Wilson, 7n
dnq: Evan Kerkman (new rider)

Moto 6: 8 Novice
1. Raymond "RJ" Eckert, 8n - Muskego, WI (advances to Intermediate)
2. David Smith III, 8n
3. Brittany Brzezinski, 8n

Moto 7: 10 Intermediate
1. Samuel Rupp, 9i - Muskego, WI
2. Cecilia Ausdembruch, 10g - Racine, WI
3. Austin Bailey, 9n

Moto 8: 14 Intermediate
1. Dan Tritz, 13x - Wildwood, IL
2. Collin Kohls, 14i - Racine, WI - CSR / Sinz
3. Jacob Hinzpeter, 12x - Twin Lakes, WI
dnq: Lewis Wethall, 14i - Lake Mills, WI

Moto 9: 15 Novice
1. Christopher Wipijewski, 14n
2. Andrew Wipijewski, 15n
3. Nate Booth, 14n - Milwaukee, WI
dnq: Josh May, 15n

Moto 10: 19-27 Intermediate
1. Dana Mittelstadt, 17i - Shorewood, WI - CSR / Sinz
2. Ben Kohls, 16i - Racine, WI - CSR / Sinz
3. Chris Bratz, 20i - Kansasville, WI
4. Len Cabaltera, 42n
dnq: Karl Ausdembruch, 38n - Racine

Notes:

Our next race at Milwaukee BMX will be next Saturday, October 6th ... a race we will add to the schedule to take the place of one of our earlier rainouts. If you really have the BMX bug, a few of us plan to head to Rockford for their night race after racing Milwaukee that day.

Super good to see Randy Behnke and Curt Zizzo in 36-40 cruiser yesterday, both riders finished in the top 4 (Behnke #3 and Zizzo #4) in the nation in the class last year. And, both were laying down some serious horsepower throughout the day.

Ben Kohls was looking sharp with his new Redline Cup #1 plate, earned a week earlier at the Redline Cup Central finals which were held near Kansas City, Missouri.

RJ Eckert moves to intermediate by earning his 8th win in 8 novice - RJ is the second rider to advance at Milwaukee BMX.

The "moto moms" got together to form up their very own class yesterday -- the women's cruiser class was a first at Milwaukee BMX, and, something we certainly hope to see a lot more of in the future.

Bill Wilson passed along a couple of coupons for 661 Racing Gear (quality stuff) that he scored as swag at a WORS downhill race at the Ridge earlier in the season. Those coupons were awarded to Josh May and Brittany Brzezinski for their fine sportsmanship and support of Milwaukee BMX.

Both Fond du Lac and Rockford race today, Sunday, September 30th. My son Dane now seriously has the racing bug ... so, we will be leaving for Fond du Lac in just a bit.

See you at the finish line.

Kevin O'

Fond du Lac (Milwaukee North!) single pointer Sunday September 23rd.

I'm impressed -- and, still trying to figure out exactly how many motos you guys helped add to the Fond du Lac BMX moto count yesterday. I know that 3/4's of the 36-40 cruiser class, 2/3's of the 41-45 cruiser class and the entire 7 novice class was comprised of Milwaukee riders ... and we all did pretty well. Props to the Weimers and the whole Fondy crew for putting out a great track and for providing an enjoyable day of racing.

William Wilson and Mark Kluth getting their speed jump on over the first straight table into the first turn. Mountain Bikers take note -- Bill is on a 26" "four cross" bike (similar to the urban free-ride bikes like a Specialized P series or Giant STP) and, has a bit of an advantage over Kluth on the first straight. "Can you race BMX on a mountain bike?" is a question we hear a fair amount ... and, the answer, is absolutely yes. In fact ... I've been seriously thinking about dumping my old XC bike for a new P series bike. Honestly ... if Wilson runs that post out another couple of inches, it's easy enough to imagine him riding that bike to the grocery store, or, even putting on some trail miles ... my cruiser on the other hand ...

Kluth and Wilson again ... but this time it's the shrinky-dink versions ... Garrett Kluth and Max Wilson ... having a spirited competition in the competitive 6 & 7 year old class. Garrett must really be focusing on the task at hand ... as, in most of the shots I have of him, he's looking straight at the camera.

Luc Marchessault was looking awful proud of the medal he earned yesterday. I hope the young racer also appreciates a nice photo on the Milwaukee BMX website. Right on, Luc ... pedaling right over a roller and looking sharp.


