The next round of the Masters of MX Series was on Saturday June 21st, and I was looking for some good results. After my disappointing race at XTERRA I was happy to have my rest week with some good MX at one of my favorite tracks. I left the house at 5:30am under sunny skies with a bike that needed some work. I was awaiting some new Michelin tires and a drivetrain, but they didn't make it Friday so I was going to race one more time on some sketchy tires. This was the first race under real summer skies so I was excited and Tomahawk used to be my home track when I trained!
The practice in the morning was muddy, but the track dried out quickly and was in great shape with some good ruts and a great flow. I was feeling confident even though I hadn't been on the bike since the last round of the series. After 2nd practice I had the 2 step ups down and was looking for a good moto. The first race was the 35+B event and I had a great gate pick. I was almost all the way right and the first turn is a 100 degree right which is off camber. When the gate dropped the Katoom 450 did its usual and I got the holeshot! There must have been a tangle behind me because I got over the first set of jumps and over the 1st big table before I even heard anyone else! I have never led a lap before, but I finally thought things were going right! After lap 1 I was feeling good, but the nerves of being out front were setting in; over the 2 step ups I was smooth, but I lost the rear end on a sharp, dry turn. After getting back straight I could hear someone behind, but no pass was coming? I just kept trying to stay smooth, but now every turn seemed sketchy... the rear tire just wasn't hooking up. After lap 4 I had decided to take each turn from the inside all the way out and be smooth on the throttle and it seemed to work. On the last lap after holding off some racers I finally got passed in a corner. Then the next corner brought more trouble... what was going on? I finished the moto 2nd after a tip over from a competitor and rode back to the truck. I had about 5 minutes to drink something and refuel and lube.... then I saw the problem! A rear flat tire! The course was loamy, but I can't believe I didn't catch on sooner. I wasn't having trouble cornering... the rear tire was shot. After a frantic few minutes of pumping up the slow leaking tire I realized I missed the start of my 2nd class ... the 30+C race... the series class I was leading. It turned out that there had been a cancelled moto? Luckily the Masters MX Series is run by some great folks, and they decided the cancellation caused too many guys to miss their race so they credited us with some finish points.
During intermission I frantically searched the pits for someone to buy a tube from. After securing a tube I actually was approached by one of my competitors in the B class that offered to help me change the tire! How's that for a good community? Changing a MX tire is very tough; usually I do it at home with a stand and an hour... out in a field with minimal tools its tough! With the help of my friends I got the tube changed, but it had a slow leak. With 2 motos left I decided to run higher than usual pressure so I could at least finish the races. Luckily I had another 2 holeshots, but the rear of the bike was all over so I ended up 4th in one and 5th in the other. I was still happy and the day was just what I needed.
Racing so many different types of events is fun for me, and keeps things interesting; but eventually it catches up with you. I haven't had the preparation I have needed for MX and that was clear in my results. By the next round I hope to have new tires, gearing, and some track time. I definitely learned something about preparation, and also about the MX community. After every event I try to get something positive to hold on to for the future; this race's positives were good starts, and great people. I hope that everyone can run into people who lend them a hand when they need it sometime during their racing season. It really does make all the difference! Next up is the Diamond in the Rough Triathlon on July 12th and the premiere of the Cervelo P2 Carbon TT bike... hopefully I will have some great news to report!
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