Actually there were 3 of us KDX'ers out there.... we didn't know the other guy though, just saw him pull in and then saw him lined up in the row behind me at the start, and saw him several times throughout the race (he roosted the hell out of me up a steep muddy hill, lol.... it's in the video)Anyways..... race was at Pea Ridge in Jonesville, SC with Mideast Harescrambles. Went down Saturday afternoon since I'm really not a morning person and didn't want to get up early to drive down. The land owner cooked us all food, had a pit bike race, and some fireworks saturday night.... it was a great time. Our fellow forum member Doug, AKA doakley, arrived later in the evening. Had a pretty good storm roll through Sat night and it DUMPED some rain!
Sunday morning up and at it, and looking to be a beautiful day! Had to get a pic of the bikes while they were still clean. Dougs 220 on the left, my 200 in the middle, and my buddy Storms 2017 KTM 450 on the right
Almost ready to roll.... I ran Sportsman C class, Doug was in the 60+, and the other KDX dude was in trail rider (row behind me but can't see him in the pic). My buddy Alan (also a co-worker) was there in Sportsman C with me as well.... KTM #69
Aaaaand, we're off! First turn... You can sort of see me back there hiding, lol..... right in the middle, to the right of 116. The trusty KDX always starts up first kick (and did this time as well), but I still suck at starts, haha. So obviously I did NOT get the holeshot
I couldn't find many pics of Doug, but there's one from the start
My buddy Alan is right to the right and just behind me.... blue and white gear
Pretty sure I was the only bike with a tag
I'll file this one into my "WTF??" category, lol. When I first saw this pic I legit had absolutely no idea what I was even looking at, hahah... but it wasn't where I was going, lol. Went back and watched my video and found where I did this.... can't see it in the pic but there was a dude standing over there in the trees. No idea what made me look over at him.... might have just seen something last minute and looked
My buddy James showed up to watch and got a couple snaps too
Some of the other KDX guy too..... he was either right ahead of me or right behind me in this spot.... our pics are real close. This may have been near where I was behind him and got roosted going up the muddy hill
Most of the pics so far are of the few 'better' parts of the track. This is what most of it was like. Remember how I said it dumped rain the night before? Yea, it was a MUDDER!! Big time..... thick, slimy, goopy slick red clay mud.... and ruts. Lots and lots of ruts. Pretty much the entire track, except a few spots where the sun had hit it and dried out some or the field sections. There were people stuck and crashed eevvvveerryywhere. It was like weaving around the bikes in some spots. Some spots we couldn't even get through cuz it was completely blocked with crashed/stuck bikes and riders, and had to blaze our own path through the woods to get back on the trail further up (see video). It was slick as cow s**t out there.... no joke
And there was a good bit of this as the day went on
Made it!! Well, sort of.... I'll admit it, I threw the towel in early and never saw a checker flag (which is usually my goal.... just to finish, not so worried about where). I'm not used to riding mud and ruts.... the place we usually ride it doesn't get muddy. So I'm not quite as good as dealing with it as a lot of these guys are. It wore me slap out... and I mean, OUT!! I ended up doing 2 full laps (7 miles each.... took 47 mins each. Oddly enough the 2 laps were only 42 seconds apart lap times). Started a 3rd one but only did a little bit of it and my body was screaming "no more!!". I'm usually not one to quit, especially when I have goal in mind, but both physical and mental fatigue were hitting me pretty hard, I was starting to have all kinds of silly little crashes, and I really just didn't want to get myself hurt. Especially something I'm doing just for fun... I'm not in it to compete. So I found my way out. I was so beyond exhausted here.... y'all have no idea, lol
My buddy James came over too.... he has a KDX as well but wasn't racing
Yours truly, lol
Not as bad as some other bikes, but still got their fair share of dirty. That stuff was hard to wash off too.... it was sticky!
Oh yea and did I mention... that it was HOT?? I imagine this probably played a good role in the fatigue as well. Might have been a few deg's cooler, as this was in the sun. But still, it was hot, lol
Started with 21 riders in the class.... 15 finished and 6 DNF's. I finished 12th.... not great, but not last either. Still kinda bummed I didn't technically finish all the way to the checker flag, but I guess it happens sometimes
Now for the video..... It's basically 34 minutes of me getting my ass whooped, lol. I'll preface this by saying... I'm not fast, I know I'm not fast, and honestly in these kind of conditions, I wasn't even trying to be. Just chugging along and trying not to get stuck or have too many crashes.... and not get myself hurt. I'm really just hoping to learn a few new things and gain a little experience and riding skill. Speed will come in due time as skills improve. So don't expect anything exciting here, haha. And since I'm sure nobody wants to sit here and watch my slow ass for 34 mins, I'll point out a few of the highlights. My buddy Alan shows up around 4:00 and 12:00, at which point the trail was completely blocked and we had to find our own way. Then at 17:00 went through the check point and was behind the other KDX guy, and he roosted the hell outta me, lol. Then my own bloopers videos start right at the 20:00 mark, where I took a little soil sample right in front of my buddy Andrew (on the CRF-450x that asked if I was alright). And the rest is pretty much just me crashing, lol. That's how I knew it was time to quit. I don't usually crash that much but my coordination goes to crap when I get seriously fatigued. At 27:00 I ate it pretty hard in the steep muddy downhill after the check point.... same spot I was behind other KDX dude before. And yea my camera always seems to amplify the KIPS rattle for some reason.... it's really not that loud
[youtube][/youtube]
That's all I've got.... Sorry for so many pics. As rough as it was, still had a great time and glad I did it! I needed the practice dealing with the mud and ruts. And of course the KDX ran absolutely flawless the entire time.... I wouldn't expect any different, she never lets me down. Glad Doug and I were able to get together and ride too, as well as hang out before and after.... cool guy! Gotta give him big props for being 60+ and still out there ripping it up.... especially in these conditions, between the heat and mud. Lots of respect from me.... I can only hope I'm doing the same for a long time to come
Hope you had a good time too Doug!
