My weekend started on Friday when Jannean called up asking if I wanted to team up with her and race Vet250. Being that I have no lights on the KTM we would ride her bike. Mind you I have never even ridden at night let alone raced in the darkness.....screw it why not. I get up there on Saturday about 5:30 and go on a 20 minute "trail ride" to get used to her bike. Trials tire, supercross gearing and pink graphics...this is gonna be fun! On the line I looked over and see my fellow vet250 friends staring at the "guy on the pink bike". Great....I'm never going to hear the end of this....It was a live engine start start and I was down wind....I really needed a good start. The flag waves and I take off. 3rd or 4th to the first corner, through the chicane and I held on on to that position for about 6 miles. With a few riders creeping up and passing me I stopped scanning forward ( a big no no in offroad), lost focus and got swallowed up in dust. I couldn't see a thing with the dust and took a nose dive. Low and behold I had slammed into a rock on an uphill. I think the whole vet line got by me but I trucked on and passed a few people back. Although the speeds where lower I was actually surprised on how comfortable I was in the dark. At mile 20 I caught Dave P. (Exp Sen) and we battled all the way to home check. I left the line at 8:10, got in at 9:15 on a very technical 25 mile course. I think I surprised a few people cause Jannean wasn't ready yet and I was 2nd in class. Handed the bike off with and couldn't stop smiling. What a blast! Jannean had a great first lap and we were still holding second when she finished up. Matt gassed the bike up, changed batteries in the helmet and bike lights and sent me out into the void of darkness at 10:30. I started getting a quick pace together and picked a few people off. I was feeling good and was setting a 55 minute or less lap pace but at mile 10 the headlight went out on a pretty steep down hill. Talk about jolt to the ticker. I think I left a wet spot on her seat! Thank goodness my helmet light was still working...Until about halfway down the hill.....Great! Pitch black and I'm stuck on the side of a rock infested, burned in silt hill....I had a small energizer light so I tried holding it in one hand and used the other for the throttle...that worked for about 1/2 mile which included 4 crashes and 25 stalls....crap, this isn't working. To top it off dust had filled up on the inside of my goggles. I ended up following people in, minus the goggles but had to stop cause every 1/2 mile the dust would get real nasty and my eyes were getting destroyed. Then I had to wait for another rider to pass and I would scramble to stay on his back tire to avoid the dust. Took me a little under 2 hours to complete the loop, got lost a dozen times but I just wanted to get the bike in before the cut off. Got in to the pits completely wiped out and almost fell over trying to get off the bike. Pit crew got the light working again and got back out on the course by 12:30...barely made the 1 AM cut off time. Jannean finished her last loop with no helmet light and a flat front tire. We ended up getting 3rd (last) and last bike in...wow what a night! So far this was the best race in a long time, as we overcame alot of obstacles and still got a finish.
Me on the Start
Before the 1st corner....I'm on the complete outside. Picked a great line and got a rippin start!
Tracy and Rick cooler racing in the pits....Rick won!
Last bike in.....1:45 am....but we finished!
06-24-2009, 02:59 PM
Race report: Prairie Dogs night race 
.... Jerry 
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