RACING, TEXAS, AND HOSPITAL VISITS

I had a race in Texas so we left on Thursday and headed to Los Angeles to race the Loretta Lynn qualifier on our way.  We had practice on Friday and raced Saturday.  The race was at 333MX and the track was very different from what I am used to racing.  I was able to finish out the day with two 1st place trophies.

As soon as the race was over my family got into the van and drove 24 hours to Texas.  My parents took turns driving and I slept most of the way.  We were all very happy when we got to Texas and arrived at the Freestone track.

We had a day to get settled, sign in and walk the track.  I also did a photo shoot and video for Leatt.  (I will have a separate post about Leatt later and how wearing a neck and back brace saved me again)

We got a really good nights sleep and I was ready for practice on Tuesday.  My bike was looking awesome with the new graphics, Fly hooked me up with new gear, and I was ready to go.

My first practice was great.  I was getting used to the track and put down some great laps.  In my second practice things did not go as well.  On the second lap my bike didn’t seem like it was running very well.  I thought it would clear out and I kept riding.  When I was going through the rollers my bike bogged and I didn’t clear the jump.  I went head first into the face of the jump and my bike hit me in my back.  I immediately knew that I was pretty hurt, but I wasn’t sure what was wrong.

After going to the hospital, getting advice from some great friends and some new friends, I got transported to a Children’s Hospital.

I was strapped down and they did a lot of tests.  I had and MRI, CT Scan, and X-rays.

The doctors found I had a fractured T1, T2, T3 and T4 vertebrae, a broken T5 vertebrae and pulled ligaments in my neck….. along with a lot of cuts and bruises.  The doctors said I was very lucky that my break did not move any farther at all.  I am so lucky that I was wearing my safety gear.

After a couple of days they finally let me sit up but I still couldn’t get out of bed or walk.  The doctors did more and more tests to make figure out what they needed to do to make sure my back and neck were stable.  Donnie from Yamaha drove for hours just to come and check on me which was very awesome!

The next day I finally got to get out of bed and move around a little.  I was able to go sit in the team room and play video games.

The doctors finally released me to head back to California.  My parents took turns driving but we had to make a few stops along the way for me to rest a little.  I really want to thank everyone for all the get well wishes.  So many people reached out to myself and my parents and it meant a lot to all of us.

Now I am in a back brace and I have to meet with my doctors in California so I can figure out what is next for me.

CONSISTANT FINISHES THREE WEEKS IN A ROW

Two weeks ago I raced a Loretta Lynn qualifier at DT1.  It had rained a lot right before that so the track was a little muddy for practice and got really rough throughout the races.

I had a few really good starts and some good battles out front  I was able to finish up the day with a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd.

The next weekend I raced a Road To Mammoth race at Oatfield.  Again the track got really rough as the day went on.

I battled back and forth with my friends and for the third week in a row I finished with an overall 1st, 2nd and 3rd place finish.

Both weekends I had a lot of fun racing and pushed myself to get back up to speed after being off my bike for so long.  Getting my starts back and my speed consistent has been tough but I am working hard to get better everyday.

I am happy to be back at the track!

 

LORETTA LYNN REGIONAL RACE IN WASHINGTON

This last weekend was the first round of regional races to earn a spot in the Loretta Lynn National Race.

My family and I drove to Washougal Washington and I practiced on Saturday and raced one class on Sunday and raced the second class on Monday.  Because they expected some rain on Saturday and Sunday they did not prep the track like normal.  We did not get any rain but the track got really slick throughout the day.

Sunday I raced Mini Sr 1, I had some great battles with some of the older riders.  I was able to finish up the day with the 4th place spot and earn my first ticket to the Loretta Lynn Ranch for Nationals.

On Mondays race the track was totally different.  They did not expect any rain and they did a full prep on the track.  Because I don’t ever ride in Washington, the morning of the race I had only three laps of practice to get used to the different track.  On the first lap I could tell that something was wrong with my bike and I wasn’t able to jump anything.  I stayed on the track to look at lines but could not practice at my normal speed.

My Dad was able to fix my breaks and the rotor and everything was ready for the first race of the day.  Since I didn’t get much riding in my practice my Dad and I walked around the track and talked about lines.  Because it was Memorial Day, I made sure to wear my Red, White and Blue gear.

In the first race I got a good start and heading towards the back of the track I was making a pass for the lead.  I railed the outside and hit a kicker that put me on the ground.  By the time I got back up I was in 14th place with a lot of work to do in the next four laps.  I was on a charge and was able to back it back into third place and missed the pass for second place by .006 seconds.  I was lucky I was able to come back close enough to have a chance for my second ticket, and I knew what I had to do to get it.

The second race of the day I had a good start and on the first two laps the front guy and I stretched out a lead and we all stayed consistent to get to the checkered flag.  Considering how my day started I was happy to get out of Washington with a second place finish 85 9-12 and another ticket to Loretta Lynn’s.

With my two tickets it is now time to practice for Nationals!  See you all in Tennessee!

