Share your best race that you didn't win

I was working on my first 200A win (harescramble) back in the day. Leading last lap. Stupid crash, throttle WFO, pulled In the clutch and picked it up and it launched into a 8 foot ravine. That was it for the win.

Was leading my race at Day in The Dirt last year and it got red-flagged a little over halfway through. Full restart. It started to rain, I didn't get the best jump and I never got back in the flow. My good friend shows me the trophy often.

I got 3rd in a moto at the Branson National one time. It was October and my moto was the first of the day. It was so cold (30 something degrees) and the track was pretty deep. Had to wear latex gloves under my moto gloves to keep my hands warm.

KXthrutheTrees wrote:

I was working on my first 200A win (harescramble) back in the day. Leading last lap. Stupid crash, throttle WFO, pulled In the clutch and picked it up and it launched into a 8 foot ravine. That was it for the win.

LoL that sounds brutal

1983
Madera California "CMC Trans-Cal" I think...
125 Int
I was on my CR125 "stock" bike (really good/well maintained bike for the stock class at LL's, etc.)
Decent start that had me in around 3-4 in the 1st turn. Someone right in-front and inside of me fell and I ran right over his bars/front end...barely stayed on the bike...lost about 5-6 positions...
All of a sudden...the bike wouldn't shift: I was stuck in 2nd. Didn't care. I kept racing and I DID NOT bounce it off the rev limiter! I took pretty easy in the fast sections and railed the turns. It seems a bent shift shaft is responsible for me pulling my head out of my ass and FINALLY riding thru the turns "quickly". I had to pick really crazy outside lines that allowed me to stay pinned thru the turns. Jumping was interesting; yet, again...I seemed to do it better than I usually would!?!? It was a very SXish track. It was fun. I was stoked.

I took 3rd. My mechanic told me it was the best he'd seen me ride. Ever.

It was an awesome day.

Stuntman949 wrote:

Was leading my race at Day in The Dirt last year and it got red-flagged a little over halfway through. Full restart. It started to rain, I didn't get the best jump and I never got back in the flow. My good friend shows me the trophy often.

Dang dude! That's a huge bummer! I've always wanted to race Day in The Dirt. Hopefully, I'll be able to this year.

Stuntman949 wrote:

Was leading my race at Day in The Dirt last year and it got red-flagged a little over halfway through. Full restart. It started to rain, I didn't get the best jump and I never got back in the flow. My good friend shows me the trophy often.

premiersportsoutlet wrote:

Dang dude! That's a huge bummer! I've always wanted to race Day in The Dirt. Hopefully, I'll be able to this year.

Its a great time. The trick is to not race Sunday to maximize partying on Saturday night. Heard it's going back to LACR this year. I'm sure they'll announce it two weeks before the race haha

Racing at Glen Helen 99 or 00 in 3rd place maybe 5 laps in and I'm right on second and first. I head up Mt. Saint Helens and my chain comes off, race over.

TeamGreen wrote:

1983
Madera California "CMC Trans-Cal" I think...
125 Int
I was on my CR125 "stock" bike (really good/well maintained bike for the stock class at LL's, etc.)
Decent start that had me in around 3-4 in the 1st turn. Someone right in-front and inside of me fell and I ran right over his bars/front end...barely stayed on the bike...lost about 5-6 positions...
All of a sudden...the bike wouldn't shift: I was stuck in 2nd. Didn't care. I kept racing and I DID NOT bounce it off the rev limiter! I took pretty easy in the fast sections and railed the turns. It seems a bent shift shaft is responsible for me pulling my head out of my ass and FINALLY riding thru the turns "quickly". I had to pick really crazy outside lines that allowed me to stay pinned thru the turns. Jumping was interesting; yet, again...I seemed to do it better than I usually would!?!? It was a very SXish track. It was fun. I was stoked.

I took 3rd. My mechanic told me it was the best he'd seen me ride. Ever.

It was an awesome day.

That's so cool! I love reading people's stories of racing back in the day.

Valdosta, Georgia. 1988. Leading a fast bunch of guys on 125s. Handlebars collapsed down around my fuel tank. I had taken them off for some maintenance the week prior. When I reinstalled, I put the upper clamp halves on backwards. Not a good day for me, but I sure learned to pay attention to that little raised mark on those clamps.

