JASON THOMAS - 'THE HARD WAY' - PART 5.
1st Jun 2013
Hey everyone, I’m back again with another blog. It’s a crazy day here unpacking and planning some riding for the rest of the week, but first off I want to say thank you for the support of everyone out there who has been reading my story. The response has been awesome and I’m very grateful for all of the messages people send, and to those who have approached me with kind words. Also thank you to the people who don’t really like everything I have to say but read it anyway, ha!
So last time when I signed off I was finishing up my preseason preparation and getting ready for my first JDay race which took place on that coming Saturday, but first I had a race bike to build. So on the Friday my sponsor, and good friend, Britt from StukMX Graphx, got a hotel in St. Augustine where he set up all his printers to make some awesome graphics, while I set up my “workshop” in the car park right next to the pool. I spent the whole day stripping down my race bike, greasing and re-assembling everything, while also checking in on the pool every now and then to make sure none of the women were burning up and that there flotation devises were working correctly…..
The next morning I set off bright and early, excited for the JDay race and to ride my fresh race bike. The track looked epic – about a 4 minute lap with a few logs at the finish line. I lined up for my first moto and the Pro class was stacked. Pro motocross rider Zach Osborne had showed up as well as a few GNCC guys. The first 30 minute moto started and……. my bike didn’t! After a few tries she barked into life and I took off into turn one. Lucky for me the Pro class, with a total rider count of 43, had about 33 guys who were dead set on nailing the holeshot on their mate’s borrowed RM 250. Brakes weren’t needed by these guys as they just pinned it until they hit someone or something…….. Anyway, thanks to them guys about half of the class was forced to go straight ahead in turn one, while I rode tight to the ropes on the inside.
That was half of the class taken care of to get past; the next move was to pick guys off on the moto track. Yet again I didn’t need to try hard as bikes were flying one way and bodies the other. By the time we hit the woods I had gone from last to 3rd and all I did was follow the inside rope in 2nd gear.
About halfway through the 30 minute race Osborne was on me around the moto track and all it took was a boner air from me, and he scrubbed under for the pass. I stayed right on him but could not re pass so ended up 3rd. The guy who won had got the holeshot and was in Georgia by the time we finished! Zach and I had a bit of banter in between motos and we were both shocked at the amount of arm pump we got. I believe mine was from being scared for my life as the pace was so fast and not very consistent with all the “Revving Kevins” out there, while Zach was on a 450 so that could have been his issue, and I’m sure that was also the reason why he passed me on the moto track, ha, ha!
Moto 2 started the same way for me when my bike didn’t, but this time turn one was a mess as everyone was piled up on the inside and I had no place to go but to stop. I entered the woods in about 15th and due to the single line trails could only play follow the leader. A few guys started crashing and I was able to get by the others and worked my way into 4th by the end. Not what I would call a good day but it was bike time. The JDay race reminded me of my pro motocross days in the UK and why I prefer 3 hour racing. There just isn’t time to enjoy the ride, and one mistake or a bad start will ruin your day. Sure now, there is a place for this racing but I’ll be sticking to 3 hour races in the future.
That night was the supercross in Daytona. I got to watch some awesome racing and meet up with some of my other great sponsors. Thanks to Smith Optics I left with a box of swag and set off for the GNCC. I opted not to ride the test day at the track as I had ridden my race bike at the JDay and it needed to be checked and prepped. With no mechanic these days to do it for me, this just adds a lot to my existing work load. Not only do I have to make sure I’m in top physical shape but I also have to be positive the bike is 100% ready also. Luckily for me I have a fantastic bike and the previous race was pretty easy on it.
Race day at the GNCC - The heavens opened up on the track and I could not have been happier with it. I love the mud, but the main reason I was happy is because before the rain the track was a total dust bowl and with the bike so far not being the best starter I was worried. But now with the rain a bad start was not as much of an issue. Coming in to this season I don’t feel any pressure running the number 1 plate, and I know Andrew Delong is a big threat, as well as Grant Baylor. Zach Osborne also showed up to the GNCC and I knew he would be strong in the sand for the full 3 hours.
The green flag dropped and my bike fired up like gas on a bonfire, yeah! Again though, this year’s Pro XC2 class has a lot of kids in it who are out for holeshots, and turn one was a bumper fest. I managed to stay safe and had the lead going into the woods. Osborne and I rode together and started pulling a lead. Soon Delong joined us and we pulled clear of everyone and started catching XC1 guys. I felt comfortable with the pace and let the race come to me. When we approached to pass Mike Lafferty, Zach and Andrew went around but I then witnessed one of the biggest crashes in some time when Mike hit a stump which ejected him about 20 feet into the air followed by him landing on his head. I had to stop and make sure he was okay – as he started to snap out of his daze he waved me to go on. The other two leaders were able to get away just enough that I couldn’t see them anymore, but I kept pushing and caught Zach on the last lap. I was able to pass him about 5 miles from the finish and earned a nice 2nd place to get my season rolling.
After the race I spent a few days relaxing and then it was time to head up to Georgia to prep the race bike again. With the first two rounds being so close it really makes it hard to get everything ready – the factory boys don’t have to worry about that so I’m sure they are able to spend a day at the beach while the rest of us take a grease bath. Anyway, I was confident heading into GA that I would be able to push on to the top step, but as is the case some days on the bike things just don’t seem to go right. I got a really bad start and had to fight my way past 20 or so wild kids, getting taken out about 6 times during lap 1, one of which was a high speed incident where a rider hit a tree which resulted in his bike flipping and landing right in front of me, stopping me dead and sending me over the bars. I picked guys off as fast as i could but the leaders were checking out. By the halfway point I was into 3rd but that was short lived as yet another wild cat tagged my bars at high speed, this time the crash resulted in my helmet getting cracked as my head and neck took a beating from the bike slamming down onto me. I struggled to stand on my feet for a while immediately following the crash and just couldn’t get going after that, with my day ending with a disappointing 5th place finish.
I know better than anyone that it’s going to be a long year and things can change at any moment. That 5th place is not what I wanted but I’m determined to turn it around fast and put pressure on for the championship. That being said, I’m out of here because it’s time to load up the van and head to the track. It is 32 degrees here in Ohio today, which is therefore a great reason to fill up the bike and not stop riding until the tank is dry.
If any of you guys reading this are heading to Steel Creek GNCC in North Carolina (Round 3) be sure to stop over and say hi at our sweet DirtWise Schools/ KTM-Parts.com/ Maxxis pit area which is made possible by the guys at StukMX.com.
Until next time, believe in yourself and trust that
everything happens for a reason.