MAddOG Morrell Motorsports

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

DuneFest 2012 Morning rides and adventures

At the very top of Banshee Hill
Photo by Jon C. and property of UTV Guide.net

DuneFest 2012
Being in the sand and not being able to ride was killing me. I knew it was only a matter of time before the sand would be junk, because of all the traffic, after all it was DuneFest and there was talk of an attendance record.
It was day 2 (Thursday) and I hadn't even unloaded the Brute yet. The early morning rides have always been one of the highlights of my times at DuneFest, held in Winchester Bay, Oregon, and this morning the anticipation was killing me. We were scheduled to ride with Jon and Jason from UTV Guide (www.utvguide.net) for a photo shoot.
The sky was blue and the sun was out (a real treat in the morning) as the group started to come together, at a chipper 7:30 am, we talked some and got some instructions on where to meet, at the top of Banshee Hill. I was ready, I had had plenty of coffee and a less than healthy over sized fresh brownie for breakfast.
I decided I would meet them at the top by taking the direct route, straight up through the trees to the top. As I rolled up to the bottom and grabbed a thumb-full of throttle, the BruteForce screamed to life and accelerated hard through the bottom section and up into the trees, as I started to clear the the trees and enter the upper bowl the sand began to feel loose and I could feel it robbing power, and dragging down the top speed.

Banshee Hill, in the background
Photo property of MAddOG Motorsports

Meeting the group at the top, Jon gave me some instruction on how close to get to him and where he would be. Off I headed to the bottom to make another blast up as I was rolling up the top bowl I could see where they were and found a perfect spot to do a little showboating, and pulled the front end with a slight braaaap of the thumb. "Too far away" he reported, "I have the close up lens on". Down the hill I went ( I wasn't comfortable hooking it around in the loose midsection). I stopped at the bottom to make a slight adjustment to the DigiTune, and headed back up, pulling another wheelie right at the top but still not "real Close".

Photo by Jon C. property of UTV Guide.net

We did some shredding in the upper "bowl" while Jon took pictures, and at one point I thought for sure I got too close and got his legs... Turns out he is pretty quick, and STILL got the shot !

Photo by Jon C. and is property of UTV Guide.net

As we wrapped our part of the shoot and Jon switched to the new Arctic Cat Wildcat, Kelly and I rolled off and down the backside of Banshee. We headed south east to the least traveled area of the Winchester Bay dunes. The further south and east we got the smoother and less traveled the sand was and we were able to open up our machines and let them breathe the thick coastal air.
We cruised up some big dunes and did some side-hilling and high marking and than rolled into the "trails" along the south out of bounds border (which has been moved north a lot in the last few years). The trails were great, no traffic to worry about and some fun, fast really bermed up corners with humps and jumps in between the sections that run through the grass. We were having a blast but it was time to get back to my other commitments, so we ran to the roller flats all the way to the west and laid pipe on the pin until the first rise. Easing up to the first big rise and cresting the top I was reminded how big DuneFest is as displayed by the row of haulers, toy haulers, RV's and campers right out in the dunes. Across the flat again to the next rise, up and over and more of the same, it was surreal and amazing the sheer volume of people that were camped out in the sand.
I could tell we were getting close to being back by the traffic starting to show , slowing down and cruising the last several hundred yards into the Manufacturer row area , our Wednesday riding was over.

Photo property of MAddOG Motorsports

Friday morning the fog was almost on the deck, but we were riding. Heading the most direct route towards the south east corner again, the fog was so bad on top of the dunes I had to slow down. The sand was very damp and was already getting pretty tore up , it was rough with sections of really gnarrly. There was no shortage of traction in the wetter sand, but due to the wind blowing pretty hard some of the bigger dunes had spots about 2/3 to 3/4 the way up with bands of loose puffy sand that would either slow you down or FORCE you to take notice when running the bowl, by falling away under you (Surprise !). The tops of a lot of the dunes had areas the wind had blown small to medium jagged edge troughs, and between the fog and following a well suspended (Elka Stage4) RZR, I got some unexpected turbulence a few times.
As we started to run out of time, we headed back, crossing through some mid dune trails and over some great, smaller razorbacks that are just enough to get a little air (the Brute is NOT big air friendly), and made things fun and more active than just pinning the throttle and running up the flats/rollers. We finally did hit them and wide open throttle brought some surprises as to how wet the area really was, as it was dragging the top speed down almost 10MPH, although running into a healthy headwind didn't help either.