In 2013 I was racing a vintage hare scramble here in Ohio. The vintage HS are only 1 hour long. I was leading the entire race and with about 15 minutes to go I started seeing this big Husky 430 (or something like that) running me down. With 3 turns to go the guy passed me and won the overall. He stopped at the finish line and told me "you really wore me down, nice race!" I was 25 and the guy had gray hair so I'm thinking "no shit I wore you down."

After the race, an AMA guy came over to interview me for an article he was doing. His first question was "how did it feel to battle with Terry Cunningham?" I had no idea he was even there until then. He was probably 50 and I was 25 but hey it's still Terry Cunningham haha

2013 I dedicated that year to a family that lost there son while racing at Mini o s #96. I told them I would run his number at Lorretas . At the regional qualifier only the top 4 get to go . I was lined up with some heavy hitters ( ex pros / factory riders) On the first lap at Washougal after the step up jump. We were 3 wide going into the turn . I was going for it and tried to cut down and get to the front . I washed the front and went down . I got up fast but my bike would not start . I could see down the hill and they were about 1/2 lap ahead of me by the time it fired . I kinda rode about 15 feet and kinda mentally gave up a years worth of work down the drain . Then something just clicked and I rode the race of my life . I put my head down and went to work . On the last lap I caught back up to eye site of 4th place and at that point I don't care if it was Eli tomac I was going to pass for the final position . I caught him as we entered the whoop section and pinned it . I actually qualified in 2 classes that day . I will never forget that day

Saturday Saddleback 1983. I went 2-2 for 3rd 125 pro. It was a good points finish lesson. A 3-1 beats a 1-3 and a 1-3 beats a 2-2. Thats right I went 2-2 for 3rd on the day.

CMC Trans-Cal 2010. 450 Novice Second Moto I came out of The first turn at Glen Helen 2nd. Was feeling great and came down the first hill and cut left to go inside to make the pass for the lead and hit a breaking bump and swapped hard. Needless to say that pretty much put an end to that moto.

Big 6 GP Gorman last November Heavyweight Novice. Got about a 5th place start and passed into the lead on the track before heading into the trails. I was pulling away from everyone and halfway into the first loop we got the red flag. Had about an hour delay before our restart. They cut the race to 2 laps. Got a 3rd place start, passed into the lead in 2 straightaways and pulled away a little bit. Got to the trails and around halfway I ran out of steam. Tried to salvage a top 5 but I was so beat and on the second lap I caught my foot on an embankment through some sand whoops. Still finished 10th out of 46 guys in my class. Not too bad for a moto guy who only rides once every two months if I'm lucky. But it sucked to be leading twice and then have issues

NESC @ Jolly Rogers in New Hampshire. A great track with elevation that favors big bikes.

Won Moto 1 in open B on my 250F. Led all of Moto 2 riding the widest bike ever and got nipped on the last straight by 0.002 seconds. 2 effing milliseconds...

Mud race in Ponca city late 1970s 125 class and won the first moto by a mile had a huge lead in the second moto and on the last lap took a diffrent line and fell in the mud, got up and finished second but ended up 1-2 and got beat by a 2-1

Stuntman949 wrote:

Its a great time. The trick is to not race Sunday to maximize partying on Saturday night. Heard it's going back to LACR this year. I'm sure they'll announce it two weeks before the race haha

I'm neither confirming nor denying that this is the last year for DITD. So enjoy it this year... I know I will.

OR Racer46 wrote:

2013 I dedicated that year to a family that lost there son while racing at Mini o s #96. I told them I would run his number at Lorretas . At the regional qualifier only the top 4 get to go . I was lined up with some heavy hitters ( ex pros / factory riders) On the first lap at Washougal after the step up jump. We were 3 wide going into the turn . I was going for it and tried to cut down and get to the front . I washed the front and went down . I got up fast but my bike would not start . I could see down the hill and they were about 1/2 lap ahead of me by the time it fired . I kinda rode about 15 feet and kinda mentally gave up a years worth of work down the drain . Then something just clicked and I rode the race of my life . I put my head down and went to work . On the last lap I caught back up to eye site of 4th place and at that point I don't care if it was Eli tomac I was going to pass for the final position . I caught him as we entered the whoop section and pinned it . I actually qualified in 2 classes that day . I will never forget that day

RIP Jantz.

My best that I didn't win was in 2001 at the World Mini. I was in the +30 "non-pro" division and had just turned 30. I was coming off some good years in 125 Intermediate so I just kept racing my 125 and did OK against the bigger bikes.

