Hey guys,
First and foremost I’d like to apologize for my delay in updates here on the blog. I wish I had a decent excuse, but I just didn’t get around to it. So rather than going back now and updating those days I missed, I’ll just give you a quick rundown here.
5 years ago I was fortunate enough to make the trip out to Port Angeles to watch my cousin Zack race. The track was long and muddy and it looked like an absolute blast. Other than the big jumps that I had no thoughts of being able to jump on my ’76 RM. But 5 years can change things quite a bit. Surprisingly there were very few modifications to the track. The with the exception of a couple small doubles down in the bottom section and a double in the infield, the track was essentially the same. I was for sure excited to get out and ride! The first day I decided to do two classes, 250 beginner and Open beginner. The first 250 moto began with a mid-pack start to bike stall in corner two. Another rider cut from the outside into my line and I locked up the brakes to avoid plowing him. Bike stalled and by the time it re-fired I was dead last. So I set out to make up some ground. I would come back to finish 9th of 14 or 15. Moto two for the 250 class I got a little better start and tried to stay out of trouble. I was able to avoid other riders on my way to a 7th place finish, good for 8th overall on the day. There were only 5 riders in the open class and not too much excitement. I would end up 3rd in moto 1 and 5th in moto 2. By the end of the day I was exhausted and couldn’t get myself to battle in the final moto. It was a good experience though.
Day two at PA saw the rains come in and give the track plenty of moisture. Luckily the track has very little, if any, clay in it so it holds water fairly well. The mud added a bit of an equalizer to the race, and it was really anybody’s game. I decided to race only one class in order to conserve myself (and the bike) in the mud. I got a pretty good start in the first moto and kept the wheels under me. I was so stoked when I came around to the finish and was in 3rd place. In moto two I just wanted to keep it up and I knew I’d have a shot at a decent finish. I settled in around 4th place and stayed there for the rest of the moto. By the end of the day I was 4th overall with 3-4 moto finishes. Hey, it was good enough for a trophy today J.
The next weekend we had a one day event down at Washougal. The cool thing about this one was that there was a practice day on Saturday to prepare for Sunday’s race…and it’s Washougal! I’ve ridden ‘Shougal twice before, once in the best possible conditions, once in the worst. June’s mud race was a much different animal that the sunny-70 degree dream-ride we had in May. This time would prove to be much of the same as that day in May. It was a bit more chilly and overcast, but the track was perfect. Washougal tends to get rough and today was no exception. Breaking and acceleration bumps littered the corners and holding on for four laps was a challenge.
Again I would compete in two classes. Open D was first and there were only four of us out there. I got matched up in a battle against a youngster on a CRF150R. I’m gonna say he’s been racing a bit longer than me because he was putting up a darn good fight. I was able to pull him on the straights and take some insides that gave me the advantage. When it was all said and done, I ended 3rd in the moto. Just three motos later I was back on the track for the 250 class. Already tired (or warmed up as I told the competition) I knew it would be a fight to push for another four laps. I got a horrible start this time, about 14th of 18. I put myself in a situation to have to push right from the get go. I was able to carry some momentum and make a couple passes on the first lap. On the last lap I had made it back up to 7th and was only one spot behind my rival, 716. I wanted to push myself to catch up and pass him on that last lap but had to deal with another rider trying to make a move and was not able to keep charging forward. I would end 7th, not bad considering my start.
The second moto’s would go much the same as the first. I was fortunate to get out and run with the leader in Open D and would settle in for a second place finish. 250 D pitted me with another bad start and battle to make up time. On lap one I saw 716 on the side of the track trying to re-fire his bike after a tip-over. Knowing that staying in front of him would give me a better overall finish, I set out to make up as many positions as I could. I eventually made it back up to 7th again, good for a 7th place overall finish. The weekend was very fun and I was able to gain some points in the 250 class to give some breathing room going into the final round at PA.
