Coming out of the gate was a small roller, a short table top, and then a double into the first turn. The first turn was a tall bowled out piece of work, however it was damp during the first 100 motos on Saturday and people kept on washing out in it while trying to make passing moves. The second straight went double, double, step up right into turn two. It was really inspiring to see the pros and experts land sideways on this step up and immediately rail the second turn. Talk about fast! The third straight was one of the best rhythm sections I have ever hit because it had a ton of flow and it all linked up very well. Roller, camel hump into a roller and then another camel hump. Turn three lacked any definition and was also wash boarded out which made it the weak point in the track. The fourth straight was a step up step down and then two rollers... about a hundred feet pedal space and then the finish line.
Practice started at 2 on Friday and since there was only a couple hundred riders it was an open practice which meant that you could do laps on the track and not have to wait fifteen minutes between runs. Jamie, Josie and I rode like banshees until 6 trying all of the different lines there were and then packed up the car with Jack "I don't need to practice" Ritchie and went back to the hotel for a meal of runny alfredo that ended up more on my chin and shirt than in my mouth. Josie and Jamie wouldn't let me live it down.
Saturday started with an amazing breakfast at the hotel. Real biscuits and gravy, fresh fruit, real eggs, bacon, and more bacon. It was time to rock out. We got to the track at 8 which gave the grommits a chance to practice before the old guy practice started at 8:30. A few laps and a couple hours later racing commenced with the Elites going at it and taking each other out in the first turn. If the Elites are wrecking in the first turn you know that it is a tough turn to pick and hold a line through.
My class this weekend consisted of 9 guys which meant that we were split up into two motos; one moto of four and the other of five. On Saturday I was in the moto which had the fast riders in it which meant that I had a chance to check these guys out before it came down to the showdown throwdown in the main. However, it is hard to see how people ride when they are behind you. Oh SNAP!
The first moto started off as a disaster because I came unclipped out of my left pedal on my second pedal stroke. However, instead of sitting up and accepting defeat I clipped back in as fast as I could and went into the first turn in the back of the pack. Picking lines through turns around 200 pound guys is quite a lot of fun when you have confidence in you bike handling skills. By the third straight I was back in first and took it to the line. The second moto was a lot smoother and faster in that I didn't come unclipped and took first from the gate to the finish line. It was shortly after this second moto that my room mates Sarah and Mitch showed up to check out the scene and see what BMXing was a lot about. I have been talking their ears off for months about my bike and it was wonderful to have them there and finally see what I am so excited about all of the time. My second moto started off with a poor gate snap which put my in the middle of the pack. I held my line through the first turn and chased down the race leader down the second straight. I knew that if I didn't make my move in the second turn that this guy would take the moto win and I couldn't handle having Mitch and Sarah show up and watch me lose... and also the embarrassment and brow beating I would get from Mitch and Sarah for the next few weeks would be unbearable. Heading into the second turn I am on the outside and start railing high as the leader takes the inside line and holds it. At the apex of the turn I dive down into the bottom of the turn and start cranking my rear end off. I edge up next to him and from there it is all about trying to be smooth and consistent through the rhythm section. As we head over the first roller to camel I see him backing out of my peripheral. Manual up, manual down, pump, pump and into the third turn. I don't feel him underneath me and I come out of the third turn in the lead and take it to the line. Dang, that was a close one. Can't let that happen again.
So in the main instead of messing around, the gate drops and I am gone all of the way to the line. A "perfect" Saturday. I pick up my trophy and Sarah immediately wants photos of me and "Coach" Ritchie because "your mom isn't here and she needs to see this!"
Saturday went well for the Blue Chippers and we ended up third in the team rankings. So to celebrate (after a pinball tournament back at the hotel in which Josie slaughtered Jamie, Jack and I) the Blue Chippers all met up at a Mexican restaurant for cervezas and some good food. I won't go into detail about how long it took us to find this restaurant but let me say that by the time we got there we were very very very hungry, and very thirsty. "Food will be down!!"
Sunday started early with another delicious breakfast of bacon, biscuits and eggs. Also, since the team got third the day before the Blue Chippers got a free lap around the track in the parade lap that occurs during the singing of the National Anthem; just another chance to check out lines and feel the track out before the motos started at 8.
The way my class was set up on Sunday was two racks of us and this time I was in the slow moto. Sweet! I took first in all of the motos and when it came time to the main I was awake and ready to rock. I was in gate four and the two fast guys were in gate 1 and 2. All I had to do was beat them to the first turn and I would be able to smoke them through the rest of the track. The gate drops and we are off. However, by the table in the first straight I see some shaky riding to my right and two people tumbling off the track. I hold my line through the first straight but the guy in gate three is right next to me. He has the inside line and pushes me high in turn one. We make contact with our elbows, but since my elbow is in front I can get on the gas faster and come out of the turn spinning and take the lead. Manual, manual, jump through the second straight and by now I have a substantial lead and take it all of the way to the line.
Dang! A "perfect" weekend.
Once again, the Blue Chippers take a third in the team points due to some outstanding finishes. Antonio "The Rocket" got his first ever win in his 11 Expert class. And Josie "The Pinball Princess" got a solid second again behind her arch nemesi. All around a good weekend of racing.
And now as the points are standing I am leading my national class which is a good feeling even though this makes me a marked man for the rest of the year.
So it is back to the training room (aka my basement) to get ready for the Freedom Nationals (I think Braveheart with be there to hand out the trophies) in Woodbridge VA in late April. The timing is perfect because I can now take a week off of the bike and rest up a little bit. It also just so happens that I have a case of the "Crud Lung" which is supposedly a rite of passage for those whom race in Morristown due to the dusty indoor conditions. What a great time to curl up on the couch with a good book and hack away the day!