Chris Trapp, in full manual about 30 seconds prior to really wrecking himself. BMX can be a fickle game ... one second you are "only" 34, but still a kid, jamming with 16 year olds and feeling on top of the world -- but, the ground can have a funny way of bringing you back to the 34 year old adult you really are, writhing in pain, and trying to figure out how to explain to your boss that the reason you are hurt and out of work involves a kids bike. Don't sweat it Chris ... when I showed up to work with five stitches in my forehead the day after Dane (who was five at the time) hit me with a golf club (a sweetly swung 7 iron) while we were at the practice range, the explanation didn't come much easier.

More Video

Karl Ausdembruch sends the link for this video he's posted to YouTube of the 36-40 and 7 novice classes from the very first day of racing at Milwaukee BMX. Dads and groms ... we seem to have plenty of both at Milwaukee BMX ... which really underscores what a family oriented sport Bicycle Motocross has become. Props to young Jonah Ausdembruch (who wins the 7 novie class toward the middle and end of this clip) for an awesome performance on Milwaukee's opening day !!!

Fond du Lac BMX video

Delivered as promised -- check out the video above of Sammy Rupp, Raymond "RJ" Eckert and, I believe Rachael Rankins going around the Fond du Lac track during the Redline Cup Qualifier race back in late July. Again, Fondy will be running this weekend if you've (or your kids) still have a racing itch that needs to be scratched. You can learn more about the Fond du Lac BMX club, and their remaining schedule of races by clicking on THIS LINK

Weather permitting -- Dane and I will certainly be there -- dudded out in our red and black Milwaukee BMX gear. Stop by and say hi if you do come up.

Milwaukee BMX Jerseys

Speaking of Milwaukee BMX gear, yeah, so my friends at Fly Racing sure know how to push my buttons. I'm just a sucker for closeouts ... and, sure enough, the jersey style that we used for the Milwaukee BMX jerseys earlier this year is on sale. I ordered 40 more in a variety of sizes today ... that should be here early next week ... then another couple days to the screen printer ... and, maybe, if we're lucky ... we'll have them for sale at our September 29th race. As was the case previously -- they'll be $20 each ($1.95 less than the suggested retail) -- and, part of the proceeds will benefit Milwaukee BMX. Cool.

Next Milwaukee BMX Race - Saturday September 29th.

Yes, I did work on the track a bit this past weekend ... pulling weeds and filling cracks mainly. The track is still in good shape overall ... and with a little TLC on the hill, will likely ride as well as it has all season. We're looking forward to the 29th.

Farmer Vic

See, now if you recognize that name, it's safe to call yourself an "old schooler". Farmer Vic came up in a conversation with my BMX buddy Jim Morey last night. Morey asked if I could imagine what things would have been like if I was heading up this website in the days of the old Ranch BMX track in Menomonee Falls. My reply was a respectful -- that would have been just awful -- mostly because, between 1980 and about 1984, the Ranch routinely pulled 40+ motos for its weekly events ... and, that's a heckuva lot of results to post each week.

Still, it's not hard for me to imagine moto counts at Milwaukee BMX in the high teens and low twenties next summer -- and, hey -- the more the merrier. Viva la BMX !!!

Racing Ahead:

We took a note from our friends at Fond du Lac BMX earlier this week asking us to remind all the Milwaukee BMX shredders who aren't headed to the Redline Cup Central Finals in Missouri this weekend -- that Fondy will be holding a single point race on Sunday.

Hey, great September weather, an easy one hour ride up scenic highway 45 (out of Milwaukee) and then 41 (to Fond du Lac), terrific food at the concessions stand, good friends and a fast track -- sounds like a plan to me !!!

I'll try to post up a video of the Fondy track late today or early tomorrow for you guys who haven't been there yet to feast your eyeballs on.

Shameless self promotion:

As the guy who is normally on the business side of the camera which shoots most of the photos used on this site I don't often get to see photos of myself in action. So when Brian Woods sent along this shot from the Illinois State Championship race a few weeks ago I was totally stoked. That's yours truly, number two-six on the two-four and getting my speed jump on over the first straight step double at the Rock. Yeah, I've got the dope MilwaukeeBMX colors on -- always promoting !!! Photog is Brian Woods.

I will be at the track for a couple hours early this afternoon. Just filling some washouts through the rythm section that I noticed at our last race.

If you want to help out ... I should be to the track by 11:30 and will be around until about 4 this afternoon.

