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 1st 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 15th 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 8th 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 4th 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 14th…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 12th. I looked at the lap times
afterwards, and figured that a top 5 should be doable for me in the 2nd
moto…I had the speed, just needed a start.
Moto2 (see the video): Just as in moto 1, dad just came in from his race and
had some 1st 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 8th.
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 6th place with one lap to
go. I wasn’t sure how far ahead 5th was, but I figured I’ll try and
catch whoever I can, and I did. I made the pass for 5th, 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 5th
and I was on the wheel of 4th 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 12th in moto1 and a 5th in moto2 I ended up
8th in my class and 10th 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 3rd 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
Hunter “747” Neuwirth
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