Well, the weekend in Monticello was eventful for sure. It started with a late arrival by the Spradling clan into a rain storm that made the pits a muddy mess. As we got there we tried to park next to some friends and made it a total of 3 feet off the main road before we were completely stuck, van and trailer!!!
After much consternation and begging for help we decided to un hook from the trailer and move the van. That went pretty well for a bit then I managed to stick the van in a different location very close to a fellow racers truck. Our friend Casey Melton was able to hook onto the pop up camper and haul it to a solid place for us to camp for the night. We crawled in and slept, dreaming of drier conditions.
The next morning we woke to better conditions and moved the van and prepared to support our Highland Cycles Race Team members who were racing the team race. Practice went really well with good conditions and as the Pro/A line took off in the race it looked like we might dodge a precipitation bullet. Then 30 seconds before the B line started, the heavens opened up and approximately 2 inches of small hail fell and turned the course into soup! The remainder of the team race was out of hand. More hail, snow and rain fell making the riding really difficult. Our teams did great and ended up with a 2nd in the Pro race and 3rd in the B class!
That night I crawled into the camper dreading what the morning would bring. I haven't been racing in quite a while and I was slated to race Elsa in the Vet A class. As I woke up early Sunday Morning I could tell it was sunny and my spirits began to lift. We got up, made breakfast and headed down to the riders meeting. Brett announced that they were going to postpone the race for an extra hour to let the course dry. This made me so happy. The dirt was already drying and I knew that we were headed for traction city!
The C race started on time and Ashley Stambaugh (one of our team members) jumped out to an early lead with the holeshot!! She managed to hang on to that position the entire race and came home with a win.
Next up was the Pro A and B race. We had people on the Pro line (Mick), Vet A (me), 250 B (Shane Ayer), and Open B (Will Stambaugh). As the flagged waived in front of me I kicked Elsa and dumped the clutch. That bike rocketed to the front and kept me there for the entire moto track section. When we hit the offroad portion my skills held us back and we got passed by two riders. Not too long later Dustin Yehling ( a good friend) passed us up but we were able to keep him in sight for the entire first lap. Unfortunately I fell apart physically and had to fall back further as the race went on. The conditions were the best I have ever experienced at a Webe Race. There was NO dust and PERFECT traction all day! Elsa (our shop Husqvarna) was amazing. Everything on that bike worked perfectly. The suspension (by Factory Suspension Works) was flawless and all of our accessories made it a dream to ride. I just didn't have what it took to pilot it at that pace. I ended the day with a 5th place and lots of sore muscles. I am excited to get myself back in shape and try to compete with those guys. I am also excited to see what someone else can do with Elsa in a race.
If you are interested in racing our beautiful 2015 TC250 please call us at 970-240-2197!
