The flag flies and the race has begun. Neither Atwell or Cecco are quick enough off the line to grab the holeshot. That would only make their days tougher, having to fight not only each other, but other traffic to get to the front of the pack. The end of lap one saw Cecco as the leader, with a time of 23:42. Atwell wasn’t too far behind though, about twenty seconds behind Cecco in the third position.

 The second lap proved tough for both riders, as Cecco fell to third and Atwell fell to fifth. Atwell would never recover from that fall to fifth, staying in the position and finishing the race there. Cecco, however, was able to muscle her way back up to the first position to take the win for the Women’s class and allow her to finish 2 points ahead of Atwell for the season championship.  

 As the racers look to the 2009 season, (yes, us racers do that…as soon as the checkered flag is out for the last 2008 season, we begin to plan and hope for the 2009 season) don’t count out the possibility of another strong battle for the top position in an ultimately competitive class. Sure we’ll see the Cecco-Atwell battle again, but to add to that fire will be rising racers Lexie Coulter, Kristen Atwell and Stefanie Verkade.

 To check out more info on the GNCC Harescramble series visit their site at: www.gnccracing.com

July 27, 2008

All excuses aside, I’ve had a pretty good season so far (knock on wood for me now!!). Round 8 of the 14 race series just passed and I’m currently sitting 2^nd in points. Not bad for my first year right??

To catch everyone up on me, I’m currently in my second year of riding, I started racing about 4 months after starting to ride. Way to dive right on in huh? Anywho, all last summer/winter I focused on racing the motocross/super cross tracks …I liked them better. People were able to see me, I was able to practice before the race, and I really liked the whole flying through the air off the jumps thing. That was in Tennessee.

Now we’ve moved to NY and my husband is an avid hare scramble racer. A hare scramble race, for those of you who don’t know, consists of usually a 6-12 mile course going through woods, field tracks, creeks, up hills, off camber sections and rock gardens. The racer does as many laps as they can in a certain amount of time. For the series I race, WNYOA Harescrambles, our length is an 1 ½ hours unless it’s a national event or GNCC.

(more…)

This weekend was the last indoor series race of the season. I’ve raced three races so far and placed 3^rd, 2^nd, and 4^th. I came into this weekend dying for my first win. It’s pretty hard going from winning every outdoor supercross race to not winning a single indoor supercross race.

The night started out well. Practice was good and as usual, I excelled in my heat race, taking 1^st. Then came that dreaded main event, 6 laps of pure chaos in the Women’s Quad class. One of our regular riders broke her wrist last week in a wreck but was still racing this weekend to keep her point standing.  The other two girls in the class are fairly new to the sport, but are just as hungry as I am to win. Sometimes, that gets us into trouble.

Sitting at the gate watching the card, I let off my brake and noticed I started to roll forward, so….instead of taking the chance of jumping the gate and getting caught in it, I decided to wait until I knew the gate was completely dropped, then take off. That right there began the Pretty Tough ride. I was last into the holeshot, again. I thought to myself, “Why does this feel so familiar?”….maybe that’s because that’s exactly how last weekend began.

(more…)

Made from 100% metallic lambskin and lined in 100% viscose. Contoured seams throughout and standing collar with extended tab make it absolutely fab—a must have for your motorcycle style wardrobe.

Additional features:

• Banded cuffs with zipper and two snap closures.
• Zip front with snap closure at the bottom.
• Slanted zipped pocket on chest.
• Zipped side pockets.
• Rear cummerbund detail with buckled bands on sides.
• Fully lined.
• Made in Italy–of course.

Please note: Due to European sizing, we recommend you order one size up. Where to buy? At any authorized D & G boutique — just plan on spending about $1500 (retail price).

Outdoors racing is spread out more….which gives you the ability to get more speed before catching air of a jump. Indoors doesn’t really give you that luxury. You must know how to “feather your clutch” (keeping your RPM’s up while getting in and out of a corner)….leaning into the corner never became more important, and overall strength and stamina is a must have in indoor series racing.

Because an outdoors track allows you to gain more speed before jumps, you usually can catch more air time, which in itself, is an amazing feeling! For those few moments your in the air, you get a feeling of liberation, freedom, of flying. Although there are jumps in the indoor series races, most are not able to give you the extended effect that outdoors gives.

Of course, when comparing indoor and outdoors racing, you must look at the different types of tracks, the size of the venues, etc. Not all indoor and outdoor tracks are as large and laid out like those of the AMA Motocross, Supercross, and Arenacross series. Plus, every rider’s experience and ability is different. Those who do not do particularly well on an outdoors track may do extremely well on indoors.

I know in my case, I cannot wait to get back on the outdoors tracks. I miss the sun on my face, the smell of fresh air,  and being able to just go faster for a longer period of time.

Indoor vs. Outdoor

For more information on the 2008 Can-Am GNCC Racing series, log on to: www.gnccracing.com .

http://www.mudgaloreatvclub.com/

http://www.dirtygirls.com/

http://www.playhardgetdirty.com/

http://www.womensmotocrossassociation.com/index.html

http://www.girlyz.com/

…you can also email me at wheeler0801@aol.com if you need some extra help or an actual person to talk to! :)     

This is a newly formed class which will allow the fast “A” riders that have been competing in the class for the past 3+ years. This will truly show the talent these Women Pros have along with opening up the door to Women who are racing MX series to transition over to Off-Road.

http://www.transworldmotocross.com/

My husband has been riding for what seems like forever….I’ve been riding about 2 years…he does harescrambles, I stick to mx/sx……UNTIL NOW!!!

November 25, 2007 I ran my very first harescramble…..it was a buddy race…one quad, 2 riders, switching every other lap. I was soo nervous, my husband does so well with harescrambles…and me never riding one before, I wanted to make sure I didn’t disappoint him. I must say that harescramble riders really are awesome…to be a decent racer you must be conditioned, have the stamina to go the fastest you can for over an hour and a half…you have to have the strength to get yourself out of some serious binds…kinda like the mudhole I got stuck in…

(more…)