Thanks,

Also, can I get a show of hands as to anybody planning to race tomorrow and where ... right now, it's looking like Dane and I are heading up to Fondy.

Kevin O'

First ever Milwaukee BMX video post

Besides being super easy to update, one of the cool things about the 2nd party developer software that I'm using for the website is that new features are being added all the time. As somebody who doesn't have a ton of time to dedicate to learning new software packages to maintain a hobbyist website, I like that.

Still, when I saw the new video feature pop up in my toolbar ... I realized it was time to join the 21st century ... and take a shot.

So, without further ado ... here is the 41-45 cruiser main from the Wisconsin State Championships held at Central Wisconsin BMX in Wisconsin Rapids this past weekend. These guys ought to look familiar ... as all but one (Paul Weimer) in the entire class calls Milwaukee BMX their home track. Mike Froh, Brian Woods, Ed Morris, John Wethall and Paul Weimer may be old (well, older than me) but, they can still hook it on.

Wisconsin State Championship at Central Wisconsin BMX in Wisconsin Rapids

Since we didn't have a chance to make the trip, we're looking forward to reading the stories of those who did ... How'd you guys wind up? Leave your story in the "comments" area below this post ... and, please sign your name so that we know who you are.

That's what we're talking about !!!

Ask and ye shall receive, aye. This is a picture submitted by Lynnea Rankins (manager of the world famous Team Rankins) and shows how far a couple of young racers can come when they have a BMX track to hone their skills on near home. RJ Eckert (on the left) and Reece Rankins (on the other left) both won their classes - 8 Novice and 8 Intermediate respectively - taking home some awfully big hardware in the process. Reece also earned the #2 plate for 8-year-olds -- which is super tough as an intermediate and a big accomplishment for sure.

Hey Milwaukee BMX volunteers ... check out the smiles on the faces of these two -- if you are like me -- every drop of sweat, each blister, the unanticipated donations and out of pocket expenses, not to mention the political disappointments -- all just seemed to evaporate! Just awesome, you guys ... and a really fantastic finish to a great season for both of you.

NEXT RACE @ Milwaukee BMX - Saturday September 29th

Work Day - Saturday September 22nd
A few of us will be out for at least part of this Saturday filling some of the washouts that have formed between the obstacles on a couple of the straights. For anyone who would like to join and help out, I'll post more details as the week progresses on what hours I'll plan to work.

Utterly random BMX photograph of the day:

We have no idea who this kid is ... but, his style is undeniable. Love the stretched manual, and the rolled up bluejeans are also cool. The kid is full snort moto in this shot. KO shot the image at the Illinois State Championships last weekend. Enjoy!

Racing Ahead:

The race scheduled for this Saturday is definitely still on, weather permitting.

Understanding that our friends at Central Wisconsin BMX in Wisconsin Rapids are also running a Saturday night race, (registration from 6-7:30 - race ASAP) we will do our best with the track and try to keep things moving along swiftly for those of you who are planning to try and race both. Two races in one day used to be common in this area. The trip appears to be just about 3 hours and roughly 180 miles, so, it's definitely doable.

* Thursday September 5th Practice - CANCELLED *

Seems like there's just not reasonable enough daylight left to make a serious go of additional practices this season ... so, rather than be bummed that we're all getting repeatedly bitten by the most ravenous mosquito population in recorded history ... we'll call it good for the year. Remaining events will be on weekends only.

Random images from the Illinois State Championship:

Well, not so random ... most are our riders, after all. We had a chance to hit up the Illinois State Championships this past weekend. It was really good to see Milwaukee regulars like the Rankins (Rachel and Reece), Kohls (Ben and Colin), Wethalls (John and Lewis) as well as others who have run our track throughout the summer. Jake and Candy run an absolutley primo facility down there ... and it continues to be the model for other tracks to follow. Mike Froh, Brian Woods and I drove down together and had a great day.

Ben Kohls runs out a ridiculously big gear and in this shot is pulling crazy speed through the step double.

Colin Kohls definitely prescribes to the philosophy that "scars are stories" ... a way of life I'm not sure his folks are exactly wild about. Right hip ... turn one casualty. You guys really sure you want asphalt turns at Milwaukee?

Lewis Wethall rolls the second straight double in the lead of the second round of motos, moments after Colin's biff (see above).

