Montrose Race Report. Back by popular demand

[gcat7]

Hat's off to the land owner Matt Keith #1078 & Family for putting on a great race venue. As a backdrop to the course layout, Matt, his son Nolan #1155 & I began cutting trail back in November and really didn't have it completed until Friday before the race. We had the course set up on only about 1/2 the land and it was difficult to connect a loop with all the hills and valleys. It easily could have been 10x harder but we thought it flowed well, a few challenging sketchy spots indeed. Dan and Jason from Orrick, helped tremendously on Friday setting up the course and adding new trail where needed. It was a hot s.o.b. this weekend and I know Matt appreciated all the help. All who help set up race day and races know its a bitch and a TON of work not to mention the countless trips to & from home getting it ready. I highly recommend seeking out the land owner & thanking all involved. Speaking for Matt, I think it turned out pretty well for the 1st rodeo...hope you guys liked it as well. I thought the pee-wee track was cool too.

on to the report form the 700's.

I'm not gonna lie it was freaking hot but once the bike starting moving, I didn't think it was too bad. If you didn't follow me in practice you should have... there was a lot of lines available & a lot more developed during the race too. Lined up with the usual suspects sandwiched between Ryan Walker & John Gordon. With quick start & 1st turn I thought it might get interesting. Board dropped...off we went. I think Walker or Nick Spooner may have hole-shotted but I was content with 4-5 into the woods. We were flying for lap one and it was like riding in a bottle of baby powered, it was a dusty mofo until you got near the creek. With all the good lines, managed to cross 3rd on lap one & only 10-15 seconds out of first. Emril threw some salt on me and Bam! Picked it up a notch trying to catch the leaders. Not only did the lap need salt, I peppered a tree just past the big cottonwood for a dirt nap. I knew I was carrying too much speed there and told Matt before the race--- someone will cream that 2" & 5" tree combo ...and yes..it was me. After shaking off the dust crossed 3rd again for lap 2.

Having the assumed home field advantage, I fully adjusted the mental tune and picked it up even more. Caught the 735 bike I think he was firmly lodged on a rock from a line that looked great but if you knew the track it didn't finish well. Crossed in Second for lap 3. Did I mention it was dusty? I did. Finally caught Walker on the hard line hill... I saw his bike sliding down the hill and thought man that's Walker that sucks...then MAN that's Walker Yes! Once I saw that I laid down even more throttle to put distance between us I know he'd probably catch me. I thought I laid down a stellar lap 4 & 5 finished up 1st for the checker at lap 6 for the win. I had a fun for my 1st true FMHSC checkered win.

Special shout out thanks to:
Matt & Nolan Keith who both finished first in their classes. Way to go guys.
The Keith Family
Dan Johnson & Crew. Best in the biz
Jason from Jason's Playground-Orrick. He & his Wife we great peeps we appreciate all their help
Todd Sexton a good dude for helping with the gate & keeping my wife entertained.
Chuck Kocourek #1099 for driving all the way from Nebraska to work the race.
All the racers & event caterer's who came and made Montrose a race.
The 5lb Bass I caught on a buzz bait Saturday evening

Gcat

[Diamonds]

I thought it was an absolutely awesome course. Matt and I had an awesome race going on for the first 4 laps....at times we were even rubbing tires and bars fighting for position. Probably the most fun I've had racing since I started. I thought the course flowed awesome. One of my favorite races to ride by far. Great job setting up the course!

[jgordo]

Good race Greg!! It sucks to figure out you left your bike in neutral until right AFTER the board drops!! There were some great opportunities to pass and new lines popping up the whole time! Other than a mean hedge tree branch that literally ripped me off my bike (gave an 800 rider behind me a good show) I was able to avoid most of the hazards on course. The Kieth's did a great job on this race and everyone that showed up to fine tune it did a tremendous job on getting a good flow!

[22Stinger]

I am glad everyone seemed to enjoy the course, was pretty nervous about it on Saturday. I also want to thank everyone who came out Friday and Saturday to help set up. The heat was pretty damn miserable.

The track really seemed to shape up and get faster as new lines opened up that really smoothed out the flow. Special thanks for Trent Glass for making me work so hard on the first 4 laps, every time I peeked behind me all I saw was Husqvarna breathing down my neck. We traded places several times and blasted bar to bar through some of the more open areas. That was some great racing!

Again thank you everyone who helped out. Especially G-Cat who probably spent as much time riding a chainsaw as he did his bike over the last 10 months. See you guys at Carbondale!