This past weekend the Smoke Free 83/Project Filter Race Team traveled to Glenns Ferry, Idaho, for the season opener of the Idaho State Motocross Championship Series.
It was a great weekend of racing! The weather was beautiful, the competition was fierce and as always White Knuckle Racing did an outstanding job with the events for the weekend.
I am riding two classes this year, the over thirty Veteran class and the over forty Veteran class. Yes, over 30 and over 40 refer to the age brackets for these classes. Some say they are the old guy classes but I like to refer to us as “Seasoned Riders”. Most generally, these are the riders that have been doing it for twenty years or more.
As the gate dropped for the first moto of the season my Project Filter backed YZ250F launched me into the lead and I was able to stay in the front of the pack for the first three laps. I was passed by a rider that I was not familiar with and I ended up finishing second in the moto. I considered it a good start to the season and I figure it will only get better as I begin to work the bugs out. It is funny because I still get butterflies in my stomach, on the start line. I think that is how you can gage your love for the sport, if you’re still getting the butterflies and the excitement is still there then you must love it.
On Sunday I had one of the most fun battles that I can remember. In the last moto of the day I was in the position that I would have to take the win in order to get the overall for the day. The start (holeshot) is sometimes critical in motocross, this time I didn’t get it. I came out of the first turn in third place. The rider that I needed to beat was in second and quickly moved into the lead. I knew that I needed to get around the rider in front of me as quickly as possible so that the leader didn’t get away. It took me about a lap to move into second and I caught up to the leader pretty quickly. It was on. We were no more than a bike length apart all through the entire moto. Sometimes it is hard to pass another experienced rider without getting overly aggressive and ending up on the ground. After several failed attempts, I ended up crossing the finish line in second. I certainly wanted the win but I am happy with the ride and the fact that I finished safely, “rubber side down”.
I came out of the weekend with second and third finishes overall. It is going to be another great season!
As I always say, Motocross is a family sport; it was great to see everyone out and about for this first race of the season. Project Filter is a title sponsor for the series this year and we have added a new addition to our Team. I am excited once again to be back in the saddle and supporting the fight for a tobacco free Idaho.
Thank You Project Filter! Round two is in Payette at the Clay Peak Raceway. See ya in a couple weeks…
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