Updates from Tobias Israel

Had fun at the track yesterday. Hope it doesn't ra...

Sun, 06 Dec 2009 10:09:46 GMT

Had fun at the track yesterday. Hope it doesn't rain like they said so we can go practice more.

I want to wish all my friends and team mates a hap...

Thu, 26 Nov 2009 11:42:29 GMT

I want to wish all my friends and team mates a happy Thanksgiving and awesome racing at the Grands. Wish I was there with you all.

Rain, rain go away. I did get to go to my new secr...

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 21:41:58 GMT

Rain, rain go away. I did get to go to my new secret sprint location, though. Until the "goatheads" destroyed my tubes!

No racing this weekend, I've been bitten by the fo...

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 21:20:00 GMT

No racing this weekend, I've been bitten by the football bug!

Wow, 60,000 hits to my site. I don't even know wha...

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 15:24:35 GMT

Wow, 60,000 hits to my site. I don't even know what to say. Yeah for all my friends in BMX'r this month and yeah for Ashley's cool article in her local news paper.

Wow, 60,000 hits to my site. I don't even know wha...

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 15:24:32 GMT

Wow, 60,000 hits to my site. I don't even know what to say. Yeah for all my friends in BMX'r this month and yeah for Ashley's cool article in her local news paper.

Thanks Sponsorhouse for fixing the uploader so fas...

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 11:42:16 GMT

Thanks Sponsorhouse for fixing the uploader so fast. You guys are awesome. Especially Kimberly for getting back to us so fast.

Don't worry we'll get sponsorhouse to fix their u...

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 09:16:05 GMT

Don't worry we'll get sponsorhouse to fix their upload thing and the Redline photos will be up soon.

Got my Landwave ramp for my birthday. I'm just lov...

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 11:44:34 GMT

Got my Landwave ramp for my birthday. I'm just lovin' it!

Redline weekend wasn't so great for me but our tea...

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 09:00:46 GMT

Redline weekend wasn't so great for me but our team did awesome. Yeah, Crush. Great job Atwater BMX the track was really cool.

Hoping to go to Atwater this weekend for the Redli...

Thu, 01 Oct 2009 20:05:15 GMT

Hoping to go to Atwater this weekend for the Redline Cup Finals. Haven't been to this awesome track in almost three years! See ya there, I hope.

The new Rusty Bowl was a real blast tonight. All m...

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 23:43:05 GMT

The new Rusty Bowl was a real blast tonight. All my friends were there. Practiced like crazy. Loved the jumping. Loved the new turns. My original home track is like a mini national track. I loved it. Great to race Frankie and Robbie and for another week Will and Wyatt and me are the same age. It was great! Thanks Rusty Bowl.

Me and my family are wishing Lain Van ogle a speed...

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 14:10:24 GMT

Me and my family are wishing Lain Van ogle a speedy recovery after Chula Vista. You're awesome and we can't wait to see you back.

I learned something about Physics this weekend

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 13:58:32 GMT

This past weekend I learned a little bit about the laws of Physics. I decided to race cruiser and I ended up with three riders that were almost 40years old and my friend Cooper who's a 10 year old like I'm gonna be soon. Anyway, in the first moto the big guys took off. I was a bit worried about trying to pass a huge guy in the first turn so I backed off and ended up 3rd behind the big guys. My dad said, "don't let that big guy bully you. You can beat him to the first turn." So, in the second moto I blasted out of the gate. Dad put 160 mm cranks on my cruiser and they really helped me get out fast. I beat him to the first turn but he stayed high to pass me. I decided to "bump" elbows with him. Well, I think he was kinda shocked that a little kid would move over on him like that. We were half way through turn one, flyin' and I went over. He didn't back off and I bounced off him WHAM!!! It was like I was a pebble and he was the Space Shuttle. I went down hard and bashed my knee. Now I know that I have to wear my THE knee pads, 'cause the SixSixOnes slipped (they're supposed to be worn inside BMX pants). I was wearing shorts and there was blood everywhere. I ran the 3rd moto and he beat me pretty good so I didn't make the main. But it was really fun. Lots of dads were pretty surprised that I did what i did with such a huge guy. But that's racing. Goin' to the track tonight to have some fun. Hope to see you there.

Every national is an opportunity to learn. This pa...

