Missouri Rd 14 Eugene

[94ruck]

Here is the report that I have been waiting to post all year:
I arrived at Eugene, missouri in the dark saturday night. my plans to be there early and walk the track were belayed due to having to finish the transmission rebuild on the hippie Johns RM 125. I stayed awake way too long bench racing with frank levain. I broke down and drank a couple of beers. Not my normal pre race routine but I needed to change something. I awoke early Sunday ready to race!
I was riding to the line when my season changed. Slade the school teacher flipped his bike on the way to the line when his throttle stuck. He did not make it to the line. That made it a new season as Elston and I are now vying for the championship. I didn't get a great start and rounded the first turn in 4th. Immediatley we hit the dust and I literally could not see 2 feet in front of me. We ran a 7 minute section which included a very long rocky creek with some slimey water in it. I used the creek to my advantage and jet skied my way into 2nd. We ran the check and hit a high speed section, jumped into some single track and ran 1/4 of a mile and then over some rr tacks. I took the lead at the rr tracks and never looked back. i fought dust the whole race but made time in the creek every lap. I ended up winning finally and felt good and my heart was in it the whole time. I ended up 24th overall beating all of my buddies. Hippie John took 5th in the c 200 class and his bike ran flawlessly. Batboy drowned out in the creek and ended up 8th JR. Brandon Forrestor beat Steve levain and probably won the championship although Mathmatically steve still has a chance.
2 more to go this year!

 

[KaTooMer]

Aches, pains, bumps, bruises, swollen left knee, right hand an odd color of purple....geez, that course was tough on me. I got a horrible start, which was made even worse by the dust. I got around a couple of guys, then crashed when the dust covered up a nasty rut and the guys I passed got around me. I made up some time in the nasty creek and was mid-pack when we came out of it. I rode O.K. for awhile after that, but on the second full lap I crashed in the tight stuff next to the railroad tracks and whacked my knee on a rock. It was a little sore, but I started riding hard and had moved up to 3rd place when I came across Matt Coffman, who was leading our class when his clutch line broke. I caught up to Ray Osia, now in first, and choked on his dust for almost a full lap. Almost impossible to pass, but we went into the creek section together and I decided that was going to be my only place to pass, so I gunned it through the deepest water and got around him just before the scoring trailer. I had a hunch that Ray was going to try hard to pass me in the open area around the pits, and with his big 400EXC he braked late and got inside me at the last turn before heading into the tight stuff around the railroad tracks. But he swung out wide and I was able to cut back inside and just barely beat him into the singletrack. Just after that, unknown to me at the time, he got a flat front tire and had to go easy, but I figured he was right behind me and I rode hard to the finish. I got a little too agressive in the creek section and crashed in the rocks (was less than a quarter-mile to the finish), so now I have a big purple bruise below my thumb.

The good news is that I won the Open B class and finished 20th overall, but I am paying for it this morning. Somewhere on the course, a couple of my boot buckles were completely ripped off, threads and all. And a tree branch slapped my chest protector so hard that I have a 6" mark on my chest. I iced the knee last night and am hoping the swelling goes down on its own. The bike looks no worse for wear...the ol' girl just keeps chugging. Pretty well run race, started on time, and always nice to try out a new course.

 

[Blue Thunder]

Good job fella's, a Vet win and an Open B win, you boys are tearing it up out there. I EMT'd a team race yesterday, I was glad to be working instead of racing.
Congrats to you both on your wins..now how about those trophy girls???? :yeehaw:

 

[94ruck]

I talked to John after the race and he ha d a big grin and looked just fine(but he had on long pants. he hid those wounds wonderfully. I did not crash at all but John still beat me by 2 minutes. I have 2 wounds in my rib cage where that same stupid stick hit me between the front and back of my chest protector. But they be feel good wounds!

 

[jeffw]

If that was a broken off cedar branch on the inside line on a left turn you guys are talking about, well then it got me too :eek:

We had most of the crew from Rolla there Sunday. Mark on the Gas Gas was second on the mini lap, then led OpenB for breifly before getting a flat front tire halfway through lap 2.

Nick Sr. had a good ride finishing 4th in 200C. Nick Jr. stuck it out the whole way and finished 14th outa 28 in Beginner.

I got heat cramps in lap 3 and quit at 1:44 15-21 in 200C.

We'll all be in Bolivar Sunday to kick off the Hillbilly series. If you guys make it, we're in a gold colored Tahoe with 14' white tralier.

 

[94ruck]

yeah, that cedar branch that was cut with nippers(must have been cut in the section where the nippers reached max cutting capacity!)