drn does burleson

[tx246]

well where do i start.........? it seems that some drn's pm'd each other and the next thing you know we are all at burleson, tx on sunday morning for a motocross race. those in attendance were jeff gilbert, mx547, zero, dmb(i think that is his nick), and myself. the weather was great and the price was right. 547 was feeling it and signed up for two classes (40+ and 30+ intermediate). i rode 30+novice. jeff ran 125beg. zero ran several classes i know one was 30+inter.

practice was a game of memory for 547,zero and myself as we had A. never been there or B. it had been 10+ yrs or more. the track is located in a nice wooded area. the track was fast and dirt was a sandy mix. there were few real jumps. only one 80ft table top and some singles. there was not one double. the track did feature some very cool bermshot turns. some were 15-20ft high. this is a great track for first timers. the track was very fast though.

ill let the others tell their acutal moto events but mine went like this.
this was the first time i had run 30+novice. (i usually run 250beg) and i was expecting to get toasted. i hadnt been on a track since dirtweek in sept. i got in the gate and it was pretty full (14 in class) and got ready. im not much for falling down in the first turn. so i didnt get out of the gate in any kind of hurry 13th out of 14. my usual la rocco kind of start. i picked off a couple in a hurry and felt like i was making time eventhough the first three or four were way gone. i get behind this guy on a thumper and we are pretty much the same speed until we get to a straight and he leaves my 250. im a bit faster in corners and try to make time on the brakes and i can back up to him. finally on the last lap there is a small whoop section before the finish. i take the inside and beat him to the end where there is a corner and take away his line and cross the finish. after consulting with the result sheet i find a 7th place result which i was happy with.

the track was hopping, full gates and a good crowd. i was the last moto in our bunch and we decided to go eat. well that beautiful day brought a hungry crowd too. by the time we made the window at the consession stand it was hotdogs or bbq on hotdog buns or nothing. jeff and i opted for the dogs and jay took the bbq on hotdog buns. jeff brought his daughter haley aka tigger and she was having fun with her waco buddies.

the second motos got underway and i as i spectated, i noticed my back was getting a tad stiff. little did i know that the tad i noticed was a precursor to monday morning agony. anyway......my moto comes around and i drop into a gate position. im going with the same battle plan.....let em out of the gate and chase em down. somewhere my thinking changed because when the gate dropped i was already there as in hung up in the gate. great just great!!! that has never happened to me til now. so instead of 2 yard headstart, i give everybody 50yards. breathe breathe and go go. i get to the first turn and lo and behold there has been a pile up and i have to wait for two people to get untangled. keep breathing stupid. finally im off and i start catching people. i did my first slide job ever and it felt cool. i didnt bump him but i did make him hit the brakes. i ran a few more down and the race was over. the results said 8th but combined score had me at 6th!!! woohoo!!!! if i would of passed one more person, i would of trophied!! anybody who rides with me knows i dont have much to dust. i was close but not quite close enough. i figure 6th out of 14 isnt too bad.

back to the back.........seems like that 40degree practice session on cold muscles isnt a good idea because im at home on monday at 11:00 am writing this instead of being at work.

you know what they say......a bad day after racing is better than a good day at work anytime!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[BSWIFT]

Sounds like fun.

 

[Zero]

My day went like...

It had been 15+ years since I had been to Burleson. I didn't recognize anything except the dirt looked the same. I signed up for +30 Int and +25.
I recently got an 02 CR250, this would be her first race and my 3rd time on a bike since last November.

