Prairie Dogs GP Sat & Sun March 5 & 6

[Boodac]

Eric Im in the same boat about being a moto sissy. I usually roll most of the jumps in the unclassified until I see if they have a kicker. Of course that is no guarantee because after a race or two you can still develop a kicker on the top of a jump that will definately make you look like Superman. The best part about the GP's is that they really tone down the jumps. Most if not almost all are table tops and really not bad. The worse is Palmdale because its short and mostly motorcross.
Im with Hole about doing a joy ride in the Unclassified. In my opinion I think the unclassified really helps although it could definately be a lot cheaper. It familiarizes you with the course, especially the bad areas, and helps get the blood flowing in youir arms to help reduce arm pump.
Ill be looking for you guys at MCDys.

Rich

 

[Boodac]

Hey Tim, went down to GH to get my District card squared away and to take care of Sundays race numbers etc****. The course is a lot different from last year. You dont head up Mount St. Helen after all. Its going to be soft and rutted by Sunday. There wont be an ounce of dust from what I can tell. Looks like a fun fun course. see ya at MCDys

 

[holeshot]

I also went to GH today (at about 1 PM) to do the same things as Boodac, but I changed my mind because I didn't quite feel up for it.

But the course conditions are, in a word, "epic". There's no standing water or any mud bogs on the course. However, there is a stream crossing the paved entrance road (not part of the course). ;)

It's gonna be great. :cool: Too bad I have to sit this one out. :uh:

 

[thumbs]

So what did I miss?

 

[the Eel]

It was awesome ... Holeshot is right, I do wish I had raced it .. but I was getting butterflies just watching ! They ran roughly 60 minute races on a loop consisting of many parts of the national glen helen track plus some ridgeline stuff behind it. How cool it must have been to ride the big national track. They ran them up what is normally the downside of Mt. St. Helen, but did not use the normal uphill part ... it was pretty wrecked from the rains. the jumps looked very mild. Scar and Boodac raced, and we also saw Jeff Browne there since Andrew Browne was competing in the mini class. Ol 89r was there, too. Beautiful day at the track ... we were wondering where you were ? We should all defninitely race this next year ... really cool. Glad I went.

 

[Boodac]

You guys missed a great time racing. This year’s race was even more fun than last year. Scar, my buddy Bart and I all raced the unclassified on the front line. I was a little hesitant about being upfront with the experts behind us but nonetheless Scar wanted to see what being in the front was all about. The course consisted of starting in the motocross section and then heading out along the south ridge and eventually over to the north ridge were you returned into the REM track. The flag dropped for all and approximately 10-12 lines and we all raced for the first corner. Man that had to be interesting to see that many bikes pile into a corner. Scar, Bart and I decided that we were going to take it easy and joy ride to learn the course. With that many, riders, keeping track of Scar and Bart was difficult. It wasn’t until the second loop that I found Scar along the south ridge. Of course the plan for joy riding always goes out the window when you have people racing by you so like a fool I took off in pursuit. Scar and Bart on the other hand were smart. Scar had to race back to back races so he was taking it easy learning the course. My buddy Bart on the other hand pulled off after the first lap. I ended up doing three laps but it seriously helped to learn the track. The second race was Scar's Vet race. They had a lot of riders on all the lines so this was going to be good :aj: . Scar was running mid-pack from the start and was dueling it out with four other Vet racers. Without a doubt Scar did most of his passing up in the ridges. I guess all that enduro racing paid off. He seemed to be dicing it out with the same four guys when he came back into the motocross section of the track. Scar ran a smooth and consistant race and finished well. Scar showed up at the truck just as we were getting back and was smiling ear to ear. :) I guess he liked it more than he expected. The next race was the Over 40 (semi old man race) that Bart and I were entered to race. As we were pushing the bikes into the starting line, who should show up but Ol89er. I asked Ol89er why he didn’t have his gear on for the next ride but he was still nursing remnants of the crash from last year. Terry, Eel and Thumbs you really missed a good race this time. Anyways, Bart and I lined up maybe 3 lines from the back row as usual when row after row they started each line and eventually came to us. This was a live engine start and I love these types of starts. The flag drops and we race for the first turn. At this time I’m running second right behind the leader and make the next two corners and jumps. Did I forget to mention how much I like the new red bike especially after a nice second place holeshot? I was so stoked to be in second when I came around a corner and gunned the throttle a little too soon and started swapping the back end of the bike. I really thought I was going to save it but sure enough I hit the ground. Hitting the ground was the easy part. It was the 14 or so bikes that used me for traction that was difficult. All I could do was roll up in the fetal position while someone rode over my back and another used my helmet for a ping pong ball. Anyways, that ended my 15 seconds of fame and so I managed to get the bike up and running and went off riding dead last. The rest of the race was spent trying to make up for lost ground. By this time the ridges had some serious braking bumps. This made it extremely entertaining not to mention hard to pass when coming down some of the steeper hills. There were some deep ruts in some of the corners of both the motorcross and REM track that bit some of the riders but for the most part, most just picked up their bikes and continued riding. I'm the first one to admit that I need to learn the new bike because like always I stalled it a few times. I’m so used to being able to bog the 2 stroke a little without stalling the bike. That 4 stroke don’t like to be bogged when you’re riding slowly. Oh well, it’s my second ride on the thing Ill learn it eventually. Im guessing I placed somewhere around mid-pack which was ok with me. Scar if you liked this race, you would have really like the Taft race last month. The 29 Palms race is in April and was, in my opinion the best race last year. This year 29 Palm has some serious competition.

