Name: Richard Lafferty

Birthday; 9-8-74

Bike 2007: Yamaha YZ 250

Debut National Enduro Series: 1997

Hobbies: Hanging out with my son Ryder,                              wakeboarding, playing put-put.

Profession:Sanitation Engineer/ #1 dad

Goals: Finish in the top 5 Overall in the                            National Enduro Championship, To win a             National Enduro.

Sponsors: Moose, Pro Clean, Town and                                 Country KTM, Enduro Engineering,                        Maxxis, Silent Sport, Steahly                                   Renthal, Scott, Arai, Motion Pro                              Fastway, Motorex, Braking, Ten                              Racing, Asterisk, Skin, FMF, Domino

Residence: Port Elizabeth, New Jersey

National Enduro Championship

Rich Lafferty Race Results.....................Oklahoma Qualifier May  26-27  10th E-2 and Ohio National  Enduro  June 4th...7th overall

Both were great races, Oklahoma was dry an dusty while Ohio was muddy and wet. After leaving Oklahoma I definately need to work on flat turns/grasss tracks.  Ohio, I was ready to put the hammer down an redeem myself for the bad luck I had in Missouri. The first section went okay. Some typical southern ohio, with slick muddy trails with some good uphills, and tight off cambers.  The  next section, I didnt get a mile before I came into a muddhole and stopped to pick my line threw it and up the hill after it. Well, the line I picked was ok, but the way up the steep bank wasn’t, as I tryed to ghost the bike up the hill as a last ditch effort to get it to the top, it on ly leaped back and flipped in the air to land back in the mudd at the bottom. So I picked it up and found a better way up. I  was yes a little miffed at myself for the bad decision, but mentally knew I had to keep my head in the game, and just focus on riding hard.  So I went into the next section with hopes of turning things around, only  to get lost twice for at least aminute each in that section. Okay just relax an keep your head on straight I kept telling myself. So at the gas stop I ate and hydrated and changed out of my muddy gear into some fresh gear. The section out of the gas you got checked in at the same place the start to the first section  was only to go down the road instead of down the trail we used in the morning. I didnt  get a half mile down that woods road before I realized I was out of  arrows an there was no fresh tracks in front of me, so yes I turned around and tryed not to get run into by the guys on my number an found the turn I had missed. The trail was fresh for a little while then led us on to the section we  rode first thing in the morning, wich was good because it dried out some an was  good an tacky. A mile or so later I come out on this old clear cut road with John Barber and the rest of his minute coming backward towards me. I stopped  thinking what now. He stopped an then pointed at the mileage marker on the tree which was from the morning an not matching where we should be now, and said that we were going the wrong way, an we must have missed something.So for a split second I said ok we must have missed something and I turned around an went back with him a little ways before I just stopped and said to myself, I really didn’t see where it was arrowed to go anywhere else. So I then turned back around and  started to follow the arrows again, where it eventually turned off and started  to look like the right way since the mileage markers started to match. The club just forgot to change the other ones for the afternoon loop. So once I arrived  at the check out I was petty pissed off.  I had wasted alot of valuable time being lost, stuck and confused. With three sections left I again tryed to dismiss all that negativity that was going threw my head and focus on puttin some good sections together. So that’s what I did. Everyone was starting to look a little tired, wich I still felt fresh an ready to go. The last three sections  where tough typical southern Ohio. Mentally I was feeling better and charging I  riding better.  I almost wished there was one section to go, but at 170 route sheet miles, and 117 actual miles, I think we all would agree that the club  had put us threw enough.  So after all that I was in 7th overall with a score of 85, wich is descent but not at all what I know im capable of. Im not sure how many people finished but I would be willing to bet that no c-riders finished at all.  This was a tough one, and was glad to bring myself out of the rut an put in some descent scores in last sectios of the day. Well I gotta go......till next time  thanks for all the support from my sponsors and especially to my girlfriend  Noelle, Dave, Ray, and everyone for there help for the  weekend.............Rich