They combined all the +30 guys (Nov, Int, Exp) I hadn't practiced any starts on my new steed as of yet, so I was a little curious as to how I'd do on the start. I wheelied out of the gate, but I got a solid jump and was able to control the wheeling down the start straight, which was REALLY long and NARROW. Read, NARROW. It was the most narror start I have ever seen outside of an AX. Anyway, I got to the first turn (hairpin left hander) tied with a guy to my inside. I was able to rail the first turn and we were side by side going into the 2nd turn which was a 90 degree right hander with a high banked berm. I had the inside and I chose to take the shorter path as he took the berm high, but longer route. Well, the inside was a little mushy and when I got on the gas I couldn't hold my line and instantly shot out towards the berm taking away the other guys line. At first I thought I went into him, but as it turns out I was a full bike length ahead of him, and he tried ducking underneath me. I am not sure what happened next, all I remember is feeling something slam me from behind and the next thing I know I see a front wheel next to my head out of my periferial vision and I veer away from this object the best that I can. I look back and see a bike doing cart wheels while the guy is scurring off the track. Somehow I didn't go down. I do feel a tingle in my finger. (more on this later) I have no idea what place I am in, or who is even in my class for that matter. I race hard till the finish and I even make a last corner pass on a 426 that was spraying me most of the moto. I ended up 3rd in my class that moto. I think there was 6 of us.

Back in the pits I discover that tingling of my finger turns out to be a smashed pointer fingernail with cut index finger. I dunno how that happened, maybe it got smashed between the clutch and the grip or something. Its throbbing at this point and basically hurts, a lot.

After this is all done, DPW tells me the guy that did the cart wheels was over banging on his bike. I decided to go over and apologize to him for the incident, let him know it wasn't intentional. Wel, I got to his pits to see him and his brother? banging on his bike. (it was trashed) I asked if he was okay? And I guess that was his que to go off on me. "Why the heck did you take me out like that, you went right into me?" I was like, uh? It was an accident. "Like heck, you knew I was on the outside, if you woulda held your line you woullda never hit me, but instead you came right into me" "Get the heck outta here"

I was like, "Dude, I didn't hit you on purpose. I had the inside and you had the outside, I am sorry this happened....." For a second I thought we were about to throw down.

He then tells me if I want to ride that way, thats fine with him, as he can ride that was also and the next time that he would make sure to take me out the first chance he gets. He also decides to tell me he can outride me anywhere and anytime....blah blah blah. I was like "whatever" and walked off.

Next race was the +25. The same guy was in this race too, except he was riding his brother's? bike this time. HIs bike was loaded up in the truck. He holeshot and won, I had a noneventful arm pumping crash free moto, I think I got 4th that time, not sure how many of us there was, maybe 6?

Moto 2 +30 int - bad start. (the other guy wasn't in this race) Not much to talk about here either. ALthough I did pass several guys it seemed like. I got 3rd that moto too for 3rd over all. I followed the 426 from the first moto around again this moto but never got around him.

Moto 2 +25 - I got another good start, and low and behold the guy from before was right next to me going through the first corner. I'd be lying if I didn't think about a possible take out move, so I was on my guard...but at the same time I grabbed a fist full of throttle it WAS ON! However someone else pulled the holeshot, we were battling for 2nd through the first turn. Just like before, I had the outside he had the inside, same scenario through the next corner...however this time I was able to hold my line (later in the day, no more mush in that corner) and I kept an eye on him lookie there, he highsides exiting the corner.....awwww, poor bast@rd. I wonder if he is gonna blame that on me somehow? I follow the leader for the first couple laps. But once armpump set in I was toast. Not to mention I was learning how to use the one finger clutch technique, my smashed fingernail was worthless, I couldn't use it for anything. I notice "that guy" had caught up to me and was breathing down my neck. I had nothing for him, but I wasn't going to give him position either. I was kind of waiting for a T-bone or something, but he made a clean pass on me. And I ended up with 3rd in that one as well.

That was it. The track got pretty rough. The overallfun factor wasn't real high for me on the track design. The dirt was nice, and it got rough. But the jumps weren't fun. The whoops weren't hard, weren't easy...they just weren't fun. I had a good day though, kept it on two and came out in one peice.

