Las Vegas WORC's

The Las Vegas round of the WORC's series was rescheduled and that allowed Brian and I to fly home from back east to compete in every round of the series this year.  We were sort of rushed getting everything together and borrowing G-Man's van so we didn't get out of town until two in the afternoon on Friday.  We made it all the way to Vegas that night and got together with Shane Watts at Chuck Sun's house just outside town where he operates his motorcycle tours.  After a good nights sleep we went out searching for Las Vegas Motor Speedway, which is an amazing facility containing a Nascar track, a drag strip, a road course, and a motocross track.  We were staged at the Moto track and the majority of the course was in the overflow parking area for the Nascar race track.  To tell you the truth we weren't expecting much for a race course in Vegas.  Fortunately the organizers did an amazing job with what they had to work with and made a fair and dust free race track.  (and not the desert saying of "all the dust you want for free")  The track looked a lot like a special test from the ISDE in Portugal, with its flat layout and rocky hard packed ground.  We were going to race the team race which is the last scheduled race of the day so it gave us the opportunity to check out the track and see how the other racers were dealing with it before we has our chance to race.  

Brian started first in the team race and got a second place start behind Shane Esponito.  Nick Pearson was right behind him and made a pass on Brian on the motocross track.  Brian just rolled a jump to see what was on the other side and Nick, being from Las Vegas has had put in many laps around the track jumped passed him taking over second.  Brian came through the barrels on the first lap in second close behind Pearson.  We made the handoff and I took off for the first time around the track.  I was riding the 400 4-stroke KTM again and it took me a little time to adjust to it again.  I liked the course and thought that the crew did about as good as a job as they could do in a parking lot.  In addition to a bunch of twisting turns they built a number of bumps and ditches to keep it interesting.  There was also a mudhole followed by three telephone poles to simulate log crossings and a twisty section right in front of the pro pits that required maximum concentration to get through quickly each lap.  On the second handoff I got by Nick's partner Clint and we took the lead for good in the team race.  The toughest part of the race was stopping every lap and handing off the bike because it was very hot, nearly 100 degrees in Vegas and the heat would get to us when we stopped.  Lucky we had our pit specialist, Illinois Troy, who would take our bikes and clean our goggles while we tried to cool off in the shade.  We had an incident that brought the racing close when Brian got tangled up with a lapper in the whoops and couldn't get their bikes separated for a bit.  Brian and I held on to take the win and got a good look at the track for Sunday's Pro Race in the process.   The only other D-36 rider in attendance was Brian Barrington who put in another strong ride and increased his series points lead in the open A class.

For Sundays Pro Race Brian and I both chose to not wear out chest protectors in order to keep ourselves a little cooler.  We both had excellent picks on the gate starting on the inside alternating between the Suzuki riders.  I got a great jump off of the gate but got sandwiched a bit in the first turn but was still in the top ten.  Brian was fifth on the start and held his own in the early going.  Rodney Smith was in the lead but pulled over letting his teammate Mike Kiedrowski take over the lead on the first lap.  Destry Abbott who was leading the points was in third, followed by Steve Hatch and Brian.  The pace was incredibly fast the first five laps or so.  I was locked in a battle with the Pearsons, both Nick, David, and I swapping positions.  We made seven 4.6 mile laps before having to pull over and get some gas.  Troy gave us another excellent pit, filling us with gas and fresh goggles.  The Las Vegas heat was getting to many riders and a few pulled out early from feeling sick including Shane Watts and Nick Pearson.  Brian and I would take a small sip of water from our Vital hydration systems about twice a lap to keep the dry air from dehydrating out bodies.  It was hot but the lack of humidity and faster racing conditions made the racing bearable and we kept charging throughout the event.  In the end Brian rode a solid race to take fifth place.  I made a last ditch effort to get by David Pearson but finished three seconds behind him and another ten seconds behind Ty Davis for ninth place.  Brian and I are doing well in the championships probably in seventh and eighth as of right now.   Mike Kiedrowski took the lead back from Destry Abbott in the championship but are only a point apart.  With two rounds remaining it still is anyone's title to take.

1  Mike Kiedrowski                                    6  Robert Naughton

2  Rodney Smith                                         7  Ty Davis

3  Destry Abbott                                        8  David Pearson

4  Steve Hatch                                           9  Patrick Garrahan

5  Brian Garrahan                                    10  Kurt Caselli

The next race is up in Oregon and I have raced there before.  It is a great place to race so make the trip up for some great racing.  Go to worcsracing.com for more information.