The first moto was on Friday night under the lights. I got a better start than I expected, and ran near the front of the pack. By the middle of the race I had caught a guy on a CR250. I knew I was a little faster but he had the lines covered pretty well. There was a sketchy double out in the middle of the track with crossing ruts after the landing that neither of us was jumping. It was in the shadows and I don't see really well at night, so I decided to keep it on two wheels and bring it home safe in 4th.
The second moto ran on Sunday and I was hopeful for a podium finish. I took a bad start however, and had to banzai. This is where a 125 is actually quite helpful, because you can take really crazy lines while everyone else is bunched up! Well, I got up to somewhere just outside the top 10, railed an outside corner to make a little double and then realized in the air that there was carnage all over the track. They had watered too much and somebody went down, taking out most of the field. I tiptoed through the whoops after bouncing off a bunch of dudes (sorry, whomever you are,) and found myself in 3rd, right behind the guy on the CR and the leader, on a KX500. I had noted earlier in the day that someone on a KX500 took 27th in the first moto so I wasn't too worried about him. CR guy passed him, then so did I. After one lap, I noted the guy who had won the 1st moto was still trying to start his YZF on the side of the track. Bingo! I trailed CR guy for a few laps, then set him up for a block pass and took the lead. I held it all the way to the checkers for a moto win at the World Mini GP! My 4-1 earned me......2nd place. (Wah wah wah.......) Someone else had gone 2-2 for the overall.
I often wonder what might have been if I had gone for that double in the dark...

X2. Falcon . They have the gear I wore at LL hanging in his room . Very proud I was able to do that . I have his number on my bar pad and think of him every time I am on the gate

OR Racer46 wrote:

X2. Falcon . They have the gear I wore at LL hanging in his room . Very proud I was able to do that . I have his number on my bar pad and think of him every time I am on the gate

I was the riding club manager at the dealership and helped out with the Alba MX team that he was on in 2005/2006. I rode with him a few times and even gave him pointers back when he was slower than I. (Long ago...)

Hi-Point National weekend 1988, amateur day, 125A class, I got a horrible start as I weighed 180# riding a bullet '87 CR125, put my head down and went from a 27th place start to 9th in four laps. Riding better than I ever have and then on the first jump in the turn heading down into the staircase, the ass end came around on me off the jump and I landed sideways to the direction I was traveling. The resulting slap down ended my day considering my throttle assembly was pulled half off the bar gouging the aluminum Renthal's. I was indeed bummed.

Crazy I was just checking my FB account and this was what popped up first I had to take a screenshot .

1993 Ohio State Dirt Track Championships at the Bellefontaine 1/2 mile, 15 years old and last year as an amateur. As soon as practice started it was clear that the battle for the win in the 500cc and Open classes would be between myself and my travel buddy Ben. We both won all of our heat races and knew that it was going to be on in the main, and boy was it ever. In the 500cc main both of us ripped great starts and immediately checked out on the rest of the field, almost like there were two entirely different races, us and them. Back and forth the whole race, never more than a few bike lengths apart, racing with the type of confidence in each other that only best friends have. One thing to note about super close racing on a pea-gravel cushion half mile is the roost, it hurts!!! Like blast the paint off of your helmet, rip your feet off the pegs, black and blue through your leathers hurts, haha! It is also great for robbing your vision and momentum. Unfortunately for me, Ben was able to use that to his advantage by putting a good slide job on me in turns three and four coming up to the white flag, the spray off of his bike killing my drive, thus giving him a gap I couldn't make up and the win a lap later. Bummed to be so close and not get the W, but stoked to have had such a rad race with my friend and to have put on an awesome show for the packed house of the Logan County Fair. Lucky for me, I was able to bounce back in the Open main, winning after yet another epic with my buddy. Forever the highlight of my racing days, Ohio State Champion.

