I'm Not A Mechanic, But I Do What I Have To Do, To Do What I Want To Do!

We are how we were raised. Yes, we can change things about our life but for much of who we are we truly want to embrace what we have become. Today I once again began the embracing process for a part of me that will never go away. Today, Jason Croley, my mechanic and friend and I began the tear down and rebuilding part of the YZ 250. This process has been almost a year in the making and it was today the butterflies of anticipation began to flutter like waiting for the horn to sound at the beginning of a race. To say I have racing in my blood is an understatement. My granddaddy was a racer, my dad was a racer, and I too have raced two different types of vehicles. I grew up at racetracks. I’ve met some of the most famous road racers in the world and have been to some of the most famous racetracks in the United States. I’ve witnessed some amazing dances by men doing ballet with pedals and sheet metal. I’ve witnessed when it all goes bad. Guess what? The others keep going. A racer wants to control what shouldn’t be controlled. They want to push the limits of where they are, who they are, but respect the power under them. They respect the fear but do not bow to it. Since I had those examples as a child engrained in me early on I knew that I wanted that as my life. Well, life happened and the road courses that I once dreamed of weaving my own tale on are merely spectator venues for me now but I never gave up the dream of racing. To get my fix I began racing off road motorcycles. I started with a little motocross and over the past few years have really embraced harescrambles and enduros. These races are between two and three hours long and range from 40-70 miles. The racing is exciting and fills the need that has been in me since I was a little boy playing with Matchbox cars in the red clay at Road Atlanta. In August I will hop aboard my YZ250 and hit the throttle in anger for the first time in almost a year. The few months before will be filled with rebuilding the bike from the ground up, training, and riding as much as possible. The new challenge with the racing is my new class. Since I turned 40 I will be racing with other 40 +’s in the Senior B class. We don’t necessarily suck we just are older and have to work on Mondays. The competition is fierce but a little friendlier than going bar to bar with teenagers in the 250 B class. Oh man, I just can’t wait. Parts will come in and fingers will bleed but when you are born with it inside of you sometimes you just have to do it even when others around really think your pursuits are a little silly. To wrap up tonight I found this the other day and feel compelled to steal it. It very much says how I feel about racing. --Racing is something that most people will never understand. It’s not just a sport or something to do on a Saturday night and Sunday. It’s a way of life! Once you are in it, it’s in your blood. Once you make your first run…you can’t stop. The track is home away from home. You smell that race fuel, rubber, and when you hear those engines scream…it’s music to your ears. Today’s workout was intense. 12 sets of 3 push ups every 30 seconds with resistance bands. – completed but struggled at the end. 5 rounds of max rep bench press and max rep pull ups. Round 1 – bench press 115 lbs – 11 / pull ups – 4 Round2 – bench press 115 lbs – 12 / pull ups – 6 with 40lbs of assistance Round 3 – bench press 115 lbs –10 / pull ups – 6 with 55lbs of assistance Round 4 – bench press 115 lbs –8 / pull ups – 6 with 55lbs of assistance Round 5 – bench press 115 lbs – 7 / pull ups – 5 with 55lbs of assistance