Welcome back to the blog! I'm currently writing this thing from 35,000 feet above the United States on my way to Las Vegas for the Husqvarna dealer show, Supercross finale, and maybe a little gambling and debauchery along the way; guess we'll find out. Maybe me and Jeff Emig can throw it back to 1998 and find a crocodile suit and tear up the strip, we're leaving Ralph home though. 
Unfortunately this post is going to be vague about the racing, I personally didn't get to make it to Louisiana for one of my favorite events of the year. The day before we were supposed to depart on our conquest I was giving a riding lesson when I had a small tip over with big consequences. I ended up falling over on a rock and 2 hours later my damn thigh was twice the size of the other. Somehow, my dumbass managed to fall directly on my legs self-destruct button, like the 3 meter vent shaft in the Deathstar. I spent the rest of the day and overnight in the hospital, getting transferred to a better hospital after ct scans revealed a 10 inch hematoma in the leg. As I writhed in pain laying on the most uncomfortable hospital bed ever they were contemplating doing surgery to relieve pressure from my leg!? As I slept in the hospital thursday morning my dad and Noah departed on the 24 hour drive to the race in our new Ford transit van that I worked so hard to get prepared for this trip. I returned home thursday afternoon and spent the rest of the day with an ice pack strapped to my leg.
The next day I got a text from a friend that there was some Rumors flying that the Race might be postponed due to a severe Storm System that was moving across the south. This Race is held in a State park and it has been cancelled in the past due to rain. I relayed the info to the guys as they made the journey over the mighty Mississippi River and down to the bayous of Louisiana. I, on the other hand, was hobbling around work Friday having to tell people what happened and explaining how a 2 mph crash could turn my leg into a stuffed sausage ready to pop.
Louisiana is one of my favorite races because it reminds me a lot of home. The trail is a lot like South Jersey, it can be tight and twisty but without sand. There are mall ravines, ledges, drop offs, and concrete structures littered through the old army base, turned state park. This year would be different than anytime I'd been there though, it has always been dry and a little dusty for me however they were calling for inches upon inches of rain before the race. I had my fingers crossed that the race would in fact be canceled, saving me valuable points and the frustration of not being able to attend. No such luck. Saturday the forecasted rain didn't hit until it was too late and how much rain could fall just overnight?
The next day I got a text from a friend that there was some Rumors flying that the Race might be postponed due to a severe Storm System that was moving across the south. This Race is held in a State park and it has been cancelled in the past due to rain. I relayed the info to the guys as they made the journey over the mighty Mississippi River and down to the bayous of Louisiana. I, on the other hand, was hobbling around work Friday having to tell people what happened and explaining how a 2 mph crash could turn my leg into a stuffed sausage ready to pop.
Louisiana is one of my favorite races because it reminds me a lot of home. The trail is a lot like South Jersey, it can be tight and twisty but without sand. There are mall ravines, ledges, drop offs, and concrete structures littered through the old army base, turned state park. This year would be different than anytime I'd been there though, it has always been dry and a little dusty for me however they were calling for inches upon inches of rain before the race. I had my fingers crossed that the race would in fact be canceled, saving me valuable points and the frustration of not being able to attend. No such luck. Saturday the forecasted rain didn't hit until it was too late and how much rain could fall just overnight?
The answer is a lot, from friends of mine I heard it rained 5 inches at the race overnight. People outside at 4 am holding canopies up as they filled with water, rivers running down the paved roads through the park, pretty much just a hell of a lot of rain. At the riders meeting they announced a shortened day, what would have been a 7 section event ended up being 4 pieces. The first section was cut to less then 2 miles and the race in total ended up being just 18 miles long, a far cry from the scheduled 60+ mile event. My oldest cousin Tommy flew down, saving him the 24 hour drive one way and he and Noah were lucky enough to land on row 19, although they weren't out of the woods by any means. The earlier you were the better, I feel bad for the guys back on rows 40+ riding a slot car track of ruts and deep water holes. The boys had great rides despite the conditions, Noah ended up 2nd in A200 after burying himself in the one test. He and Tommy had to work together to unstick his little Husqvarna 125 from a mudhole where they lost roughly 3 minutes. Tommy had his best ride of the year so far even losing that time helping Noah get unstuck, he finished 9th in the A Vet class. Like I mentioned, the racing was short and I wasn't there, so there's little to report on. The trail was one big rut, mud like day old bacon grease, and water holes littering the terrain and filling the many ravines and drop offs. I'm disappointed to have missed it but kinda glad I missed the 48 hour drive to ride just 18 miles.
While home I got to attend the NJ supercross though, something I didn't get to go to last year! I hobbled my way through the parking lot, up the stairs, and to my seat with my giant leg and I'm glad I did. I'm sure most of you saw the race or might have even been there so you know what I'm talking about. What a suspense filled day! No matter if you're on team Dungey or Tomac it's pretty cool to see the season come down to the last round. How bout the 250 class?! With the mistake made by the points leader we have a virtual 3 way tie this Saturday for the 250 East championship, winner take all raced combined with the 250 west riders! I'm going with Ryan Dungey and Zach Osborne, guess I'll go lay money down on it. Normally the bet is black or red but this time in Vegas it looks like it'll be green or orange, who you got?
See you guys in a few weeks for round 4 of the NEPG in Georgia!
