Weekend Warrior Team Wildcat!: HYR Glen Helen 24-Hour Race

Question: Did you do the logs? Answer: "Let me say this, go one lap and then decide if you are going over the logs! This track is tough."

Looper returns, lap 2. No issues and ran clean. "It's tricky in some sections. Just nail it!"

Brown returns lap 3. "That silty hill sucks! Crashed and was stuck for a while! Watch out for it."

Cass returns lap 4. Stuck on silty hill, following crash. "We are gonna finish this boys but we have a lot of work to do, a lot of work..."Taylor, Stuck in line on boy scout section and silty hill. "Brutal!"

O'Harra heads out filled with advice from 5 different racers. Obviously this Boy Scout section is something to be concerned with. Feeling cocky, he foolishly attempts the endurocross section behind a perceived "squid" who was attempting the same. Over the tractor tires and into the logs where the Yamaha he followed was now upside down and sideways in the middle of the logs. Ramming the front wheel into the 1st log, the bike comes to rest squarely in the center, off the bike, gunning the throttle to get over. Log 2-4 were no better, forced to muscle the bike over the obstacles. With less than 500 yards of a two lap ride down he is already strained from lifting the bike over the logs. Note to self. No more logs!

With one rotation through the order under their belts, Team Wildcat! had definitely become a victim of the Boy Scout trail. After less than 3 hours of the race completed they have had 5 of 6 racers crash or spend extensive amounts of time overcoming this obstacle. It will be a long race and the team prepared to knuckle down and press forward. They will not be defeated. Pride is high! Besides the football game is on and their team is doing well.

Soon the mechanical specter rears its ugly head. Brown had reported a loose and pushing feel in the front end after his first ride. On his next turn in the rotation he would succumb to a violent crash on the national track. The crack pit crew had noted a fork leak but it wasn't getting worse. However after Browns crash a closer look was taken at the front end of the Team Wildcat! steed. Significant play was found in the left front fork leg and it was determined that it needed to be replaced. Fortunately a pit crew member had brought his Honda 450 and a complete front end replacement was conducted. Despite time being lost, the bike was much improved and once again race ready.

O'Harra "test rode" the new front end and turned his best lap times. While circulating the circuit, he observed his team mates cheering him trackside.. Or were they looking at the bike??? As he pulled into the pits it was realized that he had ridden both laps on a low, soon-to-be-flat, front tire. Two mechanicals in short order, not a good sign, but taken care of in minimal time by the crack pit crew!

The remainder of the day is completed without significant incident. The Boy Scout trail continued to plague the team with extensive amounts of time spent figuring out the best lines. Go left? Center? Gun it!!!

As the hours marched on, Team Wildcat! readied for the night. In addition to the Baja Designs headlight, they were armed with Cyclops helmet lights to guide their way. These lights worked great! I highly recommend using helmet lights not only to see much better, but also for back up if your main bike light goes. A long night awaited them with unforeseen challenges ahead.

Meanwhile, the Santa Ana winds began to make their presence felt. On one hand it would dissipate the dust from the bikes they overcame or were passed by on the trail. On the other hand it would make the night unseasonably cold taking its toll on the resolve of the racers and more importantly the pit crew as they huddled by the fire, ready to pounce on any mechanical fault.

Brown was the first to realize the challenges of the darkness. As he progressed through the course things became progressively dimmer, illuminated only by his helmet light. Another mechanical failure? Reporting the problem to the pit crew they immediately trouble shot the issue to the light switch being placed into the OFF position. He must have hit the switch while swapping on the trail! Note to self: Make sure the light is switched ON!

Carpenter was next with a full light set. Early into his ride, a light bulb came loose causing a strobe effect in his eyes, providing a very nice disco feel, but not conducive to night racing. This required a quick on-track repair. In later laps the top headlight fell out, and with a feeling of compassion for our sponsors, he backtracked to pick up the light and carry it back to the pits. Further into his adventure and in a typical display of racer camaraderie Carpenter assisted a younger racer on a CRF 150 who's light was failing by following behind him in the Boy Scout section, helping him through. It cost Team Wildcat! but helped a fellow racer.

As the blackness of night faded into light, Taylor headed out. Lessons learned passed down from his comrades resonated in his head.

"Stay left up the rocky Boy Scout hill, stay in the center of the silt hill, keep going, no crashes!"

The pit crew tired and cold, prepared for another transfer. Team Wildcat! had not had a serious mechanical failure in over 7 hours. But much to their dismay they observed yet another flat front tire. Despite being cold and fatigued, they dove in and repaired the tire in record time. It was 6:15 AM and the pit crew once again rose to the occasion, keeping Team Wildcat! running.