Ricky Dietrich holds on for...
Ricky Dietrich holds on for his life!
Each rider was given the chance to take a few laps on the freshly prepped moto test track before the timer started. Good thing because if not I'm sure a few of the guys would of ended up on the side of the large jump nearing the finish line. After the first test bike showed, a flock of bikes and riders appeared out of nowhere! We were backed up for quite a while giving Jesse or Dave no breaks to rehydrate or sit down for a moment. They went from test bike to test bike as riders formed a waiting line. Each team rider went through the motocross test abroad their built off-road bike. After the team rider recorded his MX lap, the bike was handed over to Jesse or Dave: the Official Dirt Rider Motocross Test Riders. In order to complete the full torture test, all riders must have a hole-punch through each test listed on their punch card. That was Brad's job. Being that he only had one arm in working order; he was assigned to the hole-punching and making sure each rider completed a lap before receiving credit. I spent most of my day recording lap times at the lower motocross track, which was fine for me being that I was surrounded by some of the fastest, most talented off-road riders walking on this planet. The average lap time was around 3 minutes on this track test. Ryan Hughes himself showed up to our testing session to take a spin on the track and easily scored the fastest lap time out there: 2:25! Riders like Damon Huffman, Justin Soule, Mike Sleeter, Thad Duvall, Doug Dubach and other top riders were listed as team riders for these bikes. I even had to add bikes to the list. Riders starting showing up from the bushes, literally, there were people riding EVERYWHERE.
With the help of three wonderful stopwatch volunteers and my brother, they made my job much easier which would in turn make Jesse & Dave's writing process less stressful with the correct information. The test went along pretty nicely as we completed the whole test with 23+ bikes well before lunchtime. With only a few stopwatches working (one being a cell phone stopwatch), there could only be 3 bikes on the course at a time. By the end of the afternoon, the motocross test track was chewed up like an old dog toy.
WORCS riders will conquer...
WORCS riders will conquer anything you put in front of them.
After helping with the MX testing Brad & I drove up (Yes, we drove. Rynoland covers a large area) and parked around pit row where the Red Bull trailer & Moose Racing hospitality tent was situated between the factory rigs. Red Bull even brought a trailer to shelter us from the cold, windy weather while Moose Racing setup up their canopy and tables where over 300 participants would be eating lunch & dinner.
Lunch was served and there was a long line forming fast. Without hesitation we jumped in line. Once we reached the food, there was no more meat left and we ended up with bean & rice tacos. Surprisingly the meat-less tacos were pretty tasty and the taco-seasoned chips were delicious. We were full and ready for some more action.
With a few hours in between lunch & dinner, Brad and I adventured Rynoland by feet. We journeyed down to the extreme test and watched the riders that did not give up on conquering this gnarly course when the stopwatch was gone. There were also many riders taking to the various trails on the lower half of Rynoland. The upper motocross track was attracting all the attention as riders launched up and down the hills at courageous speeds. Although I never crossed paths with Dave (our moderator on DR.com, DLHamblin), I know he was lurking around enjoying the moto vacation! He deserved it as he works hard keeping the forum in check. Our feet were tired as we were starving and dinnertime was nearing so we headed up to the Red Bull lounge in hopes of a tasty dinner.
A line was bound to form any minute as we reached the buffet-style tables; we lurked around waiting for an announcement that dinner was ready. After the first person jumped in line, we followed. There was a repeat turnout of lunch but the people behind the food operations were prepared with plenty of food to serve everyone twice. Our bellies overloaded with the yummy mexican food, this time we had no guilty consciences as we scrapped our plates dry while others went back for seconds. It was delicious. I can't thank Red Bull enough!
Once the sun was nowhere insight, the air became freezing and people started to pack up.
DR Editors and test riders still dressed in their riding gear were ready for the Poker Run which followed dinner -- the only requirement of the evening Poker Run was a headlight! Brad & I had to skip out on watching the Poker Run and head home.
Rynoland is simply a moto paradise! And each of these riders has what it takes to conquer the torture test tracks and trails. I'm looking forward to attending the 2010 Torture Test and I'll bring my bike and gear along next time!!
Dr. D whips it good! |  Your dream track, Ryno's ...  Your dream track, Ryno's reality. |  Soaring over the top of the...  Soaring over the top of the upper mx track. |