I got my bike out of the impound at 9:02am this morning. My start time was 9:12 which gives me 10 mins to do anything to my bike. I didn’t have to do anything to my bike. When I took off from the start the first test was about 500 yrds away, that doesn’t give anyone a whole lot of time to warm up their bike. I don’t think that I was even awake… haha… The trail sections were very dusty and dry. I rode to the next service check where my friend Jill was. I got goggles and topped off with gas. Right after the check was a special test called the Acerbis test. It is a cross test (kinda like an open motocross that is 8 mins long). I went down twice. I keep catching riders on the min ahead of me, and get caught in their dust and cross rut the corner ruts.
The next trail section was very dusty and silty-rocky. I made it to the next service check with lots of time to spare. It was at the top of this mountain where the ski resort is. My mother was up at that one. I got goggles and an air filter. I really needed the air filter because my bike was running really rich with all the dust and elevation change. About 3 miles after the check was the enduro test. It wasn’t timed the first time through… But on the second loop it would be. I rode all the way back into town where the parc ferme’ is and went through the service check. Andrew was sitting down there waiting for me to come in. I changed an air filter and was off for the 2nd loop. It’s the exact same as the first loop that I just got done with. I rode the moto test that is right at the parc ferme’. I had troubles in the corners and felt like a goon….. haha.
I made it up to the Acerbis test where I keep catching the riders on the next min ahead of me. I ate a lot of dust, and missed two corners… lol… I went down again, but in a different spot…. Haha…. Shortly after I left the Acerbis test I meet up with my Junior teammate Ryan Powell. He was sitting on a tail section on the hill. He went down in the Acerbis special test and his shoulder popped out. It keep popping out on the trail section. So he headed back… Which wasn’t good for the Junior team. ISDE scores 3 of the 4 junior rider’s times in the special test. Basically you get to drop your slowest rider time though a test. Now Joey Giordano, Ben Smith, and I pretty much have to be very consistent though out the rest of the week.
My bike was running really bad when I made it up to the next service check up on the mountain. I got to the enduro test. It was timed this time, and of course my bike was running horrible. I went down when I caught up with a rider ahead of me. I got back up and pinned it. I caught the rider ahead of me again and beeped my horn at him all the way through the rest of the test…. I wasn’t in the best mood because he wouldn’t move over. Haha…
I rode the rest of the way back down the hill into town. My bike still wasn’t running right, and sounded like a little RC car! It felt like the bottom end of my bike was going out. Not good!! I made it down to pre-finish. This is where a rider can loosening his/hers bike axle and get it ready so they can change tires, which is what I did. Then I decided that I would change my gear oil. I started loosening my oil plug and noticed that my clutch cover had a dime size hole in it. So I didn’t have to drain my oil because I didn’t have any… haha… Bob was down at the pre-finish with a radio and told the pits. Andrew ran over to Factory KTM and brought a cover back. I got the cover switched out, and changed a rear tire with only 15 mins. I made it to impound on time. I think that I ended the day 26/27th in the E-3 class.
OTHER NEWS!
Kurt Caselli got the overall for the E-3 class and possibly the overall for the day. Kurt hit a car today and landed in the windshield of the car. He is okay, but he got a lil scared!
Nathan Woods had a problem in a special test. His lighting wiring grounded out and killed his bike and lost a lot of time in the special.
The Women’s Trophy team (Nicole Bradford, Maria Foresberg, and Mandy Mastin) finished out the day. It took team work for them to make it though a tough part in the trail section. All of the ladies finished out the day.