Tue, 08 Sep 2009 21:41:49 GMT

Every national is an opportunity to learn. This past weekend in Reno I really hoped to do well both Saturday and Sunday but it didn't work out that way. First moto I banged the gate and didn't make the transfer. I knew I'd do well in the second moto and I got a really good gate. Li'l Ant and I bumped really hard going into turn 1 and I got unclipped. Before Ant and I could get going Robbie and Jack Coben got around us and I just couldn't catch him. I was really, really bummed. My friend Jesse Langland had a talk with me after the moto and helped pep me up. I felt a lot better and then I realized that I watched Kamren who's really fast and really awesome, crash in the 1st straight on Friday after killin' it in his motos. I just had to say to myself, "It's just one race." Sunday, I just focussed. My dad knows to kinda leave me alone and checks to make sure I'm okay in staging. He doesn't do all the "do this and do that stuff" anymore. And I pulled it off...

I raced pretty hard in Reno this weekend. I had a ...

Mon, 07 Sep 2009 21:45:21 GMT

I raced pretty hard in Reno this weekend. I had a really awesome time and enjoyed my friends and a pretty cool track. I missed my friends racing in Kentucky hope you did well at the Grands.

NorCal State Championship Finals

Sun, 23 Aug 2009 22:38:58 GMT

I was a bit nervous as we drove to Roseville. I took the week off because Parker and I rode ourselves silly last weekend. I thought I could do pretty good and I was confident that if I pedaled like Mr. Battaglia told me to do last Saturday night, I could come out on top. I had a great time with my friends and we all did really good in our motos. I missed the transfer in Moto 1. Ryan Puckett came off turn 3 and nipped me at the line. Mr. Minton said it was awesome and if I rode like that the rest of the day I'd finish really well. Parker whooped his second moto and Frankie killed his rack. While we waited I watched all the rest of my team throw stuff at Scotty and it took my mind off of the main.
When the gate dropped I focussed on Kamren. He was the guy to beat and I wanted to be the one to beat him. My dad said that we started to pull away from everyone at the first double. When I came around turn 1 I said to myself, " I'm in second!" I tried to get next to Kamren but he had the lead out of turn one and held it all the way. I had a blast getting second. The only bad thing was that two moms started fighting right in front of me as I came off the track. They kinda scared the heck out of me, throwing punches and shoving. I wish parents would stop this kinda stuff. It's so dumb. It's us kids that are racing, We're the ones going fast and sometimes our parents mess the whole thing up. My mom and dad figured out that now that I've been racing for 3 years, I have an idea of what to do out on the track. They make sure I get rest. I stay out of trouble. I focus on my motos when I need to. But other than that, they trust me to do the best that I can. They know I like to win and I'm gonna do my best. Racing has never been so much fun as when my dad, not so much my mom, stopped worrying and decided to have fun. It helps me do my best because I worry enough all by myself, I don't need any more pressure.
Roseville was really smooth but a little loose outside of the main line. They always have a great staff and it ran fast and smooth. It was the best, this year. Even the weather was kinda nice. Not too hot, not too windy. No state number this year, but it doesn't matter. I had the best time with great friends and a great track. It was awesome. See you around a track soon. And remember, have fun...

Awesome Weekend

Sun, 16 Aug 2009 22:56:53 GMT

This weekend just kinda turned out to be a racing one. Saturday I ended up feeling like racing both Class and Cruiser at my home track. I had my friends there and Robbie was around for the first time in a while. Me and my friends Lake and Parker have been less concerned about chasing points and more focussed on having fun and learning. All our parents feel the same way. I won both of the first motos and waited for the mains. I was able to relax and hang out on all the new dirt the city gave us until it was time to race. In cruiser Lake and I battled, swapping positions all over the track. We went into 3 with me in front. I wanted to block Lake and went a little low a little early. Lake stayed in the middle of the turn and kept his speed up and caught me at the line. It was really exciting and we had a great time. In class I got another good gate (thanks Jesse Langland) and kinda led most of the way. I was able to hold off Robbie and Parker for the win.

I don't know why but I really wanted to go to Roseville after our races and had a great time racing pretty much until I dropped. Tyler Bataglia's dad told me if I didn't pedal the whole track he'd tell my dad and mom! I was really tired but I did to get second in the main. Nicholas won. Jackson got stitches practicing at home earlier in the day. I hope he gets better fast. I haven't seen them much this season but they're awesome racers and friends and I like being around them. Mr and Mrs Elliott are the best, too.