With a name like Yanke, what did you expect on the second straight doubs? A Leary? A Henderson? Hardly !!! Our man, Fred, pulling like there's no tomorrow with a big lead over Josh Coplan and the rest of the 28+ expert class. Fred also rode super well in the 36-40 cruiser class, where he finished second for the day.

More props to Mike Froh, who took down the win against 8 other riders in the 41-45 cruiser class. Brian Woods made the first trip of his life to Rockford and nailed down a spot in the main, qualifying first moto. John Wethall was also in that main. Like I've written before ... 41-45 cruiser at Milwaukee BMX has an awfully solid group of riders from week to week. Good stuff guys.

Results - Thursday August 30th - Single Points - Make up Race

Moto 1: 31-35 Cruiser
1. Ben Kohls, 16c - Racine, WI - CSR / Sinz
2. Kevin O'Donnell, 40c - Milwaukee, WI
3. Steven Campanelli, 39c - Germantown, WI
dnq / wd: Dallas Weimer, 14c - Fond du Lac, WI - Factory Direct Link

Moto 2: 41-45 Cruiser
1. Michael Froh, 41c - Milwaukee, WI - Factory Direct Link
2. Ed Morris, 44c - Fort Atkinson, WI
3. Brian Woods, 43c - Milwaukee, WI

Moto 3: 5 & Under Novice
1. Lucas Rupp, 5n - Muskego, WI
2. Mike Calbatera, 5n
3. (Mad) Max Schmitt, 4n

Moto 4: 7 Novice
1. Sam Cabaltera, 7n
2. Garrett Kluth, 6n - Waukesha, WI
3. Luke Maneely, 7n

Moto 5: 8 Novice
1. Austin Bailey, 8n
2. Raymond (RJ) Eckert, 8n - Muskego, WI
3. David Smith III, 8n
dnq: Brittany Brzenski, 8n

Moto 6: 12 Expert
1. Jacob Hinzpeter, 12x - Twin Lakes, WI
2. Nick Campenelli, 10x - Germantown, WI
3. Dillon Kolinski, 11i

Moto 7: 14 Intermediate
1. Collin Kohls, 14i - Racine, WI - CSR / Sinz
2. Brad Olson, 14i - Racine, WI - Dirt Warriors
3. Nate Booth, 14n - Milwaukee, WI

Moto 8: 16 Intermediate
1. Dana Mittelstadt, 17i - Shorewood, WI - CSR / Sinz
2. Ben Kohls, 16i - Racine, WI - CSR / Sinz
3. Chris Bratz, 20i - Kansasville, WI
4. Andrew Wipjewski, 15n
dnq / wd: Dallas Weimer, 14x - Fond du Lac, WI - Factory Direct Link

Moto 9: 19-27 Novice
1. Brennon Manske, 18n - Shorewood, WI
2. John Sanfelippo, 26n
3. Shane McNallie, 25n

And, that concludes weeknight racing for the 2007 season at Milwaukee BMX. Thanks a ton to all of our racers who competed throughout the season. But, don't forget, we still have a few Saturday events to go ... and then ... it's on to the indoor 'short track' season.

BMX this weekend:
Labor Day should be a good one. Fond du Lac BMX has a single point race scheduled for Sunday afternoon, with registration between 10:30 and 11:30 and racing starting at noon. Rockford BMX hosts the Illinois State Championships this weekend and has a race on Saturday and Sunday. Unless we have it wrong, the Saturday race is a night race with registration between 5 and 6:30 and racing ASAP (under the lights) Sunday is a triple pointer and registration runs from 10 to noon.

Also, the NBL Grands are happening over at South Park in Pennsylvania and if you aren't down for travelling to a race ... maybe watching some other skilled riders would be more like it. Check it out at BMXTVdirect.com

It was a Dark and Scary Night:
Yeah, things ran a bit late last night, and since we're creeping up on the autum equinox, the days just keep getting shorter and shorter. Colin Kohls (red CSR / Sinz uniform) and Brad Olson (blue Dirt Warriors uniform) hardly let the lack of light slow them down, however ... as the photos below show. No, we don't have lights at Milwaukee BMX -- you can tell from the amount of red-eye in each shot that the light source comes from a flash. Good stuff.

