Steve McQueen is said to have said “Racing is life, everything else is just waiting” or something like that. While I am not that die hard about it, I do believe it is an important part of my life and something that fills my soul. I don’t get to race as much as I would like and I don’t force the issue like I used to but every now and then I MUST get out and compete!
I recently answered that call in California at round 1 of the National Hare and Hound Association’s 2019 series. The Desert MC’s have been putting this race on every year for 52 year. Yeah!! 52 freaking years! To say it is a part of motorcycling history is an understatement. Heck, Steve McQueen himself has raced this race and so have the likes of Malcom Smith, Destry Abbott and Kurt Casselli.
This year would mark my 4th time racing this race. It all started back in 2006 when I decided to get ready for the Baja 1000 by racing my XR650 in the Desert MC’s race. What a colossal mistake that was. If you have ever ridden a Desert MC race, you know that an XR650R is not the best bike for their races!.
I have been trying to get people to go with me to one of these races for years and this was the year finally! I talked two good friends into joining me for some sun, warmth and GNARLY racing.
We headed out from Montrose on Thursday morning at 5 am with the goal of getting all the way to Lucerne that night to set up camp. We hammered down and made it in good time. We got camp set up, passed out in preparation for some play riding the next two days.
The conditions on Friday were perfect!. We were able to get a solid 50+ miles of riding in to check jetting and suspension settings. It was a ripping good day!
After a great day we headed back and relaxed while some more friends were trickling into the pits. The next day was another ride day but we took it a little easier and just got a lay of the land and then hung out in the pits most of the day, saving energy for the beat down to come!
Sunday was race day and I will let this video tell the story!
I finished the day 7th in my class and a respectable overall result but was bummed that I couldn’t repeat my win from last year. I was stoked though that my buddy Jason Lesure who joined me ended up 2nd in our class! Amazing performance for his first ever Hare an Hound
It was a great weekend and restored some of what I needed in my life and all of the rest of us crazy fools who have racing in our blood. If you haven’t ever raced a dirt bike, I cannot recommend it enough. YES, it is dangerous but so is getting fat on the couch and I would rather die twisting a throttle than opening a bottle! Here is Jason and My re cap of the race from our live show we do on Thursday mornings called the Gospel Of Two Wheels!
Thanks so much for checking in and reading this blog. Please subscribe to us on YouTube, it would mean the world to me. Also, click this button below if you want to get an email every time I post a new blog! Have a great day, spread the Gospel Of Two Wheels and go ride your DIRTBIKES!!!!!