View Full Version : Gila Bend Race results
Unfortunately I was a bone head and didn't pay much attention to the race results. I was so stoked about winning my class that I didn't do my job very well and write down the whole race results. There were a lot of RAers out there. I talked to some cool guys, and I had already forgotten names, sorry again. I get a little single minded race weekend.
Well here's my story at least, sorry again for not paying attention to every one elses results.
I finally got to race my new bike, and was lucky enough to get a win on it. I got 1st open Pro and second overall. Destry Abbott came out in the 30+ pro class to whoop up on us. Brian Brunning raced open Pro, and I guess the two were hoping for a dual win in both classes. I heard Brian got a stick in the arm and pulled out early leaving the door wide open for me. I didn't actually get to talk to him. He was gone by the end of the race.
I got a bad start after a mild brush with Ben (dezrcr)who got pushed over by some one who got pushed over, by someone etc.... It was a hair ball start to say the least. 15+ pros bar to bar on a 30-40 wide start line into a hair pin choppy right hander. Very dangerous, but exciting.
It was a very nasty choppy, silty, whooped out 6 mile course. I no longer have any fillings in my teeth. Destry just said, "Yah, it was a LITTLE rough". He is a maniac.
The bike was awesome, maybe a little to awesome. I couldn't keep the front wheel on the ground with the moist dirt. It pulled all the way to the moon. I arm pumped way to early from the torque of the bike hooking up. I had to slow down to go faster, my typical riding style. They call me the come back kid. I always get bad starts and some how end up doing alright in the end, and some times I get lucky when enough people wreck or break and I win. In the unlikely event of a hole shot, I never know what to do with it, it's foreign to me. I'll take it any way I can get it though.
I would also like to commend Ben Hutchinson for pretty much throwing his race away to help out a downed rider. The rider was Scott Davis, an old friend of mine. He was knocked out cold in the infield section, and Ben stopped to help. I was behind them both and rode back to the pits to get help, I rode around a little until I found Jay to let him know. By the time we got back to him there were a bunch of people around so I jumped back on the course were I left it and continued to race. Ben stayed there longer, although he didn't need to. Good job Ben. I think Ben salvaged a fourth place finish. Some times winning isn't everything.
David Gronlund,
Ride for fun, race to win.
Lizrdlipz
03/03/03, 8:50 AM
Congrats to you Dave! It was nice talking with you after the race. You really looked strong out there. My hat's off to Ben for his Good Samaritan efforts and for his salvage on position even after a pretty bad get off in the Gauntlet!
I had a real good time battling with Ken Hughes. Ken is doing really well and will be a force to recon with in the future. I heard somewhere that he had a good race with Ben for a while too.
Kyle picked up a second in the Open Pro class and I heard he put on a great show for the spectators on the jumps. I saw some of his pics and they were really stylin'.
Thank God for the rain on the days prior which kept the silt down a little bit better, I have seen it much worse. Good to see you all out there. Hope Scott fares well and heals quick.
Steve Feld #31
Thank you David,
I would hope someone would do that for me if I crash that hard. The was a scary moment when Scott was not responing, I thought he was dead. But he continued to breath heavy. I wish the best for him,and hope he is ok. If anyone know or hears how he is doing please post your info. Thank you.
I had great time, and David I'm sorry about the start again. The course was fast,but was getting rough. I'm glad to hear that David had arm pump way to early. By the fourth lap I was haging on by my finger nails, but tried to keep pushing. That YZ 450 kept me on my toes the whole race.
Congrats to Destry Abott, and to David for not giving up.
Ben Hutchinson
Whiplash #32
BITD #940
El Gato
03/03/03, 10:37 AM
I just talked to Scotts room mate. He is doing alright as of this morning. They air-evaced him against his will, he is a tough dude to say the least. He spent the night in the hospital of course. They are going to scan his cat sometime today to see if his brain is still upright in his head. I guess he pushed his bike back to the pits (200 yards and up hill) before they could coral him and get him in the whirly bird. I wouldn't want to try and strap him down if he didn't want to be.
