What a mud fest! Round #2 of the GNCC series was a blast and a bummer at the same time. I went up to the start early Sunday morning and had a really good starting spot. I got a decent jump off the line but quickly got pinched off going into the first turn. I was trying to cut underneath everyone in the first couple turns but everybody had the same idea as me. I somehow got around a few guys and was 4^th going into the woods. Third place quickly made a mistake and went down putting myself into the 3^rd position. Two turns later I pass for 2^nd and I am in sight of the leader.  Really high intensity racing in just the first couple miles!  That’s when you know it’s going to be a good race.  Right before the finish I get passed for 2^nd and am sitting in 3^rd going across the scoring chicane. Not too long and I find myself back up into the number 2 spot still right on 1^st place back door. A little mistake from 1^st and I quickly take charge.

Finally I’m leading so I was able to set the pace, but we are catching lappers so now things get interesting. Not only did we have to pick good lines and battle it out but also we had to swerve in and out of lappers in the jest of things. Second place and I are battling it out smashing into trees and lappers. By the third lap I ran out of 15 tear offs and my bike and I had to weigh at least 300 lbs. My helmet was so heavy my goggles were pinching my nose down and I had to breathe out of my mouth the whole time.

The fourth lap was probably the second craziest laps. I was running 1^st, picked a bad line on a muddy hill and got passed for the lead. He was out of sight. I knew I had to stay focused and charge hard.  I finally caught 1^st and we battled through the scoring chicane until right before I heard his bike bog and quit. He blew up.  I had a little relief in my riding now but I was still charging the same. One lap after a lapper roosted me and covered my goggles with no tear offs I sadly had to ripe them off. I put them on my arm and kept riding.  Unfortunately my dangling goggles get snatched by a lappers hand guard and broke the strap.  No big deal I’m just one goggle down now LOL. I figured it wasn’t worth the time to stop for new ones so I just man’d up and rode without them.

I come around the scoring chicane and see the white flag. “Yes, only one more lap”.  Again my pit crew is standing there with goggles but I didn’t stop. At about the 1.5-mile mark in on my last lap my bike starts bogging and shuts off. I slowly take a deep breath knowing what just happened.  I tried starting it again but there wasn’t any compression.  Calmly I get off my bike and push it out of the main line.  Some fellows came and helped me push it up a small hill in the parking lot. From there a really nice teenager pushed my bike across the pits to the finish line where I then found my grandfather. We were all in disbelief that I was 3 minutes ahead and my bike blew up. I stayed really calm and made sure I didn’t act stupid in front of anybody. There wasn’t a reason to throw a fit because I couldn’t have done anything about it and throwing a fit does nothing about it.  I still managed to pull off an 8^th in the Super Mini (14-15) class and 12^th overall.  My next race report will be from my local Florida Trail Riders Series on March 21^st being held in Dade City, Florida. 

Thank you to TF Racing, Action KTM, Seat Concepts, HBD MotoGrafx, MSR gear, Nihilo, IMS Products, FMF Pipes, Steve Thomson Homes, DirtWise Riding Schools, Rekluse, Shoei Helmets, Cannon Racecraft, DekDef Photos, Total Building Solutions, Tom Fleming personally for working countless hours on my bike, Mike Hall, George Pollard, Randy Faul, the Chamber family, my Mom and Dad, and my Grandma and Grandpa. Thanks for all the support.