Cross-country Race Write-up from Corsicana, TX
#1
09-23-2012, 01:21 PM
Cross-country Race Write-up from Corsicana, TX
Yesterday, I drove to Corsicana, TX to compete in another TORN series cross-country race. A new guy (Brandon) who lives in my general area decided to join me for this race and it was nice to meet him. He raced on a mostly-stock BF650i in the Utility Class, but he had some mechanical problems during the race (I'll let him explain in his own words). Below is my race write-up.
WHERE:
Corsicana, TX…it’s a small town about an hour south of Dallas. This is also the closest race of the season for me (I live in the north Houston area) and only took 2.5 hours for me to get there. The ATV race was held on a property that had a good mix of woods and open areas with tall grass. The open areas were flat and sometimes bumpy and the wooded areas took the racers through many (dry) creek crossings. If you got off the trail even a little, the terrain looked treacherous for ATV tires with several thorny Mesquite trees and occasionally I saw what looked to me like cactus.
TRACK CONDITIONS:
The weather was sunny and hot with temps around the low 90's when my afternoon race started. Thankfullly, there was a steady breeze in the air that kept it from feeling super hot. The ATV track was about 4.5 miles in length according to my ATV's odometer. The big challenges for this race included thick dust in the open areas and steep drop-offs into dry creekbeds located in the woods.
OVER 40 B CLASS:
When we lined up at the starting line, I counted a total of 6 quads in the Over 40 B class (a few less than normal). This line-up included the "usual suspects" that included mostly 450cc sport quads like the Can Am 450, Cannondale 440, Honda 450 and Yamaha 450, plus a Polaris Scrambler 500 4wd and my KFX 700.
PRACTICE:
I arrived at the track with enough time to do 2 practice laps and make air pressure changes after each lap. I ended up airing up my front tires after my first practice lap b/c I felt like I was nose-diving down into the creekbeds too much (too much cushion in the tires when they landed).
Speaking of the drop-offs, they were only about 2' deep, but they were straight down and then you had to immediately climb up the other side of the creek or immediately turn right and ride along the creekbed. Because of this, you could not blip the throttle and jump over the drop-off. Instead, you had to lean back, go slow and drop down into the creek without flipping forward...which is not a big deal unless you have a bunch of hungry racers riding your tail!
THE START:
When we lined up in the grassy open area, and I was on the far outside lane. The start was different than the others this season b/c they cut a 6' wide path across the starting line from left to right (just deep enuf to remove the grass/top-soil) and made each class start in the bottom of this giant "rut." What made it tricky was that they wetted down this "rut" and the first turn before the race so it was muddy and very slippery. Finally, the green flag when up and off we went. I eased into the throttle b/c I didn't want to spin too much/loose traction. I ended up in 5th place as we made the 1st turn and headed thru several zig-zags turns in the open grassy area before going into the woods.
LAP 1:
About a mile or so into the first lap, I was following closely to the rider directly in front of me and then we came to a grassy open area. The dust was so thick, I couldn't see 2 feet in front of me..suddenly, the dust cleared in front of me just in time to see some wooden stakes with red ribbon directing me to the right...I slammed on the brakes/turned and narrowly dodged the stakes. The thick dust was going to make chasing anyone down in the open areas very difficult (more on this later). Soon after that, we came upon a series of whoops, which slowed me down alot.
About mid-way into lap 1, I noticed my riding pants were creeping further and further down...then I realized I forgot to put my suspender straps over my shoulders when I got suited up. I quickly pulled my suspenders over my shoulders, but then they kept sliding down my arms (which was very annoying). Eventually, I had to pull off the trail and pull my suspenders up and over my helmet so they criss-crossed...kinda choked my neck, but at least my pants stayed on. Hopefully, next time I'll get completely dressed before my race starts.
Somewhere in lap 1, one of the racers in my class pulled over and let me go around....putting me in 4th place at that time.
The lap finishes with an interested obstacle. The racers climbed a steep man-made hill of dirt (approx. 12' high) and then you come down the other side into a half-pipe shaped cut in the ground...then the trail circles around and takes you thru a 6' diameter pipe that goes underneath the hill of dirt that you just climbed over...then you hit the scoring shute/finish line.
