OK - For those who don't know, I was shipped off to Malaysia for 3 months for my job. Tough thing to do, but I know it could be much worse. Anywho... I have been finding things to do on the weekends and one of them was attending the MotoGP race at Sepang Circuit here in KL. It was there that I met the organizer for the race I went to and even entered this last weekend. Through my chance meetings I was able to rent a bike and all the gear and head out to Kuala Lipis where there was a race going on.
Raymond Tan (the guy with the bike) came by and picked my at the hotel and we were off to the races with a 97 KTM 250 EXC in the back of the van. It was a great drive and the scenery was awesome.
PIC HERE
I saw stuff I would have never seen if I'd stayed in Kuala Lumpur. We get to the site and unload. I go register and to my dismay, I was forced to enter the Expert class since I was a foreigner. I ain't no freakin' expert, but I figured what the heck. No getting around this one. Time to practice rolls around so I go hit the track.
PIC HERE
Riding in the jungle was cool. I had to focus on my riding b/c it was awesome. The track had one monster hill climb,
PIC HERE
a shorter albeit steep hill climb, and a creek crossing that was pretty deep
PIC HERE .
Practice went great. There were a couple of sections in the jungle that were a little muddy, but all-in-all I rode well and was clicking off decent lap times just riding at a brisk, but comfortable pace.
Race time rolls around and the order is amatuers, intermediates, and experts last. The format for Saturday was 2 motos, each being 20 minutes + 1 lap. No sweat, I am thinking. Then I look to the sky and clouds are rolling in. The beginners get off and have a good race. So do the intermediates. My turn. The rain falls. And falls. The once beautiful track is now turned into a slimy mess that can best be described as something resembling 6" of pig crap on an ice rink. This dirt was bi-polar I tell ya. Sweet when moist, but get it wet and it was PURE EVIL. I line up to race with it pouring. I figure I paid my money so I will give it a go - even though I HATE mud races. The flag drops and we are off. I am hanging back, but keeping up with the pack. Time to hit the monster hill climb. I get 1/2 way up and 2 guys crash in front of me and take me down too. This hill is so steep and slippery I can't even stand up without sliding. I manage to guide the bike over to the side and coast down for another try. At this time my goggles are gone. I fire up the bike and hit it hard in 2nd. Splash! I get a full dose of sand and mud in both eyes, but I am committed at this point. I stay on the gas even though I can barely see and I make it to the top. Yes! Now around the corner and hit the downside. There is a bike stuck in the mud at the base so I pick a new line and I hit it hard, but the bike sank like a rock. Burried almost to the top of the wheels. It takes 2 guys to help me out, but I press onward. I make lap 1 and come back to the hill from hell and hit it again. My eyes stay clean and I am going OK until I hit a bump and the bike shoots to the left and I came about 12' shy of the top. No where to go but back down. At this point I threw in the towel. I was worn out.
The rain stopped, but the track was worse for the 2nd race. I try anyway (I should have known better after the 1st race). To make a long story short - the track was even more slippery and I spent a whole lot of time digging the bike out of the mud. No control. It wasn't fun and I had a couple of "Oh sh__!" experiences and decided that it was not my day. I limped back to camp, jumped in the lake to rinse the mud off and came out with 2 huge leaches on me. Nasty buggers.
After a good meal and some warm beers it was time to sleep. Thank God the monkeys stayed out of the tent!
Sunday I awoke to a damp morning and the sun refused to shine. Racing started at 11 (it was a 4 hour race). I went to go do a practice lap and survey the track. OMG - it was sliiiiiick. Might have helped if I had some fresh meats on the KTM (they were worn past what I would allow for sure). On the practice lap I went down more times than Monica Lewinski. I broke my clutch lever 1/2 through the lap and I had to limp back in this crap with no clutch! I made a decision right then. Leave this race to the locals. I have never seen slop like this in all my years of riding!
AFTERMATH PIC HERE
As they say - "Ya pays yer money and ya takes yer chances!" After getting cleaned up, I stuck around and watched the races (crashes). After it was over it was time to head back to KL for a massage. Raymond was cracking up at the whole ordeal. No matter b/c I couldn't even get him to ride in that crap! He refused to even get on his own bike! We have planned another ride (2 actually) so I will hopefully have a much better ride to write about. What an experience it was anyway!
