Funky Chicken

[roostafish]

After a long hiatus, I decided to ride the Funky Chicken National HS this past weekend. Years ago I would ride sweep for the club and just have a grand old weekend. I hated the course then, and thought it would be a terrible experience. So I would do my part as a club member and help.

This year I decided to skip the invitations to work and ride the course leading up to the event and go ahead and ride.

Saturday's races came and went and I didn't pay much attention because my wife and I were just enjoying our time, taking in the view. The kid camped next to us rode two times, once on an 85, and once on a ktm 200. He seemed to have had a great time. Unfortunately in the motorhome next to us, the 50 year old chief of police from Reedsport OR, had a rough go, decided to pull out early and rest up, since he was feeling nauseous and his back was hurting. Unfortunately, he was having a heart attack, our own hero Toni Bamford did cpr until life flight arrived and he was transported. Sorry to say, he did not make it. It was very sad, and quite a wake-up call. So in perspective. I had a great weekend. On to Sunday.

Peer pressure, and the show off in me had me changing out my well worn S12's the evening before. I woke up to a pair of flat tires, so I quickly took them off, cleaned and reinstalled them. TuBliss has never failed me up 'til now, but I think it has to do with the tire itself. While I was able to rescue the rear, the front never quite sealed (Motoz tyres, real rubber, must leak)-. Anyway I put 30 psi in the front in hopes of a slow leak and lined up with minutes to spare. With no kickstarter, my bike doesn't quite light as fast as some and I got a solid top 10 start, but was hoping for better. (Insert, there were only 10 riders in the local AA class, solid meaning about 7th around the first turn.) Dust, grass track of doom! Possibly the most fun grass track I've ever done with a killer endurocross style log matrix with two optional balance beams. Super fun. Woods, dust, downhill, uphill, chop. Chop, cow prints, chop, braking bumps, dust, hill, grass. That's pretty much it. I ate dust all day. Pitted each lap and put 30 psi in the front, only to have it be flat half way through the course each lap. No excuse, I'm the goof who did it to myself. I didn't get last place, so that's fun, but 8th isn't exactly what I was hoping for. There were some fast dudes there. I had a hard day. My arms are punished today, but it was a first class event, and a great learning experience. I wish I could remember more details, but it really boils down to bumps and dust, 14 miles of it, over and over until it became a talcum powder like substance. If anyone else who was there has more detail, I'd sure like to hear it!

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[Rick]

Mike...it was nice seeing you agian at the Chicken....

I was not riding my GasGas EC200. She is ready for a tear down so the YZ125 was the bike of choice for this brutal14 miles of pure he$$.



My day started off well, signed up, tech inspection and rider meeting, was done and out of the way. The B SSR was the last row to start, which left me with dust to contend with all day!

Being that it was a dead engine start, about 120 yards to the first turn meant I needed to by on my game as all other bike in my class were 450cc four strokes....the green flag was thrown and the YZ fired quick and I was off with a second place into the first turn...held that place through the grass track section and into the first section of woods. I missed a turn and ended up going left when I should have went right. I rode straight into a berry hedge, vines tangled in my rear brake pedal, killed the motor, I fell over on my right side in the hedge. Several other riders followed me, so we all were pretty much in the same boat! Took a bit to get untangled and headed back out into the chocking dust! I needed to put my head down and charge back towards the front of my class which I managed to do. I made several passes within the first 8 miles and I was prerry certain I was within range of the class leader.

The single track was super tight, rough and dusty, the PNW has not had much rain so under the trees it dark and very dusty....it took time for your eyes to adjust from the bright sunshine to all most darkness in the woods....doing this at race pace was pretty scarry a few times.

There was a massive up hill with a sky jump for those who could pull the hill, it looked to be about a 3rd gear pinned for anyone who decided to try it, I took the "bail out" side when I approached it on the first lap I seen riders case the jump pretty bad, some tried to roll over it and crashed and burned...it was pretty ugly! This hill was pretty chewed and I as down to first gear towards the top. Then it was back out onto the grass track!
The grass track was by far the coolest, traction was pretty easy to come by and when I passed through the home check I was listed in 3rd place.

I started out on lap 2 trying to make a charge for the front, there was plenty of B Senior riders who were falling into our ranks as well, so I needed to get by them as I was less than a minute behind the 2nd place rider in my class. I put my head down and rode like a man on a mission. The course was getting more and more chewed up by the minute, the dirt under the trees quickly turned into powder, the ruts grew to peg depth in the turns and massive pine tree roots were becoming exposed. There was several very steep down hill runs which were covered with studder bumps and deep ruts making it very hard to maintain braking traction with the rear wheel.

At mile mark 12 was the massive up hill, again I took the bail out route hit the bottom pinned 3 gear, rode out 3rd until it fell off the pipe, tapped 2nd and rode that as far as I could, shifted down to first gear and cleared the top, back onto the grass track section over the log matrix, through home check to head out for lap # 3.

