AHRMA- Milton,FL & Loxley, AL
Halloween weekend was packed full of racing as it was the last three points races for the National AHRMA flattrack series. Friday night, we were scheduled to race at the Southern Speedway in Milton, FL. Saturday’s events consisted of a TT and Half Mile located in Loxley, AL at the Deep South Speedway. It was sure to be an action packed weekend for me and my folks.
You never know how the racing surface will turn out, but the track owners and staff did a great job preparing the track. Anyone who has ever prepared a dirt track for motorcycles can attest to the amount of time and effort that goes into it. My dad and I, along with a great staff, have began to put on a few races near my hometown of Easley, SC and I now have a great respect for anyone that puts on a race.
The Southern Raceway ended up measuring a distance of three tenths of a mile, according to the odometer on my mountain bike. It had some banking and the turns were wide enough where you could run multiple lines. Practice got off to a slow start because the track seemed to muddy after the first group of riders went out. Rob McLindon, AHRMA Dirttrack Coordinator, worked with the staff and they quickly brought the track around to race status. After practice we, made some gear changes to both bikes, the Kawasaki KX450F that I utilize for the Pro class and my Honda Ascot that I run in the 1970’s Singles AHRMA class.
Going into the first turn of my main I was second, but by the time we entered turn three, I was in the lead, for a minute anyway. I lost the front end and hit the ground causing McLindon and Larry Davis, who were behind me, to get tangled up. When I got to my feet, I ran over to Larry to shut his bike off and see if I could help. It would take about twenty minutes or so for the EMT guys to check out Larry and give him a clean bill of health. He was extremely sore the next day though. During this time, fellow racer, Pete DeSantis, pushed my bike back to my pit area where he, my Dad, and Shane McNary all teamed up to get me going. After some pulling and prying on the front end, handlebars, and replacing a clutch lever, I was back on the starting line again. At the end of the night, I ended up finishing behind Rob McLindon in the Vintage class for a respectable second place. There was great racing as well in the Pro class. My old friend Chase Sconyers smoked everyone out there and was at least a couple of seconds ahead of the next guy. I ended up getting a great start and passed a few more riders to end up in fifth after everything was said and done.
The Deep South Speedway had more banking than the Southern Raceway and was a bit wider. The TT track was a little dusty that day but, there was still some great racing. TT’s aren’t really my specialty but I’ve been doing a little trail riding and it seemed to pay off. I secured a solid 3rd place on my vintage bike. After the TT, I was hoping that the moisture would come back to the track. It had been a little dry all day, but that’s I had expected. Most of the night was spent searching for traction all over, but I did find a line down low that seemed to let my Honda hook up. After a long battle with Rob McLindon swapping out 1st place every lap, experience got the best of me. Rob ended up beating me by a half of a tire. He’s a great competitor and has way more experience than I do but, I’m learning. All in all, it was a great nite.