Manhattan, Kansas’ The Cycle Shop again sponsored the Outlaw No-Bar, heads-up, no-time grudge class at Eddyville Raceway Park’s Trick-Tools MotorcycleMania. A great track is essential for these bikes, and for most of the weekend, that’s exactly what they had.
“On Friday, the track was great and my bike was on absolute rails,” said Altoona racer Patrick Kerr. “No complaints at all and the weekend was looking super promising. Felt I had everyone covered by a long shot.
“Saturday, the track was really tricky in the AM. Was pulling all the power I could to get through the early rounds, and soon as the third round came, the sun was setting and the track was wanting more. This is where it becomes tricky—what is enough? Or too much?
“I was able to put together A to B passes and with enough in the tank to hold off some huge horsepower ProCharger and turbo bikes to keep that win in Iowa!” Kerr beat South Dakota’s Shawn Takoch in Saturday’s final.
“Which really meant a lot to me, as I had my whole team there and family flew in from Arizona,” said Kerr. “Was nice to get that clean sweep with them present. I want to thank my supporters and sponsors, Bill and Chase, my team always in my corner making sure I have all I need to go rounds. Wil Marquardt with The Cycle Shop for a killer motor and all the help I need on the track. Next Level install, Bob with Certified Auto Sales, Tony with Executive Interiors, Doug with Doc Shirts, Brian with Pleasant Hill Auto Body, and Dennis Bailey for helping me wiring, tuning, and bouncing all the ideas needed.
“Boy, Sunday was a tuners race! The track was really good first round and then there was not enough power to even pull out the bike. The more power I pulled, the worse the spin was off the line. Come to find out that was on me. I made tuning mistakes to make it worse and lost in the semis to very tough David Ellenbecker.”
Ellenbecker went on to beat Oklahoma’s Lucas Townsend in Sunday’s final. “We coughed up a valve keeper on our first test pass Friday night,” said David. “By an extreme stroke of luck, there was no damage that couldn’t be undone.”
“My parents brought the spare parts and tools to get it fixed,” said Marquardt.
“I can’t thank Ray and Mara Marquardt enough for driving to Manhattan to pick up the parts and tools and driving them up to us in Eddyville,” said Ellenbecker. “You guys saved our weekend!
“We worked late Friday night tearing the head off the bike and had to sit out of the race Saturday while we performed open heart surgery in the trailer. There were a lot of hands on deck offering help, tools, and a good laugh when it really counted. Wil, Preston, Jadon, Phil, Fitz, Chase, Elvis, Patrick, Seth, Trevor, Ray, Mara, Tony—thank you so much everyone, it really meant the world to me.
“After some elbow grease and a lot of help from our friends, by Saturday afternoon we were back from the dead and made it down the track that evening. As if Wil wasn’t busy enough working on five different bikes that weekend, he somehow managed to get me back on the track within 24 hours.
“Its great to have high level racing in this part of the country,” said Marquardt. “Thanks to everyone who made it possible, especially Eddyville and Trick-tools. This one was a little extra rewarding.”
This story was originally published on August 24, 2022. 
