Cannondaleriders

Today was one of those days where you wake-up knowing things just aren't going to run smoothly...

Woke up at some ungodly hour with a thumping hangover (a waste of months of training...) and it's raining like there's no tomorrow.
My wife thought I was crazy but I braved the gale and loaded the quads onto the trailer. A quick breakfast later and I was ready to roll.

Picked up my buddy on the way and headed of to the track. It rained on and off all the way there and appeared to be clearing when we made it through the gates.
Unloaded the quads and did all the usual pre-race scrutineering/red-tape bulldust they get you to do over here.

Warmed myself and then the quad. The clouds were clearing but the wind had that "Arctic" bitterness to it. Looked to the sky and thanked God for inventing handguards.

Free training was opened for the quads and we headed out.
The best part of racing in Europe is that you never really know what you'll be racing against.
We saw a Walsh-KTM, a couple of W-Tec Erasers with big 2-strokes, EML-Husky, 1 YFZ and a mega-buck Banshee.
I was on my modded Cannibal and my buddy on his SPEED.
Everything felt good so we headed in and tightened bolts, waiting to be called for the start.

It started raining again...

We got pretty darn wet!

Quad heat 1 is announced and we're let onto the oval. 3 laps to get a groove down and we're ready to roll...

The start here is rather unusual but fun. It is based on the idea that a rolling start is less harmfull to the track than from a standing start.
So there we were, bunched-up and picking up the speed waiting for the flag to drop.....We're off.

Of the 6 quads that made the start, I'm running dead last into the first corner. Behind even my buddy on his stock '02 SPEED with Cannibal map in it. (he's too tight to buy a D&M kit so I punish him with 10,500RPM.)

"This x440speed110 map is fantastic" I think to myself as I pick-up the pace on the back straight. Bye-Bye YFZ and a very fat 2-stroke.

4th position.

My buddy on the SPEED was now in front of me and could hear me coming...

Lap 1 of a 3 lapper and I'm right behind my bud who is hot on the heals of the KTM with some rich-kid riding like a granny.

The mid-to-top of this map is where the real meat is and I pulled both of them on the back straight which put me into 2nd.

Last lap and I'm sniffing blue smoke from the twin pipes of that Banshee.

Sitting right on his tail entering the back straight, we both were giving it our all.
**** that thing is quick I thought as I punched it into 5th....

There we were, barrelling into the last corner side-by-side. Me on the inside.

That's when I did it, I let off...
I don't know whether I was giving up or the thought of hitting the wall slowed me but I did hesitate.

Lucky I did for the Banshee rider wasn't handling the outside line to well.
He had hit the banked soil that we had worked-up, just clipped his front wheel.

He speared across the front of my quad and put it backwards into the wall.
I rolled over the finish and collected the win.

x440speed110 :drink: :clap:

haha nice job euro! i love race reports!

Yes, thanks for putting that one together.

For those of you that haven't tried this map click here to be taken to the post that evolved into this arm-stretching package.

******, we'll have to work on some more maps and a case of beer at the spring ride.

Oh yeah, the best part of the day was seeing my daughter Annakey when I got home....Must be getting soft.

nice report EuroGod )

WOOHOO!!!!!! Sounds like fun.......Congrats!!!!!:clap:

Way to go!Have to ask did the Banshee guy get hurt?