2007 NMA Dirty Dog Hare Scrambles
September 9Th, Hannegan Speedway - Bellingham WA
Doing the big double at Hannegan
The easiest of the woods at Hannegan
Coming out of the tunnel
Finish, tired but happy
Going into the Dirty Dog I had mixed emotions. My last race, the Golden Spike, was my first race back after my broken collar bone (from Grizzly Hare Scrambles) and knee injury (cross country running) and being out of riding form and conditioning I did not fare so well and thus still had worries about the next race. However, since then I recovered from my knee injury and able to run again and doing other cardio as well as having a few great trail rides to build my riding form back up. Even better, I just purchased a new 2008 KTM 250 XC-F that I was looking forward to having a first race on.
Hannegan races usually provide an expected race format… MX course, some fast double-track wide trails, and a few tight sections thrown in to mix it up. The Dirty Dog would be a whole other beast. It consisted of the MX track as usual, but instead of a few tight trails it was nearly all tight lock to lock woods. These were woods that would beat down the best of riders, and not only tight, but choppy and completely relentless. Even Paul Neff, 2007 ISDE trophy team rider, seemed a bit worn out after this race and you usually do not see that.
My first hare scramble start on the little 4-stroke did not turn out too bad. I opted to kick it over using the electric start as it seemed to fire a split second faster this way. I was not use to the quiet and vibration free motor on the start and found it difficult to judge when the bike actually fired. Never the less, I turned out a decent start and headed into the first corner in 4Th or 5Th position and gained 1-2 positions on the MX track before going into the woods.
Within minutes of being in the woods I came upon one of the class leaders hung up and the following riders trying to get around. I was able to pick a better line around and found myself in roughly 2nd or 3rd position! This had me feeling great! Shortly there after though I was passed by 1-2 riders and through the first lap settled into what I assumed was about 4Th or 5Th position. I worked on riding steady through the first lap and keeping a pace that would not tire me too fast until I learned the course and better adjusted.
Starting the 2nd lap things started to pick up. I was feeling better on the bike and able to stand more through the tight where I was sitting during the 1st lap. With each lap I would pick off a few riders but not aware of whom was in my class. I focused on riding smooth and keeping momentum through the tight choppy trails. With each lap I felt I was riding stronger and improving. The start of my 6th lap I finally began to tire, and by the end I was exhausted. I came to the end of my 6th lap and arrived only a few minutes after the cut-off for the last lap. I would have liked to made a 7th lap but also happy to be done.
I finished 3rd in Vet A out of approximately a dozen riders in my class. Overall I placed in the top 30. I felt great about my finish and being able to charge nearly to the very end of the race. For the upcoming races I plan to improve my conditioning and look to have my new bike sprung for my weight so I can charge all the way through the end of race.
