It should come as no surprise that after my weekend of training at Cornerspin, I was itching to get onto a Kart Track to test my skills on the DRZ. Luckily, the Supermoto East Coast Series was coming to Virginia International Raceway!
The week prior, I bolted on even more pallet wood to my jetski trailer in order to schlep my DRZ and gear to the track near Danville, Virginia.
On Friday afternoon I loaded up like the Beverly Hillbillies & set out for the course, arriving early enough to claim a decent spot beside the dirt section of the track.
That afternoon I introduced myself to the majority of riders I’d be spending the weekend with. They were very welcoming and relatively interested to see my rig and bone stock DRZ. One asked what tires I was running, to which I replied “whatever came on the bike, I suppose.”
The next day was practice. I spent most of my time feeling out the track, testing the grip of my stock Dunlops. Since I’d NEVER jumped a motorcycle before, I was particularly curious how I’d fare on the dirt section. A pre-walk with the dogs convinced me that I could handle two of the jumps – a small double at the entrance & a step-down after the first berm. On my first try, I made the step-down, but then immediately crossed-up the bars as I attempted to slow before the next double.
I corrected that mistake, but just couldn’t muster enough guts to attempt any of the other doubles.
On Sunday, I lined up for my qualifying round, deciding to let all the other riders onto the track ahead of me since I was expecting to be the slowest by far. To my surprise, though, I was catching up with them! I attempted to pass one of the riders and ended up sliding out. As soon as my hopes of a pass were dashed, I actually settled in well, finishing up the qualifying round without issue. Luckily, qualifying was based on fastest lap, which meant that I ended up ahead of two of the riders despite the slip-up.
For the race, I knew my biggest issue would be tire grip as compared to the other riders which were on preheated race slicks. I could hear and feel my tires chattering around the corners while the other riders were planted. On the dirt section, I was glad to find out that I wasn’t the only rider rolling the doubles. In fact, the two jumps I was completing gave me an advantage over the two riders I’d bested in qualifying.
Each lap, I questioned whether or not I could handle the double after the step-down. Each time, I chickened out and rolled it, until the last lap of the first race I went for it! I entered the jump in second gear and gave the throttle a twist just before leaving the ground. I sailed into the air and landed perfectly on the other side of the double! I was ecstatic!
For the second round, I added the jump each lap and it became more and more comfortable each time around the track. I kept my position and eventually was nipping at the heels of a friend I’d made that weekend, Sam.
When the race was over, the organizers guided me to the podium, where I was surprised to find out I belonged. My heat was a combination of SMEC3 and SMEC5. Unbeknownst to me, only (2) of us were in the SMEC3 category, and I was the quickest. So, in the end, I was pleasantly surprised to find myself holding a first-place placard in my first ever Supermoto race.
More than that, though, I was busting at the seams with excitement over the amount of fun I’d had, the welcoming atmosphere, and the support from experienced riders that I felt during the weekend. To say the least, I’m looking forward to attending another of these events.
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