First race of 2017

So after The Mammoth race last year I started traveling and practicing for nationals.  As you know I got hurt and had two surgeries and have not been able to race in the last 8 months.  This weekend was my first race back at Glen Helen.  It was a Road To Mammoth qualifying race and there was a ton of people there.  The track was really deep and very, very rough.

Practice on Saturday was great.  A lot of riders on the track so we I had a lot of different battles and practiced hard to get back into race mode.

Sunday I was ready to get on the track and race!

My first gate in 8 months was not the best!  I was racing in the supermini class on my 85. (I practiced on my supermini but felt more comfortable on my 85 on the track) I came off the line great and when I shifted I hit neutral.  By the time I got going again I was really far back in last place.

I was able to battle for all five laps and made it up to 6th place.  Not bad for the start and being down on power.  I guess I have to remember not to hit neutral on the start!!!

It was fun to see a lot of my friends back at the races.  I had a lot of friends cheer me on at the line and watch the races throughout the day.

It was really fun to be back at the races and I had some great battles throughout the day.  I was able to finish the day on two wheels and with…..

6th place in Supermini

3rd place in Mini Sr 1

4th place in Mini Sr 2

I am ready for the next race!!!!

 

GLEN HELEN MAMMOTH QUALIFIER RACE

This last weekend was the first round of the Road to Mammoth qualifier races at Glen Helen Raceway.  The weekend was not easy from start to finish…..

Our van needed a new drive shaft and it didn’t come in until Friday.  My Dad worked all night and when he got home from work he put in the drive shaft and then we left for LA.  When my Dad drove the van, the drive shaft was not in balance had to be changed back to the old part.  My Dad and I jacked the van back up to change the drive shaft again.

One of the bolts on the drive shaft was stripped out and my Dad had to chisel it off.  A piece of the bolt shattered apart and hit my Dad in the face and he got a couple of war wounds.

 

We put the old drive shaft back into the van and then we got on the road to drive to LA…. a little late but we were finally on our way.

When we got to the track Saturday morning the wind was sooooooo bad it was like a sand storm, and it was like that the whole weekend.

I know its hard to tell in this picture but there is 8 bikes on the track racing and you can’t see them because the wind is so bad.  The whole weekend everyone had to wear goggles to watch the races and when I was on the track racing sometimes it was hard to see anything in front of me.

I raced in 3 classes this weekend….Although the weather was bad, I still had 36 bikes on the line with me in my class.

85 9-12   – I finished 3rd and 2nd with an overall 2nd place

Mini Sr 1 12-13  – I finished 2nd and 3rd with an overall  2nd place

Mini Sr 2 9-14   – I finished 3rd and 5th with an overall  5th place

One of the things Glen Helen is famous for is the huge up hill.  The wind was blowing to the left and my Mom told me to make sure I stay to the right going up the hill so the wind doesn’t blow me off the edge.  During the race I knew it was faster to stay on the left and she caught a couple of pictures of me off the edge of the hill.  (I know it is hard to tell in the picture but this hill is really high up)

The wind was crazy but the racing was really fun.  I did fall in one moto and never got the out front start that I wanted but I was able to battle through and get several podium finishes.

 

 

TWO WEEKS OF RACING

We have officially started race season….two weeks ago was the first Mammoth Qualifier at Glen Helen.

I had not raced for four months and I was very excited to get back on the line.  Practice went well and I was excited to start racing.  The first couple of races I was definitely out of practice on my starts.   Because I didn’t have the best starts I had to race really hard to get back to the front of the racing pack.

Because I didn’t have the best starts, I raced really hard to pass a lot of kids and try to get to the front of the pack.

85 9-11

2nd and 3rd with a 3rd place overall finish

85 Mini Sr 2 (9-14)

11th and 8th with an 8th place overall finish

This last weekend we had the first round of Loretta Lynn Qualifying races at MMX.  The Loretta Lynn qualifiers are a little different because you race stock classes on Saturday and Mod classes on Sunday.

85 Stock

2nd and 3rd with a 3rd place overall finish

It was Valentines Day and I was LOVING racing

 85 Mod

3rd and 3rd with an overall 3rd place finish

I crashed hard in my race but was able to get back up and fight to 3rd

 We had a lot of fun on and off the track.  We stayed at a hotel down the street, played in the pool, went to a restaurant to watch Supercross, and played in the dirt.

I have to thank my “crew” that supported me all weekend and help me every week.

SEE YOU NEXT WEEK AT THE RACES!

 

FINAL DAY IN LA – Glen Helen

Sunday we woke up early and headed to the track so we could get a little riding in before we drove all the way home.  We decided to go to Glen Helen Raceway and my Aunt, Uncle and two of my cousins followed us to the track to watch me ride.

Glen Helen was different from the other two tracks I rode at.  This track was really sandy, more high-speed, more table tops instead of doubles and triples, and some really really big hills.

You climb up to the top of the huge hill, come straight down, back up and down again…..so crazy.

At Glen Helen, the water truck sprayed the track while the riders were still on the track.  The truck would go around and stop spraying when a rider was coming instead of having the bikes come off the track.  When I came around the huge sweeper turn I guess the water truck didn’t see me because I jumped into a huge wall of water.

It was really windy at the track and I want to thank everyone for coming to watch me ride.

We went to lunch and then it was time to go back home.

Thank you Uncle Mike and Aunt Jane for letting my family stay at your house……we had so much fun!