2007 team harescrambles at Topeka KS. Talked a buddy into his first race. When I unloaded my bike I saw I had a flat front tire. Wouldn't hold air and slime didn't help. I lined up anyway. They ran us through box vans, gnarly woods, grass track, tunnels, enduro cross sections but the only part I worried about was the radar speed trap on the 1/4 mile stock car track. We finished 5th in a pretty full 250 class. I was 49 back then so was fairly pleased with the results.

feelnjstfine wrote:

1993 Ohio State Dirt Track Championships at the Bellefontaine 1/2 mile, 15 years old and last year as an amateur. As soon as practice started it was clear that the battle for the win in the 500cc and Open classes would be between myself and my travel buddy Ben. We both won all of our heat races and knew that it was going to be on in the main, and boy was it ever. In the 500cc main both of us ripped great starts and immediately checked out on the rest of the field, almost like there were two entirely different races, us and them. Back and forth the whole race, never more than a few bike lengths apart, racing with the type of confidence in each other that only best friends have. One thing to note about super close racing on a pea-gravel cushion half mile is the roost, it hurts!!! Like blast the paint off of your helmet, rip your feet off the pegs, black and blue through your leathers hurts, haha! It is also great for robbing your vision and momentum. Unfortunately for me, Ben was able to use that to his advantage by putting a good slide job on me in turns three and four coming up to the white flag, the spray off of his bike killing my drive, thus giving him a gap I couldn't make up and the win a lap later. Bummed to be so close and not get the W, but stoked to have had such a rad race with my friend and to have put on an awesome show for the packed house of the Logan County Fair. Lucky for me, I was able to bounce back in the Open main, winning after yet another epic with my buddy. Forever the highlight of my racing days, Ohio State Champion.

Cool stuff, man.

1994 loretta lynn mid east regional. My 3rd year of racing and I was 21. I was riding the 125A stock and 250A stock. My 125 was a 1993 Rm125 that was pretty worn out, but ran real good. stock cylinder with a 38mm carb. race was in Ohio or indiana and I had never been there before. Fairly hard packed and a big triple. don't recall if I ever did it on the 125. I think practice was the day before, and I was the first moto of the day saturday. It rained overnight and the track looked a little nasty and the kind of mud that would weigh the bike down. i decided not to go out for a sight lap like everyone else and keep the bike clean. after everyone took off, I thought shoot, maybe just do a practice start. Huge fat guy sees me revving it up and waves no to me.. wtf. Im just gonna rip over the gate and turn around. so as I'm crossing the gate, he lifts it up! boom! over the bars, in the mud. bars bent, neck hurts and I'm about to fight this guy and I'm about 160 lbs..lol My dad was not one to mess with and i couldnt believe he kept his cool. He tried to bend the bars back and rode it back to use one of those straighteners. Needless to say i pulled that holeshot! I led and started pulling away, to about 10 second lead and couldnt believe how easy it was going, even though it was really really hot. all of a sudden i can't make the big table tops. bike is slowingg down, then it would run good again. sounded like the air box or exhaust was plugged. I thought the powervavles were sticking shut as i had no top end. I got reeled in and ended up 3rd that moto. Didn't ride it again as we couldnt figure out what was wrong. (after I traded it to a buddy he found out it was a cdi or stator) I ended up 4th in 250A stock on a 1994 cr250. that bike was super strong. the two guys i was leading was richie horton and robbie skaggs. Skaggs won the title at lorettas in the 125 class that year.

Hangtown 1976 - Amateur day

I had been down from Washington state the year before with Doug Raines, who got 2nd behind Tim Hart in the mud. I knew I needed to race Hangtown the next year. All I had was a clapped out 74 250 Bul, but it ran so away we went.

Practice was ok, but I was still a bit intimidated, as those Cali guys...all fast, right?

Well I pull up to the line for my first moto, all the way to the right. The first corner was a right hander, so I hoped to have some luck inside. I'm sitting there and up pulls a 250 Penton/KTM that said "Carl Cranke" tuned. I thought holy shit - I am going to get killed....

The gate drops, I get a good jump. Lo and behold I got the holey. Now I am leading but waiting for all the fast guys to come blowing by.

One corner, then another then another. All is quiet and I am pulling a big lead.

I had a couple of uncles watching right about where the finish line was. I'm beginning to believe I can do this, as no one is even close. As I pass where my uncles are standing I decide to show off, ramming the left hand berm hard, intending to wheelie out in front of them.

Instead I wuss out and hi-side right in front of them. I pick the bike up and start kicking. Kickety kickety kick. Still no one has come by. Kickety kick - the damned Amal had loaded up and I COULD NOT get it started.

As shame descended upon me, the pack come flashing by, and my hopes of Hangtown glory vanished as they disappeared down the track.

If only I had stuck to business....