Indianapolis – it is the city is synonymous with racing. Not only did I get to watch awesome Supercross action, I got to partake in some race action myself. I had a fantastic time in Indy. I started my weekend on Friday night at the Road 2 Recovery Fast Guys (and girls) Go-Kart Race for James Marshall. It was an exciting and adrenaline pumping event that sent me home with some war wounds. Participants for this event included fans, industry people and some riders. Each person was able to enter as many heat races as they wanted to earn their fastest lap time with the goal of making it to the main event. Those with the top ten lap times earned spots in the main event. For the girl’s race, we had a qualifying heat but we all made it to the main. In the qualifier, it was time for me to test my skills. I got in my cart, buckled up and was ready to race.

I had a great run and a really fast cart because I lapped everyone in the heat and earned the fastest lap time. However, this put me in the back of the pack for the main event so I had to step on it to gain my way to the front. I think my cart had bad breaks because it was super hard to slow down and I bumped a few people. We girls drove pretty aggressively and showed we weren’t afraid to bump and spin each other out of the way. Everyone got a kick out of it and luckily no one got black flagged. I did get spun out and hit pretty hard; a flagger from the track had to help me get my kart started up again and turned in the right direction. But I managed to finish the main in a respectable 2 nd place with the fastest lap time. For the guys, it was serious and intense race action that they were after. Competitors were all vying for the top ten spots to make the main event. After a few heats the guy’s quickly figured out which karts had the best speed and handling, so it ended up being a running race to the karts to get the best pick. It was all about having fun and dominating the track. Not only did we have the entertainment of the kart race action, but there were many items raffled to help raise funds for James Marshall. Everything from helmets, golf bags, to complete sound systems was raffled. We have Chuck and his wife Christy from Road 2 Recovery to thank for organizing this very cool night of Go-Kart racing, fun, food, and prizes. I had a blast!

For the Supercross side of the racing, the big news this weekend was not about RC loosing his points, but about how he gained them back - putting him only one point behind Reed. And Stewart, he’s still trying to make up ground to up his point standing. Stewart proves to be the fastest guy on the track, but can’t finish a race without a fall or few bobbles here and there. Another big announcement of the weekend was the retirement of “The Rock,” Mr. Mike LaRocco. Despite his injury from practice, it must have been a bitter sweet night. As he sets to retire, his son, Ryder, is just beginning as he raced in the KTM Junior event. Keeping the race tradition alive in the LaRocco family, I wish them both much luck.

In Indy the “pits” were set up a bit differently. There wasn’t pit access for the fans like all of the other races. The autograph sessions and sponsor booths were set up all around the concourse of the stadium. I was set up at one of the merchandise booths for the afternoon to meet and greet with the Indy fans. It was a great turn out and I heard a lot of race predictions for the night.

From what I was hearing, the track was not well liked by most of the riders. It proved to be tough and one lined. Which left the riders in a hard position to pass others or lappers. When I had walked across the track to make my way to the tower during practice I noticed that the clumpy, dirt stuck to my boots. But throughout practice and the night show it quickly deteriorated into a slick track. In every corner I noticed that the rear end of the bikes would really slide out in the slick turns. It seemed to be a bit more challenging than the past couple of races.

The points chase is on in both classes and it is going to be a close chase to the end in Vegas. Both the Lites and Supercross main events were outstanding and had me on my toes. The Lites class main event started off with the holeshot by Kelly Smith. But soon after Millsaps and Grant took the lead swapping positions that made for a great race for the fans in Indy. Grant ended up pulling away leaving Millsaps in second and Gosselaar in third. With only a few laps to go Grant was completing his jump that he committed to and landed on a downed lapper. Grant quickly hopped back on his bike, but his fall put him in a position that left Millsaps too far ahead to catch for the win. Millsaps took home yet another first place trophy for the year – Grant second and Gosselaar third.

I've seen roller coasters with less up and downs, and twists and turns than the Supercross class has taken. With the championship at stake, we saw another crazy race for the points. Fonseca took the Toyota holeshot check home for the second time in a row, but all eyes were on Stewart as he went down in the first turn tangled with other riders. That left Stewart in the back of the pack, RC in the lead, and Reed around the 6 th place spot. In Stewart’s fall he never let off the clutch which left the bike running and ready for him to hop on and charge to the front. It was crazy to watch how fast Stewart was making up time. He was flying past riders and making lane changes in the air to squeeze by everyone for the podium spots. The chase was on! RC held a strong lead with Wey in second. Nick Wey doesn’t get much props for his consecutive top finishes, but he is a strong dedicated privateer on a Honda who has a large points lead over any of the factory Honda team riders. Good job Nick!   As the race progressed Stewart was coming up fast on the top guys. Stewart and Reed both passed Wey and Tedesco, but James’ speed was phenomenal and he took over the second place spot. RC led the race and took the first place trophy again. Stewart found himself in the second place spot and Reed had to settle with third, but Reed still remains in the points lead by one.

So we end Indy with a very close point’s race. Which I am sure will make Daytona a fantastic event. For me, I get to take a break next weekend and catch up at home. The weather in Havasu has been so nice and I need to dust off my bike and go riding. Have a great weekend.

See you at the races!
Brittney Miss Supercross
missupercross@yahoo.com