In case anyone was unaware, Ron Hix (#975) petitioned on Friday at HPT to upgrade to Expert.
The petition was accepted and he started racing as an Expert on Saturday with some pretty good results in riding smart and beating a number of long time Experts.
Ron, I caught you in Tech for a just second to tell you that I thought it was a well deserved move and I think others should be aware of your decision.
Pretty stand-up thing to do when you could have dominated the AM ranks this year! :thumb:
See you at Blackhawk! :cheers:
Rick
Midwest Tech
Big +1
Ron and I talked and I had told him that I thought it was a smart move... Beating all the amatures into a pulp does nothing for learning how to improve your game...... Ron is a smart rider and he will do well this season in the expert ranks....... Here's a big Thumbs up for my boy - Looking forward to rubbing elbows this season..... That is as soon as I get my 1000 finished :)
Props to Ron,
solid effort and good move going to ex.
It will be a fun season to watch.
Paul
Polar-Optics LLC
MW Ex 79
Yep, he did a good job. Props to him.
Working with Ron securing some sponsorship deals, helping him get ready for the season, and pitting with him has taught me a couple things about him.
1. He believes in doing what is right.
2. He believes and trusts that God will guide him
3. His SMITE count is WAY too HIGH
Before we headed out to dinner on Friday night he made the comment to me that the whole AM thing just didn't feel right to him, during the day he had won by over 30 seconds each AM race. These wins actually upset him because when he was over checking out the laptimes on the board he ran into the guy that had finished second in those races. He explained to me that looking at that guy who he had just beaten handily didn't make him feel good at all, he told me that it was important to him to do what was right, and that meant he should try to go expert.
Now for the record...at first I did my best to convince him to stay an AM. I argued that we were not prepared to make the jump to the Expert ranks and compete at that level with the resources we had this year. I told him that it would be difficult and considerably more expensive to go Expert without preparing. I argued that the season had already started and we should finish it out. After speaking with him for awhile and him coming up with ways to conquer the cost issue, preparedness issue, and resource issue...I figured out that I was not going to be able to convince him to do otherwise. I had the feeling that he was looking for me to get on board with his decision so I let him know that if he didn't feel right about running AM, than the season wouldn't be fun for him anyway and he might as well make the jump to Expert.
We also spoke with a VALUED friend of our race team and sought out his advice on the issue, he was also fully in support of Ron going Expert and encouraged us to do so. I want to say Thank You to that person for taking the time to mentor and talk to us, your knowledge and friendship is of great value to Ron and I.
After all the talking was done it still was a tough night for Ron as he considered his decision and just exactly what he was getting himself into, but he knew that no matter what lay ahead of him, he belonged with the Experts and not the AM's. He ended up doing pretty darn well the rest of the weekend...he came home with a few less placks than he would have if he had stayed an AM, but I think he earned something far more valuable this last weekend.
I have known Ron for a couple of years and I offered to help Ron in his first year of racing (and do a little racing myself) because I believed that he would do very well, I believe he is a genuinely good and honorable person that you can count on...the type of guy that would always catch your back if you needed it...the type of guy that you can always trust. This weekend proved to me that I was not wrong for thinking those things....this weekend proved that even though Ron didn't finish on top of the podium he is still very much a winner.
I tell you these things for a couple of reasons...1. I'm proud of him and 2. Its not something he would ever say about himself.
:thumb:
good on you Ron! Best wishes on your upcoming season!
Wow, my very own thread. Thank you guys. Thank you very much. Very kind words indeed.
Definitely a classy move! I've got to think that a season of mixing it up with the experts will ultimately prove more satisfying than leaving the amatuer field in the dust every weekend.
I think you've just earned yourself a lot of fans in the paddock! Best of luck this season!
AND he has a cool crash photo. LOL...
Nice write up Brian.I was glad to be there to see true sportsmanship from a class guy,it was great to witness.He did spank us good,but when went to White plate,he mentioned that it pulled him up 4-5 seconds per lap,solidiying the judgment to go expert.He handled it and ran well....God bless.
Great going! A very stand up move.
George
:thumb: +++ 975 a true Racer and Man always seeks his limits.
Thumbs up!! Glad to see the accident didn't slow you down. Here is a link to the coolest series of crash photo's I've seen to date
http://www.gron4.com/2008/042708/exp/975/
I think he could have saved it....
Way to go, indeed, Hixie! Not only was it the right thing to do, it puts you that much closer to your ultimate brass ring. Attaboy!!
Besides, John Laconte tells the story of you slicing and dicing through Turns 1 & 2 (the new HixMixMaster) so enthusiastically and convincingly, there are a growing number of us who believe you can ride on water...
That sucks man, upgrading to expert then getting taken out by a number 1 plate expert. Glad to see youre alright (I assume) Good luck the rest of the year.
Good for you Ron! It was funny you making fun of yourself telling everyone you are picker of cherries and a bagger of sand. LOL!!! Sorry to hear about the crash but I'm glad you're OK.
Nick
Props from me as well. I can't imagine it would really even be fun at all to crush the AM field by a huge margin every race.
Ron, will do OK...
Congrats on going expert and doing well. Very cool