Washougal National Motocross

I attended the Washougal, Washington National Motocross held 25, 26 July. It was incredible. There were about 900 riders for the two days of racing and 25K spectators. The professional racing on Saturday was spectacular, the weather was great and the Washougal landscape provides for a breathtaking experience in Motocross.

There was a full gate of 40 riders in my class, it is a little intimidating heading into the first turn with 39 other riders. I got a great start the first moto, I was in sixth place as we got through the first two turns and headed up what they call Horsepower Hill. The Washougal track is a National track, it is long, rough and challenging. I faded a little to end up finishing tenth for the moto. I was happy with the finish but I knew I could improve in the second.

I got another good start in the second moto but made a really dumb mistake after the first turn; I clipped the back wheel of another rider and went down hard. I felt a bike land on me and I thought, great I caused another rider to wreck, but as I looked up, I saw the number 83 and realized it was my bike that was on top of me. Good thing is, since the bike landed on me, it didn’t tear up my graphics.

So, I got out from underneath the bike, fired it up, straightened out the levers and was off and running.......40th place. I caught up to the pack and worked my way around 24 riders to end up 16th for the moto.

I ended up getting a plaque for twelfth overall.

It was an awesome experience………………

(Check out the pics: #22 is Chad Reed the National Motocross 450 class points leader)

Idaho State Championship Motocross Series, Round #6

Round #6 of the Idaho State Motocross Championship Series was hosted by White Knuckle Racing and held in Mountain Home, Idaho, at the Optimist Park. What an outstanding weekend, Tag and Robin are always organized and put on the best quality races in the area. The Mountain Home track is very challenging for the riders and great for the spectators because you can sit in the bleachers or walk out on the bridge and see the entire track.

The Smokefree83 Team traveled down on Friday to take advantage of the test and tune day and get a jump on some of the competition. Practice went well; Matt and I were both riding good and felt comfortable on the Supercross style track.

Saturday morning the races started right on time and I was in the first moto of the day. As usual my Project Filter YZ250F was right on the mark as I shot out of the gate to take the lead in my class. I held the lead for two laps and fell back to second place, I was feeling a little off the mark and figured it was better to play it safe and go for a win in the second moto. I did win the second moto to take the overall on Saturday.

Matt gave us a pretty big scare in his second moto on Saturday but you’ll have to read his blog to get the details.

Sunday was another great day, I went 1 – 1 in both motos to take the overall on Sunday as well. I will move into round seven still in the points lead for the series.

Mountain Home was an excellent round, the track is difficult and some riders don’t prefer it but I thought it was a good experience. The Idaho State Championship Series covers seven different tracks around the state, each one is unique in its own way and each one tests riders skills in different areas.

I would like to say “Thank You” to Project Filter for the support, the program is outstanding. The Smokefree83 Team handed out several boxes of Project Filter promotional items, our presence at the event was recognized and appreciated.

We have a little bit of a break in the series; the next round is scheduled for the last weekend in August in Kimberly, Idaho. I am headed to Washougal Washington in between to compete in an amateur national event and take in one day of the AMA Outdoor Motocross Professional Nationals. I am excited, Washougal is an amazing experience.

See ya in Kimberly…………….

Idaho State Championship Motocross Series, Round #5.

Round #5 was in Idaho Falls at the Noise Park Raceway. We arrived at the track on Friday morning, there was some cloud cover but the weather was nice, at least for the first couple of hours. Practice was underway and everything was going great until that big black cloud that has been following us through the series tracked us down. Once again the skies opened up and let us have it, it poured down unbelievably hard for about an hour and then started to hail. Needless to say, practice was over……
I was worried that the races might be canceled for Saturday but the track crew at Noise Park kept working the track until it was rideable. It was a little slippery for practice but the sun came out and blessed us with a good weekend.
I decided to ride two classes at Idaho Falls, I wanted to mix things up a bit and enjoy some unfamiliar competition. In my main class I finished second the first moto and in the added class I finished third. I studied the track during the break between the first and second motos and decided since it was so tight that I would try a little bit different strategy for the second round. As always my Project Filter backed YZ250F shot me out of the hole with a great start. I was in first place with second hot on my heels the entire moto, I rode a smart race by protecting the inside lines and keeping a cool head. I won the second moto, which in turn gave me the overall victory for the day. In my second class I finished third again which set me at third overall. It was a great day.
I wasn’t sure that I wanted to ride both classes on Sunday, I was a little worn out but Saturday went so well that I decided to go for it again. I came out swinging in the first moto of my regular class and took the moto win to start the day. I got the holeshot in the second class but faded back to forth to finish the moto. The competition was tough. In the second motos I finished second in my main class for a second overall on the day and in my added class I stepped it up to a third place finish to give me another third overall for the second day in a row. Wow, there was a lot going on…… Eight motos in two days, for overall finishes of 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 3rd. Matt’s bike was broke so we both rode the 250F for twelve motos of action.
Overall the weekend was awesome. Idaho Falls has a nice racing facility and the people were great. It was a good experience riding the added class, I think it helped me to stay warmed up and in the groove. Stay tuned for the next round which is in Mountain Home, I will ride both classes again, at least on Saturday….
We left Idaho Falls on Monday morning for a family trip to the Lagoon, in Utah, it was a nice break and we had a great time.