I haven't been in the dirt for 35 years.  Apparently, that's too long and something had to change.  Last night, I found out there was supermotard racing at the Evergreen State Fairgrounds today.  So, I called a friend who had been talking about going motard racing for a while, but hadn't done it yet.  I loaded the Husqvarna this morning, headed for his house to pick him up and load his new KTM.  The Husqvarna still doesn't run quite right, but it wasn't going to stop me, especially after the road racing season I had.  This was going to be a brand new adventure.



So, for the record, the last time I rode in the dirt was about 1973 or 1974 on a Yamaha 80cc enduro.  I have never jumped a motorcycle before, and I haven't got a feel for how a modern dirt bike works.  Sure, the Husqvarna is a 1991 bike, but it is far more modern than any dirt bike I had ridden before.  This was going to be learning experience.  My goals were to keep all body parts intact and finish.  I didn't care whether I was last or not as long as I started to learn how to ride the bike properly.



The atmosphere is laid back, to say the least.  The ornanizer helped me tremendously and actually follwed me in practice, shouting instructions.  It made a big difference in my confidence.  It hasn't translated into anything resembling speed yet, but it will in time.



During the first practice, I was riding the bike as if it was a road race bike.  That just doesn't work at all, especially when the dirt gets deep ruts, and then gets tracked onto the asphalt.  I tucked the front coming out of the dirt and lowsided the bike.  Unlike road racing, all I had to do was push the bike out of the way, find neutral, and then restart it.  There were no broken bits, although the rear brake lever got jammed a bit and I didn't have any rear brake for the rest of the session.  The next session, Ron followed me and shouted directions.  I started understanding where to sit on the bike, how to lean off the uphill side instead of the downhill side like a road race bike, and when to be forwrard and back in the seat.  Or above the seat, since you don't sit down much in the dirt.



We then had a heat race, and I got my patented terrible holeshot and let the rest of the pack head into the dirt in front of me.  The rest of the race was uneventful until I stalled the bike coming off the berm.  It took until the entire pack was past me again to get the bike restarted, but I finished.  The main was very much like the qualifying heat.  I got a lousy start, and then motored around the track, staying out of the way, and figuring out how to ride the bike.  As Ron put it, every lap was clearly an experiment, since I was doing something different every time trying to figure out how to ride the bike properly.  It didn't help that the throttle repsonse is sketchy, but the real reason I am slow is pure lack of skill due to having pretty much never done anything like this before.



It is the end of the day, and I can't get the grin off my face.  The Husqvarna is a big heavy beast relative to the new KTMs on the track, but it is my bike and I plan to learn how to ride it well.  The first order of business is to make some kind of heat shield over the exhaust pipe, since I melted the inside of my road race boot.  More Power Racing is going to get a call pretty soon.  I didn't plan to replace my boots just yet, but the entire plastic puck on the inside of the left ankle is a melted mess.  I also knocked the toe sliders off the right boot.  That's the only casualty, though.  It was a complete blast all around.



My sponsors didn't know I was going to do this when I signed with them, but now there's another venue I can get the word out about them.  They have been great all along, so it's the least I can do.  More Power Racing, Aurora Suzuki (dunno what they would think about me riding a Husqvarna), Lockhart Phillips, Panolin, Vortex, CYA, and PowerStands all have my complete thanks for making all this possible.



I may try flattracking the old Husqvarna this winter.  Gotta try everything once, and flattracking would be a good way to get used to sliding around.  I am looking for a front wheel hub to lace up a 21" front wheel so I can go riding in the dirt, too.  I feel like a whole new world just opened up to me.  It's great!

I have just received and accepted a sponsorship offer from CYA, a provider of all kinds of safety equipment.  Considering the season I had, it is a most welcome sponsorship!



Away from the track, the engine blew up in my van, meaning I bought an engine and won't be racing in Round Six.  I wil be at the track to corner work, and I can already say it's going to drive me nuts watching instead of participating.  But, there's karma involved now, and corner working is a way to build up some good karma after getting picked up out of the gravel four times this season.



