Last year, our dedicated staff hesitantly weeded out some dates from our already cluttered calendar to tackle a handful of long ventures to Southern states such as Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and North Carolina to capture with our very own eyes (and the camera, of course) something quite adventurous and experimental for ourselves and mud ATV enthusiasts. Although mud racing is not at all a new sport (trust me when I say I've spent my share of time high-centered at the bottom of gnarly deep holes), the launch in 2008 of a new racing series, Championship Mud Racing, reintroduced mud racing in a new light. The promoters of this series stepped up mud racing to a whole new level by professionalizing it and developing it into the very first national mud racing series where racers traveled through various Southern states struggling and competing to earn points and a national championship crown. And before that inaugural season ever arrived at completion, CMR converted our skeptical staff and thousands of our readers into believers of this experiment, a newly legitimized and exciting national form of mud racing.

Each issue we've been approaching pro riders of every aspect in ATV racing to find out just a little more about them. We want to know more than just the basics, so we've bombarded them with questions they might hear every day and thrown in a few that made them think outside of the box. This time we caught up with one of the most recognized faces in mud racing, Dewayne Crowder of Team Gorilla Axle/Can-Am. Here is your chance to find out more about the man than maybe you ever wanted to know.

It was Maxxis sponsored, Kyle Martin taking the round 4 Parts Unlimited OMA Nationals "Wolverine XC" held in Mesick, Michigan and presented by Maxxis. The Dirt Works Motorsports podium sweep by Missouri racers Kyle Martin, Bryan Hulsey, and John Pitts would battle the heat and humidity with mechanical issues throughout the nine lap event. Martin (Maxxis / Dirtworks Motorsports (Willow Springs, MO) / Fly Racing / Quad Tech) would suffer from chain loss on the first lap, but after two previous podium positions, Martin would take his first OMA Overall putting him in the Series' points lead over Shawn Hess by two points. "I ended up with the chain coming off end of the first lap after leading and everybody got around me, so I had to work my way back to the front." After re-installing the chain it was clear that Martin was on a mission, and after nine grueling laps he took the checkers with a gap of two minutes and seventeen seconds over fellow Missouri racer Bryan Hulsey. "I'll take it," said Martin. "I had pretty good luck today." This would mark Martin's first OMA National win, taking the win with over two minutes to spare.

Getting to the good sections of a trail system sometimes means living through the rough sections. Thankfully with today's technological advancements, what otherwise could be a very painful day out on the trail can actually end with very little brutality. Have you ever wondered what it might be like to ride all day and not get totally exhausted or extremely sore from wrestling the beast? Over the last several years, the ATV industry has turned their heads to this subject and many have a solution that is sure to interest any die-hard rider.

On Wednesday night my quad was loaded into Dave Hunsucker's trailer, along with my sisters quad. The team manager, Kevin Johnston had a load of tires to take, so Dave would bring our quads. On Thursday afternoon I helped Kevin organize the tires in the trailer and load the trailer before more rain would pour down. My sister, Jodi Stracham and I would not be leaving with Kevin that night. We had final exams. We left on Friday afternoon around one and it was weird to be driving in the daylight. We arrived at the track Friday evening around seven. I went to sign up, then to tech, then to bed. I was exhausted!

Round 5 of the WORCS off road ATV series was held at Riverdale Raceway in Toutle, Washington. The skies were gray and drizzly but not enough to touch the ground all weekend. Riverdale raceway incorporated all of its attractions into the course. From the motocross track, 1/8 mile drag strip and trail system. Most of the trail system was made one-off for the weekend. Many hidden tree stumps, holes and roots hidden just below the foot tall grass would wreak havoc on many of the racers through all the classes this weekend. The trails were very tight and quite a few trees had tire marks from impacts. With Josh Frederick out due to a wreck a week before, it was catch-up for the rest of the pros to close the gap Josh had created.

Beau Baron showed up to Riverdale Raceway in Toutle, Washington ready to battle with the fastest racers from both the East and West Coast. With series points leader Josh Fredrick out due to injuries, Baron took the opportunity to grab the points lead as they head into the summer break.

When I left my house early Wednesday morning, I really didn't quite know what I was getting into. My Agent had lined up this event for me to perform in Fort Campbell Kentucky and told me they were going to take me in Helicopters and shoot some crazy guns. The whole event was for the families and soldiers that have lost their lives fighting for our country, and it taught kids all kinds of safety precautions and just to have a fun day. I knew this was going to be an amazing experience, but I didn't expect it to get this gnarly. Now that it's all said and done, I can honestly say this whole experience has really humbled me in my everyday life and after meeting these brave men and women, I feel so honored that I was a part of it.

