Race Report

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mattR
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Race Report

Post by mattR »

Raced sunday 2/4/07 in the NETRA Hare Scramble in Lyman, Maine. It was about 20 degrees leaving my house in eastern, MA but it was less than 10 degrees at race time in Maine. The parking lot crew had a little bonfire going and a the sign in trailer had an electric heater in every outlet.

Met and parked with 3 riding buddies. An A rider on a GG 300, a C rider on an 07 250 EXC, and a B rider on a 300EXC. Everybody was running studded winter tires except for 2 or 3 nuts who were going no where.

First race of the season so we bought our electronic transponders and went though sign up and tech with the bikes. It took about 15 kicks to get the KDX to fire and it didn't stay running until the second time it lit. My buddy with the GG said it took him about 100. Later in the day for the expert race some poor guy with a brand new looking 4 stroke EXC couldn't get his bike to fire even being jumped started by a truck. He got it going a few minutes after the start, roared into to woods and stalled at the first turn and was done.

The course was covered with about 2 inches of frozen hard pack snow and they supposedly used snow mobile to pack all of the course except the single track. However, it snowed about 6 inches of fresh stuff the night before so we wouldn't be riding on the "fast hard packed track." The race loop was about 7 miles and started and ended using portions of an MX track called MX207.

If you look at the first couple of pics on this page you can see the snow depth and the style of jumps on the MX track.

http://www.photoreflect.com/scripts/prs ... 1170720661

The MX track was not bad with big rollable jumps and the whoops section was rideable by mortals. The woods were a lot of fast single or two track with maybe two or three sections that had steep little hills. There was one section about a mile from the end that was about 100 little trees barely bar width. This caused some traffic jams and the couple of numb nuts without studds dug some big holes. The race crew from the club was in there cutting trees with a chain saw during the race. LMAO! They bypassed this section out after the 1st lap of the expert race because it was trashed.

There was only about two rocks on the entire course if you don't count the boulder pile they made us cross once in a sand pit before they let everyone go around it on later laps.

I only dropped the bike once, but I almost did an awesome flying W endo on the last lap of the MX track. Foolishly I let the KDX take to the air and the front wheel dove like a friggen U-boat. Nuts smashed to the tank and helmet almost touched the front fender. Total spode.

The fresh snow made the first lap real slow because the bikes were going wherever the hell they wanted. My arms were killing by mile two and I was experimenting with riding position to figure out how to keep the front end from wandering. Getting back on the seat and applying more throttle did the trick when I had the guts to. My 1st lap was 44 min. and I came in at 5th place about 2 min. behind 4th. Going around for the 2nd lap after maybe 100 riders had been through the course was burned in nice with once hard pack rut to follow. From lap 2 on I was having a blast! I clocked in lap 2 at 28 min. and was about 6 min. behind 4th place. I was not tired at all but couldn't get confident enough in the handling to pick up the pace. I figured going down and getting re-started would cost more time than I was giving up playing it safe. The novice race was slated for 3 or 4 laps so I was hoping to hold on to a trophy spot at 5th. During lap 3 I started getting lapped by some of the faster novice and Jr class riders. It was tought to make room for passing without stopping or failing in the loose snow outside of the race line. Still manged to turn another 28 min. lap on number 3 and took the checkered in 6th C-Senior about 1 min. back from 5th place. Sweet ride and had a blast as did they guys I was hanging with.

Too cold for drinking beer, but we hung around and watched the expert race start and high tailed it home for the superbowl.

Pretty sure I was the only KDX racing and the likely the oldest bike with the exception of an RMX 250 and an early to mid 90's XR. No complaints about the bike at all. Just needed to twist it harder and should have put a spare pair of goggles in the pits because they frosted over by lap 2.

The KDX in action!

http://www.photoreflect.com/scripts/prs ... &adjust=-1

Next up is our Snow Run enduro in CT this sunday.
Last edited by mattR on 07:43 pm Feb 05 2007, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by Indawoods »

Awesome pic! Sounded like fun and a great race... :supz:
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Post by skipro3 »

Great report and photos! I LOVE riding snow, but with the mountains here, it's almost impossible to get anywhere. How are the hills out your way? It didn't look too bad. Usually there's a steep hill that causes a bottle neck at races I attend. Was there anything like that?
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Post by 2001kdx »

i plan on racing my first enduro, the junior netra boneyard enduro, meriden CT. Can't wait
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Post by mattR »

There were a few hills. This guy got a couple of woods photos. I noticed another KDX in the expert race from these.

http://www.wheeliesetc.com/images/galle ... /index.htm

The club posted the results on the web tonight and I was 24th out of 36 C riders. Got some room for improvement, but it was only my 2nd HS and first in snow.

The overall winner was a kid named Jake Korn (17 or 18 I think) that rides for GG on a 250. He was the series champ last year. He got tangled up on the first lap of this race and got the tip of his right ring finger chewed up and nail torn off by a studded tire. Came around the first lap back a few spots, but took the win and went straight to the hospital in an ambulance and needed a plastic surgon to put the pieces together. Thats hard core.

The total turnout was 205 riders for all classes, which is not bad for a cold ride that was a 3+ hr drive for most.
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Post by skipro3 »

I was noticing those studs on a bike that was on it's side. That could really cause some pain!

Hats off to you for riding in those conditions. I bet your hands were freezing!!
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Post by KDXer »

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mattR
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Post by mattR »

Thanks. With the winter hand guards (elephant ears) and Moose winter gloves my hands were warm. But the winter gloves bunch up so it's probably better to run grip heaters and use regular gloves. Live and learn.
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Post by TD3 »

The track is about 10 miles from my home, my son and I went to spectate. I did notice you on the KDX, good job. It sure looked like a lot of fun, hopefully they'll host the race again next year. :supz:
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Post by wanaride »

Wow, good job! I think anyone racing in that stuff is hardcore! I've ridden when temps were in the upper 20s, but nothing like what you describe. Did you do any jetting changes for the cold temperature?
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