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Event: GNCC Rnd 8, Sparta Kentucky
Rider: Paul Whibley
Team: Parts Unlimited, Moose, Honda Racing
Bike: Honda CRF 250
If I had a home Round of the GNCC series, I guess the latest race would have been it.
The Tire Balls Sparta GNCC was held only an hours drive from the Summers compound. This gave us an extra day to work on the bike and prep it for the race. Believe me, we needed it.
I was going to race a CRF 250 for the first time in a GNCC. Maurice Ebbett, a friend from NZ, worked really hard and put together the best possible bike. RG3 sent us a sweet setting for the bike as well as a linkage and trick triple clamps.
The course was also expected to be similar to Scotts place with alot of rocks and a hard packed clay soil.
Saturday afternoon it started to rain. It poured down for the rest of the day and night. Morning brought some relief with light showers that faded out by the time we were called to the line.
I lined up beside Salminen, about the middle of the row. I got a good start but hit a fallen rider in the first turn. I had to back up to aviod running him over. In the grass section before we hit the woods I worked my up to about 8th. We dropped into the woods and thats when it got interesting. It was so slippery. Hard pack clay base with a slick mix covering roots and rocks. The track was also really tight and passing in the woods was near impossible. The little CRF was working sweet and I was riding relaxed.
A small crash into a tree on lap 2 lost me a position but I soon caught back up and started to make some passes. In the grass section around the start/finish area, I put some moves on a few riders and moved up to about 5th. I seem to have good grass track speed, I guess from my time in Europe.
With 2 laps to go I was in a battle with Jimmy Jarret. There was a small corner in a grass section that he backed off to negotiate, but I didn't. I was up to 4th. I rode hard and was making time on 3rd but the leaders had a safe lead.
After a really tough race I finished 4th. I think 4th is the highest place a Honda 250F has ever finished in a GNCC, maybe highest place ever by any 250F.
To get a idea of how tough the conditions were in the morning race, after 1 hour only 15 riders had made it back to the pits to complete a lap. Of the 200 odd riders to start the race, only 1 rider made the 3 laps of the 2 hour race, 35 riders made 2 laps,
128 riders completed 1 lap and 88 riders didn't complete any laps.
I would like to thank my sponsers, without their support none of this would be possible.
Honda, Moose, Parts Unlimited, RG3, Moto SR, Tire Balls, Vortex Ignition, WER, FMF,
Motion Pro, Cycra, Alpinestar, Stringfellows, Darbis Accessories.