FIRST STEP TO THE LORETTA LYNN NATIONAL RACE

This weekend was the first step to qualify for the Loretta Lynn National.  The NorthWest and MidWest area qualifier at MMX in Marysville.

For the qualifier I raced in 3 classes…. My Dad worked on my bike and got it handling the way I wanted it so I felt comfortable on the track.  They had so many entries that many of the classes had to run heat races and last chance qualifiers to see who would be able to race in the main event.  The track got really rough and slick and I was very happy to keep my bike on two wheels and be able to battle with some really great riders and finish the weekend qualified in all three of my classes.

In my 85 9-12 class we had 35 racers and I was able to finish with an overall 2nd place finish.

In my Mini Sr 1 Class and my Mini Sr 2 Class I was able to finish with 2 overall 5th place finishes.

My buddy Gary was announcing the races all weekend and I was able to go up in the announcers tower to talk with him and show some love to all of my sponsors.

Some of my hardware!

AND……. WHO WANTS TO GO SHOPPING?

I just got my bLUcRU debit card in the mail!

2013 MOTOCROSS NATIONALS IN TENNESSEE (part 1 of 2)

Last week was the AMA Amateur Motocross Nationals at Loretta Lynn’s Ranch in Tennessee.

This was my first race back after my broken arm.  I was for sure out of shape compared to the kids that have been riding and racing every week.  Half way through each race I could feel how out of shape I was, and I started making mistakes that I don’t think I would normally make.  I tried really hard to push through, but it was even more difficult with the track conditions.  Every day the track was completely different.

RACE 1 (65 Stock-Age) – In my first race I didn’t have the best start but I was able to fight to the front.  I went down and lost several spots and was able to finish in 4th place.

race 2 (65 Open) – The next day I was in staging and it started to rain and thunder and lightning.  It did not rain like it does at home this was buckets and buckets of rain.  The road we parked on was flooded to our knees in some spots and the track announced that we needed to stay by our pits because we might have to evacuate.  It only rained for about 45 minutes but it did a lot of damage.  We had to wait for about five hours for them to take some of the mud off the top of the track.  Finally it was time to race but the track was totally a mess.  I started off so go and I was second out of the gate.  I got about half way around the track and my bike just stopped and I was thrown over the handle bars.  I quickly got up and started my bike to get back in the race but my bike wouldn’t go.  I tried and tried but I had gotten a rock stuck in my chain and my chain was broken.  I didn’t finish the race.

race 3 (65 Stock-Age) – Although it didn’t rain anymore, the track the next day was almost more muddy than the day before.  I guess the water truck got stuck in the mud so instead of watering the track we rode on the day before the tractors moved the wet mud back on top of the track.  I had a really bad start in this race and was in 27th place in the beginning.  I rode all the way up to 1st.  With two laps left I made a mistake and went down which moved me back to 10th place.  I got up and was only able to get to 6th place before the checkered flag.  As soon as the race was over I quickly took off my shirt because I was being stung by a wasp while I was riding.  I had 3 stings on my chest and stomach…it hurt so bad!

race 4 (65 Open) – Because my chain broke in the last 65 Open race I had the last gate pick.  I basically had to start in the line that no other rider wanted. lol  I was in 25th on the first lap and moved to 10th place when my front tire slide out and I went down.  Some strange thing happened to my helmet and my visor was stuck bent down covering my eyes.  Because I couldn’t see I had to go a little slower and I lost several spots before the end of the race.

race 5 (65 Stock-Age) – The track was finally getting better and it was turning into a dry and rough track.  I didn’t have the best start again but I battled up to 5th place.  My Dad was giving me signals that let me know if I finished in 5th I would be in the 3rd place overall position in this class.  Even if I passed more bikes I couldn’t change my overall position so I backed off and rode smart to make sure I didn’t make any mistakes and I was able to finish up the class with an overall 3rd place finish.

race 6 (65 Open) – I was in staging to start the last race and it again, out of nowhere, started to rain with thunder and lightning.  The track was turning into a really big muddy mess again but because they were getting ready to go live on NBC, they couldn’t do much to the track.  A lot of kids in my class that didn’t do good in the first two races decided not to even race in the last race.  Like all the other riders from California, we never ride when there is even a chance of rain so I was excited to race in the mud and see what it was like.  I couldn’t believe how hard it was to ride in the mud…. everyone was falling and it turned into a last man standing competition.  When I fell my bike was so stuck in the mud that a worker had to help me pull it out of the mud.  I used tons of tear offs and still couldn’t see through all the mud that was flying around.  I did really bad, I think I need more practice riding in the mud.  If any of you watched the race on NBC, I was the class that raced right in front of the one the aired on TV so that was the exact same track I rode on.

Earlier this year my goal was to win at Nationals.  Then I broke my arm and I wasn’t going to be able to go to Nationals at all.  I got my arm better and was able to go at the last minute so I was very happy to be able to go to Tennessee and pull out a top 3 finish.  I am ready to get back to practice and start working on next year.

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More information coming soon about the Loretta Lynn Amateur Nationals, awards and sights along the way.