AM-PRO YAMAHA JASON RAINES
CHEROKEE ENDURO RACE REPORT
AMA / REKLUSE NATIONAL ENDURO
ROUND 2, CHEROKEE ENDURO, GREENSBORO, GA
The second round of the AMA National Enduro Series took place this past
weekend in Greensboro, GA. The weather was a bit cool on the morning
but warmed up in the afternoon and other than a few mudholes in the second
section the track was in perfect condition. Tight woods, roots and Georgia
red clay to keep us on our toes during the day.
I started out at 9:30 and the first part of the track was a 9 mile ride down the
road before the start of the first section. It was cold! On my row was my wife
Emily, doing her first National Enduro. She had prepared herself before the
race and had been training everyday and was ready for the challenge as she
tackled the Georgia woods on her YZ 125.
The first test section was 9.4 miles and for me it felt like it was 40 miles long! It was a little slick and rooty and I started the
section feeling a little off and just couldn't seem to get a good groove going. I was just making mistake after mistake and the
harder I tried the worse it got. I ended up crashing pretty good a few times and it turned into a snowball. I would fight it and
try and pick up the pace only to fall and get more frustrated and then try harder and fall again. It was a long section and I
thought it would never end! Luckly, they threw the section out after the race was over due to a bunch of riders missing a turn
and getting lost.
The second section was 8.5 miles long and had some mud bogs in it that you could spend the rest of the day in if you didn't
watch it. This test went a lot like the first one. I was fighting everything and I felt as if I had never ridden a bike in my life! I
was ready to head back to the truck and go home! I soldiered on and tried to just make the best of whatever was wrong with
me and my time was way, way off the pace.
The third section was 8.8 miles long and I finally came out of my shell. It is amazing how all of a sudden I started riding
good again, I have no idea what was wrong with me in the beginning. I rode perfect and hit all my lines, made no mistakes
and charged form the start to finish. I was 3rd fastest in this test which was a huge boost for me after the first two sections.
The fourth section was the longest of the day at 11 miles and it had a good mix of woods and the last 4 miles where in a
fast clear cut. I rode ok, but made a few mistakes and got hung up behind a few lappers that hurt my time a little. My time in
this section was 8th fastest, which wasn't very good but I kind of expected that with the problems I had. With the enduros
changing their format this year to a straight out time (minutes and seconds) every second counts and 5 seconds can mean
the difference between first and fifth.
The fifth section was 8.4 miles and as tight as they come. The entire test was in handlebar width and sometimes under
handlebar width Georgia woods! The entire test I was tearing the bark off the trees trying ot get my bars through! It was good
and I like the tight woods, so I felt good and comfortable the entire test. I rode smooth, fast and never made any major
mistakes and my time was 4th fastest.
The sixth and final section of the day was 8 miles long and was the most open of the day. It had grass track sections, open,
flowy woods and a small endurocrosss section towards the end. I had a decent test, made a few slight mistakes but no major
problems. I had fun and the I would have done this test again if I had been given the chance becasue the dirt was perfect
and the trail was so much fun. My time was fifth fastest.
So the race didn't go exactly like I would have planned, but I am still healthy and ready to go to bike week and tackle the
Alligator Enduro, the third round of the National Enduro tour. This past week I have been working on my speed and also
most importantly, my starting speed. I have always been known as a strong finisher, but not such a fast starter. In the
enduros, you must start fast because every second counts! I have been going hard from the start while practicing to try and
get my body used to sprinting out of the gate. I will be ready to tackle the first section at the Alligator!
Also, my wife Emily had a great day and won the women's class. She was tired and sore after the race but the training she
did prior to the event paid off and she came away with her first National Enduro win! She has been hard at it again this
week and is preparing for the Alligator Enduor which is during bike week coming up on Thursday, March 5. Her mechanic
(me) has also been hard at it trying to get her bike back in order and ready to tackle the sands of Florida. She took up the
slack for me, good to have one win in the family!