Race Results Tuesday August 28 Single Points

Moto 1: 21-25 Cruiser
1. Ben Kohls, 16c - Racine, WI - CSR / Sinz
2. Brad Olson, 14c - Racine, WI - Dirt Warriors
3. Christopher Brock, 23c

Moto 2: 36-40 Cruiser
1. Mark Kluth, 38c - Waukesha, WI
2. William Wison, 38c
3. Steven Campanelli, 39c - Germantown, WI

Moto 3: 41-45 Cruiser
1. Michael Froh, 41c - Milwaukee, WI - Factory Direct Link
2. Brian Woods, 43c - Milwaukee, WI
3. Brian Schulz, 41c - Kenosha, WI
4. Ed Morris, 44c - Fort Atkinson, WI
dnq: John Wethall, 42c - Lake Mills, WI

Moto 4: 6 Novice
1. Garrett Kluth, 6n - Waukesha, WI
2. Lucas Rupp, 5n - Muskego, WI
3. Mikey Calbatera, 5n

Moto 5: 7 Novice
1. Sam Cabaltera, 7n
2. Jonah Ausdembruch, 7n - Racine, WI
3. Maxwell Wilson, 7n

Moto 6: 8 Novice
1. Raymond (RJ) Eckert, 8n - Muskego, WI
2. David Smith III, 8n
3. Steve Foglia, 8n
dnq: Brittany Brzezinski

Moto 7: 9 Intermediate
1. Samuel Rupp, 9I - Muskego, WI
2. Kyle Schulz, 9I - Kenosha, WI
3. Chris Mantz, 9n

Moto 8: 12 Expert
1. Jacob Hinzpeter, 12x - Twin Lakes, WI
2. Nick Campanelli, 10x (happy birthday, Nick!) - Germantown, WI
3. Dillon Kolinski, 11i - Germantown, WI

Moto 9: 15 Novice
1. Andrew Wipjewski, 15n
2. Christopher Wipjewski, 14n
3. Nate Booth, 14n
dnq: Josh May

Moto 10: 16 Intermediate
1. Kommanche Jordan, 13x - Green Bay, WI
2. Ben Kohls, 16i - Racine, WI - CSR / Sinz
3. Dana Mittelstadt, 17i - Shorewood, WI - CSR / Sinz
4. Collin Kohls, 14i - Racine, WI - CSR / Sinz
dnq: Chris Bratz, 20i - Kansasville, WI

Moto 11: 19-27 Novice
1. Brennon Manske, 18n - Shorewood, WI
2. John Sanfelippo, 26n
3. Shane McNallie, 25n
dnq: Karl Ausdembruch, 37n

SCHEDULE CHANGE:

We are Racing on Thursday, August 30th -- a make up race for the two races that we lost to the monsoon season that rolled through last week.

For Immediate Release:


(Milwaukee, WI) -- Milwaukee BMX has cancelled it's Thursday practice and will run a make up single points race. The track was forced to cancel two races last week because of persistant rains in the Southeast Wiscosnin area.

The race will be run similar to any of the track's Tuesday evening races, with rider registration occuring between 5 and 6 p.m. Racing will begin after - or, around 6:30. Two moto transfer will be in effect and awards will be given to riders finishing 1st - 3rd in their main.

Riders who wish to register via telephone may do so by calling track operator, John Mittelstadt at 414-429-3485.

-- end --

More fantastic Peter Cowley images -

We have so much talent swirling around our volunteer ranks, and Peter is no exception, behind the lens of a camera. We are stoked to bring you more of his work from last night's race.

Steve Foglia has the preferred line into the first corner but, lots of company from a very determined looking David Smith III and just a hint of eventual winner Raymond Eckert on the outside. The three are regular competitors in our 8 novice class, which Eckert has been winning - a lot - lately.




Every track has it's "hard" class ... ours looks like it's shaping up to be 41-45 cruiser. As Bob Osborne wrote about Scott Breithaupt (SE Racing Founder - who was only like 27 at the time) back in 1981, "Don't let the fact that there's snow on the roof fool you into thinking that the fire doesn't still rage within" these guys are super competitive and on the gas. Every lap even the smallest mistakes are costly. The rider who didn't qualify last night, John Wethall, finished 5th in district 2 points last year !!! In this shot, Mike Froh is leading out Ed Morris (blue) and Brian Schulz. Schulz just turned 41 and must have his "move up" psych still working. He was going super fast last night. Froh and Morris finished 2nd and 3rd in the 41-45 cruiser class on Sunday at the Midwest Nationals in Rockford, IL earlier this season. The fourth rider in the main (who finished second after a big second straight tangle involving Morris and Schulz) was Brian Woods, a former A-pro who came back a few weeks ago and is picking up speed in a jiffy. Tough comp to be sure.