LAPS 2 - 4:
I finally caught up to the next guy in my class (Cannondale) at the beginning of lap 2. I followed him closely looking for an opening to pass. After a short distance, I decided that I needed to pass him soon b/c I was getting peppered with dust/grass/mud that was clouding my view thru my goggles. Finally, we came across the part of the trail where the first turn/starting line was and that gave me enough room to nail the throttle and go around him on the left side. That put me in 3rd at that point.
I maintained my position for the rest of lap 2 and 3.
Near the first part of lap 4, I was rolling over the whoops as quickly as I could when suddenly I got passed by a Can-Am Renegade (utility class). He came out of nowhere and shot over the whoops like a pro...which is probably b/c he also races (on a sport quad) in the expert/intermediate race (open A class) which is held the day after my race.
He's a very talented rider, so I wanted to follow as close as I could to see how long I could stay with him. While a fun thing to do, this decision was not without its downside. To my surprise, I was able to hang on his tail for the rest of the open area which is mostly a series of left-right zig zag turns while eating heavy dust from the Renegade the whole time. Then we came to the woods and he walked off and left me within 30 seconds!
Now for the bad part...I soon discovered that my overheat light on the dash came on and my Acewell speedo display flashed 215 degrees. I soon realized that eating all of his dust took a toll on my quad's radiator (the cooling fins are narrow and easily get clogged with dirt/dust/mud that tends to cause overheating). So I decided to go easy for a while and watch the temps. Within a few minutes, the temps dropped down closer to normal (203 degrees) and the overheat light turned off. Luckily this was my final lap or else I would have been in serious trouble holding my 3rd place position.
RACE RESULTS:
According to the official results posted at the TORN trailer, I finished 3rd place out of 6 in our class. Seems like 3rd is as good as I can do this season, but I'm not complaining...just happy to finish the race in the top 3 without any serious injuries/wrecks. After a busy week at work, this was a GREAT WAY to relieve some stress. As always, I have to say a big THANK YOU to TORN for putting on a fun event!
PICS:
Me after the race...
http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o...ps01f61bc5.jpg
Hope you enjoyed my write-up!
WHERE:
Corsicana, TX…it’s a small town about an hour south of Dallas. This is also the closest race of the season for me (I live in the north Houston area) and only took 2.5 hours for me to get there. The ATV race was held on a property that had a good mix of woods and open areas with tall grass. The open areas were flat and sometimes bumpy and the wooded areas took the racers through many (dry) creek crossings. If you got off the trail even a little, the terrain looked treacherous for ATV tires with several thorny Mesquite trees and occasionally I saw what looked to me like cactus.
TRACK CONDITIONS:
The weather was sunny and hot with temps around the low 90's when my afternoon race started. Thankfullly, there was a steady breeze in the air that kept it from feeling super hot. The ATV track was about 4.5 miles in length according to my ATV's odometer. The big challenges for this race included thick dust in the open areas and steep drop-offs into dry creekbeds located in the woods.
OVER 40 B CLASS:
When we lined up at the starting line, I counted a total of 6 quads in the Over 40 B class (a few less than normal). This line-up included the "usual suspects" that included mostly 450cc sport quads like the Can Am 450, Cannondale 440, Honda 450 and Yamaha 450, plus a Polaris Scrambler 500 4wd and my KFX 700.
PRACTICE:
I arrived at the track with enough time to do 2 practice laps and make air pressure changes after each lap. I ended up airing up my front tires after my first practice lap b/c I felt like I was nose-diving down into the creekbeds too much (too much cushion in the tires when they landed).
Speaking of the drop-offs, they were only about 2' deep, but they were straight down and then you had to immediately climb up the other side of the creek or immediately turn right and ride along the creekbed. Because of this, you could not blip the throttle and jump over the drop-off. Instead, you had to lean back, go slow and drop down into the creek without flipping forward...which is not a big deal unless you have a bunch of hungry racers riding your tail!
