part3 – THE RACE

The race in Los Angeles was as the Perris Motocross Track.  Practice was crazy because there was a ton of bikes….  they had 54- 65cc dirt bikes and 38 – 85cc dirt bikes.  They had some really fast riders and I had a lot of fun battling with different people.

I raced three classes:    65cc  6-8     –    65cc  Open    –  and  –     85cc  thru 11

The races began with light rain on and off throughout the day and ended under the lights late at night.  It seemed like every time I got to the line it started to rain.

The first round of racing I was a little off on my starts and I wasn’t sure why.  The way they started the races was something I had not experienced before.  They didn’t use a board….the guy asked everyone if they were ready and then ran in the house and dropped the gate.  After I realized how everything worked, my second round of starts got better.

65 Age races went well.  In both races I got OK starts and battled to the front.  In both races I was able to stay in front for two 1st place finishes.

65 Open race had a full gate of fast riders.  I got caught up in a huge crash on the start of the first race and couldn’t get my bike started so I took off in last place.  I battled through several bikes, but I also fell two more times during the race.  I was able to pull out an 18th out of 38 bikes.  The second race I got a much better start….I was able to battle up front and I was in third when I slid out on a turn.  I lost a couple of spots but was able to finish the race in 3rd place.  Overall I came in 9th place overall.

85 thru 11 I was pretty consistant in both races.  I didn’t get the best starts but was able to battle up to 9th place in both races.

It was really fun to race with some new people and to battle with a full gate.  A lot of my friends from Northern California were at the race and it was really fun to cheer each other on.  My trip to Los Angeles was so much fun!

part 2 – THE ROAD TRIP

So last Friday we were getting ready for our road trip to Los Angeles for my first race there.  It was Friday The 13th……My Dad got home from work and started to load up the van.  As he was loading things in he hit his head really hard on the edge.  The garage had blood everywhere and he couldn’t get his head to stop bleeding.  My Mom had to take him to the hospital and he had to get 10 staples to close the cut.

After a few hours in the hospital he came home and finished loading the van.  We got a late start, but we finally left for LA.  Luckily my seat in the van makes into a bed because we arrived at my Uncle Mikes house at 2am Saturday morning.

We got just a couple of hours of sleep at my Uncles house and then headed to Perris Raceway for the 8am practice.  After a day of practice we went back to my Uncles house to rest.

Sunday we got to the track for an 8am practice and then races started right after that.  I was the last race of the day and we were finished at 8pm.    As soon as my race was over we threw everything in the van and hit the road.  My Dad had to be at work at 3am so we had to get home fast.  My Mom drove all night and we got to our house at 2:15 Monday morning.  My Dad jumped in the truck and left for work and was able to get to work on time.  I was lucky because Monday was a holiday so I got to sleep in and relax all day.

To be continued…….

part 3 – THE RACE

part 1…..THE VAN

So last weekend I got a new van and all this week we worked on turning it into a motocross van.  My Dad, Grandpa and Uncle Mike put a wall and tie downs in the van.  I helped my Dad put carpet on the wall and in the front cab.  My Mom and Grandparents helped put the set and seatbelts in….it was a family project.  I have to thank everyone for helping my Dad with the van because in a few days it looked amazing inside and was ready to go.  We still have a lot of work to finish everything off, but we were at least able to put the bikes in and go racing.

I love the back seat of the van!  I can seat up and relax…….

Or I can lay down and sleep…….

Thank you Uncle Mike Cross for picking up the van and getting it ready for me to bring home!  Thank you Grandpa, Grandma and Uncle Mike Piedade for all the hard work putting the wall in!

TO BE CONTINUED…….

• part 2 THE ROAD TRIP
• part 3 THE RACE

SUPER SICK, SUPERSTARS AND SUPERCROSS

Last week both my Dad and I had the flu really bad!  Over the weekend we were feeling a little better and decided to go to LA to pick up the van my parents bought for me, for my dirt bikes.  When we got to LA we went to Lake Elsinore to practice and I was not feeling good again.  I was able to get on the track for a little but was not 100%.  The track was really cool, it is a newer track and they put a ton of money into the facility.

