"Livin The Life" Dirt Track Style
June 13-14 2009
Hey Everyone,
Now that the weekend is over and I'm back home, I can't stop thinking about how much fun I had racing my motorcycle in circles. After 16 years I'm still not dizzy.
Saturday night 6/13/09 Gene Ramero's Perris Auto Speedway
My adventure started in Southern California, with one night in Perris, and one day in Lancaster. I started the night in Perris with a qualifying time that put me second on the charts, and landed me a spot in the Dash for Cash. The Dash for Cash was like the icing on the cake. My start in the Dash was questionable but I did get the hole shot. I led the first lap until Jimmy Wood showed me what dirt track was all about. He passed me on the outside while sliding--going about 70mph into turn one. Now I hate getting passed but when he passed me I was thinking "WOW! That was the coolest thing I have ever seen." Then I started yelling "You're crazy Jimmy, that was amazing," as loud as I could in my helmet until the race was over. After laughing and yelling at Jimmy nonstop for three more laps I finished second.
After my second place finish in the Dash for Cash and a second place in the 450 Pro Am race, my focus turned to the open pro money race. Following the 450cc race, and a quick tire change, I was back on the track. Call me crazy but my tire change was not your normal tire change. We made the decision to take off the new tire we ran in the Pro Am race and put on the old worn out tire from practice. My reasoning for choosing the worn out tire was because as your tires wear out they start to form to the track and create a bigger contact patch between the tire and the track, and it clearly had more grip. As the race unfolded and the laps ticked away I found myself in 4th place and in hot pursuit of former Daytona short track winner, Mikey Rush. With one lap to go I made a run on Mikey, coming out of Turn Four to the checkered flag. However, my last ditch effort wasn't enough and I ended the race with a close 4th.
Sunday 6/14/09 Eddie Mulder's Thunder on the lot Charity race Lancaster, CA
The Lancaster track was a lot smaller than Perris and also a cushion track. I started the day out on the DTX framed motocross bike. The bike felt OK and was running well. In my next practice I had the opportunity to ride a bike specifically designed for flat track. My first ride on the framer was a little weird, everything felt awkward. Even though I felt like a fish out of water, one thing was certain: the traction was amazing and everyone that had been beating me was riding one. Now, barely comfortable on the bike I wasn't about to turn down this opportunity, and I made the decision the race the bike.
As the day progressed I was definitely struggling on the framer. The term "turn right to go left" just wasn't working for me. After riding my butt off, I managed to place 2nd in the 450cc Pro Am Race, and 11th in the Open Pro race. When the race was over my choice to ride the framer definitely took me a few steps back. I learned a lot and definitely felt that in order to win, and with a few more laps, that’s the bike that I need to be riding.
Thanks to my sponsors- Mach 1 Motorsports, Jay and Bills Tire service, Camel Bak, Arlen Ness, Sheehan Construction, SupermotoUSA, E$Engines, Superplush Suspension, LTD racing, Supermoto Engineering, Dirt Digits, Arai Helmets, D&W Images, Vizzo Racing, Moto201's Channel, Will Penington, bpracing, Jet Tuning, Browns cycles, Mr. Pickles, X Brand goggles
Tyler O'Hara #9 "Livin' The Life"
