WNYOA HareScrambles at Chenengo Forks NY (my kids

[weimedog]

Scott Rich won. This was the season finale. Tough race as it got wet towards the end. My son started well and did two good quick laps on his little 125 Honda...and then he didn't show up for 21 minutes past his due time. Then finally about when we gave up on him and started the search he came around. Bent and bruised. At lap three I re-fueled him and the look on his face was one of pain..but he continued ten still five minutes off pace from his first two laps. :whiner: By lap 5 his composure returned and he was able to do his final laps relatively quckly but not back to his first two lap times....I was happy to see him gut it out and finish. Thought he was going to quit at lap 4 or 5. :)

His explanation was that he just wasn't prepared for the rough stuff and kept falling after things got wet, one time really hard. A learning experience as he finally worked out how to deal with those rough single track sections. A Charater building day for him...He can't wait to try again.

I also have plenty of film of "woodsrider" as well on his Gas-Gas! Looked like his day was going about as well as my sons...they finished 8 positions apart on the same lap.

When I got my kids bike home we discovered his handle bars were really bent worse that it looked on the track..both sides..he crashed often and hard. :ugg: The forks only had about 4 inches of travel. I think they were twisted in the triple clamps because after we took them apart and changed the fork oil they were fine.

Where's the next one! I have both kids eager to do this right next time!

( And Bill..you can come over and practice next time you are out this way...You and my kid could learn from each other. ) ;)

 

[RM_guy]

Sounds like he had a good time in spite of everything. Glad he enjoied himself. :) I've heard that course can get pretty nasty when it gets muddy.

Hey Woods, I thought all the kitchen passes were used up :p Let me know if you decide to go to Walt's place to ride, I'll meet you there.

 

[WoodsRider]

Thanks for the kind words Walt. I felt like a total squid out there most of the day. Myself, dirtybkr and jib were there. I was sixth on the holeshot, fifth going into the woods and about third up the first hill (passing half the 125 class too). Then I decided to take a little detour through the woods. :eek: No soil samples, but I decided to turn it down a notch. I can't remember the last time I had to ride all out for two whole hours. Anyway I fell into a train of a dozen or so riders with dirtybkr up near front. I kept yelling at him to get off the brake. He had a nice "over the bars" dismount going into a gully before the grass track on the hill and that was the last I saw of him. I got into a nice groove and there was about four of us running in a train on laps 2 and 3. I'd get around them in the grass tracks and lead them into the woods only to stall out and get passed. It was a lot of fun, but by the 4th lap my energy level was going downhill fast. Laps 5 and 6 were done in trailrider mode and I took a few "trail breaks" too let faster riders pass. My only crash occured on lap 6. I lowsided going up a hill right in front of spectators. It was starting to get real greasy especially over the exposed roots and rocks and the grass track was a little slippery.

I expected the race course to be rough. H/S tracks usually get pretty torn up, especially the faster ones. Lack of endurance was my biggest issue that and stalling out, but the bike floats better over the rocks and roots when ridden a gear high. I got 13th out of 24 in Vet C and dirtybkr got 15th. The speedmeister, jib, picked up some hardware for 4th in Vet A.

 

[dirtybkr]

Just call me Sir Crash-a-lot . Man I bounced of more trees on Sunday than I care to remember .
I had a poor start , but was able to get buy a bunch of stopped riders on the first hill . I think it was pretty much the whole c nov. and c 125 classes . I got behind a 4stroke Yamaha for quite a while and a train formed behind us . We came to a steep little up hill covered with wet roots and the guy in front of me crashed . Finally I was able to get around him only to go over the bars on the back side of the hill . Woodsie went by me, I think I heard him laughing . :|
The seconds lap was killer. I just couldn't get it together . I slipped on roots , I slammed into trees , slid out in the whoops , I was very lucky not to get hurt .
The remaining laps were better , I setteled down to a pace I could manage and started to have fun . The track was getting quite ruff by the 4th lap , but it was still a fun track . I never did see Bill again , but he did finish a lap up on me . I did see Jib however , many times . It seemed as if I was seeing him go by me on every lap . He must of cheated :p . Just kidding . Man that guy is fast .
In the end I was happy , I finished mid pack in my class , and that is good for me .

 

[WoodsRider]

I didn't laugh I yelled "you o.k. Flubie?" and I swear you asked me to stop.

 

[dirtybkr]

Hell , I was yelling Go ! Go! Go!