Experiences
w/MX
I am going to share a shortened version of a the last few years with everybody. I have been riding for about seven years now. My first motocross bike was a 1985 Suzuki RM125. My first race was at New Hartford. I raced the 125C class. I should have known that I was never going to have good luck racing just from that experience. On the first lap on the back side of the track I collided in midair with another rider and of course I was the one to crash and in the process I got ran over from riders that were behind me. I got up and kept going until the last lap. I had worked my way up into trophy position but my bike decided to seize up on that last lap. I wish I would have known after that race that my luck was never going to get any better. The summer of 1997 at Cattle Congress I managed to crash and separate my left shoulder. In 1998, also at Cattle Congress, I managed to land short on a small triple jump on the back side of the track. I came out of that crash with seven broken bones in my face. I have two metal plates around my left eye because of that crash. 1999 was a good year for me, I stayed away from Cattle Congress. I still raced but not as much as I would have liked to. This year my bad luck started all over again. The first weekend of April I separated my right shoulder at Kellog, MN. Stupid me, I didn't let it fully heal and tried to race at Cedar Rapids on the last weekend of April. That was a night that I should have never unloaded my bike. Besides my shoulder killing me on every bump I hit, I managed to land severely short on the triple in front of the grandstands. My chin come down and went through the handlebar pad managing to break my jaw in seven pieces in one area and also broke it by where it hinges. For the next six weeks my jaw was wired shut and my food came out of a syringe. After an experience like that you will never take good food for granted!! I started riding again after I got my jaw unwired, but I stayed away from the racing scene. Two weeks ago I raced for the first time, after my jaw incident, at Kahoka Missouri. I didn't do very good but I managed to keep it on two wheels and go home in one piece in my own vehicle so it was a good day. I had to do it so I could get my head back in the game knowing that I can race and not crash all of the time. I am pumped for next years season. I plan on racing at a lot of the motocross tracks but stay away from the supercross style tracks. I love supercross tracks because I have my own to practice on, but they are the ones that get me on race day. My parents and a lot of my friends ask me why don't you just sell that darn thing and forget about it. It's a lot easier to say that than do it. The thought has crossed my mind but once you hop back on your bike and fly through the air successfully over that tabletop or triple jump there is no other rush in the world that can compare to that. |