Acadiana Racing

April '09 Interview with Mississippi / Alabama's Carsten Cagle

We caught up with past 2005 SERA Enduro Series Champion (done on RM125 that is) fresh after his 5th overall finish at the Alligator National Enduro stacked with pros and his overall win at the SERA Round 2 enduro in MS. Since then he's also finished 10th Overall / 1st SERA at the Cajun Classic National enduro in LA. Read below for more:

Cagle en route to winning the SERA Round 2 enduro. Photo by Ashlee Knight.

(Red text-Acadiana Racing)
(White text-Cagle)

Carsten on how his day went at the Alligator National:

1	MICHAEL LAFFERTY
2	RUSSELL BOBBITT
3	WALLACE PALMER
4	BRAD BAKKEN
5	CARSTEN CAGLE
6	JASON RAINES
7	NICK FAHRINGER
8	FRED HOESS
9	COLE KIRKPATRICK
10	IAN BLYTHE

I was on row 44. I was one of the procrastinators that sent the entry in a little too late, and was placed on the waiting list, so it was relieving to get the same row I requested at 44. The row was great. This was my first time to ride the Alligator, and I hear it gets super muddy towards the back with rain, but fortunately the weather and soil conditions were great. The trails do not get ridden during the year and the Daytona Dirt Riders only get a few weeks before the race to get the trails ready, so being further back was beneficial, plus the mid 40's is where I like to be. The KTM 150 ran fantastic, it powered through the sand much better then I expected. It was exciting to tie Raines and beat some other good riders. I had consistent times all day and that proved to be key.


I plan to ride all the nationals this year, we decided towards the end of last year to give it a try. The schedule is a little more travel friendly then in the past, it is great to have the first 5 races in the Southeast. It was cool to see many SERA riders at the first 3 races. Getting to Wyoming and Montana are gonna be work, but it is part of the package.

Carsten on his way to a 5th Overall at the Alligator - Photos by the talented Kenny King

On the SERA MS Hipoint "Bear Whiz" Enduro where he won the overall ahead of
'08 Enduro Champion Cliff Ousley (KTM) and Nathan Knight (KTM):

The Bear Whiz went well, the conditions were really good. The special tests weren't much to separate the field, but the club did a great job of getting it all together. I'm sure it was a refresher for many after the gnarly opener in Meridian [riders woke up Sunday morning to a snow storm...Cagle worked the event]. We raced the KTM 250 for the first time and it felt really good, it was fun to have the extra horses to romp during the long transfer sections.

On the loamy black dirt: Yeah, the traction was awesome, it didn't take long to remember how quick the front end can come up on a 250. I was running the Pirelli MX Extra, it is an awesome tire and tracks well on many different terrains.

On his plans for '09 and going up against '08 SERA Champion Cliff Ousley:

I'm looking to spend most of my energy racing the nationals, but still gonna try to race 8 or 9 SERA enduros to qualify for the championship. The past few years have been a little disappointing for us, after the 2005 championship we ran into some bad luck. I was turning in great times battling with Clay Boreing and then Cliff, and though my under-paid mechanic [Dad Neal] was hard at work, problems kept occurring, mostly with brakes. Everyone goes through those spells, it becomes mental, it seems the harder you work to prevent problems the more they occur! I needed to get grounded, and for me, this was going back to a 125, or should I say 144. And although I didn't win the series last year, I have a much better mindset. Going into this season, I'm just gonna stay focused on consistency and I am confident that we can win the 09' series. Cliff is a great rider and competitor, win or lose, there is no doubt in my mind that it will be very close, I am also looking forward to other riders getting in the mix for overalls, SERA has alot of young talent on deck so it will just be a matter of time.

Aboard 144 during the Alligator National
Photo by Ashlee Knight

Just a few small examples of some of SERA's "Young Talent" coming after Cagle, Ousley, & the other AA's:
Spencer Cook By Kenny King	Tyler Carter By Shan Moore	Jordyn DuBose By Shan Moore	Hunter Walters By Kenny King	Steve Nicholas Jr. By Carolyn Reed

'08 Clanton Enduro leading Cook, DuBose, and Sasser

Cherokee National - Photos by Ashlee Knight

On training:

I have been weight training a few days a week along with some cardio. Off road racing is so demanding on the body, I don't practice, and in the past I have not done much training, but I know to be competitive in the nationals I must get stronger, for the next few months I have committed to getting in better shape and so far it really feels good.

Ashlee Knight Photo

If he'll come over one weekend and try a
LA Cross-Country round!

I checked out the LACC website and it looks awesome! It is great to see y'all organize this series. Promoting offroad racing on a more local level is really cool, series like this will surely build more support for offroad racing and flow over to SERA. Its gonna provide an easier entry for new riders to the offroad racing scene in LA and West MS and add another level of competition to the region.