Yah, I hear you about the finger tip riding. I kept wondering when the arm pump would finally go away. It finally did after a few laps, but me fingers were numb and I was having a hard time hanging on. It's like when you have the flu and you're so weak you can't pick up a glass of water. Thats just one of those things you have to work through and keep pushing. The feeling came back into the fingers after I relaxed a little mid race, and then I realized the pain from the blisters. There is no winning in this senario. Just put it out of your mind and concentrate on the job at hand, so to speak.
David Gronlund,
Ride for fun, race to win.
El Gato
03/03/03, 10:41 AM
I almost forgot to congratulate TRAJISTO (Travis Epperson) on his second expert (100 class) win in a row. Very nice riding. I hear you were flat @$$ cooking. Keep up the good work, and I'll save you a spot on the front row soon.
David Gronlund,
Ride for fun, race to win.
Phil Brooks
03/03/03, 10:45 AM
Good job Pro riders! I did hear that Scott would be OK " Kinda through the grape vine" Yes, Destry makes things look like a piece of cake. I met & talked with his dad for the first time. He like Destry, is a awsome man. We talked about the old days (ADRA), and could have talked all day, but riders meeting called so off to racing. Yes Dave was super fast as well. When Dave put a lap on me, it was in the infeild in a muddy corner. Needless to say, thats when I used my last tare-off[}:)] As for Kyle, His was coming up quick to put a lap on me close to the finish line corner. I stayed in front of him a few more corners and when he was close to passing me, I gave the signal to pass on my left as I picked a line to the right. Kyle went to the far right and hit that big jump just as I was hitting the small jump. He must have been 12-15 in the air above me, and he flew about 60-70 feet[:0]. Great show for me! I had a good race only crashing once, but of course I did have to go down right in full veiw of my wife & pit team[B)]. I jumped right up and contenued on for the final lap. I ended up 2nd in 40+ expert, & 2nd O/A in 40+ divison. This was a tough course but I really injoyed it, & look foreword to running this one again next year. Phil # 611
Honda's Crash Test Dummies
David, I got Fourth place? How could that be? My pit crew had me as 7th.
Ben Hutchinson
Whiplash #32
BITD #940
desertsandrider
03/03/03, 10:59 AM
i loved this course....however, i didn't think to bring gears, and was geared way to low for the speed of the track. i managed a 2nd place finish in quad 300 class,....2 mins behind the leader....i made one too many pitstops than i needed, and stopped for the downed banshee rider who endoed on the second lap infield...however only for a minute, not like ben did....this guy was getting around fine. the winner and i of the 300's both beat the 200 classes' leader....go figure, i guess we were classed wrong. the rough sections of the track did a number on the hands..all bandaged up today from the bloody blisters. i loved the land rush start...alot more exciting than staggering. and a question....for you pro riders...do you pay more entry fees because of the payout??
Nick
WHASSUUUUPP!!??
2001 400ex
2001 Toyota Tacoma TRD
1986 Sun Lite Pop-Up Camper
Whiplash # ????
Yes. I think we pay 100 dollars? I can never remember, 70% of that goes for the winnings. I do not know how they divied it from there. David can tell you more.
Ben Hutchinson
Whiplash #32
BITD #940
El Gato
03/03/03, 11:16 AM
quote:Originally posted by Dezrcr
David, I got Fourth place? How could that be? My pit crew had me as 7th.
Ben,
I would believe you pit crew, I was just guessing. 7th place sounds a little far back though. I do believe you were closer than that. I lapped up to 6th or 7th O/A and you weren't one of them.
Nick, good job. We do pay more entry because of the payback. They keep %30 of our entry for themselves and the pay back is from the remaining $70.00. They need their hand in the pot as well I guess. I miss the days of %100 pay back. I to showed up under geared, I spent the whole day bouncing off the rev limiter. Not fun, and not good on the new engine.
Phil, sorry about the mud, I had no choice. I was running scared, I didn't want Destry to put a lap on me. I used all my tearoffs before I left the infield on the first lap. I was dead last trying to pass people, and I was just getting pelted with mud. I got hit so bad once that I had to stop because of the zero visibilty through the mud on my goggles. As for Kyle doing air antics during the race, Thats good for him. For me I'll stay low where I can put horsepower down to go forward instead of hanging in the air wasting time. Every second counts. Plus I'm a chicken about those hairy jumps.