THE START:
When we lined up in the grassy open area, and I was on the far outside lane. The start was different than the others this season b/c they cut a 6' wide path across the starting line from left to right (just deep enuf to remove the grass/top-soil) and made each class start in the bottom of this giant "rut." What made it tricky was that they wetted down this "rut" and the first turn before the race so it was muddy and very slippery. Finally, the green flag when up and off we went. I eased into the throttle b/c I didn't want to spin too much/loose traction. I ended up in 5th place as we made the 1st turn and headed thru several zig-zags turns in the open grassy area before going into the woods.
LAP 1:
About a mile or so into the first lap, I was following closely to the rider directly in front of me and then we came to a grassy open area. The dust was so thick, I couldn't see 2 feet in front of me..suddenly, the dust cleared in front of me just in time to see some wooden stakes with red ribbon directing me to the right...I slammed on the brakes/turned and narrowly dodged the stakes. The thick dust was going to make chasing anyone down in the open areas very difficult (more on this later). Soon after that, we came upon a series of whoops, which slowed me down alot.
About mid-way into lap 1, I noticed my riding pants were creeping further and further down...then I realized I forgot to put my suspender straps over my shoulders when I got suited up. I quickly pulled my suspenders over my shoulders, but then they kept sliding down my arms (which was very annoying). Eventually, I had to pull off the trail and pull my suspenders up and over my helmet so they criss-crossed...kinda choked my neck, but at least my pants stayed on. Hopefully, next time I'll get completely dressed before my race starts.
Somewhere in lap 1, one of the racers in my class pulled over and let me go around....putting me in 4th place at that time.
The lap finishes with an interested obstacle. The racers climbed a steep man-made hill of dirt (approx. 12' high) and then you come down the other side into a half-pipe shaped cut in the ground...then the trail circles around and takes you thru a 6' diameter pipe that goes underneath the hill of dirt that you just climbed over...then you hit the scoring shute/finish line.
LAPS 2 - 4:
I finally caught up to the next guy in my class (Cannondale) at the beginning of lap 2. I followed him closely looking for an opening to pass. After a short distance, I decided that I needed to pass him soon b/c I was getting peppered with dust/grass/mud that was clouding my view thru my goggles. Finally, we came across the part of the trail where the first turn/starting line was and that gave me enough room to nail the throttle and go around him on the left side. That put me in 3rd at that point.
I maintained my position for the rest of lap 2 and 3.
Near the first part of lap 4, I was rolling over the whoops as quickly as I could when suddenly I got passed by a Can-Am Renegade (utility class). He came out of nowhere and shot over the whoops like a pro...which is probably b/c he also races (on a sport quad) in the expert/intermediate race (open A class) which is held the day after my race.
He's a very talented rider, so I wanted to follow as close as I could to see how long I could stay with him. While a fun thing to do, this decision was not without its downside. To my surprise, I was able to hang on his tail for the rest of the open area which is mostly a series of left-right zig zag turns while eating heavy dust from the Renegade the whole time. Then we came to the woods and he walked off and left me within 30 seconds!
Now for the bad part...I soon discovered that my overheat light on the dash came on and my Acewell speedo display flashed 215 degrees. I soon realized that eating all of his dust took a toll on my quad's radiator (the cooling fins are narrow and easily get clogged with dirt/dust/mud that tends to cause overheating). So I decided to go easy for a while and watch the temps. Within a few minutes, the temps dropped down closer to normal (203 degrees) and the overheat light turned off. Luckily this was my final lap or else I would have been in serious trouble holding my 3rd place position.
RACE RESULTS:
According to the official results posted at the TORN trailer, I finished 3rd place out of 6 in our class. Seems like 3rd is as good as I can do this season, but I'm not complaining...just happy to finish the race in the top 3 without any serious injuries/wrecks. After a busy week at work, this was a GREAT WAY to relieve some stress. As always, I have to say a big THANK YOU to TORN for putting on a fun event!
PICS:
Me after the race...
http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o...ps01f61bc5.jpg
Hope you enjoyed my write-up!
