Pilsworth

I went to Pilsworth not knowing what to expect. No one seemed to know what the track was like and there was no coach Cooper present but I was keen to get another race under my belt.

I found the place easily (thanks to satnav). I pulled up next to a big white van and it happened to be Ben Trumen's van who I had been speaking to on the MXUK forums the week before. His dad walked up to me with a big smile and said in a thick Yorkshire accent, "You that tall New Zealander our Ben's been talking to on t'interweb". I just nodded and smiled. Ben and his family were really sound and his dad later apologised for calling me a New Zealander. It was really good to have some friendly people to talk to during the day.

I walked the track and it looked really fun. The track was quite tight and there were some really steep off camber turns. There was a really nice step down jump which I was able to clear in practice and then there was a massive step down which went into a big bomb hole. I had to slow down a bit for this in order to do a small jump off the take off onto the platform below and then another jump into the bomb hole. The good guys were just clearing the platform and jumping straight into the bomb hole.

My first heat went really well. With it being a championship round there were a lot more riders then there were at my first race, about 20 plus. I felt good the whole race and was really surprised how much my fitness had improved. I ended up battling with a guy on a crf250 and on the last lap I pulled an awesome block pass on him on the second last corner. I finished 14th.

In my second heat my start was terrible and I was right at the back. I felt good again and and just tried to ride as smooth as possible. After two laps I caught and passed two riders and then went down in the next corner. I got up as quickly as I could without stalling the bike. I managed to catch them again and pass them. This time I never went down and managed to catch another two riders before the end of the race. Again I was really impressed with my fitness.

I have to thank my girlfriend Hannah for coming to watch me and marshaling. Marshaling isn't the greatest job in the world especially when its cold. I went to go stand with her before my last race. Her spot was just opposite the big bomb hole step down I had mentioned earlier. While I was standing with her I knew deep down that I needed to have a crack at it and if I went home without trying it I would be annoyed with myself.

My last heat came and I was still feeling good. I felt a bit nervous knowing that I had to try the big step down. The gate dropped and I got my best start of the day. I settled down chasing someone. After two laps of chasing I was right behind him and my opportunity came in the corner just before the big step down. I came up next to him and pinned it. I hit the take off as fast as I could and passed the rider in the air whilst clearing the step down. It was such a good feeling. I must have easily gained a second or two every lap by doing that. I managed to catch and pass another rider by the end and finished in 13th place.

The day was a complete success and my confidence has gone up no end. I felt so much better compared to my first race at Sherwood. I still can't believe how much fun it is. I can't wait for the next race. Ben won all his heats so he was super stoked. I'm not sure what my overall position was as the results page had either been nicked or blown away. I'll be able to check on the net soon.