Mammoth Motocross Vet Weekend Essay. (Photos)

There is something to be said about four days of pure moto. While sitting at work, thinking about the four days ahead, how cool it will be to ride the perfectly groomed track, loam dirt and to ride with some of the best you smile. You think wow, this is going to be so great. Today I am still smiling; just don't ask me to get up. At 40 my knees do not work quite as good as they did 20 years ago. That and 15-25 hard laps per day has them a little tired. The track is just so much fun to ride, each time I pass the exit, I say next lap. I will pull off then. The mile long track climbs and falls through sage, pine and hills. For added excitement the dirt has a changing consistency. Just when you think you have the track wired, it changes.

Stand out moments for me were open practice on Thursday, all the younger faster kids, their enthusiasm and aggressiveness. I recall telling then younger rider off the track,” Son, you cant have the line I am in if you are behind me? Now dust yourself off and try it again." they want to be fast, they just don’t know how to attain it. Friday was the "Country Club." What some of the locals call Vet Practice. This was taken from the ‘Limited Race’ that was held a few years ago. The atmosphere and attitude is more relaxed. While just as competitive, it has an air, more of the feeling of a country club. The personal big rigs, dual axel 40 ft Toy Haulers with freightliners and GMC city truck cabs just ahead of some of the nicest amenities that rolls down the highway.

Saturday morning for most started at 3am, tired eyes and sore bones from the day before I hopped into the truck and headed to the track. My soreness vanished with each mile I drove thinking about how great that day was going to be. The sun rising to the east and the temperature was dropping. 76 degrees at my house in the valley, 40 at the track. Bay 7 am practice was starting. My day was starting a little slower. The CRF decided that it didn’t want to start. “Damn it, I just adjusted these valves.” Thinking to the past two days of riding, and remembering that popping noise I heard in the sand trap, the rev limiter, it started coming back to me. I hammered them, and rode the piss out of the engine. After getting the bike started I headed off to the track. Thinking, is this luck or just cold? The valves left my mind. The track is groomed, smooth and easy. I bet everyone thinks, if it were to stay like this I could be a hero. Sadly by 9 am the track will have seen 120 bikes and about 25 laps the bumps will have started. But that’s what makes the track so much fun.

Around 11 am I get my first heat. Tense I am hopping around and trying to shake out the stress. I turn around and a familiar face is looking at me. John Dowd, how ya doing? I’m a big fan of yours. He replied and was very nice and had expressed how much he liked it at the track. His first main was just behind mine. I rolled up and pulled the poker chip for gate position, I pull 40. My strategy was go wide. Why not, most of the people that race here have done this before. The fastest line is on the inside. I go wide, sacrifice the inside for a little more drive, ride my own race. Qualifying will be hard from here. The gate drops I jump and start for the wide line.

Up to this point I had been as nervous as a school boy coming home with an F on the report card. I remembered some wise words from an acquaintance. Warm up before the race. It improved your mental capabilities and improves your reaction time at the gate. What it really did was take me from a 10 on the stress level to a 3 and I was ready to roll.

The start is up a long hill. As I crested the hill out by my lonesome, I looked to my left. 39 other riders wanted to be where I was. Wait, I was screaming in my head. The fast line is over there! Go away, NO! I was now in the sage brush fighting to get out. The moto was fun, being in the rear passing riders gives you that hero feeling. But qualifying position was 12 and I was at 23. Its better then 30 but not as good as 12. I had fun and rode back to the truck. My friends were kind but we all knew what was necessary for the next heat.

[b:9d7bc]Pro Main[/b:9d7bc]
In between my heats was the Pro Practice and Pro Main 1. Two races, two days. Each day is a race on its own, and then combined to make up an overall score. Watching these guys take lines I thought were too outrageous, they glided over. The throttle never really off and always a roost coming off their rear wheel. A race was on. Rusty Holland jumped off the start with McGrath a few behind. By the end of the down hill MC had passed both Dubach and Dowd. Dowd incidentally had just come off the track from 10 laps before to line up in the Vet Pro class for another 10 laps. Two races up front, Holland and MC and Dowd and Dubach. I really couldn’t tell you the play by play, so much excitement was going on. What I do remember most around the mid way point McGrath caught something in his motor. Perhaps a stone wedged in the shifter. He stopped just in front of me, he was trying to repair the bike. 20 maybe 40 seconds past. The lap times for this race was around 2:15. 40 seconds is an eternity. MC made the repair and stormed off after the leaders. By the end of the race he had gone from mid pack to fourth. Maybe better. I had to get back to the truck for my second qualifier.
[img:9d7bc]http://www.tikistudios.com/trailrides/mx06/mc_shifter.jpg[/img:9d7bc]
[i:9d7bc]MC fights with his shifter[/i:9d7bc]
[img:9d7bc]http://www.tikistudios.com/trailrides/mx06/mc_rejoins.jpg[/img:9d7bc]
[i:9d7bc]MC Rejoins[/i:9d7bc]
[img:9d7bc]http://www.tikistudios.com/trailrides/mx06/mcbattle.jpg[/img:9d7bc]
[i:9d7bc]Battles to get back to position.[/i:9d7bc]
[img:9d7bc]http://www.tikistudios.com/trailrides/mx06/mc_dubach.jpg[/img:9d7bc]
[i:9d7bc]Makes a move on Dr. D.[/i:9d7bc]
[img:9d7bc]http://www.tikistudios.com/trailrides/mx06/mc1.jpg[/img:9d7bc]
[i:9d7bc]always with style.[/i:9d7bc]

