Monson, MA JDay 9/23/12

GP Race Day – Jday…this one took place at Monson, MA. Yes, that’s the same Monson where they have the famous hill climb events. I heard rumors that John would include part of the hill climb into the course as the extreme section…that’s a new one for me as I have never been on an actual hill climb hill. This also marked the 1^st time I would enter in the 250 B class, one of the tougher classes out there as most are turning lap times that would put them mid pack in AA. My goal for this weekend was to get a top 10 in my class and a top 15 overall. Ambitious, I know, but hey…it’s time to step up. As usual, dad handled bike prep and sign up, only this time he had to prep 2 bikes as he decided to shake off the cobwebs and race too…this was going to be fun J

Moto 1: The flag dropped and off we went…I kind of blew the start as I thought my bike wasn’t running when it really was, so I found myself towards the back of the pack going into the first few turns….bummer….and these guys are fast and hard to pass. The first lap was uneventful really, I made a few moves and learned the track, when going through scoring for the first time I think I was in 15^th or something like that. The hill climb was cool, glad they added that as it added a nice challenge. Laps 2 and 3 were pretty good, I hammered hard and worked my way up to 8^th place and I was still chipping away at the guys in front of me. The bike worked awesome…Bill from CCycle took the time in the morning to help me set it up…2 words….DA BOMB!!! Anyway…on the 4^th lap I clipped a tree hard, the full impact was taken by my left shoulder….that one hurt and knocked me back a bit…I found myself back in 14^th…not as planned. Once I got my wind back I tried to just stay smooth and see if I could get back in the top 10 for this moto…not quite…I ended up 12^th. I looked at the lap times afterwards, and figured that a top 5 should be doable for me in the 2^nd moto…I had the speed, just needed a start.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySiZS_farYo&feature=youtu.be

Moto2 (see the video): Just as in moto 1, dad just came in from his race and had some 1^st hand track knowledge. The hill has been giving people troubles, dad knew the hot line and let me know. It was kind of funny, because when he was talking to me he was wheezing pretty bad…I think he got beat up pretty good J

Anyway…I actually got a good start in moto 2. Found myself in the top 10 or so and felt great. My shoulder hurt pretty bad when I was sitting at the line, but once we “hit it” that all went away…amazing what adrenaline does to you. When we came through scoring the first time I was in 8^th. Good. That’s a starting point. Dad’s hot lines worked. The old man was right (He kept telling me to “ride the edge”  - good call…it was pretty smooth “out there”. I got into a great battle with 2 other guys and ultimately was able to wear them down to put myself in 6^th place with one lap to go. I wasn’t sure how far ahead 5^th was, but I figured I’ll try and catch whoever I can, and I did. I made the pass for 5^th, though that one didn’t come easy as that battle lasted almost to the end until I was finally able to gap the guy on the home stretch. End result for moto 2 was 5^th and I was on the wheel of 4^th place. Good race, I gave it everything I had and am really quite happy with that.

The Husky is working better and better for me, I am adjusting pretty well to the 4 stroke power. The fun meter was pegged on high this weekend (dad said it went up to 11 – whatever that means)…oh, almost forgot…with a 12^th in moto1 and a 5^th in moto2 I ended up 8^th in my class and 10^th over all. While there is definitely room for improvement, this does bump me up to the A class - training resumes Tuesday J…and as a foot note in small print – dad ended up 3^rd in his “old man class”…

As always, Thank You to my awesome sponsors – Moose Racing, Kenda Tires, Panic Rev, Summit Clothing, my entire family!

RIP Great Grandma B…have you with me always 9-23-12

 “Braap”

Hunter “747” Neuwirth

Unadilla GNCC - tennnn seconds!!!!!!

After quite a while off the bike due to some injuries sustained in a practice crash (broken ribs and a cracked L1 vertebrae) I finally got cleared by the doc to get back on the bike again. I had a few days of practice time on my new ride and felt pretty comfortable on the new Husky TXC 250, and most importantly, my back felt strong enough to give it a shot. We decided to hit the GNCC race at Unadilla, NY. I signed up for the B 4-stroke lites class, which would run in the afternoon with the pro 3 hour race. I can’t tell you how happy I was to be able to ride again. Conditions for this race were going to be awesome -  a sunny day with a light breeze to blow the dust away. Dad handled the bike prep and sign up duties (it took him over 3 hours), all I had to do was ride and have fun. I had no expectations as far as results go…I was really just trying to test my back and learn a little more about my bike and…as it turns out…my endurance. 

The start: Tennnnn Seconds…and up went the flag and we were off. The TXC has e-start and kick start, we decided to use the e-start button in neutral, and just slam the bike in gear as soon as it fires. The off camber starting would have made it a little bit too tough for me to kick it, so this seemed to be the best solution. It worked. I got a good jump and went into the right hand turn one in the top 5. In turn 2 there was a bit of a jam as the guy in the lead crashed, I found my way around it pretty well and went into the woods in 6^th place. Things felt great, I had a blast. I made a few passes before we got to the nasty slick rail road tracks where many people were stuck. I kept pushing, got stuck a few times myself but no big deal, and still felt great. The course was sooo much fun…lots of line choices, plenty of technical sections, yet plenty of room to pass. Barry Hawk sure knows how to lay them out. They added a few new sections to our race, one of them was “The River”. We had to ride up the river for the length of about a football field. The water was freezing cold, and in some sections as deep as the tires are tall. When going through it at speed, I actually think I through a wake as big as a Ski Nautique would…where is a wake board when you need one? Awesome. People were struggling everywhere, I actually did pretty good through there and was still hanging with the leaders of my class. The other major obstacle turned out to be a mud hole that would swallow bikes hole. Even some of the pros were stuck and had to get winched out. Lucky for me, I picked the only “good” line and really didn’t have a problem, but I felt bad for the guys that were stuck and out of the race.

The incident: As things go in offroad racing, there is always an “incident”. Here is mine: Somehow I must have bumped the kill switch on my bike and moved it to the “off” position. The bike stopped and would not restart. Think of it as stepping on the gas in your car, but the key is in the off position. I did not realize the switch was “off”. I ultimately decided to leave my bike and walk out to get help…quite frustrating. I talked to an official, he told me they would send a quad to give me a tow eventually. So I walked back to my bike to wait. When I got back to the bike, I saw some of the guys in my class come through again, so at that point I was down a lap. I picked my bike up and sat on it, thinking the tow guys would show up soon, when I realized my mistake….aarrrrggghhh….I was pretty mad at myself…hit the button, and the bike started right up. Oh well…let the fun continue. I rode as hard as I could, pitted a few times, crashed a few times (once right in front of Kailub Russel’s mom – she said K crashed in the same spot), got stuck in the mud, forgot to drink on a regular basis…and while totally dehydrated, I did manage to finish in 12^th place. Granted, I could have done better, and probably should have, but over all I am pleased with the way I rode and handled adversity. Fact is that I finished a 3 hour race after being off the bike for a while.

Yes my back hurt pretty badly when I got done, but it held up. This gives me loads of confidence forthe upcoming races, I feel good and am going to continue with my current training to get strong again. The Husky really worked well – can’t blame the bike for my error – I love the 4 stroke power. 

Thank You to my sponsors – Moose Racing, Kenda Tires, Panic Rev, Summit Clothing

Thank You to the Rummels for all the help – the pasta on Saturday night was awesome and I had fun camping next to you!!!

Thank You Nani and pops for your help and mom and dad for letting me continue to do this.

Next Up: JDay GP race next Sunday in Monson, MA

Braaaap,

Hunter “747” Neuwirth