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Race Report: GNCC Round 5 Loretta Lynn's
Rider: Paul Whibley
Team: Moose, Parts Unlimited, Honda
Bike: Honda CRF 450
Loretta Lynn's Ranch is a well known venue in America. It hosts the amateur MX Nationals every year. It is also the oldest race in the GNCC series.
We arrived on Saturday to watch some of the quad racing. The top quad guys just fly. It is pretty insane to watch them weave through the trees while going flat out.
We had been testing a Vortex dual curve ignition during the week and I was pleased with the results we had from testing. I had chosen to use the power curve for the first mile of the course as it was mostly grass track with the odd boggy piece. Then I would change to the smooth curve once I hit the woods.
The woods were really slick, hard pack clay with rocks. Some of the rocks were stuck in the clay while in other places they were rolling around loose.
I figured the smooth curve would be perfect for these conditions.
On Sunday after the morning race I lined up on the start row.
I got a bad jump off the line, managing to catch the back of the main pack going into the woods. I changed to the smooth curve and it was working awesome. I was getting good drive and was riding relaxed.
After about two miles there was an uphill that I had walked that morning. I had sorted a line off to the side of the track, but as I charged up I noticed at the last minute a photographer had parked his bike on the line I was about to use. A last second change of line saw me collide with a large, solid tree.
I got going again but had lost a few positions and now had to push to catch up to the pack. I caught some riders and was flowing nicely behind them just looking to capitilize on their mistakes, as the course was fairly tight. I gained a few positions and late in the lap I tried to turn up the inside of one guy but the front end washed out on some slippery clay.
Losing most of the positions that I had gained, saw me in 14th position at the end of lap one.
The track cut up and became tough with the loose rocks. The WER damper was proving its worth in these conditions.
Several riders had problems and I steadily worked my way up through the field.
With two laps to go, I was up to 7th. I was a minute down on Fred Andrews who was in 6th. Kath gave me the pit board to push on and pass him. I managed to pick up forty seconds on him over the last two laps but that wasn't quite enough.
Thinking that I had finished in 7th, Scott told me that I had finished in 6th, as Mike Lafferty who was in 5th, had a problem or crash in the last lap.
Pretty happy with 6th, still looking for that top five finish and podium spot.
Later Paul