David Gronlund,
Ride for fun, race to win.
Phil Brooks
03/03/03, 11:47 AM
Hey Dave, Just giving you a hard time about the mud. no harm no foul, it's all racing and having fun! I'm sure I did a little mud slinging too[:p]
Honda's Crash Test Dummies
David, congrats on your win.....
Ben, glad to see you stop to help the injured...
nick, how was it on a quad??? any tougher than lake pleasant run??
2003 suzuki z400
whiplash #374
I have no limitations, only my quad has limitations......
Steve I have to send a congrats to you for finishing the race with a busted up hand. Way to hang in there!
Ben Hutchinson
Whiplash #32
BITD #940
I'll second that. I know how that feels, and it sucks. Good job.
David Gronlund,
Ride for fun, race to win.
TRAJISTO
03/03/03, 9:14 PM
David,
I don't know about how fast I was going but thanks for the words![^] I'm just glad to hear you guys were pumping and blistering as well.[:0] I was feeling sick before the race[xx(] and after it started things just never seemed to get totally on track. I seemed to always be worrying about something else(forearms, hands, stomach, tiring etc.). Can't wait for the next one though! See you at the Arizona Trail Riders Qualifier in two weeks, I hope. That race will be awesome. Oh, by the way, I had another 1 1/2 minute pit. This time I noticed how long it took though. Well, maybe next month will get better. Hold that spot till next year! I know people want me to move up but I want to finish what I've started.
Thanks,
Travis Epperson
Prescott, AZ
#102
quote:Originally posted by El Gato
I almost forgot to congratulate TRAJISTO (Travis Epperson) on his second expert (100 class) win in a row. Very nice riding. I hear you were flat @$$ cooking. Keep up the good work, and I'll save you a spot on the front row soon.
David Gronlund,
Ride for fun, race to win.
Travis,
You have got to do something about those pit stops. Mine was less than 20 seconds. Don't worry about all the fluff. You really don't need goggles every stop, just wipe them off with your gloves. Who ever is fueling me puts my spare pair of goggles on their head, if I need them I take them MYSELF. Think about it, when he/she is pouring gas that persons head is right in front of yours. Just reach out and grab them. You lose time when someone tries to put them on for you. If you think you are going to need them, take off your goggles as you pull in and drop them on the ground before you stop. If you do these things you will lose 0 seconds getting goggles.
Make sure everyone knows what to do and how to do it and on the proper side of the machine BEFORE race time. Take the initiative before hand to point these things out, because when the actual pit happens, things get blurry to pit people and they get in each others way. I've actually practiced with my crew before races, silly I know but every second counts with the guys we're racing. They call me the drill Sargent when planning a pit stop. I have actually won a race by a bad pit stop by another rider (sorry Todd J). I've also lost races by less than 30 seconds.
Like I said before, listen to NO ONE about when its time to move up. It's your choice, do it when you're comfortable. I look forward to racing you when its time.
Do you have a brother or something racing also in the 300 class? I passed a guy with Epperson on his chest protector. I think #320?. I thought it was you at first until I saw the number on the bike. Of course he wasn't going fast enough to be you.
OK I'm off the soap box, see you next race and good job AGAIN.
David Gronlund,
Ride for fun, race to win.
Travis, I know how you feel. I was getting some heat from other racers last year also, but I did not dominate like you are right now. I had the same attitude, I must finish what I started, deal with it. I think you are doing the right thing also. Keep kicking but, and win the championship.
I am with David. We practiced our pit stops also, and even at every race we go over who is doing what, and where are you standing. My crew very wells knows you must get me out fast our I start yelling. If I don't say anything they did good. You have to think that every second counts. I think we did ours under 10 sec. With changing goggles.
Start practicing now for Mexico.
Ben Hutchinson
Whiplash #32
BITD #940
El Gato
03/04/03, 12:56 PM
My long time friend and riding partner Jerry Kyle (#828) finished up with his second 800 (50+) class win in a row.
