Posts
2241
Joined
3/4/2013
Location
Pink Hill, NC
US
Fantasy
2309th
Edited Date/Time
6/2/2015 7:16am
After 7-8 months off the bike and even more time away from racing due to lack of time on various local tracks and the high cost of racing vs weekend riding I finally made it out to one yesterday.
I went to West Craven Mx in eastern NC. It's a very fun sand track and it got the roughest I've ever seen it. Due to lack of racing experience I struggle with short practice times so I never felt like I had everything together.
I pulled 2 3rd place starts in my 125 vs all 250f and of 11 I finished 6th and 8th. My bike just got a fresh piston which helped a lot with starts, wheeling over holes and predictability. I got tired half way through both races, by that time the faster riders had already gotten by, and in both races somehow there was a huge gap back to the rest. So I was able to back off and not crash.
I had a great time, even though it was around 90 all day with no breeze. It's really enjoyable to watch the little kids all the way to the fast guys. But I think I will stick to weekend riding for a while.
And I know "pics or it never happened"
dirt to grass start was tricky
The advantage of a good start
I went to West Craven Mx in eastern NC. It's a very fun sand track and it got the roughest I've ever seen it. Due to lack of racing experience I struggle with short practice times so I never felt like I had everything together.
I pulled 2 3rd place starts in my 125 vs all 250f and of 11 I finished 6th and 8th. My bike just got a fresh piston which helped a lot with starts, wheeling over holes and predictability. I got tired half way through both races, by that time the faster riders had already gotten by, and in both races somehow there was a huge gap back to the rest. So I was able to back off and not crash.
I had a great time, even though it was around 90 all day with no breeze. It's really enjoyable to watch the little kids all the way to the fast guys. But I think I will stick to weekend riding for a while.
And I know "pics or it never happened"
dirt to grass start was tricky The advantage of a good start
Where is this track? Over by 95?
The Shop
But at the race yesterday I barely sat down because of the sand, and at a race I don't get to ride as much as I would on a regular weekend, so I feel fine. I can feel a small amount in my back.
But usually I can barely move and my legs and back look like I have nerve damage when I walk due to sudden pain and weakness.
For me when I had my groove on in SoCal as a REM regular I raced at least three out of four weekends. If I didn't race for two weekends in a row it felt almost like starting over. A month off the bike fugghadbuddit.
I like this part of your OP the best: I got tired half way through both races, by that time the faster riders had already gotten by, and in both races somehow there was a huge gap back to the rest. So I was able to back off and not crash.
I had a great time, even though it was around 90 all day with no breeze
Congrats on dusting of the bobwebs and actually racing. Riding is fun but there is nothing like an actual gate drop to get the juices flowing. The time between the time the board goes sideways and the gate drops ia magical for lack of a better word.
I don't like that they charge riders a gate fee. I'm paying to watch a show I am participating in doesn't make sense. I would much rather pay $2-3 dollars more on race fee for the track owner. Also a early start time. Practice starts at 9 so I had to get up at 5:30 to get loaded and get there and unload. Then I was out of there by 3:30 they could easily move that back.
Practice is 5 laps and 3 laps then 2 5 lap motos. So I payed $70 for 18 laps when a weekend would have only been $10 for all day.
It takes me atleast 3 times out on the track before I figure out my lines and get comfortable making all the jumps before I can get up to speed. I can't get to that with 2 short practices. Plus I like to take the first Lap slow to judge everything. Most of the riders at the race went straight to jumping everything race speed right out if the gate first practice.
And you are right about those few seconds waiting for the gate to drop. I had my bike screaming the cross bar pad was spinning, only 2 stroke on the line. My favorite part is from the line to the first corner. All I remember was seeing other bikes going backwards. And all I could tell you is I had good traction because the front end carried. Other than that I don't know it happens so fast. I couldn't tell you how I used the clutch, how much throttle was open, or when I shifted.
I enjoyed hearing that 125 screaming around that sand track. Hit me up sometime and come ride with our crowd.
Sounds like your track could use the no jumping first lap policy the Nationals have.
How many riders approximately spread out over how many motos? REM is good at having two gate drops per moto (in rare cases three) which is great for moving the program along while still providing 15 to 20 minute motos.
Next to the gate drop sticking it into the first turn is my favorite second part of racing. Took a Gary Bailey MX school in 1973 at Mid Ohio before the Trans Am if memory serves (could have been an Inter Am) and we took the entire track section by section and treated every corner like the first turn. Where do you line up generally? I always pick the shortest distance to the first corner even if it make the first turn more difficult. My theory is to get to the corner first then worry about making the corner.
Love the imagery of the cross bar spinning....racing is life...everything before and after is just waiting. Steve McQueen the King of Cool.
The track the first corner was a right hand 90, actually coming from the start it was wider angle than 90. I lined up with a straight shot to the inside. I had people line up to the Inside of me but both times I had a lead on them and they cut off early because they could see I was going to close their line around the corner.
Most tracks around here are 90 first corners. When I come to a track with a 180 I typically line up a few positions from the outside. I've always had luck there. I know I'm fast enough off the line to make up the distance to go around the outside. Plus being in D class about 25% of the class piles up trying to brake to make it around the inside. And I have a lead on the rest of them after that.
I didn't see It spinning I saw it in a video. I would load it and I few others if I knew how from my iPhone.
What class do you ride in? I think I know but don't want to assume.
I have raced collegeboy once which was mixed with schoolboy. It was mostly high C class riders and I got the whole shot against a really fast kids on a 250 2 stroke, that felt really good haha
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