OVERALL RESULTS
1-Russell Bobbitt
2-Mike LAfferty
3-Cory Buttrick
4-Brad Bakken
5-Nick Fahringer
6-Jason Raines
7-Jimmy Jarrett
8-Cole Kirkpatrick
9- Steward Baylor
10-Shane Watts
11-Jason Greer
Women's Class
1-Emily Raines
2-Virginia Swindle
3-Kelly Hall
4-Rebecca Shifflet
CHEROKEE ENDURO RACE REPORT
AMA / REKLUSE NATIONAL ENDURO
ROUND 2, CHEROKEE ENDURO, GREENSBORO, GA
The second round of the AMA National Enduro Series took place this past
weekend in Greensboro, GA. The weather was a bit cool on the morning
but warmed up in the afternoon and other than a few mudholes in the second
section the track was in perfect condition. Tight woods, roots and Georgia
red clay to keep us on our toes during the day.
I started out at 9:30 and the first part of the track was a 9 mile ride down the
road before the start of the first section. It was cold! On my row was my wife
Emily, doing her first National Enduro. She had prepared herself before the
race and had been training everyday and was ready for the challenge as she
tackled the Georgia woods on her YZ 125.
The first test section was 9.4 miles and for me it felt like it was 40 miles long! It was a little slick and rooty and I started the
section feeling a little off and just couldn't seem to get a good groove going. I was just making mistake after mistake and the
harder I tried the worse it got. I ended up crashing pretty good a few times and it turned into a snowball. I would fight it and
try and pick up the pace only to fall and get more frustrated and then try harder and fall again. It was a long section and I
thought it would never end! Luckly, they threw the section out after the race was over due to a bunch of riders missing a turn
and getting lost.
The second section was 8.5 miles long and had some mud bogs in it that you could spend the rest of the day in if you didn't
watch it. This test went a lot like the first one. I was fighting everything and I felt as if I had never ridden a bike in my life! I
was ready to head back to the truck and go home! I soldiered on and tried to just make the best of whatever was wrong with
me and my time was way, way off the pace.
The third section was 8.8 miles long and I finally came out of my shell. It is amazing how all of a sudden I started riding
good again, I have no idea what was wrong with me in the beginning. I rode perfect and hit all my lines, made no mistakes
and charged form the start to finish. I was 3rd fastest in this test which was a huge boost for me after the first two sections.
The fourth section was the longest of the day at 11 miles and it had a good mix of woods and the last 4 miles where in a
fast clear cut. I rode ok, but made a few mistakes and got hung up behind a few lappers that hurt my time a little. My time in
this section was 8th fastest, which wasn't very good but I kind of expected that with the problems I had. With the enduros
changing their format this year to a straight out time (minutes and seconds) every second counts and 5 seconds can mean
the difference between first and fifth.
The fifth section was 8.4 miles and as tight as they come. The entire test was in handlebar width and sometimes under
handlebar width Georgia woods! The entire test I was tearing the bark off the trees trying ot get my bars through! It was good
and I like the tight woods, so I felt good and comfortable the entire test. I rode smooth, fast and never made any major
mistakes and my time was 4th fastest.
The sixth and final section of the day was 8 miles long and was the most open of the day. It had grass track sections, open,
flowy woods and a small endurocrosss section towards the end. I had a decent test, made a few slight mistakes but no major
problems. I had fun and the I would have done this test again if I had been given the chance becasue the dirt was perfect
and the trail was so much fun. My time was fifth fastest.
So the race didn't go exactly like I would have planned, but I am still healthy and ready to go to bike week and tackle the
Alligator Enduro, the third round of the National Enduro tour. This past week I have been working on my speed and also
most importantly, my starting speed. I have always been known as a strong finisher, but not such a fast starter. In the
enduros, you must start fast because every second counts! I have been going hard from the start while practicing to try and
get my body used to sprinting out of the gate. I will be ready to tackle the first section at the Alligator!
Also, my wife Emily had a great day and won the women's class. She was tired and sore after the race but the training she
did prior to the event paid off and she came away with her first National Enduro win! She has been hard at it again this
week and is preparing for the Alligator Enduor which is during bike week coming up on Thursday, March 5. Her mechanic
(me) has also been hard at it trying to get her bike back in order and ready to tackle the sands of Florida. She took up the
slack for me, good to have one win in the family!
OVERALL RESULTS
1-Russell Bobbitt
2-Mike LAfferty
3-Cory Buttrick
4-Brad Bakken
5-Nick Fahringer
6-Jason Raines
7-Jimmy Jarrett
8-Cole Kirkpatrick
9- Steward Baylor
10-Shane Watts
11-Jason Greer
Women's Class
1-Emily Raines
2-Virginia Swindle
3-Kelly Hall
4-Rebecca Shifflet
| 02/26/09 |