It was cool meeting you guys. We gotta do it again one day. BTW: We are thinking of hitting Nocona this Saturday.

 

[justql]

Sounds fun, sounds like my kinda track. :)

 

[DPW]

My day at Burleson wasn't quite as exciting as Zero's, but it was pretty fun. This was my third race ever and third at Burleson. I decided to race two classes 250 Beginner-4 laps 20 riders and 250 Open-5 laps 5 riders.

Moto 1 250 Beginner
The Moto was the biggest I've raced in. 20 beginners all heading for the same narrow first corner. I got a typical Larocco start (at least from his 01 season), bad. I was toward the back of mid-pack. In the first corner a guy went down in front of me. No problem I go around and head for the second corner, which is a mess too with guys floundering though it, I go high in the berm since everyone is going low, to high. I get in the loose(r) stuff and stall it. No big deal the big usually starts in a couple of kicks, I think once I got both feet on the ground it took three kicks, seemed like more though. This should be interesting four lap race and I'm in the back of the pack and maybe around a quarter of lap behind, *&#*&. By the end of the first lap I have a couple of guys in sight , I pass maybe three(guessing) on lap 2. The line through the mud worked good for me , everyone else avoided it. On lap three(or I thought 4) I passed another two riders and had another in my sight. I pushed to the finish line hoping to catch him. Not a chance the checkered flag is out, great the arm-pump was starting to set in too. I ride back to my truck try to figure what place I got and notice bikes in my class are still going around the track. HMM ?? I didn't get lapped and that was defiantly the checkered flag. Later I check the results and a big DNF. I was a little upset, but it's not for points just for fun. I'll count the laps next time.
Finish DNF

Moto 1 250 Open
Not much to say here. Back of the pack start. I was wasn't really expecting to do much just wanted to get more time on the track. The top four were out of sight, I just took it easy out there with arm-pump kicking in and being tired.
Finish 5th

Moto 2 250 Beginner
Another not so good start, but I make it through the second corner. The four laps go pretty easy, no arm pump and I wasn't to tired. I ended up 12th out of twenty. I think it should have been 11th. For the second time the guy in front of me decided to take the last corner easy. I went for it in the last corner and used my "secret" line and we crossed the finish line together, but again it went to the other guy, video camera huh ??
Finish 12th

Moto 2 250 Open
Start was better this time. I was right there with the top four. I stayed close for about a lap and then fourth started pulling away. I put in a good 3.5 laps , but I had a hard time staying focused when the other guys in my class where out of sight.
Finish 5th

Had a good time and good workout. Zero did some video taping and I got an idea on some things I need to work on. All in all a great time and met some cool DRNers.

The result of my riding yesterday

Click >>Trophy

 

[mx547]

