Socorro Valley 100

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On Saturday I head up to Socorro, NM to pre-ride the track and register. I show up with my team and find a pit area. Ride over to register and tech inspection. We have to wait about an hour because they didn't let us pre-ride with the bikes. Get lined up and get a quick run down of the course and head out. My first impression of this track is it is going to be brutal on me and the quad. The track was 21 miles long and I had two laps to do. It was made up of sand whoops, sand washes with rocks everywhere, jagged rock hill climbs and more whoops.

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All night it rained and I left everything in my truck so it would be ready in the morning. I leave with my family around 6:30 a.m. and get there just in time for the riders meeting. The bikes take off and around 10:45 a.m. it is time for us. Quads are lined up be A,B & C classes by lower number to highest. Looks like I am starting in the back of the pack. Here is the starting line and pit row.

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Everything is moving quick. Quads take off one at a time with 30 second gaps. The whole race is based on time. I do a 2nd gear take off and didn't have the RPM's high enough and don't come off the line to hard. The power kicks in and up goes the front wheels.

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Here me when I got the wheels down right before I almost ran over the bush.

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I recover and head out. I am hitting the miles of sand whoops and catch two riders. Because of the rain last night, I am able to ride up right behind them and didn't have to back off because of the dust. One pulls over and am right behind the other. After awhile the other pulls over and off I go. Drop into the sand wash and catch another rider. I am stuck behind him the whole time until we turn into a rocky hill climb. I am able to pass on the outside and caught the rider in front of him. Was able to catch a group of three riders and was ready to pass when we dropped into an arroyo that had a hard left and the 1st person got stuck. Then the 2nd person got stuck. My turn. Tried it and made it. It probably was a 3-4 minute delay. Take off and was trying to make up time and overshot a turn. By the time I got myself unstuck, there go 3 guys past me.

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Work hard and catch 2 of them. Finish the first lap.

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The sand whoops start again this time I am just rolling over them. I am so tire and can't wait for the sand wash to start. Head into the sand wash and caught the 400ex and was able to pass right after the rocky hill climb. Head back into the arroyo and guess what. Somebody stuck again. He gets out and there I go and get stuck right after him. I get off and push and lift my quad out and take off. This time I make the turn and head to a another hill climb. For some reason I am in 1st gear and don't make it up. Roll down the hill, put it into 2nd and am gone. I start to hear and noise from my quad but don't stop. Here I am finishing the race.

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Here I am after the race.

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The sound I was hearing was coming from my brakes. Must have hit the rotor when I over shot the turn and high centered on the rocks.
I am pretty happy with my finish. Out of 22 riders in my class, I ended up 10th. I am now 8th for the season and 7th and 6th place are in reaching distance with 2 more races to go.
Here is a pic of the Wide - Open Racing team. Jason got 2nd and set the quickest lap time. Had problems on the 2nd lap. T.J. got 3rd in the Mini Modifiied Quad Class.

[Happyboy]

That is my kind of riding. I love the wide open spaces. That sounds like so much fun man. Good to hear another Dale is doing well.