Issue link: http://trailridermagazine.uberflip.com/i/241252
Letters to the Editor Kevin, Had some time and thought I'd write a "letter to the editor." As I write this, a few days have gone by since the passing of off-road racer Kurt Caselli. We have all had a little bit of time to process this and deal with it in our own ways. I have never met Kurt, but have always followed his progress as a racer, most recently as a rally racer and of course in his role with team USA's ISDE efforts. He was/is an inspiration and great role model for anyone that knows the off-road scene, I always thought of him as a modern day Steve McQueen. The tragic events from a few days ago have driven a few things home in my little brain that I hope to never forget again. We all love this sport and live it daily. If we are not racing ourselves, we watch our riders train, prepare, race, fail, and succeed. We try to provide as much help and support as possible. In our case the racer is our son, so the emotional roller coaster ride is at times greater than even I ever imagined. Over the years I have developed a few nervous ticks, forgot to breathe while standing in the pit area waiting for junior to come through. I have said random things to random people without ever realizing it, caught myself talking to, well…myself. I have fixed things that aren't broken just to stop myself from over thinking things, as he might be 40 seconds (which 6 Trail Rider seems like hours at the time) late. Everyone has their own way of dealing with this stuff, but we ALL do it in some way. When your rider comes down a straight away in 5th gear tapped and hits a little kicker that causes the bike to swap side to side, narrowly skirting trees and rocks as he somehow finds a way to pull it out without a crash, your heart stops for an instant, yet you blow it off as a "nice save" and move on. You don't allow yourself to think about the "what if's" as you would probably never sleep again. You support your rider, compliment him on the ride, and get him ready for the next race. We have had our share of crashes, and hospital visits, and never once had I considered these events to be bad luck, quite the opposite. We were the luckiest family out there. Crutches and a few weeks off - big deal. We get to come back and do it again soon and I thank God for it daily! So, now that our community has lost a hero, should this change how we approach our sport? Should it make us question if what we do is the most irresponsible thing we could possibly expose our sons and daughters to? Probably so. And I did just that over the last few days and am sure I'll do it for the rest of my life. To those of you that roll up to the line to earn a pay check, to those of you that "aspire" to roll up to the line to earn a paycheck, and to those of you that do this just because it's a crap load of fun and it makes you feel alive - racing is a passion. We share it. We love it. Passion drives the world. Live with passion. Godspeed KC Best, Wolfgang - Stafford, CT Kevin, Your article in the November 2013 issue on Dunlop Geomax AT81 tires for New England rock gardens was very good. I live in Northern Virginia, but our trails in the western mountains and in West Virginia are full of slippery rocks, mud, roots, and other similarities. I plan on trying the Bridgestone M59/Pirelli MT-16 combo or the Dunlop AT81 on my KTM 300 XC/W soon. But for my street legal dual sport bikes, what are the best tires that you recommend for the same conditions that are also DOT legal? I want DOT tires that are dirt oriented for the same conditions, if possible. Are there any DOT tires out there that are acceptable or come close? Thanks, Bob Woodbridge, VA www.TrailRider.com