Every once in a while, the SMEC Supermoto Series coincides with MotoAmerica at Virginia International Raceway. When both events happen simultaneously, I try my best to make it to the track!
For this outing, I decided to use the bus in order to bring along all the toys (supermoto, dual-sport, & mountain bike) and the comforts of home to a historically BRUTALLY HOT weekend in the late summer sun.
On my way out of town on Friday, I made a stop at my father's house to show him and his wife the bus, since they hadn't seen it in its fully-functional state. While showing them the goodies inside and motos strapped both inside & out, my father mentioned the MotoAmerica ad he'd seen on TV. Once I explained that's where I was headed, his eyes lit up! I told him to gather his things and head out the next morning if he'd be interested...so he did!
Once at the venue, I set to unloading my gear and swapping the SM wheels onto my YZ250F. The next morning I made breakfast, tested out the YZ on the asphalt, then rode the KTM (dual-sport) through the MOTUL offroad tracks. By about 1pm my dad pulled into the Kart Track area, at which point we retreated to the cool temps in the bus to go over our itinerary.
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About an hour later I decided I needed to modify my front brake adaptor [which was rubbing on the rotor]. I performed the modification and begin reassembly...only to come up short locating the pad retention spring. The two of us began searching every nook & cranny for the part, but eventually threw our hands up in defeat! Although this meant no more SM riding for me, we chose not to let it ruin our day - we'd simply walk over to the main course to watch MotoAmerica.
With that, I grabbed a T-Shirt and BAM! The spring fell out of the shirt and onto the floor!
I raced outside to install the caliper and get into my tracksuit as fast as possible before the practice sessions ended for the day. Although rather winded and out-of-sorts, I did eventually get into the flow of things somewhat. They'd opened the dirt section as well, so I got to hit every jump & berm there as well.
Once the practice session ended, I took a quick shower and we set off to see the last bit of racing on the main course.
That night we headed into Milton to grab dinner at Aunt Millie's.
The next day I inquired about taking part in the SMEC practice only, since I knew I'd prefer to pack up and head out before the races actually began. They informed me that practice would only last 10min per category, so I decided to forego the costs and simply enjoy spectating with my father instead. With that, we were off to walk the perimiter of the track, exploring all the possible viewing points.
Along our walk, we came across a limited-edition Jeep Cherokee I'd never seen before. It was one of only 100 made in the late 90's - decked out with a raised roof and interior converted for boondocking!
After chatting with the Jeep's owner, we continued on our way around the course, finding several vantage points to watch the action.
When black clouds began appearing, we decided to head back toward the bus, thumbing for two rides on passing golf carts until we were nearly back to the Kart Track. It wasn't enough, though, as a torrential downpour began!
I ran the rest of the distance to the bus, closed the windows in the garage section, then hopped in my dad's vehicle to retrieve him from The Lodge.
Back at the bus, we dried off before beginning to pack up. My dad hit the road around 1pm and I was headed east soon after. Although we hit a snag or two, the weekend was spectacular - a fitting use of the bus on its third-ever trip!
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