Congrats to JK.
David Gronlund,
Ride for fun, race to win.
I chatted with Scott Davis yesterday, and he is just fine. They scanned his cat, MRI on neck, head and back. All is good but a little sore to say the least. He's ready to get at it agian, he wants to hook up and ride this weekend. I told you he was a tough dude.
I asked him if he remembers anything about the ordeal. He said he remembers the crash, he remembers hitting a hard packed whoop or g-out and the bars came out of his hands. He said the rest is sketchy. He did remember getting freaked out on the chopper and ripping himself free from the duct tape they had him tied to the board with. He said the lady got scared and zip tied him down. And then he remembers the next day. Another lucky man.
Oh Yah, those were all rumors I heard about him pushing his bike back to the pits. He never got up off the ground. Some one else said they saw him get up and try to walk away. That is false also, must of been someone else. That may of been Ben standing there with his gear on.
David Gronlund,
Ride for fun, race to win.
Glad to hear everything is alright. He did not get a concusion from that? I would be surprised if he didn't. So he doesn't remember me yelling at the top of my lungs? Damn I thought I was going to loose me voice.
Ben Hutchinson
Whiplash #32
BITD #940
What a fun race! I really liked the smaller,tighter style of track. It had a little bit of everything mixed in. Sounds like the pro's had the same kind of start the Experts did. Someone decided to come from the far right and cut across about six of us going down the start hill. Nothing like six racers brake checking eachother while on the gas! I wanted to thank #5 Desi for pushing me hard during this one. Everytime I looked back there he was. We ended up swapping places several times during the race, and were able to feed off eachother for lines through traffic. I think I got him in the end, but he made me work for it.
Travis, yea all of us Experts would throw a party if you moved up, but you have raised the bar in our class. We just need to work harder to try and run with you.Good job!
P.S.If you win them all this year,You have a cold one coming from me in Mexico!
#110 Dbag
I Practice like a Pro
Race like a beginner!
Ben, I did mention you're yelling at the top of your lungs to Scott. He just laughed. He did say it was super cool that you stopped to help him out like that.
Dbag (Kevin), welcome to the site. Are you the one I talked with in tech, or after the race? I am horrible with names, and bike numbers also. Desi is a good rider, sounds like you were having a blast battling with him. I used to do the same thing when I raced expert. We always used to race right behind the pros. Not like now where it's split up. I would push hard until I caught up with a pro and then watch him and feed off of his talent. You're as fast as the guys you ride with. Hope to see you on the trails soon.
David Gronlund,
Ride for fun, race to win.
desertsandrider
03/05/03, 8:48 AM
talking about bars coming out of your hands over the rough stuff....i had that happen 2 memorable times where i almost bit it.....luck for me, i was on 4 wheels vice 2....arm pump and terrible blisters had me doing the "loose grip" alot of times, and it almost comes back to get you!
zvhonte- this course was alot nicer than lake pleasant, alot more high speed.
Nick
WHASSUUUUPP!!??
2001 400ex
2001 Toyota Tacoma TRD
1986 Sun Lite Pop-Up Camper
Whiplash # ????
David, It was good meeting you last weekend( in tech.) I try to ride with guys who are faster than me as much as possible. I have this little problem of arm pump that comes like clockwork the first 20-30 min. of the race. Most of the class passes me and then I spend the rest of the race trying to make up positions, but I have learned to live with it kinda like taxes and bills.
One of those fast guys I ride with is Ben who is having a B-day this week. He will be a whole 24, young S@#t!
Kevin
#110 Dbag
I Practice like a Pro
Race like a beginner!
Did you hear that Bag. You're as fast as the guys you ride with? That is very true. As many of you don't know Bag and I spend 99.9% of the time riding together, and he pushes me to the limits. If we could figure out the arm pump thing you would be flying in the races. He is a very talented rider, but does not get a chance to show it in the races. Some day it will all come together.
