Ride Report

Top Gun - Round 1 JMX Summer Series 2004

Late in the week we decided to run round one of the the summer series at Top Gun. At first I was going to skip it since I'm not running the entire Summer series and the spring series just ended. However, I found out Ricky (Gomer's middle son) was going to be there and I really wanted to go.

I signed up with 250D to ride with Danny, Unl Rookie to ride with Danny and Ricky and +30c/d to ride with Gomez :)

In practice I was having fun but the track was REALLY slick. I think they put just a little too much water. However, by the time the heats came up the track was in great condition.

I don't know what it is about Top Gun but I really enjoy that track. It is by far my favorite track that I race on. It is my 2nd favorite track overall. They made some changes this year and it just really improved everything 10 fold.

I had races 1 (Unl Rkie), 7 (250D) and 14 (+30c/d).

In my Unl Rkie heat I was behind a guy in Unl Novice. It was a dual start and I wanted to line up right beside the dog house. The Unl Novice dropped before us and I yelled at the guy in front to get out of the way but he didn't hear me. I saw the board go up so I jumped up and hit him with my front tire. He almost fell but quickly got out of the way.

I saw him the next day and apologized and he said it was all his fault and he would have hit me harder if it was him in the same situation.

Anyway, I guess being all jazzed up I didn't think or get nervous so when the gate dropped I was off. I was gone too. It got all quite and I realized I just got my first ever holeshot!! That alone made it a great night.

Of course, true to my Gomer-led training I worked my way back from there. One of the ones who passed me was Ricky. He literally FLEW by me over the big double on the back straight.

Last week I was jumping it but did not feel comfortable on it this week so I was rolling it. It is a hard landing coming up short like I was last week.

Then a kid on a CR125 comes by and I match his pace after he passes me. Stupid me follows him line for line and he goes down. I hit him and go down into his bike. I am holding onto my left handgrip and clutch (don't want to stall the thumper ya know) when my hand starts heading straight for his spinning chain and sprocket. I just saw my hand going between the chain and swingarm when his bike stalled.

Later in the pits I saw a chunk of plastic rubbed from my shroud. Obviously this is where my bike hit his tire, stalled his bike and saved my hand from becoming hamburger meat.

I followed up my holeshot with a last place start in the 250D heat. I was pinched off the line and stuck in the back. It took me 2 laps to pass my way up to 6th place but I was working as hard as I could. It was really neat being able to pass a guy, focus on the next one and then get him too.

In the +30c/d I wanted to try and figure out a quicker way over the big double. I was left in the dust by the 10 other faster guys so I figured it wouldn't hurt.

On the big double I tried to downshift in the air but stupid me took both feet off the pegs. While my feet were off I was asking myself "WTF did you do that?"

When I landed I was only able to get my toes on the pegs. The landing was hard and my heels got thrown to the ground and I felt pain in my ankles. I slowed down and tried to see if I was really hurt. The pain subsided and I could stand on the pegs so I kept it up and got going again.

Today there is a good bit of pain but it is not enough to make me walk too funny.

Well, in the mains I lined up away from the doghouse b/c my gate choice was taken. However, I still outdragged everyone to the first corner and took the inside line. There was a guy to the outside but I led him down the straight until he passed me in corner 2.

For those counting that is 2 HOLESHOTS BABY!!!

But, whose counting anyway?

*me* *me* *me* :)

Again, I quickly moved my way back. Finished 6th overall out of 11 and enjoyed it the entire time!!

Ricky battled for the lead but fell and stalled the YZ250F. If it was not for that I think he would have had it. He was riding very, very well.

In the 250D main I got a back of the pack start but not last place. I had 2 slower guys in front and I tried getting by them but they were weaving all over the place and not holding their lines.

I went to the inside of the first guy who was on a KTM. He came over on me and as I felt the contact I gave it a handful of throttle and powered out of the mess. Then I came up on the second guy after a table top leading into a barrel jump.

In the corner he came over on me and hit but went back left. I slowed a little but then tried to power by him. I saw him coming again so I instinctively put my elbows up like I was protecting the basketball after a rebound. His helmet hit my elbow pads and he went left as our bars hit. If my arms would not have been up our bars would have been tangled big time for sure.

I took off after that and tried to catch the others but they had more than a straight away on me and I could not catch them. I ended up 5th out of 11 and the guy I beat by one spot in the Unl Rkie class finished 3rd. If I would have had a better start or if I would have done the big double I think I could have challenged for that position.

In the +30c/d main I got a 3rd to last place start and fought one guy off for over a lap before he got by me and left me over the big jump on the back straight. Then I battled with another guy but on the last lap he jumped by me on the big jump on the back straight (I am sensing a pattern here).

I finished last but had a great time. I was really happy with my conditioning and that I pushed it the entire time in all my races. I got a little arm pump and slight hand cramps but nothing I couldn't work through.

Overall I would say this was my best racing ever and the most fun I had strictly racing wise.