I got to choose the gate this time, best being around 8 gate 12 was available. 30 Seconds, 15 seconds, Down at the gate it falls, and off I go. I pushed to the left I wanted the inside line. Full throttle and riding the rear wheel I started wheeling over the bumps. I glance to my right and 30 riders are checking out the sage brush. Up to fifth gear and that put me in 6th place. Top 8 go to the main. The first lap I tried to distance myself but the faster riders were working on me. I slid to 9th; by lap 3 I found myself behind a tiring Yamaha with excellent blocking. He had to have seen my pit board. 9th PUSH. Each time I would try to pass, he would turn into me. Frustrated, it wasn’t worth blood, but I was upset. Last lap, “Dig Deep” was on my pit board I went for my last hurrah up the up hill I was pushing as hard as I could. So was he. I found myself riding wide to get around him that only put me in the brush. As I regained the track he slowed. He didn’t hear me. I tried for one more attack, soon as he heard me coming he was in my line. I went left, so did he. Damnit.

I pulled off the track one point off. Looks like I get the boot. I changed and watched the second Pro heat, McGrath took off, Holland had the start but the pressure of MC was Too much.
[b:9d7bc]
Coming up: Sunday, Missing a start, great races and Drew flies solo. [/b:9d7bc]

Sunday morning was warmer then Saturday. Additionally I was able to get some sleep. Friday night one of my bastard neighbors put the dog out and didn’t let it back in. Bark, bark, bark. All night long. I would wake up hearing that damn dog. Sunday morning another dog would wake me, this time my own. Wanting out at 2:18 am I roll out of bed to let the dog out. Being I have to wake up in an hour, I stayed up. Little coffee, prep the bike and load the truck. By 4 am I was on the road to be at the gate for the 5am opening. My pit crew who was under the weather had opted to wish me well and stay in bed. Could I blame them? Arriving to the track I pull in and find my spot for the day. The parking lot is just a large open area that transforms into a sea of colored EZ-Up tents. The people I was parked next to yesterday, ironically I was next to on Sunday
I don’t think you could have planned that any better. After a cup of coffee I remembered the bike was a bear to start. At 6:20 I started kicking it. Practice was at 7AM. By 6:40 I had heard everyone’s best example of how to start my ailing bike. Some quite positive others left me with a concerned look. “You do that and it works for you?” I would ask them. “thank you for your advice.” I would reply. Maybe I will stay away from the ether and race gas directly into the spark plug. Maybe some black powder will work better.

Valves. Has to be the valves. Well if I’m going to ride it I better get it done. Looking at my watch its 6:40 I need to get started. By 6:55 I had the valves exposed and checked. Practice is about to start and I’m third practice. I have about 30-40 minuets to do this. “I’m at Zero” I say to one of my neighbors that is asking. I was looking for some sort of acknowledgement, but found none. “what does that mean?” “it means the bike wont start.” By the time I had the bike running again my practice was coming off the track. Oh well I hope this isn’t an indicator of how the day is going to go? I walk off to get some breakfast. After all its only 8am, It’s lunch time.

At my line up I am introduced to nice gentleman in my class that knows me from a Moto message board. I think he was sandbagging… I could be wrong the guy was faster then should be allowed. The start went about as good as Saturday. Only one problem I had a great gate pick, 16. The gate dropped and something caught my eye. To the right of me was a motorcycle flipping end over end. I don’t know if I came to a stop, it sure felt like it, I found myself watching this poor guy get his fantastic start ruined by everyone behind him. Though it wasn’t his fault, one rider had to use the downed bike as a jump to safely get away from the fray. Back in the rear. I trail rode the first few laps, then picked up speed. When it was all done, I was 23. Off to the next Qualifier.

Holland nabbed the holeshot again with MC in tow. Dubach and Dowd not far behind the pro race was magic for the eyes. How do they go so fast? MC looked like he was riding a Jet Ski, the bike always on, roost just flying off the rear. Greg Schnell put in a brilliant ride but the pack had nothing for MC. It was amazing how fast he was going. I think that boy has been training.

The second qualifier was on the line. Before I realized it the gate I chose was number 13. Ah what the hell I’m not that superstitious. Why didn’t I take 14? It’s my lucky number? Thinking. Too late now. As the Service Honda 500 and a KTM 525 Surround me. Gate drops I head for the inside line. At the top of the hill I was in 7th. Thanks to the folks I ride with, I see them on the side of the track pushing me. Hands out, holding up fingers I just needed to ride smart. No sense in pushing, keep up the pace. About lap 3 I get passed. 8th. Not enough of a buffer. I need two more positions. Somewhere from nowhere I got some speed. Full throttle riding like my first fresh lap I grabbed 7th. Tired I rolled off the track to the cheers of my friends. I made the race. I’m exhausted I tell them. Well you better find some energy because you race is in 30 minutes. Oh what the hell. Why not. Tired I lined up on gate 1. I like the inside. By the top of the hill I was in 6th place. By the bottom of the hill there were crashes and bikes. I was going backwards as far as positions but I was going to stay on two wheels. By lap 6 I finished the race out at position 19. The best 19 I have ever done. Next year. Top 10. I missed the pro main. Exhausted from my race, the pro main was just behind mine.

Looking back on the weekend, what a blast. Now I am looking to Wednesday, I have another day of riding ahead of me. The funny thing is, I had thought I had seen nice rigs. The next few days are Mini Racing. Last night I saw really what money is. All this for a 65cc bike? Why not. Its only money.