Update on Taylor Dyess
16-year-old Snocross racer from Pinedale
January 6, 2011
Editor’s Note: 16-year old Taylor Dyess, from Pinedale, has started his 8th season of Snocross racing. Here is an update about what he is doing.
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Happy New Year to Everyone!
Before I go into the recap of our first two races of the season, I want to give the most heartfelt "Thank You" to our very loyal sponsors for allowing us to come into our 8th season of racing! I never dreamed that 8 years ago when we went to our first snocross race at a small local circuit with a 550 fan cooled Arctic Cat mountain sled loaded up in the back of a pickup truck that we would be where we are today!
The 2010-2011 race season is in full swing for khaox.com Snowfire Racing and the whole team is excited and working hard. The first race was at the Amsoil Nationals in Duluth, MN, over Thanksgiving weekend and included qualifier heats for the 2011 Winter X-Games. This is Taylor’s rookie year with the Ski-Doo X-Team in the National Sport Class and his first weekend of racing brought some highs and lows for the race team. After testing and tuning for a couple of days in Aurora, MN, at Planet X, Taylor came out with a 4th place finish in his first heat and a 2nd place finish in his 2nd heat. With over 80 racers in the Sport class at Duluth, Taylor was up against some tough competition but was disqualified in his 2nd heat because of an error during the final lap of the race. Although disappointed, Taylor came back the following day to finish 5th and 7th, respectively, in each of his qualifying heats. Unfortunately, he did not place high enough to qualify for the LCQ or the final and Duluth 2010 was "chalked up" as a learning experience for the whole team.
With Duluth behind him, Taylor traveled to Fargo, ND, two weeks later with a positive attitude and new determination. He was ready for redemption and this new venue would offer a perfect opportunity for him to make that happen. The sun was shining as Taylor lined up for his first heat, but brought no warmth as the wind chill went into the negative digits with the possibility of frostbite looming. One of Taylor’s competitors jumped the flag and decided to blame Taylor for his false start. Unfortunately for Taylor, the flagger believed his competitor and sent Taylor and two other racers to the back row. Unwavering, Taylor lined up in the 2nd row and by the time he hit the first corner, he had already passed all but one of his competitors. Before one lap was completed, Taylor was in 1st place and raced to his very first 1st place finish in the National Sport Class! His 2nd heat saw Taylor coming in 3rd place against the other Sport racers and this put him in position to move directly into the final as the Number 4 Qualifier without having to race in the LCQ (last chance qualifier.) Taylor’s final in Fargo was hard fought as he came from next to last after getting tangled up with another racer in the first corner after winning the holeshot and he finished in 8th place.
Taylor’s successful heats and final in North Dakota, moved him into 16th place in the overall points race in the National Sport Class out of 90 racers in this competitive class. Taylor is one of the youngest racers in the National Sport Class and his positive attitude and determination has prepared him mentally and physically for his upcoming race in Sandy, Utah. The National Race in Sandy is considered a "hometown" race for the Snowfire Team because it is so close to home and friends, family and sponsors are able to watch the "big show" without traveling extremely long distances. The race will be at the Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah, on January 8 which was voted as the Number 1 race venue for the 2009-2010 season, and will include all the big name Pro, Semi-Pro and Sport racers from the National Circuit. Snowfire Racing is looking forward to this race and Taylor is ready to gain some more positions in the points race as well as trying to reach his goal of his first podium finish at the National Level in the Sport Class. Please come join Taylor and the team in Utah for a great day of racing, you won’t be disappointed. Qualifying starts at 2 p.m. with Finals and Opening Ceremonies at 7 p.m. See you all at the races!
- Clark Dyess (Taylor’s father)
www.taylordyess.com
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