The season isn't completely over, though.  I traded the GSXR for cash and a 1991 Husqvarna 610 set up as a motard.  It has some fairly serious carburetor adjustment problems, and the wheels are out of round, but otherwise it is a blast.  There are motard races in Monroe, and one of the final rounds is on Sunday.  I am seriously considering going up to try it.  I haven't ridden a dirt bike in about 35 years, and I have never done any motard style riding.  I sure hope I can get the bike sorted enough to make it.



The other season extender is a planned trip to Thunder Hill with some friends for a couple of Keigwins trackdays.  We are signed up for the last week of October.  It will still be decent weather in California.  At least I hope so, since I don't have rains for the SV.  The track has been repaved, so it's going to be a great way to get in a few laps and get some confidence back.  Smooth asphalt makes a huge difference in mental state.  As much as I enjoy riding at Pacific, the asphalt isn't the best and it got into my head a bit this season.



It wouldn't be right unless I mentioned the sponsors who have been with me all the way this season.  More Power Racing, Aurora Suzuki, Lockhart Phillips, PowerStands, Panolin, and Vortex all have my complete thanks.  Soon, I will be testing products from CYA but just for comfort, I hope.

is a great industry most of the time. Now? Not really.

WMRRA Round 5 included the sixth novice heat I participated in and finished.  It wasn't pretty, but I graduated.  I rode the GSXR on Friday for a track day, and spent the day on continued sorting.  I thought it was working pretty well, but it had other ideas in the morning.



Because the endurance races were on Sunday, both heats were on Saturday.  I was set to be observed for graduation during the first round, so I was even more nervous than usual, especially since I just haven't got the bike to where it works for me.  The rebuilt brakes work great, the motor is working well, and the suspension finally feels pretty good.  But, the mental damage has been done and I really don't trust the GSXR very much.  No matter, I was going to race anyway, and it didn't matter where I finished.  My plan was to pass at least a few people, and get passed by fewer people.



My starting position was about midway back, so I had a big wad of bikes to contend with going into turn one at the start.  I got an OK start.  It was pretty good relative to some other starts I have had, but I didn't pass too many people on the start.  Several people passed me as soon as I tried to shift into second.  In my adjustments, I managed to get the shift lever where it felt perfect, but now it was hanging up on the shift rod.  So, I fought the shift rod and had trouble shifting the entire race.  There were several places on the track I had an especially hard time shifting, for whatever reason.  It probably cost at least two seconds per lap.  But, the race was uneventful, I passed a few people, and a few more passed me.  I didn't get lapped by the really fast guys on liter bikes, so I considered it a qualified success.



Between heats, I adjusted the shift lever again, to make sure it wouldn't hang up on the rod.  The only problem with this brilliant idea was it now was impossible to find the shift lever while riding the bike in a tuck.  I got a great hole shot and beat all kinds of people into turn one right away in heat two, but thats when I started having problems even finding the shift lever.  I managed one lap and then completely lost contact with the lever in a pack of bikes.  Rather than take anybody out, I decided to pull off the track and take a DNF rather than risk causing a crash because I was riding oddly and in the wrong gear.  I was a bit nervous that pulling off would cost graduating from the novice ranks, but it didn't.



The endurance race the next day was a complete blast.  I corner worked, and you would think it would be boring, but it turns out to be a thrilling strategic race rather than an elbow to elbow race.  A friend was racing in the lightweight category and had about a one lap lead near the end, but he crashed in my corner, costing his team the victory.  I felt really bad for him, but worse because he appeared to be hurt.  I thought he had broken his collar bone, but his shoulder popped out.  It popped back in, and he rode the bike back to the pits, got it reteched, and his teammate finished the race.



So, from my perspective, the whole weekend had its ups and downs, but it was absolutely worth it. As always, my sponsors make it all possible.  More Power Racing, Aurora Suzuki, Lockhart Phillips, Vortex, Panolin, and Power Stands have all been there with me, and I really appreciate their help this season.



As a postlog, I sold the GSXR 600 and will be racing the SV 650 from now on.  My van blew up yesterday, and if it is just a head gasket, I may manage to race in round six.  If it is more severe, I am not sure what's going to happen, but the chances of my being able to race again this season are limited.  I sure hope it is just the gasket, since racing sure is a lot of fun, even when it is frustrating.