Photo property of MAddOG Motorsports

Saturday morning the fog was gone the skies were clear and the sun was back, the wind had let up some, and it was time for my last burn at DuneFest. A group of us met at the MUZZYS tent for a fun ride together. We headed out to the flats and everyone went wide open, as we rolled across the flats I realized just how trashed the sand was and how bad the flats were whooping out, after a close as I wanted to come to a tank slapper event in the first set of whoops, I backed out of the throttle for the second set and watched as the group of SxS's disappeared over the next rise. I was not worried as I knew where they were heading and had a good idea of where I could catch up. I climbed some dunes and messed around on some side-hills , but nothing to crazy since I had no backup if I took a digger.

Photo Property of MAddOG Motorsports

I caught sight of the group heading my direction on the flats and crossed over to meet them, yes they were coming to look for me (sorry guys), we met up and headed off to a smoother area of medium to small dunes where we all stopped to take in the view. It wasn't long and Jon had his camera out and the guys were shredding around and looking for a spot to get some air. One of the first ones to air it out was Kelly (who picked up the nickname AirKelly, That was quickly shortened to "The A-K", after a photoshoot earlier in the week)

Photo by Jon C.
Property of UTV Guide.net

As the group ripped around one of the drivers slid into a small gulley at the transition of a dune and ended up almost on his side, requiring a winch out. By the time we made sure everyone was OK and the machine damage was nothing more than some cracks in the plastic it was time for me to head back. Taking off and running through some mid dune trails and across some humpy flats, taking time to get some pictures of the dunes and the sand camps, I couldn't help but smile an be thankful for the dunes , the great group of people I get to ride with and of course the fact we all played hard and walked away fine.

Special thanks to Jon and www.utvguide.net for the AWSOME pictures they provided, and the opportunity to be on the other end of a camera, To Kelly, the ultimate Dune Attack weapon "The A-K" , and to MUZZYS Performance Products www.muzzys.com. See YOU at DuneFest 2013 www.dunefest.com.

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Action Cam Comparison Drift HD vs GoPro HD ... By Chad DeMeyer

GoPro Hero 1080p vrs Drift HD 1080p:

Since I have owned both of these camera's
I will share with you my experience's with them
and why I like the Drift so much better.

The Drift has a remote control: excellent for mounting the camera in places you can't reach from the driver's seat
stopping and starting record mode,this way you don't end up with those "Is it on" moment's in your video and useless footage of everyone sitting around talking.

Audible beep when turning the camera ON (short beep) and OFF (long beep): So you can actually hear when your camera is ready to start recording or not.

LED light that changes color's for various modes (Green = Standby,Red = Recording).

4x digital zoom, Instead of far away or video's of your hood in every shot (mounting location) you get a closer more real sense of what your recording.

Easy MENU with symbol's and word's, No more of the EL,STL,DE,FF3 and all the rest of the hard to remember or understand codes of the Go-Pro.

Built in LCD screen for reviewing your video right on the spot,no more having to wait until you get to a computer to see what your video looks like.

Rotating lens,This means you don't have to use all those elbow's and various GP mounts just to get your camera at the right angle,just simply rotate the lens
and use the LCD screen to see if that is the angle you want.

Mini SD card just like your smart phone not a big clunky SD card.

Mini HDMI output's for connecting to a monitor in your vehicle or home.

External microphone and HDMI jacks so you can have a external microphone mounted where you want it and also have it hooked to some sort of monitor located in the vehicle,
all while the cover for the camera is in place (GP has to be out of it's case).

Night Mode,Works pretty good considering how hard it is to shoot video at night with no light,(since video and picture's are reflected light image's).

DRIFT HD Price:$235.00.

GoPro Hero 2 Price:$299.00 and you still will need to buy the WiFi backpack with remote ($99.00 and good luck with a WiFi signal in the dune's to hookup your smartphone)
just to get it to do what the Drift HD already does.Even if you buy the LCD,BATTERY or WiFi/Remote backpacks you can only use 1 back pack at a time.

In my opinion the DRIFT HD is a much better camera at a better price,The GoPro is a complicated hard to use camera in comparison,I'm not saying sell your GoPro and run out and buy the DRIFT HD,They both have about the same video quality and versatility only the DRIFT does it in a much more user friendly format.

Tested and written By Chad J. DeMeyer

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Service ...Hallmark style

What ? Service with a smile -----
In today's increasingly techno computerized, microwave, done now society, it becomes harder and harder to find any business that actually cares more about customer service than their website or Facebook.
Well I found it!

