2022 Race Blog - Happy to be Bad if not Rad!

[Mikku]

Last Sunday's race was rained off, though I didn't find out until I was 90 minutes down the road on Sunday morning! Judging from the pics on FB, it seems like there was heavy rain on Saturday night, hence the delayed decision to cancel. For most people, that would have been fine but I live further away, so have to leave home at 4.30am. It could have been worse though - I could have driven the whole 3 and half hours before finding out!

Anyway, my next race is at the end of the month, back up in Niigata. Weather permitting!

[Mikku]

Made it back up to Niigata yesterday for round 4 of their race series. We had 8 motos, though they were fairly full as some non-regulars turned up to get some extra track time ahead of an upcoming national series race at the same venue. It was also stupidly hot, with +30 temps from arrival time onwards.

There were 7 riders in my rack of over 30s, including a super-fast masters class rider (who was long gone by the first berm) and the same guy who beat me to third last time out. I therefore had some good dices with him and another rider throughout, getting pipped to the line in the first moto and having to hit the brakes to avoid contact in the second. I therefore went a disappointing 6/6/6 to take the final spot in the main, where I finished 5th, so not too bad an end to the day. I then made it home in time to watch the live coverage of the World Champs in Nantes, so all in all, it was a full-on day of BMX!

The next round at Niigata is at the end of the month but there's an outside chance that I may be able to race again in a fortnight, at a new-to-me track on the opposite side of the country. That's all work-dependent, and it's a bit of a trek but it's the only chance I've got this year to try out something new and I've been wanting to go there for a while, so we'll see what happens.

[Midschoolfool]

Man that's odd. I looked down the forum list and saw you'd posted. I thought "I'll go ask Mick if he's getting cooked out there"

Didn't need to ask, seems you are 

This summer was the tipping point. I got totally sick of being fat and hot so I am on a diet. Lost 3/4 stone in 10 days. Started at 17.5st (I know I know.....)

Some nights I feel cold now. That's a new feeling 

[Mikku]

One of the things I didn't realise before I started living here was how hot and humid the summers are! Stupidly so!!

I've got used to it now but from what I'm reading online, it looks like Blighty is getting some of the same this summer, so good luck with that!!

Mate, keep going with that diet. It should improve your riding as well as those hot, sticky nights!

Back to BMX, I've just pulled the trigger on another race frame, from a brand I know you like!

[Mikku]

Unfortunately I didn't make it to that race today, mainly due to work but also Typhoon No.8 of the season, which hit Japan yesterday bringing shedloads of rain with it. On the plus side, it's freshened things up a bit. Next race outing for me is therefore in a fortnight, though I'm hoping to get some track practice in somewhere next weekend.

In the meantime, I've received some cool photos from a camera club [ Attachment: You are not allowed to view attachments ] who happened to be at the Ozumi race meeting in June. Basically a group of old geezers with big, f-off lenses who I befriended and asked if they could send me any shots they took of me. Which they did! Well if you don't ask, and all that! Anyway, I'll try to upload a few.

[Mikku]

I think the resolution of those ^^^ photos is too big, so only one uploaded.

Anyway, Sunday's race at Joetsu was postponed due to bad weather. Since the car was all packed up and ready to go, I therefore drove in the opposite direction, down to Gonzo Park in Mie. It's been a while since riding there, so I was surprised to see that they'd removed one of the doubles in the second straight. No idea why, but it's really affected the flow of the track - in a bad way. However, since I'd made the effort to drive there, I made the most of it and got in some useful practice. I've posted a pic below.

Sunday's postponement means that I now, potentially, have a race on every weekend in September:- Joetsu, Oizumi, Shonan Speedway and back again at Joetsu. I say potentially because we're now in typhoon season, so I'm sure half of those will be rained off. In fact, this weekend's postponed race is already looking unlikely but we'll see how the rest of the week unfolds.

[Mikku]

As feared, this Sunday's postponed race has been rained off. Again!

