Mason has had the bug to go racing for a while now and he has dreams like many across the world to race Loretta Lynn’s. The harsh truth is it’s hard to get there and the work, money, and commitment to get to Loretta’s let alone compete at the National is much harder than most people could imagine. Props to the Reeds for bringing us all on the journey to show us how hard it is even with the right guidance and resources. I don’t want to crush Mason’s dreams, but he’s only raced an 85 one time and only raced one time in 18 months so I said to him if you want to get to Loretta’s you must first accomplish small steps. Family’s and kids dedicate their lives to the sport day in and day out. Traveling hours, days, and sacrifice to make a make in their respected region. The Sleeter family has not put in that work or sacrifice but we do love the sport and riding.

With the above being said I knew the Queensland state titles were coming up and told mason we have two months to get him in his best form in hopes to qualify for the 40 Man line up in the 85 12-15 class. We hit our track that is hard pack no ruts twice a week, he put in solid work on his mtb for his fitness and I invested some money into his bike to make sure he was set up the best way possible to accomplish his goals.

Queensland titles is a 5 moto format over 4 days with timed practice and this year’s race was held at Queensland moto park 90 minutes west of the Gold Coast.  With Mason’s practice and race starting on Saturday I thought it would be a good idea to race myself in the 40+ class. I would race Friday and Saturday with three motos on Friday and two motos on Saturday. I have not had that many days on the bike this year but with Stark Future Varg the skill set comes back quick. I was racing some fast guys in the 40+ class. Robbie Marshall who is still actively racing Australian Pro Nationals, Dave Melish, and Ash Erbacher were some hitters that I needed to make sure I was on my A game to be able to run with them. I qualified 3rd in practice and at with my Varg set a 53 Hp it was time to get in my second gate drop ever on my bike. The revs stayed off and the gate dropped was side by side Rob Marshall into the first turn. Dave Melish got by me really quick, and I settled into third before making a pass later for 2nd. I had that much fun but after the moto I was like oh crap that I’m going to be sore after the end of the day. Moto 2 was a carbon copy almost of Moto 1 and Moto 3 closing out the day was looking the same until I slid the back end out in a bowl turn before an uphill. I went back to 8th and didn’t freak out but by the end of the moto I was only able to 6th. The boys were ripping out front and I felt good, but I lost a ton of points to Melish that moto.

I woke up Saturday morning and told Sarah straight away I can’t race! She laughed out loud at me. I was so sore from pushing so hard with a body that doesn’t have the muscle memory for hard motos like I put in. I wasn’t surprised by this but it’s funny how you think you won’t be sore. It was a big day for Mason as it was practive and qualifying. The track was perfect with big ruts deep loamy turns and big bumps. All the things Mason has minimal experience with. There was 42 riders on the start list so this meant only two kids won’t get to race after the consolation race. In qualifying Mason rode smooth, and strong with no major crashes or incidents leaving him qualifying 37th out of the 42 on the list. Mason was nervous as he should be but now, he was going to the LCQ with 12 other riders where two will be sent home for the weekend in a 10-minute moto. The gate drops and it was Mason’s first race start in over a year. He got a good start and rode strong to make it into the 5 motos. I was so stoked for him because that was our goal. Mason was done for the day and I had two motos to make sure I rode my best that I could with the minimal prep that I put in. The final two motos I finished strong with two more 2nd place finishes battling with the boys from start to finish. With a 2-2-6-2-2 moto scores I ended up 2nd overall. Rob Marshall was on another level then the rest of us and I was stoked for him to sweep all the motos and get the over all winbecause he has put the work in and deserved it. The battles with Melish and Erbacher were so fun. These guys are legends! They ride so well, so smooth and safe unlike some other vet guys that were on the grid but for the most part we had an amazing 5 motos where were safe and made some great racing memories. I was stoked to be on the Varg and learning the bike in a race environment all the while proving it was capable of racing with combustion.

It was all Mason now with 5 motos two complete on a perfect track to challenge him and the other riders to see who the fastest 85 riders were in Queensland. I say Queensland but we had a lot of the country’s best attend minus three that were in Europe for Word Champs. Over the next two days and 5 motos Mason did amazing. He rode smart, within his capabilities and was learning each lap. That’s why we showed up. These kids are the real deal! His highest place finish was 25th in a moto and his overall was 35th. His goal was to make it to the moto and then once he made it in, we reset the goal to top 35. Sarah and I couldn’t be prouder of him. He threw him selves to the wolves and was vulnerable with a realistic expectation of where he was going to finish. I

To sign off on the Queensland titles I want to comment Motorcycling Queensland, Queensland Moto Park, Trent Maher, Matt and Carly Holiday as well as each and every person, sponsor, and racer for making this race one of the best I attended in Australia for competitive Motocross that’s not a professional event. It takes so much work and there are little tweaks I’d like to see but I’m not putting my hand up to do any work so I’ll keep my trap shut and just show my appreciation for putting on this race that my entire family go to enjoy.

Click HERE to learn more about this event

Click HERE for Queensland Titles completer race results

Dad’s Gear: Alpinestars

Mason’s Gear: Seven

Helmets: Alpinestars

Boots: Alpinestars

Goggles: 100% Forecast

Nutrition: Ryno Power

Dad’s Varg Settings

Race time: 13:00

HP settings: two motor at 56HP and three motos at 56HP

Regen; 42%

Battery used per moto: 56% on average each moto

Tires . Pirelli MX32 Soft Mid

Bars/Grips: ODI RC4 bars and Traditional grips

Soil Type: Deep rutted loam

Graphics: Rival Ink

Mason’s 85 GasGas

Cylinder: Stock

Cylinder Head: Phathead Racing

Wheels: Stock Big Wheel

Suspension: Costanzo Racing

Tires . Pirelli MX32 Soft Mid

Graphics: Rival Ink

Bars/Grips: ODI RC4 bars and Lockon grips

I was very fortunate to be able to use the AUSEV F-150 Lighting for the event as I sold my Van the day before. This 4 wheel drive electric F-150 Lighting was incredible. The Frunk holding my gear was insane and of course the power and driveability was unmatched from any truck I’ve ever owned. I got about 500km per charge and topped it up each night with the household charger before having to return it the following Wednesday. One of the major benefits for me was that I can charge the Varg of the Lighting in between moto.

Click HERE to learn more about this truck and AUSEV here in Australia