A HAPPY BUT BATTERED ME HERE
-jeffd
Raymond Tan (the guy with the bike) came by and picked my at the hotel and we were off to the races with a 97 KTM 250 EXC in the back of the van. It was a great drive and the scenery was awesome.
PIC HERE
I saw stuff I would have never seen if I'd stayed in Kuala Lumpur. We get to the site and unload. I go register and to my dismay, I was forced to enter the Expert class since I was a foreigner. I ain't no freakin' expert, but I figured what the heck. No getting around this one. Time to practice rolls around so I go hit the track.
PIC HERE
Riding in the jungle was cool. I had to focus on my riding b/c it was awesome. The track had one monster hill climb,
PIC HERE
a shorter albeit steep hill climb, and a creek crossing that was pretty deep
PIC HERE .
Practice went great. There were a couple of sections in the jungle that were a little muddy, but all-in-all I rode well and was clicking off decent lap times just riding at a brisk, but comfortable pace.
Race time rolls around and the order is amatuers, intermediates, and experts last. The format for Saturday was 2 motos, each being 20 minutes + 1 lap. No sweat, I am thinking. Then I look to the sky and clouds are rolling in. The beginners get off and have a good race. So do the intermediates. My turn. The rain falls. And falls. The once beautiful track is now turned into a slimy mess that can best be described as something resembling 6" of pig crap on an ice rink. This dirt was bi-polar I tell ya. Sweet when moist, but get it wet and it was PURE EVIL. I line up to race with it pouring. I figure I paid my money so I will give it a go - even though I HATE mud races. The flag drops and we are off. I am hanging back, but keeping up with the pack. Time to hit the monster hill climb. I get 1/2 way up and 2 guys crash in front of me and take me down too. This hill is so steep and slippery I can't even stand up without sliding. I manage to guide the bike over to the side and coast down for another try. At this time my goggles are gone. I fire up the bike and hit it hard in 2nd. Splash! I get a full dose of sand and mud in both eyes, but I am committed at this point. I stay on the gas even though I can barely see and I make it to the top. Yes! Now around the corner and hit the downside. There is a bike stuck in the mud at the base so I pick a new line and I hit it hard, but the bike sank like a rock. Burried almost to the top of the wheels. It takes 2 guys to help me out, but I press onward. I make lap 1 and come back to the hill from hell and hit it again. My eyes stay clean and I am going OK until I hit a bump and the bike shoots to the left and I came about 12' shy of the top. No where to go but back down. At this point I threw in the towel. I was worn out.
The rain stopped, but the track was worse for the 2nd race. I try anyway (I should have known better after the 1st race). To make a long story short - the track was even more slippery and I spent a whole lot of time digging the bike out of the mud. No control. It wasn't fun and I had a couple of "Oh sh__!" experiences and decided that it was not my day. I limped back to camp, jumped in the lake to rinse the mud off and came out with 2 huge leaches on me. Nasty buggers.
After a good meal and some warm beers it was time to sleep. Thank God the monkeys stayed out of the tent!
Sunday I awoke to a damp morning and the sun refused to shine. Racing started at 11 (it was a 4 hour race). I went to go do a practice lap and survey the track. OMG - it was sliiiiiick. Might have helped if I had some fresh meats on the KTM (they were worn past what I would allow for sure). On the practice lap I went down more times than Monica Lewinski. I broke my clutch lever 1/2 through the lap and I had to limp back in this crap with no clutch! I made a decision right then. Leave this race to the locals. I have never seen slop like this in all my years of riding!
AFTERMATH PIC HERE
As they say - "Ya pays yer money and ya takes yer chances!" After getting cleaned up, I stuck around and watched the races (crashes). After it was over it was time to head back to KL for a massage. Raymond was cracking up at the whole ordeal. No matter b/c I couldn't even get him to ride in that crap! He refused to even get on his own bike! We have planned another ride (2 actually) so I will hopefully have a much better ride to write about. What an experience it was anyway!
A HAPPY BUT BATTERED ME HERE
-jeffd
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