Why I love Off Road racing

 

This weekend the GNCC series had a new first time winner in Cory
Buttrick. It was a nasty mud race, delayed by an hour and shortened by
an hour so you know it was bad (GNCC racers ain't no sissies). In the
course of winning the event, on the last lap of the race, Buttrick had
the following experience (told in his own words from
http://www.gnccracing.com/articles/2260_buttrick-wins-wiseco-john-penton-gncc )
with series leader Josh Strang, who was fighting for the overall win
too:

"Strang took the lead on the third lap and held it until the fourth
and final lap, when Buttrick retook the point on the motocross section
of the course. The order seemed set until the two front-runners
encountered a bottleneck near the end of the race.

"I got there and there we bikes everywhere - it was a bad situation,"
said Buttrick. "I got there about 30 seconds before Josh and I looked
up one line and there we bikes all over and the other way didn't look
any better. Then Josh pulled up and we were sitting there for a while
and then we started trying to get through and I dropped into this deep
rut and I thought I was done at that point. But then Josh helped me
drag the bike out and gave me a shove up this hill to get me going. I
stopped at the top of the hill and got off the bike to help him and
then I saw Whibley go to the right of us and I saw Kanney go that way
too, and then I saw Josh get going so I took off. I can't thank Josh
enough for what he did - it was the best thing anyone has ever done
for me during a race. Big thanks to Josh Strang, he's a class act."

The shove from Strang was enough to keep Buttrick in the lead and the
Ohio native crossed the finish line with fists in the air, taking the
win with over a minute to spare."

I can't even imagine that level of sportsmanship in any other pro
level racing series.
Exceedingly cool.

Tim H

 

wrote:


Josh Strang is an incredibly cool individual.  I'm glad to see him
kicking ass this year.  He completely deserves it.

 

Thanks for sharing that, Tim!
It really made me feel good, reading it.

WTG Josh Strang!


Jim


************************************


wrote:

 

wrote:



Couple o'minutes:
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v96604751394

 

I'm not sure if my failing memory recalls this correctly...

'88 Cowbell - Tim and I just started the second loop when we
encountered "the hill" - it started as a narrow ribbon-marked line
straight up this virgin hill and was now covered with C-class riders
spinning in the one line rut where most the bikes' rear tires weren't
touching, they were hanging from where the swingarm/sprocket/chain
guide touched the ruts' sides.

Tim and I are sitting on our bikes, watching the madness.  There's no
other line -- it's all dense western Washington forest.  Tim says,
"well Joe, I guess this is where we hour out."  Joe replies, "like
heck it is, c'mon."  Whereupon Joe jumps the ditch at the edge of the
road, into the bank then starts dragging his bike up the hill, over
downed trees...

At some point Tim says "there's no way we're going to get to the top
this way."  Joe replies, "we don't need to get to the top."  "We just
need to get above those guys."

It only took every bit of energy we had to get above the pack of C-
riders, cut across & dump our bikes into the greasy, deep groove.  Joe
then turns downhill, and yells out "OK, NOBODY is getting by us until
we're over the top. You can spend the rest of the day down there bench
pressing your bike or you can come up here and push us out of the
way."

As I recall, I got to sit on my bike blipping the throttle while them
C-riders pushed me the rest of the way up the hill.  hehe

I learned this early in my enduro career.  Once someone's stuck on a
hill, the following riders can't contain themselves, they start up the
hill, dig holes and in no time there's a ton of riders on the hill
blocking every conceivable line.

I remember the first time I put this to use.  Mt Baker was running us
on the trail they were going to use for an upcoming national event and
we had to cross a small creek then with a short run get up a pretty
darn steep hill.  Trouble was, there's a log buried into the hill
kinda like a water bar but the log's 1-1.5' diameter, so the best I
could do was hit the hill in second gear, shift down as I went over
the log, then dig a nice deep hole when I landed.

I knew if I went back down there'd instantly be someone else in my
exact spot and I'd spend the rest of the night (this was the same
night enduro where John destroyed his knee) pushing other people up
this hill.

So I got off, then started the cycle of (1) bench press the bike 6" up
the hill, (2) grab the brakes, (3) shuffle feet (trying to walk up)
while bike slides back down 6".  Repeat.  I only had to do that for
6-8 cycles before it became VERY apparent to those below me that the
ONLY way they were getting up this hill was to push me over it first.

Was I ashamed? No.  I lost all shame when Angie Farrell pushed me up a
hill.

Also, it's following the rules which say you can't ride backwards on
the course...