It’s The Heat That Makes It So Hot!

Sweltering. Hot. Friggin Hot. Not cold. Melting. Burning. Baking. Blistering. Red-hot, Baking hot. Calorifacient. Calorific. Fervid. Fiery. Flaming. Heated. Overheated. Radioactive. Scorching.

Yep, all of those.  It has been so hot lately, that I have given up trying to describe it to others.  The words are just not cutting it, it is so friggin hot.  I was on the phone with someone from Mexico City today.  He asked just how hot was it, like 80 degrees or something.  Ha!  We had 5 days over 90.  For an area of the country that normally has jus ta couple of days over 90, the whole year, this is remarkable weather.  It is a gosh darn heat wave.  It is May, for crying out loud!

Adams County is just such a great location for a race. Thanks to Bob Kau and the other landowners for letting us race there. Thanks to Shawsome Moto Photography and Mike Dean for the photos.

Of course, it was inevitable that the first HS race of the season would fall during the phenominal stretch of heat.  Adams County HS, put on by the Madison Motorcycle Club on Bob Kau’s property.  There probably isn’t another race in Wisconsin that is better than this one.  There are other good races that are close, but Bob is just so gracious in letting us race there. He takes great care to lay out a course that is safe, fun, flowing and challenging.

I was able to help the club put the course together, by helping to clear trail and brush in the weekend before the race.  I haven’t always been able to help do that as I was traveling so much I couldn’t find enough time.  Now that I am working a lot less I can, and it feels good to help out, even if it is just a small amount.

And it was a scorcher.  It was 95 at the start of the race and didn’t get any cooler.  (The dashboard of the truck said 115 degrees when I drove off after the race – but that is in the sun – you get the idea).  I made a decision at the beginning of the race that I wasn’t going to find myself in the hurt locker because of going to fast at the start.  The conditions felt like the first year of doing the Perry Mountain  24hr race.  It was so friggin hot.  Most of the crew ended up with heat conditions.  I ended up having to lay down in the middle of the night and sit out about 6 hours of the race.  My teammate Scott Daubert ended up going to the hospital after the race to take 5 liters of fluid.  Yowza, it was not a good day.  All of that was on my mind as the gun went off.

I holeshotted off the line, and tried to settle in to a relaxed pace.  Unfortunately, Greg Steffes wanted to go faster.  After letting him bang into the back of me for a while, I decided to let him go and I soft throttled it for a bit to give him a chance to go around.  I followed him for a lap or 2 at a distance to stay out of the dust.  Eventually, he bobbled in a turn and I went by.  Once by and the track clear in front of me, I just settled in to a pace that would allow me to stay ahead of Greg, but not overdo it.  It worked.

I was the only guy in the +40 class to get 6 laps in, but I missed the top 10 overall.  Oh well, it was a good day on the motorbike.

Finishing up the race. Looking pretty tired and drained by the way I am sitting on the bike. My camelbak was drained and I was nearing the end of my ability to stay on the bike. Happy to win. Happy for the heat, I kinda like it.

It’s the Heat that makes it so Hot!

Thanks Moose Racing, Kenda tires, Factory Connection, Maxima Oils, Bell Helmets.