Going beyond just a hobby...

The 24 GNCC tour finished up Sunday in Indiana. Pretty dusty, pretty silty, pretty crowded, pretty cool to see that many people at an off-road dirt bike race (although I am glad that it’s only like that once a year). 731 riders in my race - SMH. I got my hands on a 2025 Sherco SEF300 and decided pretty much at the last minute, to race it. Most everything about the bike is different than the previous generation, so I figured the best way to get used to it, was to race it. In a nutshell - mediocre start - fell early in lap one and got passed by 127 bikes - 4th after lap one - 2nd after lap two - lost some time lap three - last lap I had some struggles and was going to be content to finish 2nd - the leader had bigger struggles and I somehow was able to grab the victory by just under a minute. As my dad always told me “just give yourself a chance”.

A few side notes: really proud of @cjpratt49 for his ride at not only this race (he won Open B), but the entire season. It’s a big commitment and every race is a massive learning curve when you’ve never seen the tracks. Top 5 for the season is solid. @hunter.smith.9.5 stepped up his program, put in the work, occasionally listened to my advice, and won Open A for the year. Two high fives kid.

I prepped not only my own Sherco for every race, but also CJs Sherco for every race, and Prestins’ Sherco for 8 rounds. 100% finishing rate - no mechanical DNFs in 31 starts - yeah, I’m proud of that too. 

As always, the people and companies that support what I do, are very much appreciated. It’s a pleasure to be associated with all of them. 

#franktour24 #leadbyexample #nodnfs 

I suppose it’s my post so I’m free to say what I think. My dad always tried to find the good in every race. In his words “they’re all different”. This weekends GNCC in WV was a challenge for me to find “the good”. Simply put, The Mountaineer was a combination of my least favorite trail conditions - dust and rocks.

CJ and I didn’t get on the road until late Saturday afternoon and before we had made it two hours, I had two phone calls that recommended we “go back to where you came from”. We ignored that advice and got to the track just before 3am. By being late, I avoided looking at the course and listening to all the negativity about the conditions. See - there’s a positive right there.

I got a bad jump, swept outside, fortunately got into 2nd going into the woods. From there on, I rode cautious and timid and within my means. I had to push up a hill on lap three and had more than one moment where I was in the right place at the right time. 3 miles from the end I cleanly got up a silt hill and took over the lead (for the 3rd time). From there, I just tried to avoid any mistakes and get to the finish. Thankful to win +50 “A” for the 7th time this season and clinch the class championship as well.

These things aren’t easy and they’re not all fun. It’s a challenge to find the “want to” sometimes, especially on days like these. But that’s when you find out what you’re capable of. As the saying goes “if it was easy, anyone could do it”.

Many thanks to everyone that agrees to keep making what I do possible.

#franktour24 #sufferfest #dayslikethis 

I’ve thought it before and I think it again, the Buckwheat GNCC is the best West Virginia race I’ve ever ridden. This years version threatened to be dusty - then a Saturday afternoon thunderstorm threatened a mudder - then the quads blew off the slime and other than a few slippery spots, the track was sweet. Arguably it was a bit tough to pass since the conditions created one really good line and everyone wanted to ride there. But some patience, some persistence, some good fortune, passing was quite possible. I battled with @jf_703 for much of the race, most of the time with him leading the way. Seemed like each time I made a pass, he quickly returned the favor. I led going into the last lap, he passed me when I hesitated choosing a line through a mud-hole, then I took a better line at the four mile mark and tried to sprint away. I got some traffic in between us and rode good the last several miles to grab my sixth win of the series in “A” +50. Big thanks again to those that keep my program together. 

#franktour24 #whitegearmatters #italwaysrains 

Double dipped over the weekend. Extreme XC on Saturday in Indiana - I wouldn’t say my first lap was disastrous but I’d say it was fairly horrendous. Of the 3 “Pro Hills”, I didn’t see the first one on lap one, I failed to make it up the second one (and I caused a huge traffic jam), and I still have no idea where the third one was. I lost two minutes on lap one, but rode good the rest of the day while battling on the track with @cjpratt49 and @jf_703 . Overall a mostly fun day - P1 +40 “A” - P8 OA (20 seconds from 6th).

Sunday was a SOIL Sprint Enduro in Illinois. Never really found my groove in the longer test. I missed a handful of corners each time thru and CJ and I didn’t do ourselves any favors by riding together the first time. It was plenty dusty and we basically took turns holding each other up. We were both 45 seconds quicker on our own (lesson learned). I was barely a top 20 guy in that section. The shorter test I was a top 10 guy. The conditions were no better in there, but I didn’t feel like the trail was as broken up - not as many 90 degree or greater corners going from old trail to new. My best time in each section, I crashed. That’s a problem. P2 in +30 “A”.

#franktour24 #wheresthetracktape #isthisthe90s 

The Mission Impossible IXCR in Attica IN could possibly be the most diverse cross country course I’ve ridden - for sure this year. Yeah - it’s summer time so there was some dust in the fields. But - the rest of the track was super cool. Fast stuff, slow stuff, big ups, big downs, sand, mud, hard pack, and a rock section that would make a Hard Enduro rider proud. I had a clean ride and won the “A” +40 class. I’ll go ahead and mention how impressive the Pro class is at these things. It’s as solid as any local series I’ve seen in a long time. Somebody is doing something right in Indiana!

#franktour24 #summertime #thekidsarefast 

The IXCR in Brazil, IN had more than its fair share of dust this weekend. The wooded areas were nearly perfect, but the fields and moto section were fairly miserable. I didn’t even get a bad start and I still couldn’t see my handlebars for the first 2-3 minutes of the race. 

