A few impressions from my local XC race last Sunday...good muddy fun!
 

Here are a few impressions from my race last Sunday (a local XC race):

GETTING THERE & BACK
It rained Saturday night and on/off again on Sunday, so the 8.5 mile XC course was nice and muddy by the time my B class race started on Sunday afternoon at 1:30pm. To get to the races this weekend, I got up at 2am on Sunday morning and immediately drove almost 5 hours to reach the race course located in deep East TX. I wanted to be there early so that I could do a practice lap before the morning race began. I made one lap and smiled from ear to ear...all the mud and continued rain made it clear that it was going to be a good day to race on a utility quad. After my race was over, I left about 4:15pm and made it home 5 hours later at 9:15pm. Was a LONG DAY, but a very fun one and well worth the long drive.

THE COMPETITION
On this day, there were a few familiar faces in the utility class and a few new ones (new to me anyway). First, there was a guy who races every race on a slightly modded green P650 (I think he has a pipe, jetting, primary clutch spring, ATR tires and a module)...he is always the one to beat on the holeshot (and a heck of a nice guy to boot). Second, there was also a guy riding on a stock BF750 (but he discovered at the starting line that he had his shocks set to very soft instead of very firm...not good for a XC race!). Third, there was a guy on a Pol. 700...this guy is young (maybe 19) and VERY FAST...in fact, he has been in 4 races this season and got 1st place every time (this was my first time to race this guy). I've seen pics of this guy getting some BIG TIME AIR off of some jumps during previous XC races and he is definitely not afraid to hang it all out on his Polaris. Forth was a stock Honda Rincon 650 (it was this guy's first XC race on a quad). Then there was little ol' me on my slightly modded red P650. I put the 25" bearclaws on for this muddy race. I also installed a brand new battery (Deka brand) to see if that would help my quad start a little quicker at the starting line.

LAP 1
First off, my motor started flawlessly and I left the line neck and neck with the green P650...but I was on the inside lane therefore, I beat him around the turn and went into the woods first. This was a big deal to me b/c out of 5 local races in the utility class this year, this was the first time I was able to beat the green P650 and win the holeshot... that P650 almost always wins the holeshot in my class b/c he is very fast off the line! I think my brand new battery helped me with my slow starting problems at the starting line.

A few miles into lap 1, I eventually got passed by the Pol. 700 (man, he is REALLY FAST on that Pol. 700...I couldn't believe how fast he was going thru the muddy trails despite the fact that his 4wd was not working on Sunday and he was limited to 2wd only). I'm quite certain he would have taken 1st place yet again on Sunday if he had not had a flat tire.

LAP 2
The Pol. 700 let me pass him near the beginning of lap 2 (it turns out that he got a flat front tire...but he continued to race on it instead of getting a DNF or trying to change the tire). So I was back in 1st place for most of this lat. Then at the end of lap 2, I lost some time when I discovered I accidentally missed a creek crossing part of the course near a bridge that we had to go over, so I had to redo that part...that's when the Rincon 650 passed me to take the lead. This was a mental error on my part as I should have been more careful to follow the course...altho I later found out that others were confused by this part of the course too, so maybe better marking would have prevented this little mishap.

LAP 3
I continued to hold 2nd place for most of lap 3 until I was only 2 miles from the finish line...that's when somehow I got my quad stuck between 2 trees while trying to make a tight turn. I had 1 tree directly in front of me and another right behind me! I tried to reverse out of there, but my tires dug a hole in the soft sand. Then I tried to lift my quad out of the hole, but it was too heavy (no surprise there!). I ended up using my winch to get out and then go finish the race. Unfortunately, the other 3 competitors in my class passed me while I was trying to get out of the trees...so I finished last place. That was the first time I ever had to use my winch during a race (and hopefully the last time too!).

On a pleasant note, it was very reassuring to see that each one of the other competitors in my class stopped to make sure I was not injured as they passed me (when I was stuck between the trees on the last lap). This is yet another typical example of how ATVCCS folks treat each other like family on the race course and that makes me very proud to be a part of this racing series. Well, it was a fun day and I had a blast despite my bad luck on lap 3 and last place finish.

RANDOM OBSERVATIONS
There were a few long straights on this course (some were a bit too bumpy for me to go WOT the whole way) and I noticed 1 time the BF 750 who was behind me made up some ground on me...the IRS and bigger motor helped him there. There were a few open pastures with lots of water on the course...this quickly turned into fields with 6 to 8" of mud...I got to pass more than a few sport quads here...at one point, I clearly remember blowing by YFZ450 and modded 400ex and overtaking them before we reached the corner...if that don't put a smile on your face, nuthing will!