I pulled into the pits to get a splash of premix to top off my tank. I was feeling pretty strong still both phyical and mental, I was starting to get a hot spot on my right hand towards my little finger, center palm...no worrys, I'd push through that..The course at this point was degrading very quickly and the dust was thick, which made it hard to see anything in front of you....but I continued to push on wicking up my pace even when I could not see. At this point I had pulled my roll off cord so many times I lost count, but with every pull seemed to help just enough to keep pushing on. On a very sharp right hand rutted turn in the tree section in blinding dust I ran into the back of a rider who had stalled his bike, I did not see him at all, I stalled, and fell over. I managed to get my bike started very quickly, pulled out of the rut and motored by the stalled rider. As I was working my way through the course it was parent that I needed to adjust my stablizer as the course was getting rougher and more chewed up by the minute. I started out on a #3 setting and I was now pushing # 6 setting on the GPR stabilizer.

I was was about spent as I crossed the home check and the white flag was being waved to go out for a 4th lap! I did about everything I could to muster the drive to tackle this course one last time. I was now starting to get several hot spots on both hands in several places which was making it just a bit hard to get a really firm grip, never the less I pushed on for the final go around on this very tough course. I backed my pace down to conserve myself just so I could make it to the finish. At some point around mile 3-5 the leader passed me and I knew that a freight train of AA riders would be soon be following. I just put my head down again and struggled to get through this last lap. I heard a bike behind me and I was in no shape to put up a fight, so I pulled over only to let several AA riders go by. At about mile 8-10 I heard another bike coming up behind me, this time he was yelling, I slowed down, moved as far over as I could and he passed me in a very tight section, I caught the number and it was Roostafish on his KTM 350 hammering it through the woods....at this point I just wanted off this bike, out of this chocking dust and wanted to see the home check.....but I had about 4 or 5 miles to go. My legs were felt like noodles, my arms were not much better, I had a mouth full of dirt and my hydration pack was getting empty by this point. I am not a quiter by any means, I have never, ever wanted to pull out of a race, but the thought had entered my head several times during that last lap. I was ridng so sloppy, I felt like I was hitting every rock, root, studder bump, I could barely ride the ruts, I had pretty much expired myself with just a few miles to go. I finally came out of the woods only to be confronted by that big ass steep, chewed up, silt powder hill, I grabbed a hand full of third gear and just kept it pinned, down shifted to second, hit a rock covered up by the powder, bounced off course, kept pinned, traversed up the hill, into another berry patch, keep it pinned, down shifted to first gear crested the hill only to have a bunch of spectators scrambling to find a safe spot and out of my way....I was at the top, home check in site and I just needed to cross the strip and this nightmare would be over. I rode the 1/2 mile or so of grass track, crossed the log matrix one last time and I was done! I did not even bother to look at my finish.

I rode back to my truck only to find my car pool buddies already packed up???? What the heck??? Travis started only 3 minutes ahead of me and he was out of his riding gear, bike loaded on the trailer. Keith was one minute ahead of me and I passed him around mile 5 on the first lap! I was dejected, I was pissed, I was tired! I coasted up to my bike stand, throw off my goggles and lifted my bike on to the stand. I could not wait to get that helmet off. I reached in the cooler for my Pedilite, and about drank the entire bottle. I asked Travis how he finished, he stated he won his class. Keith said he pulled off after the second lap.
I walked over to the pits only to find my gas can was the only one left under the Polka Dots EZ Up. I grabbed what little gas was left in the jug and was headed back to the truck. I made a pit stop over at the "live" scoring monitor and waited for the unoffical results to be posted. I could see bikes and riders still coming in. Some were being pulled by side by sides, others by quads...it was pretty ugly! After about 2-3 minutes the B SSR results were up, I placed 2nd in class WTF!!!! I had on idea were I was on the course....OK! Now I have a little pep in my step as I walked back to the truck to get out of this nasty gear!

I went back to the truck and the guys were asking me where I placed, I told them unoffical I was in 2nd place. About 15 minutes after the race the announcer over the P.A system said that the race was over, and in 30 minutes the awards presention would start. I was pretty happy that I had placed 2nd concidering everything I had went through. Several minutes later after I changed out of the gear, I headed over to the scoring table, I looked at the printed results, yep....2nd place. According to the rules any protest must be made with the allowed 30 minute time frame. Ok...why am I bringing this protest crap up?? We as racers don't like to hear the "P" word!

So the announcer calls for the following riders to the stage, I heard my name so I walk over, they are doing the throphy presentation, called off the 1 place rider, then the second place rider....WTF!!!!!!! It was not me!!! Called the 3rd place rider! My name.....I said no...look, you got all ass backwards, I got second place! Nope he said, your third! Soon the scoring boss pulled me aside and said let me explain! I was FREAKING HOT!!!! The second place rider protested the results. He pulled off after the 3rd lap....

He went on to say that my second place was based upon 4 laps, when he stated that only 3 laps would be scored, as reviewed in the riders meeting.....we'll I guess I did not hear that part in the meeting!
So........they threw out the 4th lap, rest the field as we crossed the home check at the end of lap # 3, I was in 3rd place, and so that is where I finished the Funky Chicken AMA West Nation Hare Scramble!



http://gosports.smugmug.com/Motorcy...6290_djTjvC#!i=2621323214&k=XPSwBdN&lb=1&s=XL

 

[roostafish]

Pictures! I love it! I will try to post some too.

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[Rick]

Here are more from the entire event:

Check them out!

http://surfdirt.smugmug.com/

 

[roostafish]

Thanks Rick. I bought three.

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[Rick]

Here are a few more!

http://gosports.smugmug.com/