#3
08-09-2013, 09:43 AM
thanks for the write up micky
Yesterday, I drove to Corsicana, TX to compete in another TORN series cross-country race. A new guy (Brandon) who lives in my general area decided to join me for this race and it was nice to meet him. He raced on a mostly-stock BF650i in the Utility Class, but he had some mechanical problems during the race (I'll let him explain in his own words). Below is my race write-up.
WHERE:
Corsicana, TX…it’s a small town about an hour south of Dallas. This is also the closest race of the season for me (I live in the north Houston area) and only took 2.5 hours for me to get there. The ATV race was held on a property that had a good mix of woods and open areas with tall grass. The open areas were flat and sometimes bumpy and the wooded areas took the racers through many (dry) creek crossings. If you got off the trail even a little, the terrain looked treacherous for ATV tires with several thorny Mesquite trees and occasionally I saw what looked to me like cactus.
TRACK CONDITIONS:
The weather was sunny and hot with temps around the low 90's when my afternoon race started. Thankfullly, there was a steady breeze in the air that kept it from feeling super hot. The ATV track was about 4.5 miles in length according to my ATV's odometer. The big challenges for this race included thick dust in the open areas and steep drop-offs into dry creekbeds located in the woods.
OVER 40 B CLASS:
When we lined up at the starting line, I counted a total of 6 quads in the Over 40 B class (a few less than normal). This line-up included the "usual suspects" that included mostly 450cc sport quads like the Can Am 450, Cannondale 440, Honda 450 and Yamaha 450, plus a Polaris Scrambler 500 4wd and my KFX 700.
PRACTICE:
I arrived at the track with enough time to do 2 practice laps and make air pressure changes after each lap. I ended up airing up my front tires after my first practice lap b/c I felt like I was nose-diving down into the creekbeds too much (too much cushion in the tires when they landed).
Speaking of the drop-offs, they were only about 2' deep, but they were straight down and then you had to immediately climb up the other side of the creek or immediately turn right and ride along the creekbed. Because of this, you could not blip the throttle and jump over the drop-off. Instead, you had to lean back, go slow and drop down into the creek without flipping forward...which is not a big deal unless you have a bunch of hungry racers riding your tail!
THE START:
When we lined up in the grassy open area, and I was on the far outside lane. The start was different than the others this season b/c they cut a 6' wide path across the starting line from left to right (just deep enuf to remove the grass/top-soil) and made each class start in the bottom of this giant "rut." What made it tricky was that they wetted down this "rut" and the first turn before the race so it was muddy and very slippery. Finally, the green flag when up and off we went. I eased into the throttle b/c I didn't want to spin too much/loose traction. I ended up in 5th place as we made the 1st turn and headed thru several zig-zags turns in the open grassy area before going into the woods.
LAP 1:
About a mile or so into the first lap, I was following closely to the rider directly in front of me and then we came to a grassy open area. The dust was so thick, I couldn't see 2 feet in front of me..suddenly, the dust cleared in front of me just in time to see some wooden stakes with red ribbon directing me to the right...I slammed on the brakes/turned and narrowly dodged the stakes. The thick dust was going to make chasing anyone down in the open areas very difficult (more on this later). Soon after that, we came upon a series of whoops, which slowed me down alot.
About mid-way into lap 1, I noticed my riding pants were creeping further and further down...then I realized I forgot to put my suspender straps over my shoulders when I got suited up. I quickly pulled my suspenders over my shoulders, but then they kept sliding down my arms (which was very annoying). Eventually, I had to pull off the trail and pull my suspenders up and over my helmet so they criss-crossed...kinda choked my neck, but at least my pants stayed on. Hopefully, next time I'll get completely dressed before my race starts.
Somewhere in lap 1, one of the racers in my class pulled over and let me go around....putting me in 4th place at that time.
The lap finishes with an interested obstacle. The racers climbed a steep man-made hill of dirt (approx. 12' high) and then you come down the other side into a half-pipe shaped cut in the ground...then the trail circles around and takes you thru a 6' diameter pipe that goes underneath the hill of dirt that you just climbed over...then you hit the scoring shute/finish line.
