JASON THOMAS - 'THE HARD WAY' - PART 11.
25th Jun 2013
Hey everyone, since I last checked in not much has happened really, which makes a change to the normal, ha!
Last time when I checked in was just after the Penton race where my bike had some issues causing me to dnf the race. Turns out the fuel injector somehow clogged up – I’m pretty pissed at myself about the whole thing because if I had done my job as a mechanic I would have known that changing the injector is just a 5 minute job, therefore I would have scored way more points than I did. Anyway it is what it is now and pulling those lost points back is going to be fun and keep things exciting for the next few races.
So since last time, like I said, not too much has happened. I set off after the Penton for another 4 days of DirtWise schooling, this time up in Connecticut. I arrived to beautiful conditions and after setting up got to lay a few laps down – the terrain over there was awesome practice for the upcoming GNCC rounds as it was nothing but rock.
After day one the rains came and dumped about six inches on us…. This made conditions tough but with a fantastic group of students we were able to conquer all the new technical trail situations without to many issues. Finishing off the school the guys wanted to see me in action so I burned in some hot laps in the rock and slop and finished with a awesome ravine jump. It was a great end to four sensational days!
Heading home I got caught up with the NASCAR semis, slip streaming them and getting a few snaps. That’s the second time this year I have bumped into them guys on the road. Pretty cool to think I get to travel the country and make a living doing it, just like the NASCAR guys do……, ha, well almost just like them.
I made it home late Sunday night at around 11.45 which kept me in the good books with the wife as it was her birthday! On the way back I could see we had also got a load of rain so riding was going to be sloppy the next day.
With these next few GNCC rounds being “MUST WINS” for me, and those races being at rocky technical tracks, I set about burning in nasty rock sections at the practice track. To make things even harder it rained all week, so riding everyday by myself, I soon had a nice slimy rut and even slicker rock sections to work with.
Like I said before, there was no hassle or the normal drama so building my race bike was easy and after a week in the slop I felt confident I could get the result I needed. Rolling into the track on Saturday it looked pretty dry, but that night the weather turned and the place was looking more like my practice track by the minute.
Race day was looking like perfect conditions for me! Yet again it seemed like every kid out there on a 250 2stroke signed up in the XC2 Pro class – obviously there has been no change in the eligibility rule for this class yet then? I think the count was 29 riders in our class of which about 13 finished in top 50 overall…… Anyway, this made the down hill hole shot, on wet grass, very much like ten pin bowling. Over half of this class really should invest in attending a training school – I know a very good one, and you’ll probably even see me there at it, ha!!!
Or maybe some of you guys should just slow down a bit and realize no one has ever won a race in the first turn.
Anyway, it was pure luck none of the hole shot wanna be’s took me down, and I passed another 10 of them in the first woods section. From that point on I just let her eat. It was just the same thing I had done all week, in the woods alone except now with a lapper every now and then to keep it fun.
Getting my first win of the year felt great. I have been as close as 25 feet, and less than a mile, so to lock one down is awesome, plus to top it off I also scored 4th overall which is right where I expect to be.
So this weekend was an “off”fine for me, and it’s been a good while since I had one, so I headed to the lake to watch some bands and have a few brewskies like a normal person. It was pretty classic – me and the wifey rented a little shack for $50 for the weekend (it even had wifi and a complimentary spray can of cockroach killer, ha!). The first evening we went of the designated pub crawl to each get a free shirt for completing it, and along the way we competed in a midget dance off. The husband of the chick who won had a Union Jack (British flag) tattooed on his arm so we got talking, and how’s this, he was originally from England, his name was Jason Thomas, he grew up in a town 10 miles from where I did, and now he lives in Ohio about 50 miles from where I currently do. This guy was my doppelganger in all but appearance, but he was a little freaky looking like me, ha!
Snowshoe is next on the tour and I’ll be 100% ready for whatever comes. I love Snowshoe and I can’t wait to get out on the trail.
Until next time, believe in yourself and trust everything happens for a reason.
Jason Thomas is supported by DirtWise Riding schools and Instructional DVDs, KTM-Parts.com and www.AOMC.mx, Maxxis tires, KLiM Technical Riding gear, Smith goggles, Lazydays RV, Stuk Graphics, Enduro Spec suspension tuning, Highland Temporary Scaffolding Works, DirtTricks sprockets and brake rotors, Flexx Handlebars, Leatt products, G2 handguards and throttle tubes, Rescue Pegs, BatteryStuff.com, Motorex Lubricants, IMS fuel tanks and footpegs, FMF exhausts, TCX boots, Asterisk knee braces, DP brake pads and clutch plates, TM Designworks chain guides, and KTMTalk.com
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DirtWise Schools/KTM-Parts.com/Maxxis team racer Jason Thomas reached the top the hard way. Enjoy as he tells of the life defining moments during his inspiring journey from growing up in the mud bogs of the Dyfi forest in Wales, England to now defending the GNCC Pro XC2 Championship that he won in 2012.