I arrived Friday afternoon to a relatively empty parking lot; I was curious what was keeping people from coming this weekend? Was it the dismal economy? Was this track worse then I had heard? (Still cant be worse then Snowshoe) I found a track side parking spot near the start finish line (my preferred pitting spot for many reasons) and got set up. Since I am normally there Friday morning, arriving in the afternoon set my schedule off. I got signed up and then tried to catch up with as many people as I could while getting all of my gear ready for the race the next morning.
Burr, was that a cold night, I am glad I had the RV and heater, but filling the generator in the middle of the night was a chilly adventure. I do believe it got to around 30, which isn’t’ that cold, but it had felt like spring the past few weeks and I was getting used to those temps. I have started a routine of taking a run the morning the of race. It helps me clear my mind, loosen up, and get my body ready for the riggers of the race ahead. I got some very strange looks running in shorts and a t-shirt at 30 degrees…but any more clothing and I would overheat running!
Off to the starting line, the worst part of the track for my Grizzly. With the Can-Am 800r and the 850XP on the line next to me I don’t stand a chance making it to the first turn in the lead. I am lacking the power to pull those bikes in the straight, but what I lack on the top end I make up for in handling. The Grizzly is the best handling UTE I have ridden so far. I think I went into the woods in 8th position. I made a few moves to get a few more spots, but nothing worked. I was behind a Can-Am UTE for the majority of the first lap until I was able to work myself around him. I finished the first lap in 6th position
Somewhere during the second lap I remember passing a broken down Polaris XP, I was happy to see myself get the position. Rath Racing and Polaris will have a lot to overcome to get the brand new bike ready for the challenges of the GNCC series. All three of their riders are new the woods racing scene and they also are aboard a new bike, not the easiest hurdles to overcome. I finished the lap one position up due to Frank Batista not completing that lap. +
Four the next 3 laps I remained in the 5th spot, I was running hard, but I was having a lot of trouble catching Daryl Rath and Zac Zakowski. My body was not conditioned to running 2+ hours on the UTE after a long winter of house hunting and wedding plans. I was not able to train or ride anywhere near as much as I would have liked and that left me riding at a slightly slower pace then I would have liked. The track was great, and Buren Hamrick was not kidding when he said, “we are in NC, you will be either going uphill or downhill.” I felt like I was on a roller coaster ride for the majority of the race with some rocks and sandy whoops thrown in on the low lying parts of the track.
When the last lap started I was already tired, I was expecting a 4 lap race and we got to run 5. 4 would have been just fine with me. I knew I would have to continue to push it on the last lap, because the 4x4 open class is very competitive and if I slowed up one bit everyone behind me would catch up. I was tired and was just in survival mode at this point. All I wanted to do was hold onto my top 5 finish! I was pleasantly surprised when I crossed the line and saw 3rd place on the timing and scoring screen. Woohoo a podium finish. I know I didn’t pass two UTE riders, so I must have had some luck on my side today.
I just want to say thanks to all my sponsors again, GBC tires for keeping my Grizzly headed in the right direction. Millers Yamaha for supplying all the Yamaha parts I need to keep the bike rolling. Instigator racing for supplying all the gear and misc parts I need to compete on this level. BK Performance for making my bike look good with all his awesome powder coating work. Ken Hill Photography for allowing me to include some of his awesome shots in my race reports. Fly Racing of supplying me with this great fitting and durable racing gear this year. TireBalls for keeping my GBC tires from going flat during the races. Precision Stabilizers for keeping my wheels pointed in the right direction. And finally HMF exhaust for the extra power and the awesome exhaust note! Thanks Everyone!!!
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