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Endurocross Racing Finals at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada
- Nov 24, 2010
This style of racing never hit the USA as hard as it did in 2004 when Eric Peronnard, a long time motorcycle promoter invented a new style of racing called Endurocross. He took the hardest most spectacular aspects of enduro and fit them all into a basketball arena. The race is formatted motocross style with riders running laps. Most of the battles in traditional enduro racing happen in woods cliffs or rivers hundreds of miles out of site from spectators. Racers put their lives on the line to compete when only other racers and forest creatures are there to bear witness. With Endurocross these same diehard racers battle it out only this time with manmade obstacles that resemble booby traps and over 10,000 screaming spectators.
As an advanced trail rider, I, K&N employee and intermediate motocross racer Justin Rastegar, thought it would be a great idea to run the amateur open. The amateur support class is part of the series and takes place at every event before the pros run the race. It is on exactly the same torturous course that the pros run, the only difference is it's against amateur level riders making for a very entertaining venue.
When I arrived the dark cold Vegas weather foreshadowed what I was about to see at the 8 am riders meeting and track walk. As I walked the track for the first time I highly doubted my ability to even complete one lap around the arena that was more reminiscent of an Indiana Jones movie than a motocross track.
The real challenge of the race came in a feature that the race promoters dubbed the matrix. Getting stuck in the matrix was worse than anything Keanu Reeves had to put up with, it was pure torture. The Matrix is a series of sequoia logs placed a bike length apart from one another so once you are completely over the first one your font tire is hitting the second one and making you stuck. Unless you can skim the top of these you are inevitably going to get stuck or be uncontrollably launched from your bike onto a bed of logs something I had the pleasure of experiencing.
I finished 5 out of nine in my timed practice giving me the fifth best pick in qualifying heat. Luckily they only used my fastest lap because I spent most of my five minutes underneath my bike in the big rock section. I had beaten my friend Keaton my .55 of a second letting me get one better gate pick than him. In my qualifier I was second into the first turn and held this position all the way until I hit the matrix where I fell back to fifth. Once I got out of that wonderful section I quickly caught up to fourth place where I watched him get cock-eyed over a log and crack two ribs on an adjacent log. His misery put me in fourth which I held onto for 3 of the toughest laps I have ever done in my life. It was the first time ever in my life that looking at a dirt bike made me physically sick. Only 1 and 2 place progressed onto the main event so I was out until the last chance qualifier. Even though I didn't end up qualifying I was not disappointed in myself finishing the race was enough for me. The whole experience was very humbling it took me back to when I first started riding when everything was a extreme challenge. When I staid to watch the pros I felt exponentially better as the best in the world faced similar challenges to me getting stuck on the rocks and in the matrix. Taddy Blazusiak the point's leader had already won the series as he rolled up the start gate. Even though he already had the series in points he ran the race as hard as he could, beating Geoff Aaron the number 2 in points. Both Geoff and Taddy made the track look easier but not effort less. Unlike a motocross race a strong lead doesn't always equate a win. The fact that the entire positioning of the race can change in the last lap of the race is what makes the series so exciting. Find K&N products for your vehicle using the K&N application search then use the K&N dealer search to find a K&N dealer in your part of the world. |
