Sparkplug 44

Continuing with the theme from last week, in which I hit upon the development of my affection for writing, today's Sparkplug deals with a specific example of my love of motocross. In particular, my ill-fated attempt to become National Champion at the age of 40.

The National amateur motocross championships, held every year at country music legend Loretta Lynn's ranch, is an iconic event for American motocross. More than just a one-off race meet, LL's has become the finest showcase for up-and-coming riders that the sport has ever seen. Almost like the NFL draft, young riders must pass through the crucible of Loretta Lynn's in order to gain access to a career on the professional side of motocross. One can certainly turn pro without qualifying for and racing at Loretta Lynn's, but good luck getting any type of support if you don't.

When I returned to racing after a 20-year break, I came back with a big dream. By that time, I had read plenty of positive thinking texts and business school books, and one lesson stuck with me strongly. It suggested that the key to large-scale success was to set BHAGs, which are Big Hairy Audacious Goals. Well, I certainly set one for motocross: I wanted to win the 2001 Loretta Lynn title in the 40 Plus B/C class. For a guy who's racing efforts to date had never amassed even one trophy, let alone a win, that was indeed a BHAG. But I had complete faith that if had good equipment, got good instruction and trained relentlessly, that I could will my way to a win in the Big Show. The biggest challenge of my goal, though, was the fact that the regional qualifiers were only 3 months away.

So I purchased an '01 YZ250 in late December 2000 and started the ball rolling. I was already spending my evenings memorizing Gary Semics instructional tapes, so I booked classes with the local Gary Semics MX School instructor in mid-January. Unfortunately, this led to my very first setback when my instructor called to cancel my class because he broke his leg the week before! Undaunted, I quickly scheduled a session with local SoCal legend Ron Turner. And I learned two things, one of which was that I was too out-of-shape to actually endure a day's worth of instruction.

But two hours of training was certainly better than nothing and I was officially underway. I joined the Over The Hill Gang vet racing organization and began an intensive schedule of practicing and racing on a weekly basis. In fact, I would leave my office on Friday evenings, drive 2 hours to the old Competition Park facility in Hemet, California to get in about an hour of practice on their lighted course before they closed. Then I would go to a practice track on Saturday and race at another track on Sunday. The rest of the week I spent my evenings in the gym, alternating weight workouts with cardio sessions, quietly repeating my mantra “2001 National Champion” with every breath.

I even had the gall to ask motocross legend David Bailey for some free advice, and unbelievably, he gave me some pointers on structuring my riding practice sessions for endurance and speed. Wow!

By late February 2001, I had several races under my belt, though not a single race win (or trophy). But I was clearly improving, both in technique and endurance. Then at a Gang race at L.A. Country Raceway in Palmdale, California, while running in the top 5, I lost my balance in a low-speed off-camber turn. The tipover resulted in a broken thumb, and with just two weeks before the first qualifier, my chances for making it to LL's were looking pretty grim.

Despite the fact that I had a cast that reached midway up my forearm, I decided to drive out to Glen Helen for the qualifier anyway. No, I didn't intend to ride, I just wanted to see what the competition was like. When I got there and assessed the situation, my heart was broken again. Had I raced, I would have had to finish in the top ten to qualify; there were only 9 people signed up for my class! I would have made the first round of qualifying just by showing up!

There was another opportunity to qualify, however, and it was scheduled to happen after I had my cast removed. But the scheduling of that race posed other problems for me. For one, the race was in Utah, a 15 hour drive away. And even worse, it was on the same weekend that my best friend was getting married. What to do? Well, I actually asked David Bailey for more advice and he plainly told me that friends and family were more important than racing. Again, wow!

And with that, I let go of my pursuit of the BHAG. And any idea I may have had about picking up the dream again in 2002 was squashed when LL's axed the 40+ B/C class. But I have no regrets for my efforts in 2001. It was a great run, and it got me prepared and in shape for a fun 2 years racing with the Over The Hill Gang (still no trophies though).