Return Of The Dale II- Go Or Blow (long)
Posted: Wed Sep 08, 2004 9:02 pm
I put the dale to the test this weekend. Many of you have read my post title Motocrossed with Commander. Well Labor Day was a one hour hare scramble. I was anxious to try the dale out again. I did one race last year before my wiring harness needed replace (took the process of elimination to finally figure that out).
Well the course is about 4-5 miles with the motocross track we ran on Saturday. There were some long straight aways along sandy/peat corn fields, some tight woods and a lot of natural soft deep ruts. The motocross track and the fields were dusty as heck, basically no visibility if you followed someone.
Well I race 30+, only three of us, my buddy who just purchased a 450r is leading in points, a guy on yfz is second in points, and me. We lined up with the B riders and the 3-4 pro riders were in a separate line, but we all took off together. There were probably 8 B riders, so figure around 14-15 quads taking off together.
The flag raises, everyone leaves, but me. Finally get started and catch the end of the pack heading onto the motocross track. I pass my buddy on the 450r and one or 2 other riders on the motocross track, remember visibility is basically zero, but I had the advantage of just racing the motocross track on Saturday. Leave the motocross track cross a narrow bridge then into a freshly chiseled peat/sand corn field. The course is basically half way around this field on the outside edge. Along the outside edge are these tall weeds, some have been mowed and some not. I??????????????????m gaining on the quad in front of me, but due to dust and the loose deep peat, its hard to get a line around someone. I decide to try and hug the weeds to avoid dust and try and get traction. Next thing I know I??????????????????m rolling/flipping over along the ground. The weeds grabbed my front tire and flipped me off the quad and sent the quad rolling. I was in forth gear, so I was moving pretty good, I think the soft peat/sand cushioned my crash, because I was able to get up and run to my quad. (My buddy on the 450r asked if I was okay and then took off) I had to find my quad in the tall weeds. I roll it over, and check it out. Nothing is bent real bad, so I hop on and it fires right up, I head back onto the course and decide to let some C riders by then start riding again. I rode kinda gingerly, but letting the C riders pass was a mistake. We hit a mudhole and one of the C riders gets stuck in front me and then I get stuck. I try to get unstuck, but the ruts are too deep. So I have to turn the quad off to find neutral, and then get my front end on some better ground and go.
The rest of the lap goes pretty good, I meet up with some C riders and one of the riders is holding us up, it took him a while but he finally pulled over for us.
I??????????????????m about two laps into the race and I spot my buddy on the 450r in front of me. I got pumped. I followed him for a lap and half. He won??????????????????t let me by, and the check point was on the table top of the motocross track, so I couldn??????????????????t pass him there, and the fields were soo dusty, I couldn??????????????????t or didn??????????????????t want to try and pass there. We??????????????????re in the woods and I??????????????????m on his butt so I decide to have some fun with him. I??????????????????m yelling at him ?????????????????? ????????????????hey I ride your wife harder than that??????????????? ?????????????????? you know, the normal friend stuff. Finally in one of the deep soft whoops sections, he makes a mistake and I get around him. I let a faster C rider around me then, so I can follow him. As I??????????????????m finishing lap four, I believe I passed the second place B rider on the motocross track right before the check point. Last Lap they tell me at the checkpoint, so I decide to ride hard but not to crazy. I didn??????????????????t see my buddy on the 450r on the motocross track so I figure I must have some distance between us. Exit the motocross track, down and around the big peat field, into some woods. I stall it in some tight stuff. The dale didn??????????????????t fire right over, must be getting hot, plus I thought I was smelling anti-freeze and hearing a hissing sound. What to do? You know it ?????????????????? either she??????????????????s going to go or going to blow, get it started and decide to use the clutch more in the turns and in the tighter stuff just to be safe. About 2/3??????????????????s into the last lap, I see the leader of our class. There is really only one real good opportunity to get around him, It a short sandy/dusty whoop section across a bean field into the next set of woods. On the sandy whoops I decide to go for it to try and cut in front of him before we enter the woods I??????????????????m in third and right on his right rear tire, don??????????????????t know if he saw me or not, but he moved to the right a little. I think I moved to the right to avoid him, but not sure. Next thing I know I??????????????????m picking my self off the ground again. I go looking for the quad in the bean field. The quad was on all fours, so it must not of rolled, but I hit something that threw me off the quad. This trajection hurt a little more than the first one. (I have a bruised hand near the thumb, and scraps on my right arm pit and chest). I get to the quad start it up and bounce onto the trail, whatever I hit (I was later told that there is a bunch of sand there to keep us out of the bean field) jerked me again and caused me to stall perpendicular in the trail, kinda like a barricade. Now this time the quad really didn??????????????????t want to start, so I got a little nervous because people get going fast down this part of the trial and they might not see me in time and then T-bone me. I get the quad to fire up and away I go. I try to ride hard, hoping the 30+ leader made a mistake. I see him on the motocross track, but he spots me too. No way I can sneek up on him now. I finally finish in one piece. Pull over to see the wife and kids and thank the lord I??????????????????m still alive.
Quad was definitely leaking coolant, fan wasn??????????????????t running, which I thought was strange. I goto to start the quad to drive it to the trailer and it won??????????????????t fire up. My wife and I push it to the trailer, still wont?????????????????? start. I get another racer to help me push it up on the trailer. Turn the key, and the fan comes on. Let the fan run a minute and then the quad started?????? Very sore after two days of hard racing. I felt that was the fastest I??????????????????ve ever ridden in a hare scramble. Now I need to clean up the quad and check out that coolant leak.
