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| JT Talks by Jason Thomas - Thunder Valley MX, 2008 |
| Jason Thomas |
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Lakewood, Colorado marked a historic day in AMA Motocross history. It would be the first time a national would be run at night, under the lights. There was a lot of hype built up around the race and many were unsure how it would turn out. Lighting a track with deep ruts, tall jumps and built on a moutainside is not an easy task. I know I, for one, was very skeptical as to how safe it could be. The schedule, however, was great in my opinion. It gave us a lot more time to prepare and everything didn't seem rushed on race day. I don't know how practical it is, with the high cost to light the track, but I enjoyed the schedule much more this way.
Practice was set for Friday evening, not something we are accustomed to. It was nice to have cooler temperatures and the luxury to rest most of the day. The track was really good but scary fast. They groomed the track before every practice which made for a great track but the pace was amazingly fast. I was genuinely scared at times, but there was no way around it. Everyone was pushing the envelope, I know I was. The second practice was run with complete darkness in the background. It was incredibly dark honestly. I know everyone I talked to was really nervous about having to race in that situation. I heard that a few team managers made their opinions known after practice was finished.
Saturday morning was pretty mellow compared to a normal race day. We didnt have to be at the track until 12:30 or 1 o'clock, versus 8 am normally. It was an amazing day, weather wise. Temperatures in the mid 70's are a far cry from the mid 90's I am used to in Florida. It took fitness out of the equation a little bit which is my strong suit, but it was out of my control. Practice went off in the early afternoon and was pretty uneventful for me. My laptimes weren't so great but I knew I could pick it up come race time. I knew that starts would be critical since the track was so smooth.
The start of the first moto saw me up in the top 15. I was trying to latch onto the faster guys and find the pace. I stayed there and started finding some speed when disaster struck. Somehow, my side number plate broke and got stuck in my footpeg. I had to pull into the mechanics area to have it ripped off, costing me about 20 spots. I knew it was going to be a long, frustrating moto, probably for no points. I rode it out, passing my way up to 23rd. It was pretty frustrating but it was just a random deal.
My 2nd moto start was much worse. I was all over the place coming across the gate was midpack or worse coming across the finish for the first time. I tried to just pick guys off and keep moving forward. Normally, the 2nd moto is my time... the track is super rough and its hot and everyone is hurting. Not this weekend. The track was really smooth and it was in the mid 60's. No one was fading and it was all about raw speed. I had a tough time catching anyone and with 3 laps to go I was in 22nd. I gave it all I had left and made it to 20th at the checkers. I was obviously not very excited about 20th but its what I had. This race went against my strong areas... heat, rough tracks and mental fatigue. I knew I should have done better, and thats the goal for the next race.
Budds Creek is the next race on my schedule, less than 2 weeks away. Its always been my favorite race of the year, and coincidentally it was also the location of my best result, a 5th overall in 2006. I know I can do well there, and thats driving me until then. Battling for 20th is not what Im looking for, nor my team and sponsors. I want to thank DNA Energy Drink and Vince at BTOSports.com for making our team possible.
Thanks for reading and hopefully I have better news in 2 weeks!
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