Pre-Race:
What is the deal with our luck at the airports! On the way to the airport this morning, we heard they had just caught some terrorists over in another country. Now the airport was on high security and we barely made it through security on time. Once we were on the plane, we sat there for an hour after our flight was supposed to leave and then we were off; but wait! When we started heading toward the runway, the plane wasn't steering correctly and was all over the place. So we headed back to the terminal and had to unload the plane and wait for another one. Now it's four hours after we were supposed to take off and we're still sitting in Phoenix. Then to top that off, my gear bag and clothes bag still haven't made it here from Mexico. Oh well! They're finally calling us to the gate so I better get going. Let's hope things go a lot better this time.
Yeah, we made it to Seattle! Jonny, Charlotte, and I went downtown to check out Pike's Place Market. We had a really great time and enjoyed watching them throw big fish at each other. This place was actually really cool and had some great places to eat. After that it was an 1 drive down to our hotel and now it's time to start thinking about the race this weekend.
Friday:
Today was a fun day. The MX track was really good and the bike was working perfect. Later all of us Kawasaki riders went and walked the track. It's going to be really good and tight in some sections, but I think it might get pretty silty. The big problem everyone needs to watch out for is all the tree roots that are around here. It still should be a fun time and I'm feeling good.
Saturday:
We left the hotel pretty early so I could go ride the unclassified race (first one of the day). The course was really good, but I could see it deteriorating pretty quickly. Then around 2:00 we had our pro practice. I did a few laps and tried to find some good lines for tomorrow's race. The course is pretty beat up, and one lined, so I need to make sure I get a great start tomorrow. Unfortunately, starts haven't been my strength lately. Now we're getting ready to go eat some good old Italian food and get to bed.
Race Day:
I was able to sleep in today and was feeling good. I felt like today was going to be a good day. I knew I could make up a lot of points on some of the guys that were missing. I'm going to be missing a WORCS race here soon since it's the same day as the last H&H, so I'm trying to get all the points I can right now. After our riders meeting and chapel service (with Tony Acosta MRO) I was ready to go to the start. Jonny and I left a little early to go practice a couple of starts in another area. I was doing great so we took off to the starting gate. Now the thirty second board was sideways and I knew I needed to nail this thing and stay out front. When it dropped, I shot out of the gate and was first to the left hander. Then Nathan Woods, who started on the far outside, railed by me. That was ok, now I was in second and felt really good. I made a small mistake and got into some soft stuff and Ricky and Bobby passed me going up the next hill. Right after the MX sections, we went into the woods where it was a little silty with a lot of tree roots. I was following Bobby and was just riding a nice pace and then he threw up some silt. I tried to slow down, but my rear end swapped into a tree and sent me straight into another one. I nailed this thing straight on, and over the bars I went. I slammed this tree so hard I knocked the wind out of myself and thought I had broken a few bones. I just laid there on the ground, as every pro went by, and I finally gathered myself. The first thing I thought was I better get my bike off the trail before the semi-pro's come. After they went by, I was able to get back on the bike and rode to the pits. I'm pretty sure I didn't break anything, but I know I'm going to be sore for a little while. There wasn't anyway I could go out there and ride. I haven't been this upset about a race in a long time. I really felt like today was going to go really well for me. I was just going to get a good start (which I did) and ride smart, but that's not the way things went for me. I know just about everyone had a crash at one time or another today, but mine just seemed to be a lot harder. I have three weeks before the next WORCS race and I'll be sure I'm ready for it!!!
Results:
1st Ricky Dietrich
2nd Kurt Caselli
3rd Bobby Garrison
4th Nathan Woods
5th Brenden Ritzman (1st semi-pro)
6th Justin Soule (2nd semi-pro)
7th Lance Smail
8th Eric Rhoten
9th David Kamo
10th Jon Seehorn
Other Notes:
Next week I'm heading up to Monticello, Utah for a 15 rider riding school I'm doing. They have a Weberacing series there. It should also help me for the WORCS race that will be there in three weeks. I'm not sure if I'll be able to race, but I'll be good to do the class.
Ricky and Kurt really put on a great show. For the last hour they were within 15 seconds the whole time.
Brenden Ritzman put in a great ride and finished 5th overall. The only problem now is he got bumped up to the pro class. Any semi-pro rider that finishes top five overall gets automatically bumped up. I'm sure he'll do great in our class.
I was really surprised to see so many of the top riders are still missing. Ryan Hughes, Russell Pearson, and Ty Davis are a few still recovering from injuries. Then I was told Mike Kiedrowski tore his ACL last week and will probably be out the rest of the season. Let's hope they all get back to the races here soon.
One of the riders that had been missing this year was Kurt Caselli. It was great to see him back at the races again. He's riding really well!
I just heard RC lapped everyone at the outdoor race today. That is just amazing! I wish I knew what it was like to go that fast. I'm super happy for my AZ boys Ryan Clark (finished 7th in moto 2) and Justin Buckelew (finished 10th in moto 2). These guys are working really hard and it's starting to pay off.
Kawasaki's truck driver (and good guy) Craig Adams has been doing a lot of traveling lately. He's been back in LL's (where Kawasaki won 13 titles) and now he's all the way up in Washington. After this he's going down to Colorado for the Colorado 500 ride. Then hopefully he'll be back with the family.
Destry
www.destryabbott.com
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