Nestled in on a cliff between South beach and Nye beach in Newport Oregon you will find The Hallmark Resort Newport , a nautical themed hotel with jacuzzi tubs and fireplaces in most rooms. Sure there is a string of corporate generic cookie cutter hotels and condos, planted on the same stretch of cliff overlooking the beach. But this is the place. This is the place for smiles, for good mornings, for how is your day, for how is your room, for what can I help you with, for good old fashioned genuine niceness, and that is the difference.
Plain and simple, the entire staff, from maintenance techs , to house keepers, front desk personnel, bar tenders waiters/waitresses and Management have the same unified goal. Genuinely making you feel like an old friend and therefore happy.
Sitting in the bar sipping a cup of coffee on a calm Sunday afternoon, the staff jokes with patrons, takes pictures of smiling customers sitting by the window with the glorious pacific rolling steadily in the background, and a hint of sunshine poking through the clouds and lighting up the waves like lighthouses. Yes I feel comfortable and happy.
Talking to Mike Locke (front end manager) and Jeff Orn (house services Manager) their goal is to be the most personal, friendly and customer oriented hotel possible. That dynamic is shared throughout the entire staff due to their lead by example practice.
Citing that he was at a recent resorts management conference, Mike states "One of the highly pushed topics was letting people check in with their phones to save the front desk time and personnel". By the look on his face you would think they stabbed him in the temple with an icepick, "That defeats the entire purpose of why we are here, to be friendly people" , "To make their time with us memorable, and make them want to come back" chimes in Jeff. "We have an incredible staff that can see the big picture, and supports us in our mission".
They do have an incredible staff, trying to keep track of how many staff members smiled at me and asked how my day was or how I was doing, or if I needed anything was next to impossible, I think I lost track in the 20's !

The rooms are clean and modern, the view (Yes from every room !) is outstanding, through the sliding glass doors, and the lower level rooms are pet friendly. The housekeeping staff keeps your linens fresh, and beds drawn tight daily. Toiletries, kitchen needs, and coffee are replenished like clockwork.

Back to the bar, or more importantly, the fantastic restaurant/bar attached, Georgies is easily a 4 star restaurant with 2 star pricing, good old fashioned, treat you like a local, service. The food is Exquisite, and in a coastal town where practically every restaurant claims to have "award winning chowder". There is no boast at Georgies, just (in my opinion) the best chowder in Newport, OR. The seafood is fresh, The beef is outstanding, the preparation, Presentation, and palette are perfectly delicious, all the way to the deserts. The bar staff is friendly and as one staff-member confided, "I have worked in other places here in town, and I am here because they are good...period".

Yes , folks in today's techno-computerized, microwave, done now, society there is a refuge from the stone cold corporate stay. I suggest you take time to check it out for a couple days, kick back, be comfortable, turn on the fireplace in your room, leave the slider open at night and be lulled to sleep by the mighty rolling pacific. The refuge is called The Hallmark Inn Resort, in Newport, Oregon.
http://www.hallmarkinns.com/index.asp?property=3&rec_id=38

Sunday, May 6, 2012

Spring Bash 2012... Experience of a LifeTime.

The flight from Charlotte to Knoxville was beautiful, it was early AM. The topography below was incredible and I was excited to meet the group responsible for bringing me out to ride and cover this event - This was the People With Disabilities off road Spring Bash presented by Lucas Oil. This was huge, I was thinking, I was going to make contacts and friends united in Off Roading all the way across the country, and I had the opportunity to be involved in something good, Helping disabled kids get on the trails. I was imagining the surprised look on their faces when they saw the helmets from the HEARTS for HELMETS program, and how cool the helmets really were.
Yes, I was filled with excitement and anticipation. My nephew picked me up at the Knoxville airport, and drove out to the Ride Royal Blue ATV park. We pulled in and met the People With Disabilities group, It was great to finally meet in person. There appeared to be some confusion as we attempted to get settled in, about the Loaner ATV and Cabin, but got the cabin settled for sure, and got my stuff moved in and organized.
Late Wednesday morning we had the Loaner quad set up (it was a little disappointing, an older Polaris 400 4x4, but hey it was a quad right ? due to some technical and personnel issues the side by side I was promised was not going to be available at all, so I guess I would make do with what I had.) and headed out for a ride, approximately 5mi. into the ride we had to divert up the bank to avoid a couple downed tress across the trail. While climbing the bank I realized 2 things 1) the 4X4 was in-op, and more importantly 2) Be familiar with your machine and it's limits. The latter I noticed as I was tumbling over backwards. NOT A GOOD start. Unfortunately the little sportsman 400 was damaged enough that we were not able to continue and headed back for camp.
~ Know your equipment, wear your safety gear, be aware, and take extra time to evaluate the situation.
To say that the beginning of The Spring Bash presented by Lucas Oil, was more turbulent than my flight from Seattle to Charlotte is an understatement. There were no more Loaner/ Rental quads available, and there were lots of meetings and backs and forths with my hosts. I helped set up the tent and raffle items and got to meet some amazing folks (Greg, Tracey, Dave, Ed and the little Fronks).
Friday things changed, my host left the event and things were kinda awkward, as I helped my new friends man the tent and sell raffle tickets for trail therapy for special needs children. There were some tense moments but we all adjusted fine, Thanks in a bunch to the Straight-forwardness, honesty and intestinal fortitude of Greg and Tracey.
By late Friday afternoon a big fella' (Luther) came by and invited us over to the mud pit, and gave us directions. After everything that went on in the morning we were skeptical, nonetheless we headed over to the Ride Royal Blue, Tennessee Gumbo pit.

