Race Report
Whew... what a blast.
Late Saturday night I figured that since I was running a HS on Sunday that I should install the WR gas tank. It is 2.6 gallons and I thought since the race was 2 hours long it would be a smart idea.
Got her done before noon. However, I had to move all of the mounting brackets and petcock over. I forgot one thing... just b/c you drain the gas does not mean you remove all of the gas. Luckily I have a stainless steel table top as I quickly dumped all of the gas onto the table :)
Sunday morning I got up and Jenni decided to go to the race too. Whoo hooo! I got me a pit wench!
On the line she was saddled with extra goggles (not that I *really* thought I would need them <g>). Of course she gave the rest of the crew hugs as she moved down the line from Gomer, to Paul, to Keith, to Danny... luckily that was the end of the row or I'm sure she'd have continued.
Overall there were 179 people in the race and the course was 8 miles long. We had 13 people in our class (non-member Unlimited Sportsman).
As the green flag came down I made sure I did not make the same mistake I did at the GNCC by stalling. I got her lit, put her in gear and was near the back of the pack going into the first turn. Keith was way ahead of me with Gomer and Paul fighting to light their bikes.
We went in the woods and it was a freight train. As we came out of the woods Paul blew by me! I then followed him as the slower guys held him up. I stayed with him an entir 1/8 of a mile or so before we got to a traffic jam that Keith caused :)
Gomer then comes barrelling down the inside and uses his "girth" to move people out of the way. Then Paul shakes his head and cuts up the ridge through some brush! It was a VERY impressive move!
As we got going I was still behind some riders but finally started making my way around them.
I know... I couldn't believe I was passing people either.
Up to that point the course was really tacky but it got muddy real quick. That made things a little one lined and I fell in behind two riders that were slower but not so much so that I could easily get by.
As we came to a clearing I findally got by one but was so comfortable at the slower pace that it was hard to get a rythm again.
As we get to the MX track I get by the other guy and go. We only did a 1/4 lap of the track before getting into the woods again. At that point I came up on a kid on a really beat up YZ125. I remember him from the line and his forks were leaking, missing plastic pieces and his pipe was dented in really big.
He was quicker in the turns than I was but that was it. I started to make a move on him several times only to come up on some more mud. Then I stalled it.
Damnit!!!
As I caught him again we got to a creek jump. I shifted up to third and hit it. Nice landing. Whoo hoooo!
Then a mile later or so I stalled it again. Then again. Then for good measure I stalled it again.
Double Damnit!!
As we got near the second creek jump I was worried about the kid on the YZ125 catching me but there was very little run to what looked to me to be a really steep take off. I decided to take the alternate line and use the bridge. It was slower but I was still in one piece.
On lap two I fell a few times, stalled a bunch, fell some more, stalled again and then I stalled more. All within the first few miles.
By this time I was worn out and getting arm pump really bad. I had absolutely no confidence in the corners but kept going. As we got near the MX track again I saw a KDX. About 20 feet away was a guy walking aimlessly.
I thought he was hurt.
Turned out he broke the sight glass on his KDX. WOW! That is really hard to do.
I then took off again and three turns later guess what? Yep. Stalled it again.
After the creek jumps I had been lapped by so many riders that I thought I saw the same numbers 10 or 15 times.
I just kept going, albeit slower. Then on lap 4 I was completely exhausted. Fortunately I only stalled it 3 more times on lap 3 and 4. Also, by the end of lap 2 the track was getting really tacky so that may have helped me keep momentum better.
However, one time I did in a muddy area that had 7 or so lines. I'm on the 2nd line from the left. Plenty of lines to my right. Of course, I stall it. I'm alone so I rest a second. Kick the bike. Kick the bike. Kick the bike.
Then something kicks ME!!!
I heard an apology as I am picking myself up and see another guy laying on my bike with his bike's back tire in the rut I was in. I have no idea why he took the same rut as I did but he hit me good.
After he was gone I got started again and took it easy.
One cool thing was on lap 3 I actually got to see the white flag. This was the first time in any woods race I saw the white flag. I'm usually so far back that when I get there I just get the checkers.
2 hours 11 minutes and 5 seconds later I am scanned for the last time and looking for the exit.
Jenni is patiently waiting for me at the checkers and I never looked for her. I just rode back to the truck leaving her to walk.
I'm such a gentleman.
Turns out Paul and Keith did really well. There were 13 in our class. Paul got 3rd, Keith 5th, me 7th, Gomer 9th and Danny 11th. Team Turtle represented really well.
Our overall placings out of 179 were Paul 80, Keith 119, me 148, Gomer 152 and Danny 157. However, Gomer pulled off a lap early b/c he still hasn't gotten his freaking neck checked out!! Bonehead even raced MX on Saturday.
I also looked at the Vet C results and my time would have put me at 9th out of 18. I guess that makes me a legitimate mid-pack C rider? That has been my goal for a long time. Now if I can get to that point in MX I'll really be happy.
The bike ran great. It had great power when I needed it but still lugged well. I like the 262cc better than the stock bore b/c of the extra power. I still might need to go up 2 on the rear sprocket to help with stalling but overall the bike is easier to ride than the stock bore in technical stuff. You just have that extra power you need but not so much that it pulls your arms out. In the technical stuff the stock 250 bore sometimes is lacking. It is a lot of fun in the open stuff b/c you can wring its neck out and in the tight stuff it the 250 bore gives you confidence that you won't power yourself into trouble.
The 262 does not take away from that confidence but if you need to wheelie over a rock, root or something it does it so much easier!
Overall the day was an 8.