Arctic Cat has decided to leak a hand full of models for their 2010 line-up for all of us to have a peek. They say this is only a taste of things to come for next year. Take a look as there are some pretty interesting things going on at Arctic Cat. We'll be sure to keep you updated on any new information that spills out.

We pulled out of the shop around 10:00 PM on Thursday night. We had to wait for Kevin Johnston, the team manager, to get back from his trip to California. As soon as we hit the road I fell asleep, it had been an exhausting two weeks. I woke up when we hit windy back roads that the GPS took us on. Ryan Reed, our mechanic and driver swears that after this trip we're getting a map. We finally found the entrance to the track. We got in line to get in and I fell right back asleep. We parked and having nothing to do, we made a relaxation day out of Friday.

Round three of the Parts Unlimited OMA Nationals presented by DP Brakes and co-sanctioned with Craig Lucas' Extreme Dirt Series, would bring KTM's Adam McGill (Quadtech Precision/Ohlin/Faast) the breezed overall win by four minutes over Brian Wolf (GT Thunder/Powermadd/Yamaha). McGill stated "The track was awesome", although a dry spell in the Rio Grande, Ohio area would bring dusty conditions; conditions in the woods were near perfect. OMA newcomer, Walker Fowler (Maxxis/Faast/Yamaha) would be taken over by the second lap by McGill. McGill "the race went really well, I liked the track a lot. Definitely a lot of fast sections, little off-cambers, a little slick, but, I mean, for the most part it was pretty kick a, for sure. I've been doing a lot with shocks and trying to get the bike better," also adding, "Baldwin Motorsports built me one heck of a motor. It was actually really cool. I liked it a lot. It was a good track. I enjoyed it a lot."

When I think back to the most memorable road trip I've had, it would definitely have to be the beginning of my shorter-than-expected 2004 motocross season. I was a 19-year-old with nothing to lose, a passion for the greatest sport in the world and big dreams to become successful at motocross racing. I spent a year and a half plowing snow in the winter, mowing lawns in the summer, spending every night possible at the local YMCA to get in shape, and slowly saving up funds to build a full-blown racer. Come March, I had all of my parts in hand and was ready to build my Yamaha YFZ450. I worked until midnight for a week trying to get that quad together. Finally my Dad and I rolled out in our '89 Winnebago to head for Waldo MX near Gainesville, Florida, and would end up at the Gatorback GNC-or so we thought.

If you know about sport ATVs then you're very familiar with the Suzuki LT-450R. It was the first sport ATV that was claimed to be race-ready right out of the box. The wide a-arms and adjustable rear axle made the machine extremely stable in turns and the powerplant provided enough punch to be competitive for most amateur racers. Since many recreational riders look for the same performance that racers do, this machine is popular for them as well. With a simple swap of tires and wheels, the Suzuki LT-450R is a capable machine for both track and trail riders.

You gotta check this out! Caleb Moore backflips the Polaris RZR. Just kidding, but it's an insane jump nonetheless! Enjoy!

Ever wondered what happens when you run off the trail and into a patch of cactus while riding in the desert? A helmet and some riding gear might have helped a little. Well, maybe just a little. OUCH!

With an ice storm shredding most of the west Kentucky trees to the ground and an inland hurricane warning Friday before the OMA event, track conditions would not be their best. Texan native, Shawn Hess (Hess Motorsports / Houser Racing / Maxxis) would prevail and take his second consecutive win at the Rekluse Indian Bluff XC co-sanctioned with Kentucky Offroad Hare Scramble held out of Royal ATV Park would present another tough mud event.

While walking the floor of the 2009 Dealer Expo in Indianapolis, Indiana, in February, Associate Editor Eli Madero and I came across something that just about had us rolling on the floor with intense laughter. So naturally, I felt it appropriate to share with our readers in light of some recent harsh news our industry is facing. Here's how the sign read: "Caution, if you are under the age of 13 years old, do not lick, eat, stroke, caress, slurp, fondle, suck, gulp, swallow, sip, taste, gobble, swig, scarf or in any way ingest any part of this motorcycle." We want to thank the great guys at Cobra for helping to lighten a bit of the sadness we've been staring in the face lately with their sign in reference to their youth-model motorcycles and ATVs.

