2nd Place Finish!

Yesterday's race went much better than Saturday's which I am happy about.

Once again I was in a class of 4 riders (16 to 36 years old), but this time three of us were on the standard 20" BMX and one was on the 24" "Cruiser" which has larger wheels and a smaller crank making it easier for the rider to get to a faster speed, but they sure are sensitive due to the tires being more narrow.

The First Heat
This went without incident, Vincent (16) finished first qualifying for the main event while I finished 3rd which required that I still needed to qualify.

The Second Heat
Now this was closer than the first, I was now the youngest as the other two Derek and Jamie are in their 30's. Some great racing, some banging in the 3rd corner which led to Jamie crashing, but I once again I had failed to qualify for the main.

The Third Heat (LCQ)
The third and final chance to qualify came down to me and Jamie with the winner advancing to the main and the looser being done for the night. Right from the start we were neck and neck, I fell behind going into turn 1 as I took the high line while Jamie took the low line. I then cut down to the bottom in Turn 2 with more speed passing Jamie for the lead. Once again in Turn 3 I took the high line to keep my speed and Jamie ran the middle line, a close call coming out of the corner as we had some contact with one another. I gave it my all down the straight to Turn 4 and saw that Jamie was still on my tail. I did everything I could possibly do to ensure I remained ahead going down the final stretch, which I did and qualified for the main.

The Main
So in the main was Vincent (16), Derek (30 something) and myself (24). Vincent got off to a great start with Derek in tow, and I was bringing up the rear. We entered the first turn without incident, however in the second turn Derek lost the bike and went down, hard. I almost crashed into him but was able to slow enough in order to avoid him and keep going, however that just secured the win for Vincent as he now had a clear shot down the rest of the track. I finished in 2nd place as Derek had banged himself up pretty good and was unable to get back on the bike as he originally thought he may have been able to do.

I am already looking forward to next weeks race!