Today, after staying up till 3 in the morning with Parker and then riding at 7:30 and goofing around and jumping and doing all sorts of stuff, Parker, Nathan and I went to Rusty Bowl and raced total points against Frankie. He was blazing on his home track, killed us in moto 1. In moto 2 we all went into turn 1 together. Frankie tried to push me up, hit me so hard I unclipped and he ended up crashing. Parker was right behind me. In three Frankie blasted out and I kept with him but he held on for the win. Now I'm home telling my dad about this and I can't wait to hit the sack. It was a great weekend. I race the best kids. We all work really hard and we really like each other. It's not so much about the winning right now as much as it is really having a great race, every race. On any day any one of us can beat the others and that keeps us going and learning and getting better. I hope no matter what bike league you race and no matter where you are that you get to have fun like we are. That's what the sport is all about. Hope you have a great week and that you're happy at whatever school you go to. I can't wait to get back! See ya next week in Roseville.

NBL Golden State Nationals

Sun, 02 Aug 2009 17:12:37 GMT

This weekend we went to Prunedale for their Golden State National and it was really great to be there. They had a really small turn-out and it just isn't fair for a great track run by great people. There should have been three times as many motos. They really care about making everyone feel welcome here and they care about making everything run great and special. I didn't do as well as I'd have liked but I learned a lot and had fun with my friends. The Prunedale track re-do makes it about the most challenging track in northern CA. If you do well here you can do well anywhere. I'd like to come back more just to get better and better. It's even tougher than our track in Napa. I hope people don't stay away from tracks like this because they are technical. This kind of track prepares us for the world and not another same old super highway. Brian Jarrett was really awesome this week but I think I gave him a good race until the really tough third straight. I'm gonna work harder in Napa so I can master some stuff that I'll need to win at tracks like this. Still, I had a blast and we went with Jesse Langland who really helps me a lot. I missed all the Crush kids that didn't make this one, though. The racing was awesome. The weather was really cool. The track was perfect. I had a great time. See you all soon.

I missed lots of friends today...

Sat, 25 Jul 2009 16:28:07 GMT

We're all very serious about racing here in Napa. Sometimes it means we don't get to see as many of our friends as we'd like to. Nico and Donnie and dR are at the Worlds in Addelaide. Robbie, Will and Wyatt are in Canada. Lake is on a well deserved vacation in NJ with his family and Kelly, Scott, maybe Ryan are in MN at the national there. I think Tyler is at the Truckee SCR with a bunch of other kids on our Crush team. We're watching our pennies this year, like so many of our friends. I feel really lucky that Parker came, although we had to race separate classes today. He was awesome. Parker is not only my best friend, but he's kind of an inspiration to work hard all the time. He manuals really great and his skills are getting better. He looks like Landon when he's manualing. I like having to keep up with his love of riding. It is so fun for me. Parker and I can talk about anything and we have a blast jumping and bunny hoppin' and manualing. Heck, we have a blast doing everything from homework to shooting BB guns to just about anything. Today we missed all of our friends out there chasing NAG points and championships. But we were real happy that we have such an awesome track that helps us go faster, learn more and get stronger. I hope everyone is doing great this weekend. You are all missed and you're all pretty cool. Good luck to everyone racing, this weekend.

Redline Qualifier at Santa Clara PAL

Sun, 19 Jul 2009 22:56:27 GMT

Today we went to the Redline Cup qualifier at the Santa Clara PAL track. I really like it here. It's a really fast track and unlike lots of other tracks around the outside gates seem to give you a real advantage in the first straight. Well, that's the way I feel anyway. In moto1 I had gate 8 and got out with Brian Jarrett who's just racing super fast this year. I was able to stay right with him through turn 1 and then passed him in the second straight. It was really cool. Anyway, Brian won the next two motos but it was really a lot of fun. He's a cool kid and a great racer. Maybe I'll get him next time. I also got to finally race Scott Huffager. I'm not sure how to spell his last name but I've been hearing about him all summer. He's from Denver and really fast. We traded spots in the other motos. Nice kid and good racer. It's awesome to have friends that help each other go faster and work harder. Napa Valley Crush really did great this weekend and it was really fun. I'm going to try and make the Manzanita NBL national, next. Hope to see you all there. Oh yeah, thanks to Santa Clara PAL for doing an awesome job. I had a really great time.