It's been a little over a month since we tackled our yearly pilgrimage to the High Lifter Mud Nationals in Jacksonville, Texas. After throwing up our part 1 photo gallery and picking out our photos for the September/October print issue, we've decided to share the leftovers with you guys. Hope you enjoy! If you have any great 09 Mud National stories you'd like to share, send them to atvrider@sorc.com.

Round four of the 2009 WORCS season takes us to Milford, California. Honeylake MX Park hosted the half-way point of the series. The weather for the weekend was to be wet, cold, and windy. Luckily for the Pro ATV race, the weather co-operated and the sun was shining. The National Gate filled with 20 pros dropped with Doug Eichner taking the ATV Riders.com holeshot award on His factory Polaris. By the end of the first lap Sage Baker on his factory Can-am took over the lead from Eichner. Eichner looked to have slowed his pace, only to lose his front brakes. Baker would try to defend his position but Dustin Nelson on his factory Yamaha, would make the pass quickly with Baron following in trail. Josh Fredrick had a poor start riding his factory Can-am and began his charge to the front early and set the fastest lap of the race. Soon Baron Would Pass Nelson for the lead and charge forward. Fredrick soon made his way to Jarrod McClure who flew in the night before from a 10th place finish At the GNCC race back east. Then passing Nelson. Fredrick would soon be on Baron's MCR Honda's rear grab bar. In lap 9 of 14, Fredrick made an error and went over the bars in the tight rocky section of the track giving Baron Plenty room to breathe with a 42 second lead. However Baron was not in the clear. Fredrick re-mounted his Can-am and made another blazing charge to close the gap to a mere 15 seconds. Fortunately for Beau Baron, there was not enough time left for Fredrick to catch Baron and Beau would take the well-earned win. With Josh Fredrick taking second, and Jarrod McClure for the final podium spot passing Nelson with just 3 laps to go. Nelson taking 4th, and Josh Row toping out the top 5. Doug Eichner would Battle back adjusting to riding with no front brakes to finish a respectable 6th place. Mike Cafro would ride a consistent race to finish 7th. Topping out the top 10 were Justin Waters, Jorie Williams and Jose Ramirez.

The week leading up to round six of the GNCC series was a hectic one, it seemed like every teacher wanted to give me a time consuming project and my quad was being put on the back burner. By Thursday afternoon I had all of my school work done and was ready to finish my quad up. If it wasn't for my mechanic Ryan Reed I wouldn't have even been close to ready, but Team manager Kevin Johnston and he both understand that school comes ahead of everything. We left Thursday night and made it to the track in six hours. My sister Jodi Stracham and Kevin were ecstatic because the rain was just pouring down. After we got all of the usual routine things done that we do on a Friday before a race, we got settled down for the night. As the night wore on, I was trying to sleep through the rain pounding on the roof; I thought Jodi and Kevin had to be doing the rain dance in their sleep. I was very nervous for the day ahead.

I'm sure we all share some of the same hang-ups when it comes to taking time off to ride. When we want to go out and explore, our regular riding buddies are too busy with work or are out of town while we're chomping at the bit to get out of the house. What are the options in this situation? Well, you can either make a deeper indentation into the sofa while watching whatever sports might be on that day and your Rhino sits in the garage gathering unearned dust, or you can be proactive and explore your other options to expanding your list of riding buddies and locations.

Do you want to know a little more about your favorite ATV riders beyond who they thank on the podium after each race? We were thinking that very same thing, so we decided to throw them off guard and pick their brains for a little more insight on who they really are. Not only do we have the basics covered, but we threw in a few curveballs to keep things interesting.

Returning home from the Steel Creek GNCC, we were already preparing ourselves for the Big Buck because Kevin Johnston (the team manager) and Ryan Reed (the team mechanic) were leaving for Canada for an ATV show. They would be gone until Tuesday evening, so that left my sister Jodi and I to get everything ready. Tuesday rolled around and Kevin and Ryan were not happy. When they were in Canada the weather was beautiful, and they came home to rain, rain and more rain. In 2 short days we had everything ready. Friday around noon we left Kevin's shop and headed to the track.

We just got back from Bowling Green Kentucky's Ballance Moto X Park for Pro Round 3, and Amateur Round 2 (yes, it confuses us too) of the ATV MX Nationals. To say that we had a good time is an understatement; we (which in all reality is just me) had a great time. Speaking in plural really makes me feel as if I'm a one-man media empire, so like I was saying, we had an absolute blast. The economic crisis was nowhere to be found as nearly 600 riders were in attendance. The racing action was amazing from the Minis to the Pro and Pro Am classes, there were no "gimmees", and every position was heavily contested.