on to the report form the 500's:
Gotta say with the AM rain, I wasn't looking for to another mud race after the ORC & the NEPG in Indiana which sucked beyond all suck. Luckily the rain cut down the dust and it tacked up nicely with a few slick roots in spots. Otherwise it was a great mix of technical & fast.
Board dropped & got a decent start into the first corner then got bumped and pushed in the following grass turns and entered the sticks maybe in 8 or 9th. Took the first hard line left & caught a root and did a stop, drop & roll even though I wasn't on fire & the entire 500 row went flying bye...it "literally" went down hill form there.
Caught the pack behind Ryan Walker, Shane Weimer & Ryan Salmans. Rolled with these good chaps for the lap until the long rock downhill. Ryan S. wadded up right into the turn before descending the rocky hill. I grabbed front brake hard trying to avoid running over his head & neck. Front wheel tucked hard, so i jerked the bars hard right to avoid him. In the process, whiskey throttled & launched straight over the rock ledge drop off.
Bike hit the tree & I went cliff diving Greg Luganis style..not down the track but off the cliff itself. They say your brain slows action down so you can react when bad things happen...well... it does just that. I literally had time to count seconds in the air, view the sky and pray I didn't hit any trees on my way down. I hit the ground really hard and rolled down the hill for what seem like forever -- like a stunt man down stairs. When I finally stopped, my first words were; Holy F**K. I heard Ryan and Mark Brunk scream "Are you ok?" I moved & everything was intact, shocked but no pain. I looked up and waved the ok but had to think about that for a few minutes... it was a long way up there and it was quite the drop off. Mark & Ryan helped me up & got the bike back up the hill for me. I owe those guys big time for stopping & ending their race to help me out. Thanks Guys. After the race Ryan said is was the most horrific wreck he's ever seen in person & said I flew for 30 feet in the air, no more than 3' off the ground and rolled down the hill. Said the bike clipped the tree I looped several times over the ledge. It scared the s#!t out of me and someone with a greater power was looking out for me that moment without a doubt. The 6D, neck brace, chest/back protection, elbow guard & knee braces all did their job. Without them I think I'd be really jacked up. If you guys aren't wearing this stuff you should give it some consideration. the 18:30 mark of J450NX5 youtube video shows the aftermath. white bike at the top of the hill was the launch point.
Beyond that, I felt great & lucky all at the same time. I gave Mark & Ryan the all clear & hopped back on the back and laid down some decent laps times and finished 13th. After the race Ryan gave me the full eyewitness account and it all started to sink in. I'll have to go back & look at the ledge sometime to really appreciate how lucky this gcat was.
I'd like to thank my non-sponsors:
6D helments
Scott Goggles
Atlas neck brace
Fox Air Frame
Leatt elbow guards
Mobius Knee braces.
Gaerne boots.
and most of all Ryan Salman & Mark Brunk, truly great guys and sportsman.
Gcat