Well the course is about 4-5 miles with the motocross track we ran on Saturday. There were some long straight aways along sandy/peat corn fields, some tight woods and a lot of natural soft deep ruts. The motocross track and the fields were dusty as heck, basically no visibility if you followed someone.
Well I race 30+, only three of us, my buddy who just purchased a 450r is leading in points, a guy on yfz is second in points, and me. We lined up with the B riders and the 3-4 pro riders were in a separate line, but we all took off together. There were probably 8 B riders, so figure around 14-15 quads taking off together.
The flag raises, everyone leaves, but me. Finally get started and catch the end of the pack heading onto the motocross track. I pass my buddy on the 450r and one or 2 other riders on the motocross track, remember visibility is basically zero, but I had the advantage of just racing the motocross track on Saturday. Leave the motocross track cross a narrow bridge then into a freshly chiseled peat/sand corn field. The course is basically half way around this field on the outside edge. Along the outside edge are these tall weeds, some have been mowed and some not. I??????????????????m gaining on the quad in front of me, but due to dust and the loose deep peat, its hard to get a line around someone. I decide to try and hug the weeds to avoid dust and try and get traction. Next thing I know I??????????????????m rolling/flipping over along the ground. The weeds grabbed my front tire and flipped me off the quad and sent the quad rolling. I was in forth gear, so I was moving pretty good, I think the soft peat/sand cushioned my crash, because I was able to get up and run to my quad. (My buddy on the 450r asked if I was okay and then took off) I had to find my quad in the tall weeds. I roll it over, and check it out. Nothing is bent real bad, so I hop on and it fires right up, I head back onto the course and decide to let some C riders by then start riding again. I rode kinda gingerly, but letting the C riders pass was a mistake. We hit a mudhole and one of the C riders gets stuck in front me and then I get stuck. I try to get unstuck, but the ruts are too deep. So I have to turn the quad off to find neutral, and then get my front end on some better ground and go.
The rest of the lap goes pretty good, I meet up with some C riders and one of the riders is holding us up, it took him a while but he finally pulled over for us.
I??????????????????m about two laps into the race and I spot my buddy on the 450r in front of me. I got pumped. I followed him for a lap and half. He won??????????????????t let me by, and the check point was on the table top of the motocross track, so I couldn??????????????????t pass him there, and the fields were soo dusty, I couldn??????????????????t or didn??????????????????t want to try and pass there. We??????????????????re in the woods and I??????????????????m on his butt so I decide to have some fun with him. I??????????????????m yelling at him ?????????????????? ????????????????hey I ride your wife harder than that??????????????? ?????????????????? you know, the normal friend stuff. Finally in one of the deep soft whoops sections, he makes a mistake and I get around him. I let a faster C rider around me then, so I can follow him. As I??????????????????m finishing lap four, I believe I passed the second place B rider on the motocross track right before the check point. Last Lap they tell me at the checkpoint, so I decide to ride hard but not to crazy. I didn??????????????????t see my buddy on the 450r on the motocross track so I figure I must have some distance between us. Exit the motocross track, down and around the big peat field, into some woods. I stall it in some tight stuff. The dale didn??????????????????t fire right over, must be getting hot, plus I thought I was smelling anti-freeze and hearing a hissing sound. What to do? You know it ?????????????????? either she??????????????????s going to go or going to blow, get it started and decide to use the clutch more in the turns and in the tighter stuff just to be safe. About 2/3??????????????????s into the last lap, I see the leader of our class. There is really only one real good opportunity to get around him, It a short sandy/dusty whoop section across a bean field into the next set of woods. On the sandy whoops I decide to go for it to try and cut in front of him before we enter the woods I??????????????????m in third and right on his right rear tire, don??????????????????t know if he saw me or not, but he moved to the right a little. I think I moved to the right to avoid him, but not sure. Next thing I know I??????????????????m picking my self off the ground again. I go looking for the quad in the bean field. The quad was on all fours, so it must not of rolled, but I hit something that threw me off the quad. This trajection hurt a little more than the first one. (I have a bruised hand near the thumb, and scraps on my right arm pit and chest). I get to the quad start it up and bounce onto the trail, whatever I hit (I was later told that there is a bunch of sand there to keep us out of the bean field) jerked me again and caused me to stall perpendicular in the trail, kinda like a barricade. Now this time the quad really didn??????????????????t want to start, so I got a little nervous because people get going fast down this part of the trial and they might not see me in time and then T-bone me. I get the quad to fire up and away I go. I try to ride hard, hoping the 30+ leader made a mistake. I see him on the motocross track, but he spots me too. No way I can sneek up on him now. I finally finish in one piece. Pull over to see the wife and kids and thank the lord I??????????????????m still alive.
Quad was definitely leaking coolant, fan wasn??????????????????t running, which I thought was strange. I goto to start the quad to drive it to the trailer and it won??????????????????t fire up. My wife and I push it to the trailer, still wont?????????????????? start. I get another racer to help me push it up on the trailer. Turn the key, and the fan comes on. Let the fan run a minute and then the quad started?????? Very sore after two days of hard racing. I felt that was the fastest I??????????????????ve ever ridden in a hare scramble. Now I need to clean up the quad and check out that coolant leak.
