- Oct 20, 2000
- 2,969
- 2
This Friday started just like the one last year, I got up too early. At any rate, I loaded up all my gear and headed to the coliseum to give arenacross another shot, I learned a lot from last years experience. Registration was from 8 to 11am, meeting at 11:30 and practice at noon. I'm in the last practice, about #24, but it came around real fast. Practice was uneventfull, I just rolled everything.
Heats started at 2pm and mine 2nd to the last, I think I hit neutral 4 times landing jumps, one of which put my manlyhood to my chest but I did pull off a 6th and still rolled most everything. I stalled in the 1st turn and had to come from the back of the pack, it's hard to hear my tiddler with all the 4-strokes blasting in my ear.
3 hours later the main starts and I'm 22nd race. It's cold outside and about the same inside. I'm guessing almost 6 hours have passed since my heat race. We line up at the gate as I look up at the crowd, it's a good one for Friday night. One of the guys can't get his bike started so they give him the standard 2 minutes while we were on the line which just happens to be in the breezeway, I had just spent 30 minutes stretching and trying to get my muscles warm and the 2 minutes seem to go on for ever. Finally he gets her started and pulls next to me. The gate drops and I rail the outside berm in hopes to carry more speed through the 1st turn, my 125 needs all the help it can get against all the big thumpers in this over 30 class. Had it not been for the guy in front of me I think I could've pulled a better start than I did, I managed to hit the corner in about 4th position but didn't have enough speed to prevent a little blocking at the exit, I made it out close to last place. I knew I was going to have to jump if I wanted to pass but the traffic was too heavy. I stayed right with the pack on the 1st lap before we move out enough for safe jumping. 2nd lap, here goes!!! The 1st double I way over jumped but not far enough to actually land in the face of the triple, it was close. Next turn was the catapult then the landing, I don't recall any of us jumping it. After that landing was the turn leading into 3 sets of doubles, I did the 1st double and rolled the rest, it was actually easy. Around we go again and I got the timing down better for the 1st double. The catapult I jumped a little but the landing was huge, I caught some big air off that. Again through the rythym section and my attempt to double - double, the 2nd one was scetchy at best, 2 singles out and around again. By this time I was passing people and putting distance between us, there were 7 laps of this. On the last lap #632 (Franz Hyland) was with me though the 1st double and we cleared the tabletop together. As we made the turn for the catapult, me on the inside and he on the outside, he slowed and asked me if I wanted to do another lap. I told him I was good, He was in 1st place, I was in 4th pace and 3rd was far enough in front of me that I don't think I could've caught him in one lap. Over the top and my main was over. Finished 4th in my 2nd arenacross and no injuries, life is good. :thumb:
Thinking about doing it again today. :aj:
Heats started at 2pm and mine 2nd to the last, I think I hit neutral 4 times landing jumps, one of which put my manlyhood to my chest but I did pull off a 6th and still rolled most everything. I stalled in the 1st turn and had to come from the back of the pack, it's hard to hear my tiddler with all the 4-strokes blasting in my ear.
3 hours later the main starts and I'm 22nd race. It's cold outside and about the same inside. I'm guessing almost 6 hours have passed since my heat race. We line up at the gate as I look up at the crowd, it's a good one for Friday night. One of the guys can't get his bike started so they give him the standard 2 minutes while we were on the line which just happens to be in the breezeway, I had just spent 30 minutes stretching and trying to get my muscles warm and the 2 minutes seem to go on for ever. Finally he gets her started and pulls next to me. The gate drops and I rail the outside berm in hopes to carry more speed through the 1st turn, my 125 needs all the help it can get against all the big thumpers in this over 30 class. Had it not been for the guy in front of me I think I could've pulled a better start than I did, I managed to hit the corner in about 4th position but didn't have enough speed to prevent a little blocking at the exit, I made it out close to last place. I knew I was going to have to jump if I wanted to pass but the traffic was too heavy. I stayed right with the pack on the 1st lap before we move out enough for safe jumping. 2nd lap, here goes!!! The 1st double I way over jumped but not far enough to actually land in the face of the triple, it was close. Next turn was the catapult then the landing, I don't recall any of us jumping it. After that landing was the turn leading into 3 sets of doubles, I did the 1st double and rolled the rest, it was actually easy. Around we go again and I got the timing down better for the 1st double. The catapult I jumped a little but the landing was huge, I caught some big air off that. Again through the rythym section and my attempt to double - double, the 2nd one was scetchy at best, 2 singles out and around again. By this time I was passing people and putting distance between us, there were 7 laps of this. On the last lap #632 (Franz Hyland) was with me though the 1st double and we cleared the tabletop together. As we made the turn for the catapult, me on the inside and he on the outside, he slowed and asked me if I wanted to do another lap. I told him I was good, He was in 1st place, I was in 4th pace and 3rd was far enough in front of me that I don't think I could've caught him in one lap. Over the top and my main was over. Finished 4th in my 2nd arenacross and no injuries, life is good. :thumb:
Thinking about doing it again today. :aj:
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