Upon arrival we found Tracey stuck in the middle of the pit with Dwayne, along with a RZR XP900 ... what a sight... the fences were starting to mend. After taking 4 vehicles lashed together to get them out they moved on to the other RZR, an XP900, that was not only stuck, but had broke a belt attempting a self escape from the gooey sticky thick Tennessee muck. To no avail they tried 4 vehicles - 5 vehicles, different rigs - pulling on the back, pulling on the front, Getting the tractor -- NOPE he was freakin' stuck. Than we heard it, my mind instantly went to Maximum Overdrive (a real classic for you younger ones) grind, clank squeek, squeek, clank, grind, clunk, squeek, squeek, (you know the sound). The fact that it was beyond dusk made it even creepier when the dozer cleared the top of the hill, long story short 2 tow straps, 2 winch cables and a dug out pit to about 4' finally released the maimed XP to hard ground. I can not explain the feeling of standing by the mud pit with the whole group, upstanding people dedicated to having fun and the cause, The people who would've just as soon shot us as looked at us that morning, all one big group taunting a poor broke down bastard stuck in the mud.

Saturday morning, as we stood around and drank coffee and waited for the group to get together for the am ride (yes they were going to let me ride again LOL) things really started to come together, We were finally going to run some trails. The dogs and burgers were lined up (thanks to Dwayne). The band was lined up (thanks to Sheila) and we were going for a ride.

Taking off Saturday morning with the MudBuddies, Greg, Ed and the Royal Blue rangers, I reminded my self that it was a loaner quad (Recon 250 2x4), not designed for someone my size, or to ride the way I usually do, and off we went. Up the side of a mountain, switchback to climb to switchback to mud to switchback to creek crossing , ect... ect. The country was beautiful, the trails were well maintained and had areas you could run faster, and rocky edges you had to be technical on, surprisingly for as warm as it was the dust was not overwhelming. We switched positions in line a couple times so I could get some different GoPro footage, and than I noticed Greg dropping back some on his can-am, turns out he was overheating due to the coolant being a little low. No worries though as one of the guys on the ride had a portable, 12volt pump system, just for this kind of situation. We stopped by a small stream and they pumped water from the stream to cool the radiator, and then top it off. Just as we were getting ready to continue JONNY LAW showed up ( A group of 6 rangers in three Side by Sides). Turns out I forgot to get my trail pass that morning and got ticketed, at least the Ranger (name omitted) told me how to get it dropped after I get home. Well by the time the rangers got done with the 7 of us, some of us needed to head back, we had ridden several miles and had to repeat it to get back. The trip back was going well until we ran up on the rangers, they were putting along and would not move over in any wide spots and at one time had us all stopped both directions as they checked for passes with an oncoming group.

The rest of Saturday was busy helping with the raffle stuff ( there was some very cool stuff offered up for raffle- from winch ropes to Utility ATV rear packs), selling tickets and raising money for special needs kids to get Trail Therapy, THIS is why we are here , I remember thinking. A lot of people donated and bought raffle tickets, THANK YOU to all those who did for being so generous !

That evening before the band (POIZEN WHISKEY) Started, Dwayne provided dinner for the whole camp, burgers and dogs and cupcakes, and Greg pulled the raffle winning numbers, with the help of some excited young ATV'ers. The numbers were announced. A bunch of great people got some fantastic prizes. Then it was over to me, to present the HEARTS for HELMETS, Helmets to Mike and Susie from MudBuddies www.mudbuddiesfoundation.com ( PLEASE take the time to go to their website and see the amazing things they are doing). It was a very, very emotional time, and I felt blessed to be able to contribute to such a great cause.
~ As a side note, due to the generosity of many, and with the incredible help, support, and backup from The MotoShop, FLY Racing, and Western Powersports we were able to present 16 Helmets to the MudBuddies Foundation, to be used as loaner helmets in their program...

We did the presentation pictures, and talked and hugged and shook hands and cried, the band played, the music was good, the people were friendly and having a great time. It all came together because of good people , dedicated to a GREAT cause, and I am proud to have been part of it.
~ MAddOG Morrell Motorsports would like to thank :