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Weslie Eastveld

Crazy Dog Racing

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Crazy Dog Racing returned to competition this weekend at NOLA Motorsports Park for the 5th round of the CMRA Big Bike Endurance season. The six hour race brought a number of challenges to the team in which they had to battle not just the other competitors on track. The heat and humidity of southern Louisiana was ever present the entire weekend, making one of the main concerns of the team whether the ice chest was full of bottled water and ice.

After analyzing the two previous races this season, CDR decided to change up the rider order in hopes of better matching the abilities of the team members to that of the competition. Tristan Reeves took the green flag for the first 45 minute stint. A bog on the launch left him mired in the midst of the field, but within just a few laps he found himself circulating the 2.75 mile coursewith little traffic. Running consistent times, Reeves finished off his stint and entered the pits so that Robert Henriksen could take-over duties on track. With no pit help this weekend, the team divided pit duties among the three riders in the pits so that rear stand, fueling, and fire extinguisher duties were always covered.

As Henriksen thumbed the starter button, however, the next casualty of the heat was discovered as the battery would barely turn the starter. Quick thinking of the team led to push-starting the bike for the remaining pit stops. Running similar times to Reeves, Henriksen finished off his full stint as well, receiving the "pit" board while Mark Shim readied to jump on the #32 bike. Once again the Hunsaker fuel dump can and dry-break nozzle allowed the team to complete pit stops far faster than their competition. Shim departed the pits and took to the track but after just a few laps signaled that he was returning to the pits. Final rider Wes Eastveld scrambled to get geared up as the team prepped for Shim's unexpected return. A splash of gas and a quick push and Eastveld departed for his stint. Shim, clearly in pain and distress, explained that a seemingly minor crash in morning practice on his Ninja 250 sprint bike resulted in lingering pain that surfaced only as he competed on track.

Now down one rider and with the Louisiana sun baking the track, Reeves and Henriksen discussed shortened stints for the remaining four hours of racing. When Eastveld signaled his returning to the pits just a few laps short of his full stint, the team knew the heat was taking its toll and solidified the shortened stint plan. Afternoon cloud cover, cold drinks, and getting some food allowed the team to reconsider this plan again as the day wore on with Reeves and Henriksen finishing out the race with 40 minute stints each, however by now the heat had taken its toll on the bike and each rider noticed a distinct power fall-off in the top of the rev range. The two riders pressed on and finished out the race with Henriksen taking the checkered flag.

By the end of the day, Crazy Dog Racing found themselves in 4th place in Modern Classic and 12th overall out of 33 entries. Numerous big-name teams found themselves watching from the pit wall as bikes and riders failed throughout the day, but Team CDR pressed on and finished the full six hours of competition. The team was more than happy with this result after dealing with numerous situations over the course of the day including no pit crew, losing one rider to injury, and the nearly unbearable heat and humidity of southern Louisiana.

Crazy Dog Racing would like to thank its numerous sponsors that have helped make this season possible as well as the friends and family that continue to support the racing endeavor.
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  1. Paul Coste's Avatar
    Nice report! Good race guys.