When we finally got to the woods, I pushed pretty hard and got into the lead. From then on, I tried to remember the good lines through the up and down stuff and stay out of the silt in the open areas. Took no big chances and had no big mistakes. P1 in A +40.

#franktour24 #itsthattimeofyear #siltsucks 

The IXCR in Rockville, IN had wide open dusty fields, tank deep sand/mud ruts, and just about everything in between. I just about got really, really stuck twice on the first lap (I feel sorry for whoever attempted to follow me through those particular spots) and then failed to clear “Pro Hill” on lap two (see last pic). Despite those mistakes, the rest of my day was pretty good and I collected the win in the “A” +40. Big thanks to @siegel770 and @taybonecutter721 for the quick and efficient pit stop(s).

#franktour24 #mudanddust #deletethevideo 

There’s about 37 things I could say about the Snowshoe GNCC but I’ll go with this. I woke up at 5:00 Sunday morning and was pretty sure someone had my head stuck in a vice and every minute, they’d give it one more twist of the handle. I got up to find some ibuprofen and get a drink……and threw up. At 9:18, this was still going on. The race was at 10:00. Sweet. I decided that I’d driven 14 1/2 hours to be there, so I needed to at least try - and set an example for the impressionable youngsters that you can’t be a wussy your whole life (yeah, that’s spelled with a “w”).

Somehow, some way, I was able to convince myself that it was only 2 hours and I got through it. I felt like I rode at about 80%, but I fell only once and never got hung up in any of the bottlenecks. P1 in +50 “A” and I’ll be the first to admit, that surprised even me. It’s pretty amazing what we are capable of when you put your mind to it. Dirt bikers are a special breed. Or stupid. #franktour24 #ridetillyoupuke #tellmeicantandiwill 

The Mason Dixon GNCC in Pennsylvania (or West Virginia) tried very hard to follow along with the theme this year of wet/muddy/slick GNCCs. 1 outta 3 ain’t bad I suppose. The drizzle Sunday morning kept our race slippery most of the way thru the 2 hours, but I felt like things got more predictable later in the race. I was in a 3-way battle for the first half of the race, then I made a mistake during the pit stop (all on me), so I rode my ass off to catch up with a lap to go. It was full on traffic & chaos the last lap (both biceps are bruised from it) but I was able to slide into the lead at the 6 mile mark and pull away to the +50 “A” win. Grateful for all the support. #franktour24 #anywhichwayyoucan #dontgiveup 

Well - 7 rounds into the GNCC series and 5 times, it’s rained (to some extent). Taking a glance thru the results, it’s becoming obvious that the riders that are still there, really want to be there. Or don’t know any better. Or aren’t too smart……

Powerline Park in Ohio kept with the rain-race theme, but it honestly wasn’t as bad as I expected it to be. Judging by the parking lot and the number of bicycles being pushed around (and not ridden), I expected a complete and total shit-show in the woods. I was wrong (thankfully) and it was only about half shit-show.

I opted for the jersey over the roost guard and rode about as goon as that looks for the first half of the race. Dress the part - be the part I suppose. I only fell once and that was leaving the pits, realizing I was in neutral, couldn’t touch the ground, and dropped the bike. Musta been the jersey over that caused it. Thankfully my name isn’t on my back so no one knew it was me. 

Goon or not, I rode well enough to win the +50 “A” class so that’s always a good day. Honestly tho, watching the circus in the parking lot was maybe the most fun part of the weekend. BTW - I drove in AND I drove out unassisted. That’s two wins on the weekend. 

#franktour24 #whatraindates #gottawantit 

The Hoosier GNCC was plenty tough. A soft and rutted and really physical track made for a challenging day. The section from the finish line to the one mile mark was a total shit-show on lap two and it was no less of a shit-show on lap four. Sure glad the loggers made that section so nice for us morning racers, that the afternoon guys got to skip it. All y’all are welcome. Considering how brutal the course was, my day was pretty good. I had to get off and push once over some logs, but other than that, no real issues. Got the win in +50 “A” so that’s always cool. Thanks one more time to everyone who supports me and my program. 

#franktour24 #aintsupposedtobeeasy #washedup 

I took the opportunity to double dip in Indiana over the weekend. The Crossroads race on Saturday had amazing dirt all the way around with plenty of ruts to choose from. 20 miles down the road, the IXCR event on Sunday was almost as good, conditions-wise - just a few dusty spots out in the open but also some challenging mud holes in the woods. Lots and lots of riders both days with deep talent pools for what are considered “local races”. Since when does 1140 riders classify as “local” tho? Won the “A” +40 class both days and kept many of the kids honest, which is always the goal. 

Fun fact - here are my first four lap times (in order) from Sunday:

20:17.777

20:17.710

20:21.580

20:22.289

I pitted myself on lap five and dropped off by 17 seconds………next time I will try to be more consistent. 

#franktour24  #consistency #alldaylong 

GNCC honored my dad at their 2022 Awards Banquet with a teardrop award and a very nice speech about him. It was very unexpected - mostly because Dad and I hadn’t been to that many GNCC events in recent years (until 2021). But they “get it” and I’ll always be thankful to them for thinking about him. 

Border Battle named “Franks Boys” (Colton Pratt, Dalton Young, and myself) as "Team of the Year" in their series. Two hi-fives to them for understanding what #franktour is all about.

The Leivan Family was inducted into the Hot Shoe Hall of Fame in Las Vegas. This is an incredible honor and we greatly appreciate them recognizing all of us for our efforts in sharing the love of motorcycle racing with others...which is all because of Dad's passion for dirt bikesl

The Missouri Hare Scrambles Championship created a new traveling trophy that is carried around by their reigning champion. It is now the “Frank Leivan Traveling Trophy” and they handed down the old one to my family. Thankful to the group for realizing what Dad did for off-road racing in Missouri.