As per the cancellation notice below, their next race and the final one of their season is on Sunday 18th. The reason for the early end to the season is the planned resurfacing of the berms, scheduled for October.

In a similar vein, the Shonan Speedway track in Chiba has recently had its berms resurfaced, as per the pics below. That should make the track much faster, so I'm looking forward to checking that out over the weekend of the 25th. Weather permitting!

[Mikku]

Am now facing a major dilemma! The weather for this Sunday's race at Oizumi is looking good BUT also on Sunday is a Subaru Impreza meeting up in Niigata, specifically for my era of Scooby!!! Completely in opposite directions, so I can't do both!!! One idea I have is to skip the race but go to Joetsu on Saturday for some track practice ahead of the following weekend's race BUT the track condition there is still not great, and more rain is forecast over the next few days!!! Decisions, decisions!!

[Mikku]

I get so few chances to race that I hate missing out on one I can go to BUT that's what I did on Sunday! The weather improved up in Niigata, so that's where I went, foregoing the Oizumi race. I felt bad to begin with but got in some decent track practice at Joetsu on Saturday afternoon, then drove another two hours north on Sunday for that Impreza meeting, which was excellent.

The next race is next weekend at Joetsu, so hopefully that practice pays dividends then.

[Mikku]

Drove back up to Joetsu the other weekend for their last race of the year. Squeezed in an hour of practice late Saturday afternoon then had a nice, 2-minute drive to the track on Sunday morning - well worth the cost of the hotel!

Had a full rack of 8 in the "Over 30s" class including an elite rider and another guy on an mtb, both of whom were rolled into my class as they had no-one else to race against. Had some entertaining dices in the motos and placed 4th, 5th and 2nd (the elite rider was playing around on the jumps in that one) to qualify for the main. The main itself was uneventful and I finished 4th, which was a fair reflection of my ability, though without the elite rider, I'd have made the podium. Such is life.

The Over 30s main was the last race of the day and therefore the last to be held on the current track, as they're resurfacing the berms before the winter weather sets in, hence the earlier-than-normal end to the season. Looking forward to seeing how the new berms look and ride next year!

Last weekend I was then supposed to go down to Chiba for the Shonan Speedway race but that was torpedoed by typhoons sweeping across the region, so my next race will be in November, back down in Osaka. Too long of a break for my liking but it is what it is, so I'll have to ramp up the training instead.

[Mikku]

No racing to report but I have been riding almost every day, if only for a quick, 15-minute spin around the rice fields. If my legs are up to it, I do a few sprints and some manualling practice, otherwise it's just keeping my body in tune with the bike. My next race is on 13th November, so I'm hoping to get at least one track session in before then, but we'll see.

[Mikku]

Entries are now open for next Sunday's race, so it was time to give the UB2 some tlc this weekend. I fixed a rear puncture and when the wheel was off, gave the hub a clean and lightly filed the burrs on some teeth of the Profile driver. Then cleaned and re-lubed the chain and everything's now running smooth. Hopefully the recent spell of good weather we're having will last until the weekend!

[Mikku]

Wouldn't you know it! Fine weather all week then rain forecast for Sunday! Thankfully the organisers decided to postpone the race today (Friday), so I didn't waste any time or money on a wasted journey this weekend. The meeting is now scheduled for 27th November, so that gives me two more weeks to get my bike, body and mind into gear!

[Mikku]

Was back racing at Oizumi today for the first time in 5 months!! Can't believe it's been that long since my last race there. Despite the delay, I was feeling quite good in practice. Got a few warming up laps in, followed by some practice gates then left it there to conserve energy.

