Little bit of a back drop, I had been running an 05 CRF250R, revalved suspension, scotts stabilizer, alot of nice stuff to make it a very good desert bike. Well, CRF's aren't known for reliability and this one fits the bill, a few weeks before the race I found metallic shavings in the oil, more than likely a bad crank bearing. Before the CRF, I rode and briefly raced an 01 WR250F that I didn't sell, it just sat for the better part of 3 years, earlier this summer I replaced all the suspension bearings and had the shock rebuilt. Well, I slapped some YZ plastic and numbers on it, and raced it, with no time to get used to it (again)
The GP format is a little different, total time is the same, but it goes off a timer system, 2.5 hours ending on the lap you began when that 2.5 hours elapsed, the more laps you do, the better. The course was only 10 miles long, but it was 10 miles of terrain more technical than the average for the series, rocky uphills, tight switch backs, an endurocross section, steep hills and ridges, and one bike at a time washes (they were tight, really tight, you had to choose your line carefully otherwise you would easily snag a boot).
Pro and AM would race at 10:30, following conclusion of the shorter novice race, I lined up, came out last on the start, and thats where I stayed, I've been putting off this report for a reason
. We shot off the motocross track, into a turn section, one rider in front of me dumped it, and I passed him, stayed there for a while, lost contact with the rest of the pack, started to tense up, got real bad arm pump and thought I was screwed, however by the middle of lap 2 I started to loosen up, and started riding the old WR like the days of old, I got passed by the rider who had dumped his bike when I made a mistake on a loose uphill, but by the middle of lap 3 I could see both him and 3rd in class up ahead, feeling fairly confident, I settled into a groove and just focused on riding smooth. On one of the fairly mean uphills, one of the competitors lost it, and the bike shot off the side, as much as I felt like I earned the right to pass him, there was no way I could leave him sitting there staring at his bike a few feet from a disastrous drop, so I pulled over, put the kick stand down, and figured out how we could his bike to safety, after I handed him back the bike, I waved him to go, as I made a mistake that convinces me that I'm retarded. I tried the same hill, with no run, and well.....
After I collected myself, and got passed by a bunch of guys, I remounted, and continued on my merry little way. I would catch no one else, finish last in class, but oddly I feel really satisfied, I had more fun riding than I have in a long time, The old dinosaur ran like a champ, the WR gearbox is still magic for the type of riding I do, with its tractor like 1st and 2nd and blazing fast 5th, it makes me question why I bother with making an mx bike do this stuff. It also held its lines like it was on rails in sand, something that is much welcome after riding a twitchy CRF, it rained at the start, and rained for the better part of the 2nd lap, foggy goggles and all, having never raced during the rain, it was a very cool experience, everything is amplified with storm clouds and lightning.
I have one race left to run, and even with a couple bad results I still lead Lites Amatuer by 50 points, I am hopeful that I can finish the next race and claim my first NMDRC Championship
The GP format is a little different, total time is the same, but it goes off a timer system, 2.5 hours ending on the lap you began when that 2.5 hours elapsed, the more laps you do, the better. The course was only 10 miles long, but it was 10 miles of terrain more technical than the average for the series, rocky uphills, tight switch backs, an endurocross section, steep hills and ridges, and one bike at a time washes (they were tight, really tight, you had to choose your line carefully otherwise you would easily snag a boot).
Pro and AM would race at 10:30, following conclusion of the shorter novice race, I lined up, came out last on the start, and thats where I stayed, I've been putting off this report for a reason
. We shot off the motocross track, into a turn section, one rider in front of me dumped it, and I passed him, stayed there for a while, lost contact with the rest of the pack, started to tense up, got real bad arm pump and thought I was screwed, however by the middle of lap 2 I started to loosen up, and started riding the old WR like the days of old, I got passed by the rider who had dumped his bike when I made a mistake on a loose uphill, but by the middle of lap 3 I could see both him and 3rd in class up ahead, feeling fairly confident, I settled into a groove and just focused on riding smooth. On one of the fairly mean uphills, one of the competitors lost it, and the bike shot off the side, as much as I felt like I earned the right to pass him, there was no way I could leave him sitting there staring at his bike a few feet from a disastrous drop, so I pulled over, put the kick stand down, and figured out how we could his bike to safety, after I handed him back the bike, I waved him to go, as I made a mistake that convinces me that I'm retarded. I tried the same hill, with no run, and well.....After I collected myself, and got passed by a bunch of guys, I remounted, and continued on my merry little way. I would catch no one else, finish last in class, but oddly I feel really satisfied, I had more fun riding than I have in a long time, The old dinosaur ran like a champ, the WR gearbox is still magic for the type of riding I do, with its tractor like 1st and 2nd and blazing fast 5th, it makes me question why I bother with making an mx bike do this stuff. It also held its lines like it was on rails in sand, something that is much welcome after riding a twitchy CRF, it rained at the start, and rained for the better part of the 2nd lap, foggy goggles and all, having never raced during the rain, it was a very cool experience, everything is amplified with storm clouds and lightning.
I have one race left to run, and even with a couple bad results I still lead Lites Amatuer by 50 points, I am hopeful that I can finish the next race and claim my first NMDRC Championship
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