Ahhh! Finally, some time to sit down and relax! The past two weeks have been very busy for us. Two week ago, we traveled to Livingston, Tennessee for the Loretta Lynn’s Mideast Regional. The supposed 8-hour trip quickly turned into a 12-hour trip when we hit construction traffic in Tennessee, not once but twice. We finally arrived at Thunder Valley MX at about 8pm and settled into a shady, but hilly spot. After spending about an hour getting the camper level, we finally cranked up the generator and the air conditioning and hit the sack.
The track was in good condition for Friday’s practice. Cael didn’t have any bad wrecks and we didn’t experience any bike problems, thank goodness. We were happy to retire to the cool camper after a long day in the hot Tennessee sun.
We woke Saturday morning (at about 6am, thanks to Central Time) to hot, humid conditions. We were hoping for some early motos, but unfortunately, we were not granted that wish. After waiting around for a lot of the day, Cael had a great first moto in the 50cc 4 -6 AMA stock 1 class. He had a good start and had a smooth, consistent race with no wrecks to finish 12th. The stock shaft drive class was next for us. This class was stacked with some very fast and talented riders, such as Gage Linville, Austin Johnson, and Dawson Simms. Cael had another good start and a consistent race. He was in fifth place until the last lap, when he was passed a few corners before the checkered flag. Still, he was very pleased with a sixth place finish. The second moto of the 4-6 class did not go as well as the first. After having a pretty good start, Cael went down in a rut on the first lap. He had to pick the bike up and start it himself. By the time he took off again, he was almost in last place. But being the tough kid that he is, Cael managed to fight back to 22nd place. We decided not to run the last moto of the 4-6 AMA stock 1 class.
Sunday morning was very overcast, but it was much cooler! Cael finished fourth in the second moto of the stock shaft drive class. The real drama, though, came in the third moto of the stock shaft drive class. Thirty minutes before our moto, the rains came. It rained hard for twenty minutes before slacking off and finally stopping while Cael was on the line. Unfortunately, the damage was already done. PW’s don’t handle mud too well, but when you add in a hilly track, that makes for some interesting racing! Once again, Cael had a good start. But he wrecked in a rut shortly after the first turn and was then hit from behind by another rider. When he got back on the bike and started moving again, he was in next to last place. Fortunately for us, the mud proved to be tough on everyone else, too. Several bikes quit and wouldn’t start again. Kids were wrecking everywhere in the mud. Most kids couldn’t make it up the steep hills without the help of an adult. Most of the parents should be applauded, as they helped not only their own children, but also all the children they could feasibly get to. The checkered flag flew three very long laps later, with Cael in fourth place. He had a great time in the mud and ended up second place overall! Look out, Loretta! We will be making our way back to Hurricane Mills, Tennessee for the AMA Amateur National Motocross Championship. But for now, we get to unload the camper for a couple of months. Now, who wants a snow cone?!?!
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