While we were there, guess who parked right next to us……Twitch and Carey Hart.  It was so awesome!  I rode on the track with them both and raced Twitch for a while.

After we were all done with practice I talked to them, they signed my dirt bikes, and I took pictures with them.

Even though it was really cool to hang with them, I was feeling worse by the minute.  On the way to my Uncle Mike and Aunt Jane’s house I got sick in the truck and my Dad had to pull over.  Shortly after that my Dad got sick again.

Saturday night was the supercross race and my parents got tickets for my family to go.  My Dad was so sick that he had to stay home, I was so happy that I felt better so I could go.

My Mom and the rest of my family and I had so much fun at the race….our friend was nice enough to help us get industry tickets that were totally awesome.  We didn’t have to wait in any lines, we sat with the riders and their families, and sat right behind the starting line.  First we walked through the pits and had a ton of fun.  We saw Larry with Moto Efx was in the 51Fifty Energy Drink Pit….he had wrapped their hauler, bikes, helmets, stands, gas cans, etc.  Everything looked so amazing!  Larry showed me around the trailer and introduced me to the team riders Chris Plouffe and Preston Tilford.  It was fun to cheer them on and watch them ride.  The 51Fifty guys were really nice also, I asked if I could try one of their drinks and they said I could if my Mom said it was OK.  My Mom let me try it because she thought I wouldn’t like it but it was sooooo good!  My Mom was mad that the drink was good because I wanted to drink a lot and she said I didn’t need any extra energy.  lol

After we hung out with Larry we went to our seats and watched the races.   We had great seats and it was really cool to see all the riders walk right by me and several of them sat right next to me.  We didn’t want to bother them, but I couldn’t help giving them a high-five as they walked by me.

The races were great and we saw some really good battles.  For the main event I sat right behind the starting line, it was so cool.

 

ANOTHER HELMET FOR THE GRAVEYARD

I have a wall of old helmets in my mancave, and it was time to add another one to the shelf.

My parents don’t like me to wear a helmet after it has taken a hard hit.  My old helmet has taken a few hits and it was time to get a new one.  I found a helmet that I liked and fit so we brought it home.

I usually like to wear matching gear and then a different pattern gloves, helmet, and goggles…..I think it is cool to look a little different and stand out.  I didn’t realize that my new helmet matches the gloves that I have already been wearing.  So with my new helmet I match even more than I did before.  🙂

LOOK WHO’S IN “THE PRESS”

A couple of weeks ago I got a phone call from a reporter at THE PRESS.  The Press is a newspaper publication that is delivered each Friday to every home and business in Discovery Bay, Brentwood, Antioch, Oakley and surrounding areas.  With over 65,000 papers delivered to each door, as well as local business’, the paper is well-known in East Contra Costa County.

After a short interview, the reporter said he was going to review my website and write a story for the next edition of the paper.  The next Friday I had a half page write-up in the paper, and two weeks later the story re-ran again.

I want to thank The Press for writing the article and for mentioning my website.  I love riding dirt bikes and I love to share it with everyone.

JUST LIKE RIDING A BIKE

I was off a few weeks with my elbow and it started feeling a little better.  I decided to take it easy and get back on my bike last week to see how my elbow would feel.  Although my arm was a little sore and I got tired because I am a little out of practice….it was just like riding a bike. 🙂

I had a lot of fun seeing all my friends at the track and riding.  Because many of the tracks were open during the day for the holiday week, my Mom took me to a couple of tracks because my Dad had to work.  Things are for sure better when my Dad is there, but my Mom and I didn’t do to bad….. Thanks to Robert for helping adjusting my chain, I don’t think my Mom would have had that move.

I think I need to get back in the swing of things, but I am so happy to be back on my bike.