i made the five hour drive to tx246's house saturday afternoon. then tx246 and mrs. tx246 treated me to dinner at a small local mexican restaurant. they have good taste in restaurants (no chains). we try a different one every time that i come down. then we drove around for an hour, stopping by several of tx246's friend's houses. oddly enough, nobody was home. i've determined that he really doesn't have any friends outside of his little cyber world.:p we ended up renting a movie (non-moto) then crashed about midnite. we had to get up early. for some reason, they start practice at 8:30 a.m. there and we were looking at a little over an hours drive. i'm used to 10:00 practice. as we pull into the track, we notice an inordinate number of vintage bikes. apparently they were having some sort of vintage national that day. there must have been at least fifty old mxers; pentons, yams, kawies, bultacos, elsinores, and half of all the maicos ever made were there. i made two rookie mx mistakes (i've been racing since '86). 1. i didn't check the practice schedule and 2. i didn't bring tear-offs. every track i've ever been at that runs two practices, runs through all the bike sizes starting with big bikes then on down, then repeats. well, burleson is different. they ran big bikes, then 80's, then big bikes and 80's again, then the smaller bikes followed. needless to say, we missed the second practice. i hadn't learned the track very well yet so i walked it but it didn't help much. my first moto was in the over 40 class (this is where the no tear-offs comes in). i got a third place start, then got pasted with damp sand in the second turn. i couldn't hardly see anything. i wasn't comfortable with the track as i was still trying to learn it and i blindly faded back to ninth. my next moto was over 30 intermediate. it was my first "real" intermediate race. i got a decent start, saw two bikes tangling in front of me (turned out to be zero and his new buddy). i held a couple of bikes off for awhile but i tired and faded again, sixth out of six (i guess you can't call me a sandbagger). as i crossed the finish line i looked back to see where tx246 had finished as the over 30 novice class started on the gate behind us. about twenty feet in front of the flag were two bikes down and two guys rolling in the dirt throwing punches. i never did hear what started it, none of us saw it. i guess it's a little more serious down in texas (when zero told us of his little pit altercation the quotes from the other guy were a little more graphic).;) in the second round of motos, i was feeling a little better. i had the track down fairly well and was feeling more confident. the guy next to me jumped the start and hit the gate. i wheelied and lost a little ground and got a fourth place start. i rode better; the first four quickly pulled away, one guy passed me and i ended up with a 9/5 for seventh overall in the over 40. the second over 30 intermediate moto was uneventful. i started okay but i was no match for their speed (zero is fast). sixth overall, no trophies today. this track was fun but it was not my style. i'm used to hard packed dirt on a tighter more jump filled type of track. burleson got rough, braking bumps from hell. a couple of times, i was hanging on for dear life. my wrists are sore today. it was cool getting to meet some more drners. all in all it was a good road trip. i'll be back down there in april to ride again at another track.

only next time i'll bring my tear-offs.:confused:

 

[mx547]

Originally posted by DPW
This was my third race ever and third at Burleson.

you need to update your profile.:)

 

[DPW]

Originally posted by mx547
you need to update your profile.:)

thanks for reminding me

:cool:

 

[Jeff Gilbert]

I talked to one of the guys throwing the punches, he used to be a mechanic at local Waco dealership. Seems he was stopped and the guy behind him hit his bike knocking him off then the guy proceeded to try and run him over, this is when Bobby yanked him off the bike, threw dirt in his face and beat the crap out of him. Talk about a "Redneck."

I had been looking forward to meeting fellow DRN'rs mx547 & tx246 all week. I had desperately worked on getting the ktm fork seals delivered in time to put back together and they finally came in Friday. I started on the right side, which was trashed completely, and spent roughly 4 hours trying to get the fork reassembled. I decided to take a break on the right and do the left. Low & behold, the forks are different! The left side took about 30 minutes to do because it only had a flat washer under the seal. I filled it with oil and went back to the right side. Why does the left side have a flat washer and the right side have a bushing? Finally got it together at 4am Sat morning, got a little sleep, then posted for help on DRN. Turns out the bushing on the right side used to be a washer, Thanks Jer so I took it back apart, flattened the bushing back in the shape of a washer and slapped her back together. Spent the rest of the day hangin' out.

The alarm clock is set for 6am Sunday, at 7am I'm still working on getting Tigger out of bed. We're finally out the door, picked up a couple of "Breakfast Jacks" and hit the highway. We pulled into Burleson at 8:40 and practice had started. I head over & introduce myself to mx547 & tx246, Jays' bike is already covered in mud by this time I believe. I quickly get into my gear in time for 2nd practice and make my way around the slop of a track (a little over watered. :confused: ) After practice I asked the other guys why they didn't do the 2nd practice, well, you've already heard the reason.
Feeling a little low on energy I only sign up for the 125 beginner class, (the over 40 at Burleson are faaassst!) and I'm race 7? of 17?.

