Melvern Race Reports

[WireFryer]

Up at 5am, do my usual 20 minute load-up routine and roll to pick up Tank at his place on the North end of Wichita 25 fun metro minutes away.

I somehow went thru the wealthy town of Derby, then into Wichita and back out of it, without hitting ONE nazi-government red light .

While on the I-35 canal route with a cup of coffee in one hand, and doing 75 in a 60 zone in the other... a Sedgwick Co. Deputy rolls by on my right side without a glance, now I'm really spooked.

I stopped at the next QT and bought a lottery ticket... luck like this does not come often.

Get Tank loaded up (yes that thing is a Kow, but it starts easily hot or cold) and off we go up the Pike' in the warm comforting embrace of thousands of Chiefs fans that all have that same glazed fuzzy look on their faces .

Pit with our usual herd and wind up with a bunch of Firemen to our North that all ride MO rocks or MX, but have never done the Hare Scramble thing.

Nice bunch, helped out one kid by assisting his brand new Wife make a goofy hybrid consisting of a spare CamelBak outa' my gearbag (that probably has microbes in it the CDC in Atlanta has never seen ) crossed with some Walmart drink backpak they bought so he could at least hydrate during the race, the fact that She happened to be a smokin' drop-dead Hottie...., had absolutely nothing to do with it, Safety first, Boys!

Practice proves that the place will tack up fast wherever the Sun can get in a word in edgewise, but I didn't see a drop of dust anywhere, the joke around the pits is " Somethings wrong with my front tire.... it won't stay on the ground!! .

Line up mid-line and the bikes just keep coming and coming.... big rows all around, even the Juniors had themselves a fat line for a change.

The 700 club is 20 wide and missing a few local players that should have attended... the board drops, my very tired XC-F fires first kick but so did everybody elses , 2 riders in front of me lock bars at the round bale and go down, forcing me to jam up or run em' over.

According to my GoPro, 3 riders zapped me there while I was trying very hard not to tattoo anyones' neck with the imprint of a Michelin M12, and 2 more pop me before the sweet singletrack fires up.

I can't speak for the rest of the world.... but son-of-a-biscuit was it nice to be able to lay her over going into a berm and be able to come back out not covered with dust and blood for a change, and that was just in the pits !

Ran my own lil" show all day long, fought my throttle hand big time for the first 2 laps then both paws settled in, keeping all my laps in the minute window.

Ezell tells me one lap to go, and I'm actually looking forward to it... at the middle of the creek section where you gotta' hop up to the right on the greasy baby bluff.... there is a kid with a KTM flopped out in the creek looking like he just went thru hellweek .

I'm looking at him and the line when I notice the rut has a rear-of-your-bike eating black hole in it. Apparently some nefarious KTM hating beaver burrowed a home there and it now has a sunroof... that I want NO part of.

With 2 miles to go, young Mr. Stewart goes blazing by followed by a Yammie rider firmly intent on his destruction. Dave prevailed.... but admits he needs more rock-time.

We couldn't bitch about the traction, weather, or the sweatshirts that peeled off when the Sun finally warmed us up, but I will say this...

I prefer driving home on KC Chiefs game days when they loose, everyone is sobering up except me.....

We felt like we where in some WIR Rally in Europe the whole damn way, 85mph plus and crazy lane changes with zero brake control.

I will be running the start board for the 100-500 race at Milford, and I'm thinkin' Old School already.....

Whoop!

Tim
#785

[advbeach]

I had a blast at this race!
Got the hole-shot and held on to 1st for a couple of laps. I knew Chad was on my tail. I was able to hold him off for a while, we had a good battle going on during laps 3 and 4. I think that's when Dave came blasting past and put me back into 3rd. I stayed with them until I took a tumble in the short ditch section. I think that's when Mike made it past, he must have been flying to catch and pass Dave and Chad to take first. Maybe they will post the details on how it went down. I was happy to finish 4th but it would have been nice to have my first 1st place finish. Maybe next time...
See everybody at Milford!

[ososlo]

First off I would like to say it was a great first experience, and I would like to continue on attend more events. I was in the 900 class, and man did we have a lot of people. Maybe enough to split us up into two different starting lines, but I am a beginner so maybe its not a good idea. I was on a rm250 and thought I did pretty good getting off the line and passing a few people on the straight away, it was going super smooth until the end of the straight and the guy in front of me braked hard my front tire was on the left side of his rear tire and the gentlemen behind me did the same to me on the right side causing me to bale and lose my lovely place in the front of the pack to dead last when I finally was able to get up and back onto my bike (thanks to the people who stopped and asked if I was ok). I ended up doing 4 laps before I called it quits (a major hangover and 4 hours of sleep don't help), and managed to make it back up to 15th. I would love to see some video or pictures of the crash if anyone should so happen to have some. I did quickly realize why everyone with 00-03 rm's change their forks, because mine beat me to death. After they get changed I should be leaps and bounds better. If this gov shutdown keeps going I will be able to attend the one the 20th instead of drill, all in all great time!

Jake

[shredder]

The 900's turnout was super crazy! It was huge! Keep coming as it gets better.