Speaking of SE racing, 7 year old Jonah Ausdembruch shows from his jersey that Red Bull isn't the only thing that "gives you wings". What do you suppose the odds are that some dude at Red Bull Corporate finds this and calls us with a "cease and desist" order threat. Oh well, it's a risk I'll just have to take for the sake of vague and ambiguous references to corporate slogans!




Back to the theme of hard classes, if your last name isn't Wipjewski, then 15 Novice is awfully tough. At the moment the Wipjewski brothers are dominating. Older brother Andrew is in the lead here and won the main, while 14 year old Christopher (347) jumped his way into the second spot. Nate Booth (334) pushed down his sleeves and took home the third.








28+ Novice hits the double into the first corner. Brennon Manske with things under control here in the first round while John Sanfelippo (red helmet), Karl Ausdembruch (on mags) and Shane Mcnallie look for a way around.


Rad dad, Steven Campanelli looking awfully hollywood in this glamour shot. The fact that this picture is up here almost guarantees that I'm going over a berm one of these days. Sorry Steven, I had to go with it, bro !!!








This kid is something to watch. Green Bay (yes, as in 140 miles North of Milwaukee) racer Kommanche Jordan jetted in to win our 16 intermediate class. Only Ben Kohls, one of our regular racers who is also just dripping with skills and speed, could keep up with this kid. I'm guessing the reason that Peter took this cameo shot of Jordan is because he couldn't hit the shutter fast enough to get a decent shot of him on the track. At 13, he's not that big of a kid, but, you can see from this shot that his focus is huge.



This young guy (#59) is Sammy Rupp and is Milwaukee BMX's first ever move up from Novice to Intermediate. Despite the fact that he's new to inter, he won again Tuesday night against some very spirited competition from Kyle Schulz and Chris Mantz.

Tuesday August 28th and we are RACING !!!

Okay, yeah ... so, just writing that felt absolutely great. We're super happy to have caught a break with the weather and get a chance to get back on track tonight. Hope we see you there.

Below are some images from the way we left the track last Saturday after a pretty full day of work. Hopefully, we didn't lose too much of that progress with the rains that moved through the area yesterday.

The first corner has been "worked" ... it may be rolling as smooth as it has all season. It's starting to become obvious that we've lost some berm height, so look for a major update on this turn in October.

Second turn (above) was similarly raked and rolled ... it was a big mess when we arrived ... the rain from last week had left it nearly unrideable and completely full of ruts.

A project that I've been meaning to get at for the past several months -- putting a cap on the first roller out of the second turn. I'm sure Denise (Mrs. O') would only be too stoked if things around the house would only bug me for a couple of months before they got done -- it's more accurately like a few years.

DO NOT let the fact that John and Mark are holding rakes fool you ... it was really little Garrett Kluth that did most of the work on Saturday. Shame about all the rain we had last week ... Saturday turned out to be such a perfect day. And, few things are more depressing than a soft / soggy BMX track that can't be ridden.

Fond du Lac is racing TODAY:

For any of you who couldn't scratch your racing itch at Milwaukee BMX yesterday, the weekend won't be a total loss. Fond du Lac is racing as scheduled today. Signups are from 10:30 - 11:30 and racing begins at noon.

Milwaukee Bails Out and Gets Better !!!
A small but energetic group of volunteers worked their tails off yesterday to get the track ready for our coming Tuesday night race. T/O Mittelstadt, Mark Kluth and I were determined to transform the soggy mess into a raceable track. Talk about taking a pile of lemons and turning them into lemonade! the soft track conditions allowed us to hand rake the majority of rutts out of the turns and wheel pack them into conditions that haven't been seen since our State Qualifier race in June. We also dragged, raked and roll packed the straights. The track is in pretty sano condition and we're definitely looking forward to the great racing that will go down on Tuesday night. We'll post pictures of current track conditions on Monday.

Race Saturday August 25th has been cancelled due to track conditions.

Racing Saturday August 25th: It's On !!!

Yeah, that's right ... if we don't pick up a bunch of extra rain overnight, we're going to give it a go for Saturday's race.

Start Time Change:
Because we'll be working on the track in the morning, we won't start racing before 1 p.m. ... if we get started between before 2, we will consider running a 3 moto transfer ... if we can't get started until after 2, we will definitely run a two moto transfer to move the racing quickly.

