Well, this is my last article for the 2008 season. Crazy to think how fast 17 weeks of racing flies by! While the season is definitely eventful it is a sigh of relief to know that Supercross is over and Joe is walking away in one piece!
This past week saw me and the kids traveling to the test tracks again with Joe. It is something that I have always had a passion for and am extremely happy to be able to go to work with my husband and kids to a great atmosphere. We picked up his parents at the airport late Wednesday night so that they could make the car ride up to Vegas with us on Friday.
We got to Vegas Friday just after noon. Joe went to the track to do some minor bike work with his mechanic and I prepared the kids for an afternoon at the hotel pool with Grandma and Grandpa. Joe was able to come as well, which is something that we rarely ever do. Most of the time, we are in and out of the city where the race is before we can even sit back and enjoy the surroundings! We generally only get to see the airport, hotel and track…that’s about it!
Joe got to the track early on Saturday while I came later with the family. All he could talk about after the track walk was just how fast the track was going to be. Joe actually sounded excited to race! Practice went great for him as he placed on the leader board at the end of his 2nd practice in 4th place…something that Joe hasn’t done all year.
He came out in the first heat back in the pack, but made his way up to 15th by the end of the moto. He was riding pretty well, but still needed a better start! In the LCQ he started off about 8th and rode aggressive to place him in 6th by the checkered flag…his best finish this year. Better late than never he told me later on with a grin on his face! All in all, his night went well, not because of his best ride this year, but because he walked away feeling good about his riding and knowing that he did just about the best he could with what he had.
To say that I am proud of him is an understatement! We had a group of family and friends cheering him on this year in Vegas – almost a whole row in the stands! It was great to be able to celebrate his ride that night with everyone!
Since Grandma and Grandpa were in town, they offered to watch the kids for us so we could go out and enjoy ourselves. We gathered the group and hit the blackjack tables and bar on the strip. We wound back up in the room just before daylight on Sunday…which for those of you with young kids know – anything past 9pm is late! We truly enjoyed ourselves with friends – oh the stories! We traveled the 3 hours back home on Sunday afternoon.
I have said before that I am honored to be able to tell our story. I didn’t really know there were that many people that still cheered on the privateers. So many have watched Joe’s racing this year and have expressed their support for him both financially and spiritually. It’s an awesome feeling to see this little kids tapping Joe on the leg and asking for his autograph. Or even when our nephew gets woken up from his nap to be told that Uncle Joe is on tv and his response is “Uncle Joe is always on tv” and falls back asleep! Sometimes, I have to do a reality check to know that is my husband…just your average Joe. However, to some he is more than that. He is someone that went against all odds and chose dirt bikes over sports in high school. He wasn’t well supported in the beginning by his small town community, but now, whenever we get the chance to get back home to Ohio, they all comment on how much they watch him on television and listen to the races online.
Joe is the same guy I have known since we were about 5 years old. Never into himself and always took what he was given with great pride. He wasn’t the fastest kid out on the track, but he knew that he loved riding a motorcycle and he had the chance to do it for a career. I am glad he did! Without bikes in our lives, I would be able to park my car in my 2 ½ car garage!
There have been many times lately that I have wondered if this will be the last time Joe races SX. I still don’t know that answer, but I can truly say that the journey with him has been awesome! We have met so many wonderful people within this racing community! I can’t believe the friends we have still now after the “old privateers” are beginning to dwindle out of the ranks making room for the young ones coming up.
It will be weird not to see Joe on tv or the internet as much as this outdoor season he won’t be racing. It is just too expensive for us to get him to the races. I hate to see it come down to money, but then again, things have to come to an end sometime.
I hope that we are able to stay in touch with everyone that we have met along the way – both family and friends! I will still be out at Competitive Edge every weekend. As for Joe, I don’t’ really know the plan of action he is preparing himself for. I think that he is still debating his retirement. As much as I hate to see it come, I can’t imagine what he is going through in his head. One thing is for sure, he will be able to look back in 20 years and say that he raced with the best of the best and finished right up there…broken neck and all!
Joe started out with a goal to get a national number in 1995. It’s now 2008 and he was able to get 8 of those numbers within the top 100. I couldn’t be more proud! That’s the Joe that I watched come back from every crash, every injury and every bad comment to prove his critics wrong…and I was there to witness it! They say whatever you are…be good at it. Well, I am the first to say that Joe Oehlhof was and still is great at professional motocross racing.
Thanks for reading and see you at the races!