There are 20 riders in my class, the most I've ever raced against. The gate drops for my 1st moto and I get one of the best starts I ever got. I'm tied for second in the 1st turn but I get pushed way up into the berm in the 2nd turn and lose about 15 places. I'm determined to pass somebody! Since I now have the "Scotts Steering Stabilizer" I opt for the rougher line down the first strait and pass about 3 guys, this maneuver puts me on the inside line for the next small jump and left turn, good move as I pass another in the corner. I've got another inside line for the next turn but it puts me high in the sweeper at the back of the track and it was rough. I lost a little time there but made it back on the next straight and passed another in the next corner. I way over jump the next jump which cause me to be passed but I'm coming up on the only table top at this track that you can actually hit fast and passed the guy back and held him off, I'm finally improving on my cornering. All this typing and I'm only half way through the 1st lap. From this point on out I only got to pass a couple more riders and someone passed me as well. By the 3rd lap my tongue was glued to the top of my mouth, my throat was so dry I couldn't breath. By the 4th lap I started slowing down because I couldn't hold my arms up, I never remember getting so tired. I finished moto 1 in about 11th place out of 20 riders, I sure thought I did better than that.

I spend the next hour or so visiting with my fellow DRNrs' before deciding I should rest for moto #2.
Moto 2 I used a different technique for my start because I didn't get out of the gate quite as fast. I head straight for the outside of turn 1 since I'm toward the rear of the pack, as they had the usual beginner pile up I squared off and passed a bunch of people and took the inside of turn 2. I was passing riders left & right all through the 1st half of lap one and seemed to be doing well. The rest of the race continued uneventfully but I did get very tired, did I say the track was rough? I normally ride 2 classes here but I'm glad I didn't today. As I crossed the finish for the checkers I felt like I kicked some major butt. When they posted the results I had gotten 12th, worse than I did in moto 1:confused:

In summary: we normally get out of Burleson around noon but today it was 4:30. The track was rougher than hell and my hands hurt! I'm way out of shape! I met some really great people from DRN. I'll be back in two weeks at Burleson to do it all over again. :cool:

I am looking forward to riding some other places with you guys, a place with jumps, when time permits. It was my pleasure to meet & ride with you all.

 

[Jeff Gilbert]

One other thing

It must have been a full moon or something, I've never seen this kind of behavior at Burleson. The "Rednecks" and "Inbreeds" must have had the weekend out. I especially liked the 2 girls on the quad doing power slides. No helmet, shorts & a tank top? The one driving managed to maneuver while smoking while the passenger never spilled a drop of her beer. I think Jay invited them to Dirt Week 3. :p

 

[kingriz1]

Am idea

What would it cost to rent the place for a day? We can sign all the release and ge a bunch of people together to have some fun all day practicing?

Jeff you seem to go there alot is this feesable at all?

Sincerely,

Riz

 

[Jeff Gilbert]

1st off Riz, sorry for the "foot in mouth" the other day.:uh:
I don't know if they would consider it or not. They groom the track after every race Sunday so it should be nice. I do know that they have practice on Wed.
The place is really a working cattle ranch when not used for racing and I've met the guy who has the cattle. The next race weekend I'm planning on taking Tigger, a friend of hers and the RV up on Sat evening for camping over. It'll be great to wake up and race without the 1 1/2-hour drive. I can ask if they're up for it and let you know.

It's a great beginner "old style" mx track. There are no big jumps, doubles and only one tabletop. I haven't quite figured out what the one part is really supposed to be, a rhythm section or whoop section. They aren't deep but they are spaced out kind of far. In all it's a good place to practice cornering and riding in soft dirt.

 

[kingriz1]

Do they have practise every Wed?

I would love to go try the place out in a non race set up. I wonder how my DR would do out there? With no big jumps it might be fun.

How much does it cost to practise out there. Is it open practise?

Sincerely,

Riz

 

[Jeff Gilbert]

I don't know any details but you can call and ask.
(817) 295-1760

 

[rockchucker]

I know Burleson has been known to rent the track out on Mondays. Don't know if they still do that or not.