Sunshine, 25,000 acres, clean new machines, gear so fresh the new smell still wafted through the air amist the freshly applied sun tan lotion that covered many of the whitest legs Florida has ever seen! Well, atleast that is what everyone saw as I strolled out to see what the folks at Racer Productions had in store for us as the 2008 season was soon to be underway at the ''Triton".
Pro row had a new look as the teams began to get organized and their rigs set up. With new involvement from the likes of KTM and other manufactures, I felt a new sense of accomplishment for us all as we took a giant step forward in our sport with the increased factory involvement.
2008 marks a milestone in regards to the growth of our sport. At no other time have we seen this level of factory involvement and it was obvious that the tone had also made a swing to a more professional level as crews now attend fulltime to every detail of the newly formed teams.
Mark Baldwin makes final preperations to Adam McGill's KTM prior to a practice session.
With many riders now receiving a pay check, the off season no longer exists, and many spent the winter in the south racing, testing and training as the competition level is at it's zenith. No longer will natural talent play the only role in how well a rider races, it is enhanced now by daily visits to the gym for conditioning and it is showing. Adam McGill has slimmed down by 30 lbs. and is now slim and trim as the 2008 season is upon us. William Yokely as well was looking fit as were many other riders who in the past had the bulk to wrestle their machines now look more like trained fighters ready to do battle!
For others, a proper work out routine was combined with intense racing during the off season. Brandon Sommers has raced every weekend since the final round of 2007 with the exception of the weekends of Christmas and New Years! Sommers defines the determination level required to run in the XC1 Pro class.
For many, 2008 would begin aboard new machines and the off season was filled with testing and tweaking as both the new ride and team worked towards a common goal. Brent Sturdivant has worked hard with team LTE Racing as they try to get the new Can Am DS450 dialed in for competition.
Matt Smiley returns for another year of competition and is not only a fantastic rider, but a mentor to many of the young riders coming up through all the classes. The vetran of many GNCC battles, Smiley would be leaning on his proven set up from 2007 and remain aboard his Honda 450R for 2008. Matt has a proven track record of being ultra consistant and he was looking forward to starting off this season with a solid racing program ready to roll.
Chris Bithell stomped his way into the top 3 last year and made himself known to all that he is a player. Running the #3 plate for 2008, Bithell would be yet another rider making a team and ride switch for this season. Talking with Bithell, he was very happy with how his Warnert Racing Can Am DS 450 is running and was looking forward to the start of the season.
John Rowling has some serious weight sitting on his shoulders being Chris Borich's mechanic. Being the man responsible for keeping Borich's machine in race ready condition is a big task as all eye's this year are focused on how well Borich does on the Suzuki.
The opening round includes a practice session that allows riders to work on their set up and make any changes needed. For many it was just a simple practice as the winter was spent in Florida, for others it was a small taste of what this track was going to offer.
One of the first riders I encountered was Chris Jenks who promptly sent himself over the bars. Thankfully he was fine and once he righted his quad was back out ripping up the florida sand.
Whooped out sand has a way of making things exciting as the machines dance and skim their way across the terrain. With the race course being at the 12 mile mark, everyone was wondering how well it would hold up and just how bad it would get.
Reply With Quote