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Reports From the States
We made the 14 hour drive across to Missouri from Salem Ohio. It was a pretty long drive, most of the way on motorways.
Hi all, another USA update:
It was a round of the OMA 2 hour cross country series that we attended this past weekend. On the Saturday we had a fun race in the afternoon which was only a 1 hour race - pretty much for club riders and kids. It was good to get an eye in for the dirt and have a bit of a trail ride after such a long trip in the RV. After that they have a Pro Practice, which is one full lap of the course for Sunday afternoons racing. The trail was tight woods and some mixture of grass track, moto track and a little river section. The woods were tight, low-speed stuff, nothing like we race in NZ. Apparently he just walks through the trees and puts up arrows.
Sunday afternoon we lined up. It was a dead engine start with a flag, like the GNCC's. Adam and I got the last pick as we were new riders to this event. I choose the very inside as I knew if I got the bike going quickly I would have a chance for a good start. I was in the top five around the first corner.
The trail was very dusty for the first lap in places which bought the speed down allot. Also the tight single trail brought every one together and there was no room for passing. After the first lap I was sitting in 8th with 7th, 6th and 5th right in front of me.Towards the end of the second lap I caught my left thumb on a branch and wrenched my hand off the bike. I had to stop as the pain was to much to hang on. Once I got going again it was time to pull in for some fuel. I started to push again when the pain was easing up.
At the same time, as I was trying to make up some ground, I clipped a small tree and it took my rear bake lever clean off and I had to finish that lap with no rear bakes. Adam caught up to me on the moto track and I pulled into the pits. Luckily I had Scotty Brooker (Paul's right hand man) and Phil Cheater to put a new brake lever on. I gassed at the same time and got some food into me while they put a new lever on. Then I was away on a mission.
I'm not sure how many places I lost when I pulled in put I made a few passed on riders that didn't look like lappers and made one last cheeky pass on the last section of the moto track for 10th place. Adam ended up 9th and Paul 1st. Also Paul's team mates Jimmy, Scotty and another guy we ride with Jason were in front of us.
It was a well run event and getting use to riding the tight wood was something different. I also would like to thank Phil Cheater for making a little road trip (200+ miles) to come and help out. He was over here working and filled in his weekend with watching some dirt bike racing.
We are on our way down to North Carolina (another 15 hour drive) to stay and get ready for he next GNCC. That will be my last GNCC here in the USA, before I go back to NZ for the 6 hour in the first weekend of October.
Karl Power
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