GNCC Racing

Jesse Robinson Steele Creek Race Report

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Wednesday, April 2, 2008 | 12:00 AM
Jesse Robinson Racing
 
MAXXIS/ OHLINS/ HMF/ MONSTER ENERGY KAWASAKI   Race Report  3-30-08
 
Round 3, the most anticipated race of the year for Jesse Robinson, was held only 20 miles from his home. Hundreds of friends and family came out to root for the home town hopeful while he takes on some of the best riders in the world. After a superb ride in Fla. and a solid ride in Ga., the expectations to get to the front were higher than ever. Improvement this year is evident as Jesse gets more comfortable on the Kawasaki 450 4-Stroke. The hurdle to cross is that everyone in the XC1 ranks has gotten better. Everyone is going faster because the bar is being raised so high.
The flag raised and the start was good as they went into the first turn. Having to check up, to keep the bike under control, put him in the back of the pack along with the Knighter who failed to start on the first kick. While working to mid-pack, half way through the first lap, contact on one of the slippery hills put Jesse on the ground for the first and only time for the day. The first lap ended with Jesse in 12th  position. Still fighting the symptoms from a cold earlier in the week, breathing became an issue. No breath = low O2 = arm pump. After pitting on lap three, things went smoother. Consistant lap times were paying off as he moved up 10th to 9th to 8th to 7th as the last lap began. Now the battle was on as Kanney's bike was back to running well. After swapping positions 5-6 times during the lap, Robinson had the advantage approaching the wooden bridge. With a lapper in the equation, Kanney's move was slicker than the bridge itself. Forcing Robinson to follow the lapper's line paid off as Kanney made the pass stick. Settling for 8th was a little disappointing but another valuable lesson was learned to add to the arsenal. Thanks to all our sponsors and a special thanks to OHLINS who got the bike working extremely well.
 

 
Hoop Photo