LAPS 2 - 4:
I finally caught up to the next guy in my class (Cannondale) at the beginning of lap 2. I followed him closely looking for an opening to pass. After a short distance, I decided that I needed to pass him soon b/c I was getting peppered with dust/grass/mud that was clouding my view thru my goggles. Finally, we came across the part of the trail where the first turn/starting line was and that gave me enough room to nail the throttle and go around him on the left side. That put me in 3rd at that point.
I maintained my position for the rest of lap 2 and 3.
Near the first part of lap 4, I was rolling over the whoops as quickly as I could when suddenly I got passed by a Can-Am Renegade (utility class). He came out of nowhere and shot over the whoops like a pro...which is probably b/c he also races (on a sport quad) in the expert/intermediate race (open A class) which is held the day after my race.
He's a very talented rider, so I wanted to follow as close as I could to see how long I could stay with him. While a fun thing to do, this decision was not without its downside. To my surprise, I was able to hang on his tail for the rest of the open area which is mostly a series of left-right zig zag turns while eating heavy dust from the Renegade the whole time. Then we came to the woods and he walked off and left me within 30 seconds!
Now for the bad part...I soon discovered that my overheat light on the dash came on and my Acewell speedo display flashed 215 degrees. I soon realized that eating all of his dust took a toll on my quad's radiator (the cooling fins are narrow and easily get clogged with dirt/dust/mud that tends to cause overheating). So I decided to go easy for a while and watch the temps. Within a few minutes, the temps dropped down closer to normal (203 degrees) and the overheat light turned off. Luckily this was my final lap or else I would have been in serious trouble holding my 3rd place position.
RACE RESULTS:
According to the official results posted at the TORN trailer, I finished 3rd place out of 6 in our class. Seems like 3rd is as good as I can do this season, but I'm not complaining...just happy to finish the race in the top 3 without any serious injuries/wrecks. After a busy week at work, this was a GREAT WAY to relieve some stress. As always, I have to say a big THANK YOU to TORN for putting on a fun event!
PICS:
Me after the race...
http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o...ps01f61bc5.jpg
Hope you enjoyed my write-up!
WHERE:
Corsicana, TX…it’s a small town about an hour south of Dallas. This is also the closest race of the season for me (I live in the north Houston area) and only took 2.5 hours for me to get there. The ATV race was held on a property that had a good mix of woods and open areas with tall grass. The open areas were flat and sometimes bumpy and the wooded areas took the racers through many (dry) creek crossings. If you got off the trail even a little, the terrain looked treacherous for ATV tires with several thorny Mesquite trees and occasionally I saw what looked to me like cactus.
TRACK CONDITIONS:
The weather was sunny and hot with temps around the low 90's when my afternoon race started. Thankfullly, there was a steady breeze in the air that kept it from feeling super hot. The ATV track was about 4.5 miles in length according to my ATV's odometer. The big challenges for this race included thick dust in the open areas and steep drop-offs into dry creekbeds located in the woods.
OVER 40 B CLASS:
When we lined up at the starting line, I counted a total of 6 quads in the Over 40 B class (a few less than normal). This line-up included the "usual suspects" that included mostly 450cc sport quads like the Can Am 450, Cannondale 440, Honda 450 and Yamaha 450, plus a Polaris Scrambler 500 4wd and my KFX 700.
PRACTICE:
I arrived at the track with enough time to do 2 practice laps and make air pressure changes after each lap. I ended up airing up my front tires after my first practice lap b/c I felt like I was nose-diving down into the creekbeds too much (too much cushion in the tires when they landed).
Speaking of the drop-offs, they were only about 2' deep, but they were straight down and then you had to immediately climb up the other side of the creek or immediately turn right and ride along the creekbed. Because of this, you could not blip the throttle and jump over the drop-off. Instead, you had to lean back, go slow and drop down into the creek without flipping forward...which is not a big deal unless you have a bunch of hungry racers riding your tail!
