Jessie Wharton’s Moto Tour: August 10

August 10, 2011| By: Jeremiah Reed | Category: Dirt Bikes, Moto Tour

Hey everyone, I hope you all have enjoyed your week so far! Once again I am back to fill you in on how the week has been, as well as the goings on in the moto community. This weekend I raced both Saturday and Sunday at PIR for rounds 11 and 12 of the Northwest National MX Series.

This is my favorite race that is held in the Northwest by far, and not to mention one of my favorite tracks ever! It is not the normal track that is held each Thursday night, but it is an extended grass track. It is a really cool track that has a slight elevation change and off camber corners. The grass track transitions into the main Thursday Night Track that is “under the lights”. So you go from not so technical to a tighter and more technical track with jumps and obstacles. Overall the layout is unique and very fun for riders of all skill levels.

I got to the track Friday night and it looked perfect! I was so excited for practice the next morning. And after a goodnights sleep I woke up and got ready for practice. The track not only looked amazing, but was just as awesome as I was anticipating it to be. I will have to admit I was struggling with the infield part of the track more than anything. It was a bit tighter than I was expecting and there were some challenging jumps that I had to get figured out before my first moto. Luckily, my next practice went great! I got down this really technical triple that saved me some time, not to mention I just had a ton of fun on the track!

By the time my first moto came around I felt great! My first moto up was the boys 250 Int moto. I got a decent start and placed fairly well in it. I had a long wait until my women’s moto though, being it was second to last, so I changed out of my riding gear and stayed in the shade. I think the day reached up to the 90s, it was that hot outside! I really think it is important for riders to keep their core temperature down on race days, as well as staying hydrated properly.

A few hours later my first women’s moto was up! I had a friend from the track that was helping my dad out this weekend work on the bikes and help with the motos. Most people don’t realize this but in my family there are 6 of us, my parents and four of us kids. Well I guess we aren’t kids anymore but you get the idea. My dad rides, as well as my brother and my older sister too. So on a race day my brother races 3 motos, I race 2 motos and if my sister goes she will race a moto. So it gets really crazy for my dad and most of the time he doesn’t even get a chance to ride because he is focused so much on us. So it’s great when there is someone to help and he gets to enjoy himself and moto along with the rest of us. Big thanks to Danny for all your help!

But back to the race, I think this race will do gown in my memory bank forever. Not that anything “amazing” happened, but just for the simple fact that I did possibly the dumbest thing ever! I got a good gate, and was really ready for the start. We had sat on the line for almost 20 min because there was a rider down in the moto before us and the medics were attending to him. I don’t recall the rider, but I heard he broke his leg, so the best luck to him and his family! Just about the time they were hauling the down rider off we started up the bikes and got ready to go. I looked out front and watched the signal to get ready, I looked down and the gate dropped…And I sat there. I hadn’t even shifted up! I just sat there and didn’t realize what had happened until the whole class was in the first corner! I think that was the stupidest thing I could have ever done! lol It was probably from the nerves built up so long while sitting on the gate, but no matter what happened I just looked like a fool lol. As soon I got my wits about me, I started charging. I knew I probably couldn’t catch up to 1st, but I was pushing it anyways. Each lap I tried improving parts on the track I knew I could do better in, as well as keeping my lap times down.

On my second to last lap I had made it into 2nd place, but slid out in a corner. I was able to re-group myself and keep going. By the time the checkers came out I was about 10 ft behind first place! I ended up 2nd that moto, but I was proud of working up through the pack and getting right behind first place. I knew I just needed a moto win to get the overall.

The second half of the day seemed to go by even slower. After my women’s moto I had 3 motos until my boys moto. I went out, got another good start and finished again in front of my competitor from the women class. I knew I had the track dialed and the speed for my women’s moto. But most importantly I loved that track! I think the grass section is the funnest part of that track and I already look forward to next year racing there!

By the time our second moto came around the track was rough and dusty. The sun was right in our eyes and we were all ready to get the long day over with. When I lined up this time everyone was joking around telling me to try shifting and not to just sit there. So this time I tested with my clutch a bit to feel I was in gear. When the gate dropped I rocketed out with the holeshot. I started putting time in between me and 2nd place. I was really feeling smooth and like I had the rhythm of the track down. My energy level was great and just felt like a solid moto win. When I pulled off from the checkers I was 16 seconds ahead of 2nd place.

So for me, the day ended on a great note and I had a ton of fun along with 4 motos of solid riding. I wish I could say the same for Sunday though. Sunday morning came and I had a stomach ache along with a terrible head ache. In my first moto I took a spill that gave me a slight concussion, which has messed up my vision since Sunday. I still rode my motos, but not pushing, I was just able to ride around on my favorite track of the year!

So that is how my weekend went! I hope you all enjoyed the past week along with the weather and some good motos or just free riding! Make sure to make the next few days count because I have a feeling our summer is going to get cut even shorter here in the Northwest lol. Get your family and friends together and go out and ride safe, most of all being with those you love!

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