Keep your fingers crossed ... and, no rain dances ... okay?

Thursday Gate Practice is Cancelled

Seriously, we're about as tired with this weather as anyone ... we're going a bit stir crazy at best. This gives a whole new meaning to the often used BMX terms -- "sandbagging" and "bailing out".

Nevertheless ... we admire those of you hearty SE Wisconsin types and we continue to join you in holding our chins up. Better weather and brighter days are ahead.

Fond du Lac BMX cancels Thursday 8/23 race:
We received a note late last night that Fond du Lac was cancelling it's Thursday night race because the track is waterlogged and we wanted to pass it along to anybody who was thinking about traveling tomorrow night.

We'll have a better sense by tomorrow morning as to wether we'll attempt to run gate practice or not.

We appreciate your patience ... and we sympathize with all of our friends in the Kenosha area, as well as those in the Western portions of the state that have suffered from the recent flooding in the area.

Please take care of yourselves -- and we'll get right back to racing just as quick as we can.

Tuesday August 21st -- RACING CANCELLED

Unless you've been living in a completely indoor environment, with no access to the outside world whatsoever, it should come as no surprise that we're cancelling racing tonight. We'll check the track and the forecast to determine wether Thursday's practice will run as scheduled. Please check back here for updates.

This is the first rainout that we've faced since we got in full swing back in June ... so, we have no complaints, it's been a fun summer and we are still looking forward to better weather next week and througout September.

Results 8/14/2007

Moto 1: 31-35 Cruiser
1. Brad Olson, 14c - Racine, WI
2. Kevin O'Donnell, 40c - Milwaukee, WI
3. Thomas Porter, 37c

Moto 2: 41-45 Cruiser
1. Michael Froh, 41c - Milwaukee, WI - Factory Direct Link
2. Ed Morris, 44c - Fort Atkinson, WI
3. John Wethall, 42c - Lakes Mills, WI
4. Brian Woods, 44c
dnq - Paul Weimer, 42c - Fond du Lac, WI - Geared 4 Racing

Moto 3 & 4: 7 Novice
1. Miles Porter, 7n
2. Josh Sobczak, 7n
3. Miles Priefer, 7n - Waterford, WI
4. Steven Meyer, 7n
5. Dane O'Donnell, 7n - Milwaukee, WI
6. Brittany Brzezinski, 7n
7. Lucas Rupp, 5n - Muskego, WI
8. Owen Porter, 5n
dnq - Maxwell Wilson, 7n - Wauwatosa, WI

Moto 5: 10 Novice
1. Raymond (RJ) Eckert, 8n - Muskego, WI
2. David Smith III, 8n
3. Allison Meyer, 10n

Moto 6: 10 Expert
1. Scott Sullivan, 10x - Wadsworth, IL
2. Zach Sullivan, 9i - Wadsworth, IL
3. Samuel Rupp, 9i - Muskego, WI

Moto 7: 14 Novice
1. Christopher Wipjewski, 14n
2. Nate Booth, 14n
3. Anthony Brzezinski, 11n
dnq - Jordan Toth

Moto 8: 14 Intermediate
1. Collin Kohls, 14i - Racine, WI - CSR / Sinz
2. Jacob Hinzpeter, 12x - Twin Lakes, WI
3. Jack Hall, 14i - Dirt Warriors

Moto 9: 19-27 Novice
1. Brennon Manske, 18n - Shorewood, WI
2. John Sanfelippo, 26n
3. Andrew Wipjewski, 15n
dnq - Shane Mcnallie, 25n

Moto 10: 19-27 Intermediate
1. Dana Mittelstadt, 17i - Shorewood, WI - CSR / Sinz
2. Ben Kohls, 16i - Racine, WI - CSR / Sinz
3. Chris Bratz, 20i - Kansasville, WI

Moto 11: 28 & Over Novice
1. Chris Meyer, 35n
2. Daniel Priefer, 34n - Waterford, WI
3. William Wison, 42n

We Are Racing !!!


The sun is out ... and the forecast for this afternoon calls for hot and dry ... so, whattaya' say to a race tonight !!!

The rain last night has left the track in pretty rough condition ... but, as always, we'll do what we can to fill cracks, washouts, etc. and make the best of a tough situation. Signups are likely to last until a little closer to 6:30 tonight ... and we'll do what we can to be racing by 7.

We appreciate your ongoing support and look forward to seeing a bunch of you trackside tonight.