ROWRACIN- Henstridge 2 day trophy meeting 23/24th July 05

[oldboyonrgv]

After a quick pack up and go on Friday evening, kids home from school, changed and bundled into the van. It was off to Grandmas to drop their stuff off and then finally to Henstridge to settle down for a couple of days racing.
After tea at grandmas, she lives 40 mins away from the track. We got to the track at about 20:30, Row and Mum disappeared to walk the track (not something I usually let Mum do as she gets a bit concerned for her little boys safety!), I got the camp set up and a brew on. Row was duly despatched to bed at about 10:00 followed by Mum and dad by 23:00.

Saturday dawned a bit overcast but warm although the weather forecast was for rain to start later ….

Row’s group was scheduled as second race so we would be finished early and have a good long evening to relax – nice.

Practice saw Row circulate behind a group of riders taking it easy; he re-appeared at the van having hardly raised a sweat “just running at about 60-70% Dad” he said “tracks fine”

RACE 1
It’s a quick turn around after practice so I get the bike fuelled, goggles cleaned and Row back to the line. Peg 39 is drawn along with a groan from me! (why cant he ever get a good gate) anyway he manages to slot himself in an inside slot and we line up so that he can get a decent line into the first corner, I tell him that he needs to make a good start to make the most of it.
Gate drops and they howl off into the first bend, I run over to the second section of the track as Row passes me in 7th place! There has been a pile up in the first corner and some of the front runners have been held up, they are coming through quickly and it’s a right melee as the pack tries to sort itself out! 2nd lap see’s Row past in 8th, although he has managed to pass one rider 2 of the faster boys have caught and passed him, 3rd lap and Row is holding the place but now being hounded by another 2, try as he might first one then the other gets by him and Row finishes the race in 10th .

We are quite happy with the finishing position as it reflects Rows current standard given the riders that are here and Rowe says that he can still pick up more speed in a few places.

RACE 2 - Manda has been selected for marshalling this afternoon so she gets her stuff together and we wander down to the line.

PEG 29 – well it’s a little better than before and Row manages to get nearer the preferred centre of the gate, as the starter gets ready I remind Row of the little pre race checklist routine we have put in place.
10 second board snick it into 2nd gear and ease clutch out to bite point (checks that the bike is in gear and that Row knows where the bite point is) 5 second board - assume attack position and scream NAST BOY!!!
GO- Feed out clutch and immediately blip throttle and hit 3rd gear – Row does it perfectly and with a cleaner start (no pile up at the first bend) he is once again in 7th place and holding it, I am standing by a long double just before the take off point of a table top jump and Row has sussed out he can clear the double and hit the table top hard enough to clear it – excellent!, Row continues to hold 7th place then 8th as another rider gets by on a tighter line, Row tries the same line the next lap and losses the front ! – bugger – he jumps up and tries to re-start the bike but its flooded, after numerous kicks he gets it going and re-joins the race in 15th place, he gets one lap chasing. Taking two riders during the lap to finish in 13th place.

I meet him back at the van – Not a happy bunny “I tried to change line and lost the front” He’s kicking himself! I leave him to his moaning and get the bike ready for the last race of the day.

RACE 3 – Its one wound up little boy who arrives at the start gate for this one – PEG 24 , Just before he takes up position I tell him NOT to try to modify his line mid corner ! (Just to wind him up a bit more!)
GO- Row really pins it this time and leads em into the first corner!! he’s 3rd as they exit (two got around the outside) and 5th as he passes me half way through the lap, the top 4 go through to complete the lap then the 5th place rider, then Row right on his coat tails, there is a big group of riders right behind Row. 2nd lap and as Row tips it in hard on the front brake into a slow left hander someone clips his front wheel sending Row cart wheeling (He was trying to get around Row into the corner) Row picks himself up eventually and finds his bike (which is some way away and laying in the track pointing the wrong way) after fighting his way past the marshal he leaps aboard and gets going again having dropped to 17th place. It takes row a lap to make up the gap to the group fighting for 16th place and he just passes them like a knife through butter! He has a quarter lap gap to make up to 13th place (his old rival Charlie), another lap and Row is right on him, He passes Charlie and immediately pulls a gap but its too late and that’s as far up as he can get.

I walk back to the van – no Row so I re-trace my steps and find him bike parked up with his head on the handlebars “alright mate” says I, Row looks up with tear in his eyes “that other boy ran right into my front wheel and I couldn’t stop, the handlebars are all twisted” I ask him if he is O.K and he says yea no damage done, but the bike has a severely bent front end and Rows helmet peak is all askew.

10 mins later and after a hug Row has calmed down, he’s well angry at the boy who took him out though, I tell him that it was a racing incident and that because he’s now running right at the front of the field the riders are more aggressive, he will have to get used to this and learn to protect himself.

I then spend the next hour fixing the front end and servicing the bike ready for the second day.

Row is forced into the shower to clean up followed by Mum and Dad and it’s a nice clean Miller family who settle down for tea, Row then disappears to play with the group of boys who are doing stunts on their push bikes whilst We consume the first of the evening’s alcohol, Row is tucked up in bed by 10:00 and after a quick social soiree Mum and dad follow at 11:30.

Its 5am and I am awoken by the sound of rain on the van and awning roof accompanied by flapping sounds as the wind get’s into the awning, I curse myself, I should have put the other side and the front on the awning!, I manage to hold out until 8am then decide its time to get up, I peer out of the Van to be met by horizontal rain sheeting across the paddock. 08:30 an announcement comes on the tannoy that there will be a meeting in the marquee at 09:00, a quick cuppa and I make my way down there in my wellies, coat and waterproof trousers, to cut a long story short it is agreed that today’s racing has to be canalled on safety grounds as the track has become deep mud in some places and slippery on jump faces, we are asked to re-convene at 10:00 for the prize giving. I then go and help getting the track cleared and we all meet up again back at the marquee, they do the usual reverse order countdown and we are pleased to find that Row achieved an overall result of 11th place and a big trophy for his efforts, it’s a shame the weather has turned because we are both convinced that he would have got into the top 10 if they had managed to run the second day of the meet. So it was back to the van pack up and clear off, we were back to Grandma’s at 11:00 to drop Rowee off for his two week stay.

[Uberkraut]

Pics?

[oldboyonrgv]

I wish I had time .....

[keithcross]

Great result, trophy as well. Good lad, keep up the good work.

Keith