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Texas Qualifier
Brian picked up Tim Taber in Illinois on the way down to Good Old Texas for the Two Day ISDE Qualifier outside of Houston. The event was set up with many short loops with a grass track leaving the pits a terrain test halfway through the loop and another grass track at the end of the loop coming into the pits. This made for great special tests for the riders and spectators alike. One of the grass tracks had a big sand dune uphill that some wouldn't even give it a shot to make it up, and most were struggling. All of the tests were good fun tests that gave the riders lots of special test practice for the six days. Brian started out strong winning three of the first five tests and having fun on the fast sandy tests. Three quarters of the way through the day Brian went over the hangers and had a bad crash along the side of a little lake. The course went along the side of the lake and when it went to turn there were some big ruts and when Brian went for the brakes his front end stuck sending him over and then the bike came over and hit him. Spectators ran over to see if he was alright as the crash had shot his Vital drink pouch out the top and was just hanging by the tube. Brian had the wind knocked out of him and the spectators thought he was seriously hurt. He gasped for them to pick up his bike and tried to get on but when he did he just fell over. This time he told them to pick up his bike and start it for him and managed to get on the bike and ride off although he had been trampled by his bike and was all hunched over trying to get going with his drink system dragging behind him determined to finish the special test as well as the last thirty miles left in the day. Fred Hoess was back on a Husky 125 which should suit him well for the six days this year in Czechoslovakia. At the qualifier many of the young 125 riders were basically on a riding school from the vetern Hoess, as he ran away and hid from his competitors. Sergio Diaz is a rider from Mexico that we always see at the six days came north of the border and had a strong ride finishing third on the day, with Tim Taber finishing next for fourth. Brian ended up 22nd for the day after the crash. For the second day the riders did a couple laps as the day before then had a final motocross test. Brian was still hurting pretty bad. He tried to save his strength for the special tests and on the trail tried not to get his wheels off the ground and cruised through the bumps. In the 125 moto Amanda Mastin grabbed the holeshot on the KTM 125 but was overtaken by Hoess on the first lap and pulled out to a big win. Brian had a good moto and won the 250 moto ahead of Ron Schmelzle. Mark Thompson won the 250 four strokes and Matt Stavish won the big four stroke class. Brian dealt with the soreness and won the day ahead of Hoess and Schmelzle. |