Happy trails...[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

A few impressions from my local XC race last Sunday...good muddy fun!
 

mike i dont know, how in the he!! did you end up stuck inbetween 2 trees. LOL.

the wench, i bet all of those guy are going out to buy one now. they are probably looking in the rule book, thinking is that leagle. LOL.

GLAD YOU HAD FUN, NEXT TIME YOU WILL GET THEM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A few impressions from my local XC race last Sunday...good muddy fun!
 

Sounds like a blast. I bet you can't wait for the GNCC race in a couple months. The SP700 doesn't suprise me to much. People underestimate what the Sportsman can do. In fact many mags give them the nod on there handeling. I was passed by a sp700 in the VA GNCC race on my V and I came in 3rd in the utility unlimited. That 700 was moving and looked to handle very well. He came in 2nd in points behind Kilby.

A few impressions from my local XC race last Sunday...good muddy fun!
 

Deerchopper,
Yeah, I bet it was a funny site to see when my competitors drove up and saw me wedged between 2 trees like that! One of them asked me after the race "So why did you try to climb that tree anyway?" hehe

GE4x4,
Yeah, I had a blast on Sunday alright and yes...I'm definitely looking forward to the Lone Star GNCC (in Texas) next Feb 12th! I raced in the Lone Star GNCC race last January in the Util. Stock class and it was my 1st XC race ever...so all I wanted to do at that time was finish the race and I did (I finished 10th out of 15). This coming GNCC, I'll be in the util. modified class and with 9 races under my belt now, I'm actually going to try to place in the top 5 if possible. While I have no real hope of beating Scott Kilby, it would be nice to try to follow him to see how long I can keep up with him (if at all).

Regarding the Pol. 700, I would be interested in driving one just to see how well it handles and how powerful the motor is... the only real concern I have with Polaris is the heavy weight they have when stock.

Happy trails...[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

Happy trails...[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

A few impressions from my local XC race last Sunday...good muddy fun!
 

Wow, that sounds awesome! Can't wait to do those races. So is this the hare scrambles type of racing?? I'm new to racing. Plan on starting this next spring. What kind of racing do you do? I love trail riding. I assume thats what you do? Wish there were more races here in KS. I know there are a few in Missouri. I do know you got to have a tether kill switch which i finally got and installed. Thanks for your post. It has helped me see what the races are all about. Sounds like you had a good time except for the getting stuck. It sounds like if you didn't get stuck, you would have won. You'll have better luck next time. Good luck with your next races. Knockem and smokem!!

A few impressions from my local XC race last Sunday...good muddy fun!
 

KVRMUDD,
Yes, the cross-country (XC) races that I enter are basically the same thing as hare scramble races (its kinda like fast trail riding thru the woods and creeks). The GNCC is the national level XC series and the ATVCCS is the local (Texas) level series that I race in. I can't really afford to drive all over the country to hit all the GNCC races, so I usually try to hit the GNCC only when it comes to Texas. The rest of the year, I will try to hit the local XC series. I believe there is a local XC series in Oklahoma and Arkansas too and I'm sure they are in other states as well. You should go check out the nearest XC races and see if you like them...most folks I know who try it once get hooked right away!

Happy trails...[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

A few impressions from my local XC race last Sunday...good muddy fun!
 

Thanks a lot MikeyBoyes for the great info. I'm pretty sure I will like the XC/Hare scrambles. I love ridin fast in the woods. I wish KS had more races. I will probably have to go to Missouri and Oklahoma for the races. I'll let you know how I do when I start. It will probably be Spring. Let me know how you do your next race. Later!!

A few impressions from my local XC race last Sunday...good muddy fun!
 

Here's a pic of me and my lil P650 during last Sunday's XC race. It was little muddy as you can see. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

http://www.atvccs.net/gallery/album95/PD525

Happy trails...[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

A few impressions from my local XC race last Sunday...good muddy fun!
 

A few more pics...these pics were taken at the end of the first turn and you can see that I won the holeshot in my class (finally!).

http://www.atvccs.net/gallery/album95/PD478

http://www.atvccs.net/gallery/album95/PD479

Happy trails...[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

A few impressions from my local XC race last Sunday...good muddy fun!
 

Thanks for the pics. Where would I find a schedule for racing like that? I live in MD and would love to go to a run like that to watch. I race Hobby Stock dirt track ad my wife would simply kill me if I got into ANOTHER race circuit but it sure would be fun to go and watch. Especially since you guys are runnin' in my offseason!

God bless,

-BunnMan