THE START:
When we lined up in the grassy open area, and I was on the far outside lane. The start was different than the others this season b/c they cut a 6' wide path across the starting line from left to right (just deep enuf to remove the grass/top-soil) and made each class start in the bottom of this giant "rut." What made it tricky was that they wetted down this "rut" and the first turn before the race so it was muddy and very slippery. Finally, the green flag when up and off we went. I eased into the throttle b/c I didn't want to spin too much/loose traction. I ended up in 5th place as we made the 1st turn and headed thru several zig-zags turns in the open grassy area before going into the woods.
LAP 1:
About a mile or so into the first lap, I was following closely to the rider directly in front of me and then we came to a grassy open area. The dust was so thick, I couldn't see 2 feet in front of me..suddenly, the dust cleared in front of me just in time to see some wooden stakes with red ribbon directing me to the right...I slammed on the brakes/turned and narrowly dodged the stakes. The thick dust was going to make chasing anyone down in the open areas very difficult (more on this later). Soon after that, we came upon a series of whoops, which slowed me down alot.
About mid-way into lap 1, I noticed my riding pants were creeping further and further down...then I realized I forgot to put my suspender straps over my shoulders when I got suited up. I quickly pulled my suspenders over my shoulders, but then they kept sliding down my arms (which was very annoying). Eventually, I had to pull off the trail and pull my suspenders up and over my helmet so they criss-crossed...kinda choked my neck, but at least my pants stayed on. Hopefully, next time I'll get completely dressed before my race starts.
Somewhere in lap 1, one of the racers in my class pulled over and let me go around....putting me in 4th place at that time.
The lap finishes with an interested obstacle. The racers climbed a steep man-made hill of dirt (approx. 12' high) and then you come down the other side into a half-pipe shaped cut in the ground...then the trail circles around and takes you thru a 6' diameter pipe that goes underneath the hill of dirt that you just climbed over...then you hit the scoring shute/finish line.
LAPS 2 - 4:
I finally caught up to the next guy in my class (Cannondale) at the beginning of lap 2. I followed him closely looking for an opening to pass. After a short distance, I decided that I needed to pass him soon b/c I was getting peppered with dust/grass/mud that was clouding my view thru my goggles. Finally, we came across the part of the trail where the first turn/starting line was and that gave me enough room to nail the throttle and go around him on the left side. That put me in 3rd at that point.
I maintained my position for the rest of lap 2 and 3.
Near the first part of lap 4, I was rolling over the whoops as quickly as I could when suddenly I got passed by a Can-Am Renegade (utility class). He came out of nowhere and shot over the whoops like a pro...which is probably b/c he also races (on a sport quad) in the expert/intermediate race (open A class) which is held the day after my race.
He's a very talented rider, so I wanted to follow as close as I could to see how long I could stay with him. While a fun thing to do, this decision was not without its downside. To my surprise, I was able to hang on his tail for the rest of the open area which is mostly a series of left-right zig zag turns while eating heavy dust from the Renegade the whole time. Then we came to the woods and he walked off and left me within 30 seconds!
Now for the bad part...I soon discovered that my overheat light on the dash came on and my Acewell speedo display flashed 215 degrees. I soon realized that eating all of his dust took a toll on my quad's radiator (the cooling fins are narrow and easily get clogged with dirt/dust/mud that tends to cause overheating). So I decided to go easy for a while and watch the temps. Within a few minutes, the temps dropped down closer to normal (203 degrees) and the overheat light turned off. Luckily this was my final lap or else I would have been in serious trouble holding my 3rd place position.
RACE RESULTS:
According to the official results posted at the TORN trailer, I finished 3rd place out of 6 in our class. Seems like 3rd is as good as I can do this season, but I'm not complaining...just happy to finish the race in the top 3 without any serious injuries/wrecks. After a busy week at work, this was a GREAT WAY to relieve some stress. As always, I have to say a big THANK YOU to TORN for putting on a fun event!
PICS:
Me after the race...
http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o...ps01f61bc5.jpg
Hope you enjoyed my write-up!
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