The first round of the RMEC was held early this year near Wickenburg, AZ. This race is a double-edged sword because it's awesome to go down and enjoy some warm weather and fun trail in the middle of Colorado's winter, but it's hard to prepare for the race with so little seat time. Erin and I decided we'd make the trip down and look at it as a nice vacation and good training.
Luckily, my parents also had plans to go down to Phoenix and visit some friends. It took a little bit of convincing, but they agreed to bring my van down with my bike and Erin's bicycle's so that we could fly to the race... VIP style, YEAH!!! We arrived Friday morning, spent some time with my parents, and went to the race site for registration and some last minute set-up. It was awesome to see all the people that I don't get to see very often away from the races. It was also cool to see some moto guys out there that are looking to make the switch to off-road this year!!
Ray, Clint, Rex, Erin, and I headed back to Phoenix to get some food and spend some time making fun of each other. Clint got us a sweet deal on an awesome hotel room, with a hot tub :). We crashed early and got some rest for Saturday's early start.
After getting our continental breakfast (and lunch, haha) I left for the race site and Erin got on her bike to meet me there. I'm not sure if I actually woke up until the flag dropped for the start of the first test. My plan to take it easy kind of went out the window when the local guy on my row got the start over me!!! I was a little fired up, and was riding a fast section in the dust right on his wheel. Apparently there was a big natural jump that he knew about a mile or so into the first section. When I saw the ground fall away, I kinda freaked out and let off where he kept it pinned. I ended up casing the landing and hit hard enough to turn myself into a lawn dart. By the time got my self up, nerves intact, and bike straightened out, I decided that I probably shouldn't start the season like that. I was a little bit bummed and banged up, but happy to not have major injuries. I had lost enough time to justify riding easy the rest of the day and save some energy for Sunday.
We woke up Sunday morning to wet conditions, a rare event in the desert!! I was happy because I knew the moisture would make the traction ideal, and more familiar than the typical baked AZ terrain. The advantages of my 2-stroke also shine when there is a little more grip. Although I wanted hit it hard from the start, I didn't want a repeat of Saturday, and just wanted a solid result to start the season with. I rode consistent, and stayed off the ground. The terrain was super fun on Sunday, and when combined with the awesome dirt, made for a great day of racing.
Although there are some errors in the results that are still being fixed, I ended up 7th in the Pro class and 12th overall. I'm happy with the way I rode, but am ready to get some more solid training in and improve on that throughout the season.
As usual, I have to thank everybody that helped me this weekend. First, I can't thank my parents enough for bringing my van down. It was awesome having some extra time to relax and recover instead of being on the road. I'm sure Erin would have preferred to be racing herself, but I appreciate everything she helped me with throughout the weekend. It was cool to see Steve Hatch at the race offering some advice, lending a hand, and saying hi to everybody. Clint and Denise Chew hooked us up with an awesome hotel room. Alan Stillwell helped us with some suspension settings that worked awesome down in the desert. I also have to say thanks to Fay Myers, FMF, Race Tech, Carbon Raptor Coatings, and KTM for their continued support. Now it's time for some TLC on the bike and getting myself ready for the Caprock Canyon Enduro in Texas. See you all there!!!
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