Motocross Track

Last Friday afternoon after surfing, hanging out at the Infinity Surf board shop where the dog's best buddies works the trustworthy but slow VW was headed up the clogged 5 when the phone rang. Not having hands free anything I quickly answered and said , "On the freeway, call you back". The weekend was almost here and plans had not been firmed up because the promise of rain in the forecast.

There was a desert race close to Ridgecrest but racing in the cold and wet didn't sound like fun, the boat needed more work as usual but Sunday might bring rain. Then when I returned the call after parking the van and found that Buck (Blair) wanted to go riding Saturday but not speedway or desert but motocross. So after considering that it had been several years since I had tried to break any old bones or crack ribs I agreed to me his crew at the track in Riverside. My motocross riding probably started about the same time the sport started here in the USA after seeing the Europeans ride at Saddleback Park. Then my first race was at a converted flat track in Huntington Beach and many, many others since. The first thing I noticed that was wrong was my flip flops didn't work well in the mud. The operators are constantly watering the dirt to keep the dust down and I stepped from my Nissan into the mud and my flip flops stuck.






Buck had given me directions earlier on where to find him at the park and with myself there was just three trucks sitting by ourselves until another truck pulled up with a fellow and a novice woman rider. After she unloaded and suited up she asked what track she should start out on. Of course Buck led her to the mini-track after I thought we were going to the Vet track and I was following everybody else as the place was new to me. Once on the small track made for fifties and a 6 year old I felt quite at home except my motorcycle couldn't get out of a fast idle and Buck's KTM overheated from going too slow.






We then moved over to a larger and faster track and it all sorted to come back to me, the sounding of ribs breaking, the missed landing, the motorcycle flying through the air without me, me flying without the motorcycle, the inside of an ambulance, oh, well none of that happened. My Yamaha stalled in one corner after I did a berm shot with out fanning the clutch then after a while I could clear most of the jumps on the track, well my version of clearing is not crashing, and I started to have fun and pass other riders. Buck being his usually showoff self would blow by me but after the morning was over he had crashed and hurt himself again while I continued to ride more while they loaded up. Sort of the turtle and hare saga. When I arrived home unloaded, hosed off the mud from my bike I searched the Internet to see when the next Old timers MX race was only to find out that although they still race they don't not very often or very close. Probably by the time the next race comes up that is close enough I will be interested in doing something else, in fact Frank (the owner of Surfworks) just started racing stand up paddling surfboards in the ocean and his last race almost killed him (heart attack) but he has an extra board and it must be safer that my last kayak surfing experience without a skirt.