Next year Scar, Ol89er, Eel and Thumbs and all you other stragelers have to do this fun race. Its close to home and all the jumps are douable. We can have some fun racing each others in the prior days unclassified race as well.


Terry thanks for coming out and if you have any good pictures of scar, bart or myself, make sure you forward them. The only prerequisite is that they cant be of us falling and we have to be at least 12" of the ground if taken at a jump ;)

 

[scar tissue]

All I've got to say is :aj: :aj: :yeehaw: :)

Rich covered most of it, It was a blast.

I heard the same thing from everyone who was watching,...."Man, that looked like fun" and it was!

I highly recommend all of us entering the same class next year.

I was slow on the track and less slow in the hills. Some of those dudes were really flying. And Some waded it up pretty good. The start was great pilling throught the corners and jumps with 20-30 other bikes was a kick. I settled in with 2 other guys. They would pass me on the track and I would pass them on the trails. Back and forth we dueled the whole race, What fun! By lap 3 & 4 I had the course fiquered out and was really settling in . I started passing a bunch of "tired" guys. Since the race finished on the track and i wanted to beat the guys I was dueling with, I really pushed it hard in the trails on the final lap to get as big of a pad as I could. I came hrough the finish ahead of both of them . A victory for me.

Hopefully, Eel will send me some shots he took. It was a great day, a great race and an outstanding event.

I wanted to go out again, in the next race of the day.

I gotta run. See you all at prospectors.

 

[the Eel]

The pic quality is just awful ... but here they are.

 

[the Eel]

unclassified winner kendall norman and TWMC mini racer andrew browne

 

[the Eel]

a shot of scar getting the checkered flag and then a shot of boodac

 

[the Eel]

a few of the usual suspects

 

[Boodac]

Thanks for the pics Eel. Scar the results are up. I ended up mid-pack just as I predicted. All that falling and stalling sure does suck up the time. I was so incoherent after getting run over I wasnt sure if I did 3 or 4 laps. I guess it ended up being four after all. Now if I could have remebered them I bet they would have been fun :coocoo:

 

[Ol'89r]

Way to go guys. :cool: :yeehaw:

You guys did great. That was a awesome start Rich and not a bad ride for only your second time on the new bike.

Tim, the ironman was going faster and faster each lap. Ten more laps and you woulda' won the damn thing.

We all need to ride this one next year. Looked like a blast.

 

[scar tissue]

.

Tim, the ironman was going faster and faster each lap. Ten more laps and you woulda' won the damn thing.

.

That's a great idea, a 2 1/2 GP. By the last lap, I was really still ready to go. Next year, I think I'll enter the unclassified, the vet open class and the reg open class to get 3 full races in. :cool:

 

[scar tissue]

Where are the results? I can't find them on them D37 results page or the prairie dogs page.

 

[holeshot]

The results are here-

http://www.district37ama.org/big6/round2.html

BTW - the guy who sits next to me at work had 12 min. 12 sec lap average for 3 rd in +40 amatuer.

 

[Boodac]

I was too busy taking dirt naps to be doing 12 1/2 min laps. BTW 12:12 min lap times is awesome Hole. Tell the work neighbor, Im glad we dont race in his race. Heck, I dont think Kelley Yancey averaged laps that fast.

 

[holeshot]

Kelly Yancy averaged 11 min 58, but I think the course was rerouted right in front of the grandstands, so that may have added a few seconds to Sunday's lap times for everybody.

No - the co-worker guy isn't really stinkin' fast or anything. It's just than when the race starts, he has a do-or-die attitude, and always complains about the blisters and raw skin on his hands on Monday from trying so hard on the weekend.

 

[Boodac]

Just tell him chicks dig scars, that should keep him quiet and happy

 

[scar tissue]

I averaged 12:59, with my best being lap 3 and 4 in the 12:40's , It was only good for 24th. in The Vet nov. class. But I was happy and getting faster each lap. :cool:

 

[mkellycole]

We actually lived in Tustin back then. Thanks.