Wouldn't it be great if every state in SERA had its own championship series! Years ago, I would no doubt be racing it up in the LACC, but for me now, there is a fine balance between work, race, and other pleasures, but I will definitely make it to one.

Ashlee Knight Photo

Getting ready to win the '08 SERA TN "Rad Dad" Enduro

On the new national enduro restart format:

I am a fan of the restart format. I have always liked races that used restarts, like Clanton, AL. The best thing about the format is that the fastest racer wins, it is just that simple. Enduro, for me, has not just been about timekeeping, I am not stuck on this aspect of it, so much of it stays the same with the restart format, it takes out the guess work and supports a more consistent layout. No worries with checkpoint information leaks, trickery, and 'chancing it'. No doubt there exist nostalgia for timekeeping and I can see how many may have negative feelings about the restart format and there will always be some resistance for it in SERA. But I think, for better or worse, the restart format will prevail in most SERA races in the future and I am completely fine with that. However, for what its worth, I don't think it would ever be necessary to introduce a rule change in SERA making the restart format mandatory.

But the thing I like most about the nationals is the points scoring. I've always disliked how it was possible to be the fastest rider on the coarse but fall on the wrong side of a flip.

To beat your competition by multiple seconds within the same minute for 5 out of 6 sections, and then, in one section you fall on an :01 and your competitor gets a :59 and wins by a minute, is that really fair? The fastest rider surely didn't win, and no competitor wants to win like this.

Obviously, the NEPG scoring works best with the restart format, but, with a few rule changes, it seems possible to implement it in the traditional format as well.

Hauling through a LA "sand wash" during the '08 Cajun Classic National By Kenny King

The NEPG has done an amazing job to improve the series, they have made some really big changes that has raised the level of competition and increased turnouts; it is way better then our last full season in 2002. But, the schedule is still a little out of reach. Its the only off road series with a country wide schedule, and look at what regions are mostly represented in the entries. The Nationals have lacked full season rider participation across all classes. We all know only a few has the skill and determination to get the full support necessary to make it a career, whether we are in the Pro class or Senior A class, we compete to compare to that next level above our regional series, a 30 hour drive and over a week leave from work is a little too much for most. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying the NEPG should be exclusively in the southeast either, that wouldn't be cool!!

'08 Cajun Classic National Enduro Photos By Debbie Lafleur

'08 SERA Clanton Enduro by Kenny King (inset by Carolyn Reed)

On going from RM & YZ250 to KTM144 (currently back to KTM250):

As I said above, we went back to a small bore after 2 problematic years aboard 250's. I felt much the same way as I did in 2005 when I went back to a 125 after a rough season in 04'. I have always really enjoyed racing 125's, they are super light and handle so well, and are very dependable. The KTM 144 has been an absolutely amazing motor.

On life away from racing:

The j-o-b is good, I am currently working in Birmingham, AL with Capstone Building Corp. I have been with Capstone since graduating from Southern Miss in 2004 and I am fortunate to work with some great people.

And about school, I don't ever remember worrying! or wait, did I worry, oh well, can't remember, but what a heck of a time!! And girls, well, the search continues, what else can I say!

Yeah Lucas, I love music. I don't go to many concerts and all as much anymore, but I enjoy catching live shows at local bars, there is an amazing amount of talent out there, just traveling around in their van and playing all over the country night in and night out.

'07 TN National Enduro by Carolyn Reed

Straightline Suspension

The folks who make it possible and the products/services Cagle trusts:

I would like to thank Robert Morris, owner of House of Cycles for his continued support. A very big thanks to Shane Baronet of Straight Line Suspension, he has worked with Dad and I for many years now. Shane has done an amazing job setting up all the many different bikes throughout the years, every time providing us with what we feel is a major advantage over the competition, his vast knowledge of suspension, motors, and just general mechanics has been a huge help!! Moose Racing has been there for us for years, and I love their gear, along with Alpinestars, Smith, Pirelli, No-Toil and BRP. We have ran the Rekluse clutch in 4 bikes now, after the first ride with the Rekluse, I knew this was a product here to stay and the durability is amazing. I really appreciate all the help Jeremy Ketchum and KTM has provided. Mom and Dad, they're great, I haven't kept the motor for about 9 years now. The bike stays with my mechanic, who by coincidence is also my Dad. After the races, we make fast to Meridian, where I then continue the trip on to Birmingham. So, most times he gets stuck with prepping the bike for the next race. He does a great job and I am very thankful for them both. Oh yeah, and I am thankful for you too Lucas.