Stoppelcross Handel 2008

Nov 10, 2008

Written by Bart de Jong

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The StoppelCross season started a week earlier but last week we were in France for the Vibrations Urbaines. This week however I managed to make it to Boekel for round two where a new track was roped off in a chopped off corn field. A wet chopped off corn field I have to say but at least it stopped raining at 8am and it wasn't freezing. You always gotta see the bright side of life too. The hobby cross MX season always draws a fair number of (ex) BMX riders

and this year we spotted Dutch BMX selection riders Ivo van der Putten and Raymon van der Biezen plus their coach Bas de Bever, Anneke Beerten, Wilfred van de Haterd, Nico Vink, Jurgen Meyer, Nikolai van Zeeland, Paul de Jong and I'm sure I've missed a couple of others.

Not that these races are any important but those of you who have ever raced BMX competitively, will agree that once you line up, you want to make it to the first turn in first place. Most classes were fully booked meaning 90 guys per class, split up in even and uneven numbers. The first half going to the A-Final and the other crew going to the B-Final.

I've touched my KTM 7 times in 3 years so to say I was pretty well prepared is not true. About 28 riders have a spot on the gate and for the first moto I pulled gatepick number 37 out of the bag. Great. For some reason people did not line up on the inside so I still had a spot right on the gate. As soon as it dropped I let go the clutch and moved over to the left (on accident) cutting two people off but the handlebars were in front of them so I held that throttle open until I thought it was wise to let it go.

I managed to get out of the first turn in sport 8 saw I was pretty set. With riding the inside lines and staying on the throttle enough I entered the last lap in 12th place. I might have dropped a place or two, or gained a few places but I finished the race around that spot. Pretty stoked on that as it was my first race since the San Francisco Supercross where I did not make it out of turn two.

Anyway, after some relaxing and some RedBull I had to get up again for the A-Final (I thought). Paul just returned to the van to say that my number was down for the B-Final which, in fact, made me feel better. They missed my last lap in the qualifying heat and did not write down my number. Whatever.

I had now gatepick number 15 so I was sure to get a spot on the gate. As soon as it dropped I got a good snap but the KTM started to wheely so I had to let go off the gas to drop the front end. Still I made it out of the first turn in 5th place and tried to remain in that spot for the rest of the race. Paul and I were pretty much the only ones on 125cc two strokes but that doesn't really matter.

You simply have to work with that right wrist, keep that gas open and you'll do good regardless of what bike you're on.

I don't really know what place I got but was happy I finished the race in one piece and the bike is still working. Those sore muscles are showing up everywhere at the moment. Time for some more practice, or maybe just another race next weekend. BMX off-season, MX high season.

BdJ