Ben Hutchinson
Whiplash #32
BITD #940
TRAJISTO
03/05/03, 1:53 PM
David, Ben and Dbag,
I just want to say thanks to you guys for not bumming me out any more then I already am. I'm glad you understand, especially you Dbag. Lately, it doesn't seem as fun when you're at the scorers table and three guys ask you why you're not racing pro. Novelty at first, now just an annoyance. Remember, this is my fifth desert race. My confidence is not exactly where everybody thinks it is.
David,
I can assure you that there was no pit fluff this time. But when you drop your gas cap and the rubber thingy inside falls out and you attempt to put it back in while cross-threading the cap five or six times because it's wedged in between the threads all the while your own pit crew is telling YOU! to "hurry up" well that really sucks. I think that is Richard Epperson you saw. I don't really know him.
Dbag,
All I want to do is stay healthy till Mexico so I can 'have' a cold one with everyone. Can't wait!
C Ya,
Travis Epperson
Prescott, AZ
#102
Results are up!!!
#110 Dbag
I Practice like a Pro
Race like a beginner!
Phil Brooks
03/05/03, 10:49 PM
Travis, Looks like your a shoe-in for the $1000.00 "clean sweep" prize[:p]. Phil # 611
Honda's
crash Test Dummies Whiplash # 611 2003 sponsers: (North Valley Honda), (Sun Valley battery, Unical Racing fuels), (I Shoot horses etc..., Photograghy by appointment by Kim Cook)
quote:Originally posted by Dbag
Results are up!!!
I must be missing something.
David Gronlund,
Ride for fun, race to win.
TRAJISTO
03/06/03, 7:23 AM
Phil,
Is that an actual cash prize or what? I have never seen it in print. If I were to get it boy would that help. Four races, right? Gila Bend; Alto Pit; Cinders; and Vulture Mountain? Long way to go though!
C Ya,
Travis Epperson
Prescott, AZ
#102
quote:Originally posted by Phil Brooks
Travis, Looks like your a shoe-in for the $1000.00 "clean sweep" prize[:p]. Phil # 611
Honda's
crash Test Dummies Whiplash # 611 2003 sponsers: (North Valley Honda), (Sun Valley battery, Unical Racing fuels), (I Shoot horses etc..., Photograghy by appointment by Kim Cook)
Phil Brooks
03/06/03, 8:36 PM
Travis, Actaully the 4 races are Tucson G.P., Cinders, Alto Pit, & Vulture Mine. There is a vacume cleaner shop in Prescott that is sponsoring this. Anyone who can O/A their divison collects $1000.00. If anyone can do it, I beleive you will get the "Clean Sweep" prise. Good luck to you[:p] Phil # 611
"Honda's
crash Test Dummies" Whiplash # 611 2003 sponsers: (North Valley Honda), (Sun Valley battery, Unical Racing fuels), (I Shoot horses etc..., Photograghy by appointment by Kim Cook)
TRAJISTO
03/06/03, 8:56 PM
Does anyone know the name of the shop?
Phil Brooks
03/06/03, 9:06 PM
They told us at the Awards banquet, but I forgot the name? Call the Whip office or ask Jay at next race. Phil quote:Originally posted by TRAJISTO
Does anyone know the name of the shop?
"Honda's
crash Test Dummies" Whiplash # 611 2003 sponsers: (North Valley Honda), (Sun Valley battery, Unical Racing fuels), (I Shoot horses etc..., Photograghy by appointment by Kim Cook)
desertsandrider
03/07/03, 7:57 AM
Phil-i didn't know that was you parked near me on saturday...i was in the pop-up camper and yellow quad right behind you.
Nick
WHASSUUUUPP!!??
2001 400ex
2001 Toyota Tacoma TRD
1986 Sun Lite Pop-Up Camper
Whiplash # ????
Phil Brooks
03/07/03, 2:23 PM
Hey Nick, Yea I saw you but did not know you at the time. We ended up moving our pits when all the truck & buggie crews pulled out after their race. We set up camp/pits just to the right of the starting line. Come over and say hi at the next race in Tucson. Phil # 611
"Honda's
crash Test Dummies" Whiplash # 611 2003 sponsers: (North Valley Honda), (Sun Valley battery, Unical Racing fuels), (I Shoot horses etc..., Photograghy by appointment by Kim Cook)