Wow! Full steam ahead for the 2014 Mtn. Dew ATV Motocross National Championship and round 4 is in the history books, which brings us now to the midway point of the season. How strange is that? Two weeks ago we were just getting fix back on and now here we are facing round 5 of a 9 round series. With that being said, I did have to miss the ATV Showdown at Sunset Ridge, which is one of my favorite stops on the tour. Not only did I miss out on going but also on another spectacular weekend of racing.

I would like to congratulate Thomas Brown on his big win at Walnut and also Jeffery Rastrelli who has shown consistently strong rides each round this season and had it not been for mechanical errors he may have had an even bigger weekend than he expected at this point. I wasn’t there and it is hard to translate the feeling and what happened there so I will let Ken Hill take care of ATV Showdown thoughts in a moment.

Before we get there I thought it might be a good time to start looking ahead to the Built Ford Tough Ohio National at Briarcliff MX next weekend. I know with this being a new venue there are a lot of questions. There are some that did get a chance to look at the track for Crew Fest, which was rained out, but there were folks there and they have an idea what to expect.

The track is located in central Ohio not too from the state capitol in Columbus. This being said it could be worth coming to a few days early to check out the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum in Pickerington as well there are plenty of shopping opportunities and don’t forget the Ohio State University campus located there as well.

Jeremy from Briarcliff sent me a list of things going on for the big race weekend and said that on Friday June 13: 5-7pm is the “Pit vehicle Ruckus”: Including Golf Carts, mini bike (12" & up) & mini ATVs 90cc&under. This will be taking place on the mini track so it should be a lot of fun for the whole family.

Also on Friday there will be a dunk tank. You will have a chance to dunk your favorite AMA Pros, industry, team owners and mechanics. All proceeds will go towards the pro purse for Saturday!

Then on Saturday evening after racing there will be the following:

- Pit Party: Music, Food, & Fun for the whole family!

-UTV Rumble class Open A, Open B/C, and a father & son class.  This will be held on the national track at 6:30 pm.

Also a reminder if your GPS brings you through Hanover, it is a little town & the roads are rather winding which is said to be about like the road to muddy creek so proceed with caution! 

Things to know for that weekend:

-There will be porta-johns but no showers. If you need a shower the Dillion Campground is less than 10 minutes away and charges only $1.00 to shower (9am-9:30 pm Friday & Saturday). This is a good place to camp if you don't want stay at the track. They have electric, water, and cabins. They also have a laundry mat.

Here is a list of the following places for food, beverages and other supplies:

-Panther pizza delivers.

-Subway in town only a few minutes away.

-Gas Station is only minutes up the road they are stocked up on beer & ice.

Also http://www.briarcliffmx.com/ama-atv-national/ has a nice list of the local food, hotels, shopping etc.

If coming from the west, stop by and see the AMA Hall of Fame Museum in Pickerington. If coming from the east you can visit The Wilds, they have zip line & animal safari tours.

Now let’s check in with Ken “Fastest, Smoothest Camera in the West” Hill: (He can say that now since he finally went to Illinois.

Well, Sunset Ridge is history. It was indeed my first trip to that track and I was quite impressed. The region is nice, my kind of farmland and not too far from town for goodies. The track itself, wow, big sandy loam! The big 110 footer was keeping everyone glued to the fence as the racers went way up and over!

Now the Pro race had some serious twists and turns which hey, as fans that is what we want! It was good to see Upperman riding his hind end off and for Brown to make that last dash to take the win. Good stuff no doubt! The Chad Wienen fans got to see him do well and they could be heard all the way across the track when he would race by! Overall a good family feel to the weekend.

Pro-Am was just as exciting. I would have bet money that Jeffrey Rastrelli was going to put another win down, but as he came around a turn I saw him look down and that was that, a few sections later and he was walking towards the mechanics area. Tough break, but that opened the door for Ronnie Higgerson to take the win. If you are into big cheesy smiles, then you should have your fill from both premier classes because not even soap will take the grins off the two overall winners for quite a while.

The racing had its downs as well, with riders like John Natalie having finishes that I am sure he would have liked to been better. It is so hard for the top tier riders to accept anything but out right success. That same feeling hit Rastrelli Sunday even after having an incredible finish in Pro. Hetrick and Creamer, same deal, both are capable but failed to launch.

I am pretty sure the upcoming round at Briarcliff is going to be one to watch. So many riders just chomping at the bit for a podium finish that things could get dicey. These guys are going to go at it even harder which will be insane to watch but hard on the rider so praying for a clean and safe race.

Speaking of Briarcliff, I have been chatting with Jeremy Osborne, the track owner at Briarcliff MX and I must say, he sure is eager to get this event rolled out! He is very active in social media and very open when it comes to his attitude and feelings so this should be a great weekend! I ran a few questions past Jeremy to get his vibe on things.

ATVmotocross.com: So how pumped are you and your crew as we near the Built Ford Tough Briarcliff ATV National?

Jeremy Osborne: "Tons of people have been asking me if I feel nervous, and honestly I'm more excited than nervous. Everyday I get more pumped. This is going to be great. "

You have been actively posting on social media for months about changes and improvements to the facility, can you tell us some of the things you feel will help make this event a success?

"The biggest thing we have going for us is positive buzz about Briarcliff MX, social media allows us to reach a relatively large group of people instantly. A very powerful tool. I don't think the track would have grown from zero to what it is in none years without it.

Also, knowing that we do have a good track and we work so hard at improving our setup constantly really helps our confidence going into this event. It does make me excited that top riders and fans are seeing this and it makes them excited too."

What is the one thing you hope that every racer takes away from this inaugural round at Briarcliff MX?

"I hope that every racer leaves the cliff thinking that might have been one if the best tracks I have ever ridden, a great experience, and I just left a facility that is on the rise over the next 5 years"

There you have it folks, the lowdown before the showdown! See everyone at the Cliff!

Thanks Ken. And it looks like everyone is kind of excited about The Ohio National. 

That’s it for now. Till next time, God Bless Your Heart and All Your Vital Organs!