I'll Take The WORCS

I'm pumped up for this weekend. I should be because I've been preparing for it for more than a week. Last weekend I took a KTM 450 XC ATV with our 540cc big bore kit to Lake Elsinore MX to train for Round 2 of WORCS racing.

Lake Elsinore lived up to its name, that much is for sure. The track is located on a dried up lake bed that holds some water after heavy rains such as the ones we've had recently. The track was choppy and several sections were so sloppy that at least 60 pounds of cement-mix, super sticky mud built up on the machine each moto, wearing me out quickly. This isn't an exageration. It took me 2 hours to get that orange beaut looking new again! I put in a 20-minute moto to wear a line in on the track and had to stop and scrape off the mud to avoid carrying too much weight over the bigger jumps.

The good news is apparently Californian riders are too soft for mud riding so I had the track to myself. You don't get that opportunity every day. Once I wore in a line it was actually a really fun and challenging track. I rode four motos and put in more than an hour of training for this weekend's WORCS National race.

I'm still not sure what class I want to enter. I've never raced a WORCS event, so I'm thinking I'll check out the Open B class to see how I stack up. Open A riders will be on the track at the same time so it will be a good gauge of my skills. The race is 50 minutes that combines both cross country racing and motocross disciplines. There's also tractor tires and telephone pole obstacles to conquer and climb over, but I have no doubt the KTM can handle the job. The question is, can I?

Tomorrow I'll spend time prepping the machine for Friday practice. I'm expecting a really rough course as the dirt bike riders hit the same track this past weekend. And, from a few co-worker reports, expect blisters. I'll take a before and after picture of my hands just to see how soft I've gotten being a desk jokey.