With 12 riders in the Over 30s mixed class, we were divided into two racks of 6, with the top four from each qualifying for the main. First moto went quite well, and I finished 4th ahead of a guy who usually beats me. It wasn't all good though, because I tweaked my ankle but thankfully, I had a compression sock in the bag which I put on for some extra support. In the second moto I started in gate 1 and managed to get out in third, which I held into the first berm. The 3rd placed guy from the first moto then squeezed by in the second straight and as I tried to close the door, the guy behind slipped by into 4th. I couldn't get it back, so finished 5th. That meant I had to finish 4th or better in Moto 3 to qualify for the main. Unfortunately, I didn't really get a chance as I shot myself in the foot by forgetting to pull my goggles down in the gate - idiot!! I therefore had restricted vision throughout the race and it was all I could do to finish 5th, let alone 4th! Anyway, lesson learnt and on the plus side, I was mixing it with guys who used to beat me, so that's something to take away from the day. The next race and last of the season is in 2 weeks? time, on Dec 11th. That gives my ankle time to heal up and me time to practice pulling my goggles down!!

[Spen69]

I'm surprised anyone in Japan can do anything today after the football result last night 

[Mikku]

My classes had more absentees than normal, that's for sure!

Was back up at Joetsu this weekend, so had a quick look at the newly resurfaced berms at the track. The torrential rain didn't help but they looked okay, if not the smoothest, though I'll have to wait until the track re-opens in the Spring to find out how they actually ride like. What was quite noticeable, however, was that the inner, previously dirt sections have been tarmac'd, thus opening up the corners quite a bit. It will therefore be interesting to see what extra lines people take.

[Mikku]

Last race of the season is this coming Sunday. I haven't ridden at all since the last race due to my ankle and crappy (as in, raining every bloody day crappy) weather, so am not expecting much but beggars can't be choosers!

[Mikku]

Was back in Oizumi last Sunday for their (and my) final race of the season. It was an eventful one! First, there was a gate malfunction in practice which sent yours truly and several others otb! First time ever for me to flip the gate and thankfully I suffered no more than a few scrapes and bruises. On the plus side, my starts must be improving because a few years ago I don't think I would have gone over.

Things were just as eventful in the motos. There were 11 riders in my class, with the top 4 from each rack going through to the main. I was in the second rack of six riders. In the first moto, I found myself in the middle of a three-way, bar-banging fight for third position in the first straight. Having already hit the deck in practice, I was keen to avoid a repeat and backed off, letting the other two fight for the berm. However, I slipped in right behind them and was close enough to accidentally (and thankfully lightly) buzz the rear tyre of the 4th-placed rider with my front tyre! I kept a watching brief all the way round until the final straight, where I pumped through the rhythm section as if it was my last and just managed to sneak 4th place with a lunge to the line. Super stoked with that one!

The second moto was delayed by 30 minutes due to accident a few motos before mine, which necessitated an ambulance. It's never nice seeing someone being stretchered off the track, so everyone was a bit subdued when racing resumed. I was in lane 1 and this time got to the berm in 3rd, just in time to hear a crash of metal behind me. My two rivals from the first moto had tangled, taking out the other rider too. With the three of them down, I therefore took the foot off the gas and cruised round for third. That meant I needed a fourth in the third moto to be sure of a place in the main, which I was able to get, thankfully without incident. I don't often make the mains in Osaka (because the over 30s is a mixed class with masters and novices in together), so I was stoked to end the year with that. In the main itself, I was battling for 6th but ended up 7th. No complaints though, as it was a good race for position and the guys in 6th and 8th usually beat me, so at least I got the better of one of them. A few pics below.

[Mikku]

So that's another season done and dusted! And overall, it was a good one, probably my most competitive one to date! I made it to ten races, one more than in 2021. They were:-

Midoriyama, Yokohama = 1 race (their final ever race);

Joetsu, Niigata = 4 races;

Oizumi, Osaka = 5 races.

Results-wise, I made quite a few mains and perhaps more importantly, was regularly battling for position on track, sometimes losing places but overtaking too. In addition to those three tracks, I also had some practise sessions at Gonzo Park and Shonan Speedway. Not enough, but something is better than nothing. I feel I'd really benefit from more track-time, so that's the aim for 2023, subject to disruptions by the weather, work and COVID-spikes. I'd also really like to make it to that track in Ibaraki, which I failed to visit in 2022. Whatever happens, I'll continue to keep the RAD flag flying and post my efforts on here. Cheers!