NBL State Race @ Manzanita Park BMX

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 17:18:40 GMT

I went to Manzanita this Saturday to race the NBL state qualifier and it was an entirely new track. Tom Ritz re-did this track in between work on our track in Napa. This track is the new toughest track in northern California. The obstacles are bigger and more difficult and you definitely will need time to get used to it if you're planning on racing here. i could use a few more practices to sort out my lines and technique. I still had a blast, though. Parker had a tough time. We both crashed during practice which was okay. In Parker's first moto when the gate dropped he pulled up on his bars and snapped one side completely off! Everybody came over to see it after his moto. It was good it didn't happen over a jump or something. So, if you are getting to be about 75-80 lbs and you're using Bombsgell Carbon Experts or Mini's you have to switch them out. They won't hold. Pee Wee and Mr. Linder had me switch out my cruiser bars last week. It was good to see Bubba Gonzalez back on the track unless you were in his moto! He was blazing again. All in all, the NBL and Manzanita staff did an awesome job with the motos, the snack bar, everything. It is always great to race there. They make it smooth and fast and fun and treat everybody great. If you can get by to start practicing before the national, you'd better go. It's even tougher than our track. The great thing is that if you can go fast on this track and ours than you can go fast anywhere. This is the next generation of BMX track. We'll all get better. See you soon.

I am proud to join Kelly's Crush BMX team

Thu, 04 Jun 2009 06:49:00 GMT

Today was an awesome day for me. At school I won the highest Principal's Award for Academic Achievement. I was one of the few kids to make it all three trimesters and I got an award for that, too. It felt great to see that all my hard work has paid off and that my grandma and mom making sure I finish my studies before I go practice or race was for sure the right thing to do.

Then this afternoon we had Wednesday night practice and racing and I got to hang out with my friends and race our butts off. Lake, me and Robbie raced total points and we had a lot of fun. Kelly Molles is the nicest man anyone could ever meet. He loves BMX and he loves our track. He put together the North Bay BMX Crush team to be fun and a cool group to ride, race and learn in. All my friends have been on it for a while. Tonight I asked him if I could join. Kelly was cool. He said," Heck, I've only been asking you forever. Finally!" I can't wait to get my jersey and now Lake, me, the twins, Robbie, Parker and Nathan will all be representing our track at all the races. Yup, its been a pretty good day. Thanks, Kelly.

School done for summer after today. Hope to see you at the track, soon.

Oh well, that's racing...

Mon, 01 Jun 2009 21:42:21 GMT

Rusty Bowl feels like home to me. This is where I started three years ago and they are the first people to teach me and my family anything about BMX. They've put in a new gate that's a million times better than the old one. They have the start hill in concrete all the way to the 30' line. I love this track because now that I'm an expert and know how to ride I can jump just about everything. It's so fun!
Lake came with us on Saturday which was so cool. We had a lot of fun and we were figuring out what we would do during racing to get us on top. When the gate dropped I pulled a muscle in the back of my leg and I just couldn't race. Lake did really well and got 3rd for the day. On Sunday I got up early and asked my dad to take me to the track again. I really wanted to race. If I could get sponsored by Icy Hot patches, I'd totally sign on. I drank lots of water and G2. I took a multi-vitamin for the first time in my life. We put on a patch and I stretched and stretched. I felt really good. Robbie and Frankie got 1st transfer, me and Puckett got second. When it came time for the main, I was ready. I got the best gate and got the hole shot into turn one. My new Troy Lee's got stuck in my chain and well... I got 4th. Mom made me and dR these cool No Whining plates for last year. I didn't whine, but I was pretty bummed. Not too bummed to congratulate my friend Parker for going Expert, though! Oh well, that's racing!

First Wednesday Night Race

Wed, 27 May 2009 22:17:46 GMT

We're racing Wednesday nights now. I was just going to practice, I didn't feel like racing and I wanted to get my gates down. I haven't been able to go to a Mike Redman clinic this year and I really miss it. Mike kinda makes sense to me. I have been to a lot of clinics in the past three years and I've worked with some of my favorite all time racers, but whenever I get to work with Mike well, it just seems to fit together better. Kinda like Landon. He's been working with Mike for the past couple of years and he's just blazing! When you work with Mike you stay a nice kid, like Lain and Kelsey and Landon and Josh Banuelos... and you get fast! Anyway, I did my practice and today it was my friend Robbie Sherwood's turn to get me to race. Robbie is going really fast and we had a ton of fun racing. Tonight I won but it could just as easily been Robbie or Austin Lamunyon. I was just feeling good and concentrating on my gates and remembering last years clinic with Mike and then the afternoon at the Elliott's and it just kinda worked. I had a fun time with my friends. I raced my butt off. It was a beautiful night. No stress... Fun. This weekend we're going to the Rusty Bowl. I'm hoping I can get Lake to go with us. Can't wait to see Parker and Nathan. It's gonna be cool. Hope to see you all there.