Crow Hill- 06/20/10

I love this track! I feel totally at home with it. Maybe its because I'm from Mass, or the fact that its in a real country setting and it sits well with me. Either way, I truly enjoy what Crow Hill has to offer!

On this particular Sunday it was hot and humid. Real humid. I ended up taking a 1st place in one of my classes and a 7th in my other. I was kind of dissapointed with that finish. But considering that my two classes were back to back without a break, I was just focused on finishing the race!

It was grueling. I just did 6 laps in one moto, finished, and then had to go to the starting gate and do another 6 laps in my other moto! Thankfully my friend Dan was at the gate with a gallon of water and clean goggles for me. I drank 1/2 the gallon, and poured the rest down my jersey! I needed to cool off quickly before I overheated.

Til next time,
Patrick

06-13-10 Central Village

This was a challenging day. I can't think of any other way to put it. I headed down to Central Village at 5:30AM on Sunday morning and was greeted by lots of rain on the way. I got to the track to find the place a complete mess. Mud, puddles, and a very greasy track is what I found as I walked the course wearing my nike air max 360's!

My mind was in race mode and I was prepared mentally for the day of racing, yet I felt a bit off. I felt unusually tense and stressed. My first moto, well, basically sucked. I finished 6th and was not pleased to say the least. But then, I went out and took 3rd and only a hair away from 2nd. That made me happier. Then in my other class I got a dead-last start and finished like 9th out of 15. I felt awful and depressed.

Then... I raced my last moto, and got a lousy start again, gained on a few riders, then crashed in a right hand corner on the second lap. That was it man. I was pissed off and spent. I got on the bike, and caught two guys that passed me but finished 10th out of 15 overall. I was bummed out...

So in conclusion, I ended up picking up 2 promotional points in one of my classes. This now puts me at 15 promotional points for the season- exactly half of the number of points I need to get promoted. I have my sights set on that goal. Lesson learned, I guess in racing there are good days and there are bad days. And sometimes getting first place every time just isn't in the cards. But my heart and soul is in this game and I already can't wait for next Sunday!!!!!!!!!

Till next time,
Patrick
#176

MX101- 06-10-10- A Wet Day of Racing!

3" of rain, 50 MPH winds, and me and three guys trying to hold the EZ-up canopy from blowing away into another galaxy! That's how I can best describe today's racing.

I got to the track a little after 7AM and it was still dry out. As soon as I started unloading, it started to sprinkle. So I hustled up and threw up the EZ-up as fast as I could. Withing 30 minutes it started to come down heavily. "Great," I thought to myself knowing that this hard-packed track turns incredibly greasy with just the slightest bit of water. But we were about to get more than that! By 1PM, it started to come down like cats and dogs!

Lucky for me I was able to get in my first moto, take the holeshot, and finish 2nd. I would have run the race but I stalled the bike in one of the corners. FRUSTRATING!!!! I watched the other riders go by me as I struggled to get my Honda started again. Finally, I was back up and running. And what was probably just as enjoyable as the holeshot, was that I caught all but one rider that had passed me while I was stalled. And if the race was just one more lap, he would have been done!

So then comes the rain- thankfully after my moto. And it didn't stop! Literally we were standing in 3" of water and struggling to hold down the EZ-up. I was laughing my ass off and so wasn't my team manager- Dan, and friends Daryl (former NESC expert), and George. It was quite the site- 4 guys holding the canopy, 1 on top of the cooler holding the roof down, me holding down one side, George holding an umbrella to protect my back from the exposed winds and rain, and Dan holding down another side! I swear the water accumulated so fast it felt like a ship sinking. And then... they called the race. Not a bad decision! I was glad to leave and get home and into some dry clothes!

Till next time,

Patrick