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Race Report: OMA Round 2 Hanging Limb, Tennessee
Rider: Paul Whibley
Team: AmPro Yamaha
Bike: Yamaha WR 450
Result: 7th
With massive flooding all through central Tennessee it was sure to be a tough OMA event.
I got an ok jump off the line but got bounced around in the first turn and got filled in by the wall of roost coming from the back wheels of the bikes in front.
In the first few turns the track had been turned into a sloppy mess by the quads on Saturday. I was working on making some quick passes to stay in contact with the leaders when I was basically T boned.
I went down pretty hard. I dusted myself off (cant say muddied myself off, just sounds wrong) and fired the bike up.
It didn't sound too good, more like an old tractor. The impact had punched a hole in my header pipe. I got going again but also had issues with the front brake.
I first thought the crash had damaged the front disc with the brake hardly working. As I continued it got worse and within a mile I had no front brake at all.
The technical soggy trail was a challenge to ride, even with both brakes working. I had several crashes trying to negotiate the numerous logs and hills that made up the track.
Late in the lap I had a pretty good endo right in front of John Gasso's camera. It wasn't funny to me at the time but Im sure it looked pretty hilarious and I hope he got some good pics, probably of me mashing my new Monster Energy lid into the dirt.
I completed the lap and then pulled into the pits and went to work on fixing the brake. It seems the crash had knocked the brake line loose from the master cylinder. We tried to bleed it up but it wasn't happening so with the help of Ryan and Brit, a complete system was robbed from Brits bike and fitted to mine.
Back out onto the track, lap one was completed in the record time of 51 minutes. I was so far behind the leaders now I had no hope of winning this race. I continued to put in laps and picked off a few riders as the race wore on, but that was a slim consolation to how the OMA season has started out.
A big thanks to Ryan and Brit for their help and Katherine for standing in the rain keeping me going.
1st: Jimmy Jarrett
2nd: Scott Watkins
3rd: Russell Bobbitt
Paul Whibley is supported by: AmPro Yamaha, Monster Energy, Shoei, Sidi, Smith, Ohlins, G2, CTi, Moto SR, Vortex Ignitions.
The AmPro Yamaha Team is supported by: FMF Kenda Yamalube Asterisk Cannondale CV4 Cycle Gear E-Batt EBC Brakes Factory Connection Fastway Gaerne Boots GYTR IMS Jonny Signs Leatt Brace Matrix Racing Products Motion Pro MSR Pro-Clean Rekluse Scott Shoei Slavens TM Designworks Twin Air Wiseco ZipTy Racing
