Well, WE DID IT!!  After a long, hard season and a lot of blood, sweat and tears, we sealed the 2011 SR1 LOORRS championship during the final round of racing at Firebird Raceway this past weekend.  I can FINALLY relax, and allow myself to enjoy the fact that we accomplished what we set out to do. And we did it without cheating….without pushing the limits of the rules.  No dirty driving.  We did it with a 4 year old race Rhino that gave us all it had to the very end (yes, my Rhino has a personality AND a heart….and it is a big one!).  We did it with a used Ebay motor that lasted 12 months, including a dune season and two separate race series.  And we couldn’t have done it without our crew, our friends, and our amazing sponsors who have helped us and provided us with the right tools to make it every step of the way!

Huge thanks to Jason, who worked harder than anyone on this program.  From fixing anything that broke at the track, to making changes and coming up with new setups at the shop, to being there for me every round on the other end of my radio – this is a result of his effort more than anyone else’s.  The guys at the shop were also responsible for prepping and regular maintenance, and came and helped at the track when they could as well – big thanks to the whole team at Weller Racing!

We wouldn’t have been racing this year or last year without the support of the Tilted Kilt.  I am sure many racers feel gratitude towards their sponsors, but I am not sure they feel the same indebtedness that I do for all of their help over the last two years.  Not only is the Tilted Kilt our title sponsor, but they are also our friends, and there is an amazing group of people at the head of this growing corporation.  I can only hope that we have given back all that was expected and more in return for their steadfast support and the faith they have had in our program.

We have also had a lot of help and support from Lonestar Racing, and we took this championship while racing on their a-arms and other great products! They have not only supported our program all year, but they have worked hand in hand with Weller Racing to develop many of the SR1 products we provide for the class as a whole. 

I have to give a huge thanks to Miles and MagnaFlow for helping our program and our pit presence all season.  MagnaFlow has supported us with a great product this year, but Miles has been simply amazing with the pit support he has given us when it comes to the MagnaFlow rig, and allowing us to use it when it was available.  We consider Miles part of our crew as well as our friend, and it’s been great having him with us all year! 

Lucas Oil not only puts on a great racing series, but they have been a HUGE help for us this season as well.  Our motor lasted a full year, and I’m sure a lot of it had to do with the Lucas Oil products that we used in it on a regular basis!  Lucas Oil believed enough in our program to make sure we were able to attend every round, and we couldn’t ask for an easier sponsor to work with! 

Power is all fine and dandy, but power means nothing if you can’t get it to the ground.  This is where Maxxis Tires comes in, and the Maxxis Ceros has to be the best short course UTV tire out there, hands down!  Muddy, loose, hardpack – doesn’t matter.  I have been blessed with having the support of a terrific company that is not only proud of its sponsored drivers, but proud of the product it provides for them. Plus, I get to work with people like Heather, Creighton, Scott and Brad, and that makes it even better!

Not too long ago, at the Lucas Oil Off Road Expo, I was tapped gently on the shoulder and turned to find myself face to face with none other than Walker Evans himself, putting his hand out to shake mine and thank me for running his products.  And what a great product to run!  We have been running Walker Evans shocks and wheels for several years now, and it has proven to be a winning combination for us!  When we needed to upgrade, they were there with newer and improved products to keep us competitive, and that is important in this industry! Randy Anderson has always been willing to help and work with us, and it's been great working with him as well!

I can’t forget Kyle at HJC, who has been my “helmet guy” for about as long as I have been racing short-course!  I started racing with an economy helmet that barely got airflow, and was soon saved by HJC, who took a chance on sponsoring a newbie UTV racer back in the CORR days.  I cherished that helmet, and ran it for years…..preferring it over any other helmets that came onto the market.  I'm excited to say I'll be running HJC products in 2012 as well - couldn’t ask for a better product!

Huge thanks to my other sponsors as well, such as Simpson Racing, who keeps me looking snazzy in my racing suit and safe as well!  AEM who has supplied me some really trick looking gauges, and is always interested in how they can make my Sr1 perform better, K&N for their filters and support, Cognito for their tough as nails spindles, BS Sand (love my carbon fiber seat - no more suspension seats for this girl!), Rigid Industries for my off-season badass light bar, UTV Underground for their awesome coverage and support, and everyone else who has made this 2011 season so successful!

PS – Yes, I have already tried to pull the champion card at home.  “Champions don’t do laundry”, “Champions don’t do dishes” and even “Champions don’t have to cook” have all been uttered recently, but when my significant other is also a champion, that leaves us at a stalemate with a messy house and empty tummies.  Oh well….it was worth a shot!