Last weekend while in Kentucky, we talked about going to the Greensboro, NC round. We were back and forth on the decision all week. Should we? Shouldn’t we? It’s a lot of money to spend on one weekend, 12 hours of driving each way, and on top of it the kids had been off school sick all week. We weren’t sure they would even be well enough to go. Friday morning came and we decided we were GOING! The rush was on! Justin had to work, I had to pack, go to the grocery store and have everything ready to go as soon as he came home.
We have been going each weekend with Tanner Ward and his Dad, Jeff, so this time they offered to take our bike. That way we could take my car instead of the truck and trailer, which would save us hundreds of dollars on gas. We got to their house on Friday night, Tanner and Preston’s bikes were loaded into the back of Jeff’s mini van, our family squished into my Honda Civic and we were ready for the long night ahead on the road. We left Woodstock around 6pm. I drove for the first seven hours hoping my husband could get enough sleep to drive the rest of the way. Around 2am we stopped for gas and switched seats. Justin had slept on and off but was still tired. I get nervous driving so it’s hard for me to sleep. I feel I need to stay awake and talk to Justin so he doesn’t fall asleep at the wheel. Needless to say, I didn’t get much rest. I’m still not sure how Jeff Ward did it. We drove behind him the whole way and he didn’t have anyone to share the drive with. We arrived at Greensboro Coliseum at 7am. We were beyond exhausted and the kids were just waking up full of energy after sleeping the whole way.
Sign in on Saturday for the Pro day started at 10am so we decided to go check into our hotel. In no time we had to be back at the arena for the track walk. Once we finished walking the awesome track I then parked myself in the stands for at least four hours. The pits were outside, and the -10 was far too cold for Brooklyn and I. Greensboro has had the largest turnout in the 50cc class I’ve seen yet. There were 31 kids on the line for practice in the 50cc 4-8 championship class. Preston came 3rd in his heat, rode great, made it to the main event, but he had to start in the second row. Some kids had to go to a semi and then a last chance qualifier. I’ve never seen this before in the 50cc class. There are only eight gates in arenacross so sixteen make it to the main event, eight in the front row and eight in the back.
After qualifying you have hours to wait until the night show. If our hotel had been closer I would have gone for a nap. We were so exhausted, and probably looked like zombies walking around the pits. Team Faith always does a nice dinner on the Pro day, which we love! By the time dinner was done the track party had begun, which is always fun for the kids. It gives you a chance to hang out, get autographs from the Pros and walk the track. Ricky Carmichael was at this round which was pretty exciting. We got to watch him practice and later he was signing autographs as well. This time during opening ceremonies, Vanilla Ice was the grand Marshall. How cool is that?!
It was around 8pm when Preston’s main event was on the line. The arena was packed with fans. I must say it makes me so proud knowing he’s out there racing and putting on a show for all these people. The second row start really hurt him. Since his class only gets four laps and the laps are averaging 33seconds, if you get a bad start there just isn’t enough time to catch up. He finished 7th, which he wasn’t very happy with. There’s just not much you can do if you don’t get that start. He’s learning though, and every week he’s getting faster.
Sunday was Amateur Day. Everyone was happy, we were well rested and the sun was shining. Preston looked great in practice, super fast on the straights and the only one railing the berms, plus his outside corners were fantastic. In the 50cc Open class, he had a great start, passed up to 3rd and was catching second when he washed out on an inside corner. The track was sand and he grabbed the front brake a little too much. He was up fast, but like I said, arenacross is fast laps so it’s hard to catch up. He finished 5th overall in that class for the day. He was riding great again in the 7-8 main, fourth place the whole race. He was definitely trying but third place was doing a great job of blocking his lines. There were two 50s out there that were doing the catapult.
The track was much more tame on Amateur Day than the Pro Day. This was the first catapult finish that I’ve seen that a 50 could do. Preston so badly wanted to do it and his Dad assured him he could. Every lap my eyes were shut as he went over the finish. I knew he could do it, but watching these little bikes go over it looked like I was watching a freestyle show. Preston is sometimes a little too cautious. He is a fast rider but he never tries new jumps until he’s fully comfortable. With the fast races, he never did end up hitting it. I wish he had, not because I wanted to see him fly through the air, but for himself. He’s so hard on himself and was upset he didn’t try it. Like I said, he’s learning every week. All those times we told him to be patient in a race and pass when it’s safe is all out the window now. There’s no time to wait, you just have to go for it as soon as you can in these races. We are so glad that we decided to go because we want him to race with the fast kids. Although he didn’t make it to the podium this weekend, his lap times were right there with them.
Racing was done by 2pm and by 3:15pm we were on the road home. Who drives to North Carolina for a weekend? It sounds so crazy, but we’d do anything for our kids. The drive home wasn’t so bad. We were thankful that the Wards were in front of us again. Driving the civic was the best idea, so much faster than pulling a trailer. We were making great time until we hit Hamilton and a snow storm. The last hour was terrible. Between the snow and tiredness, I’m surprised we made it home. One good thing came out of all that snow was a snow day on Monday! Too bad my poor husband had to go to work; someone has to pay for all this racing.
Thanks again Jeff Ward for helping with the bike, MXP and to everyone who is reading my blog. I appreciate all your kind words and comments. What will next week bring? To go to Milwaukee or not to go is the question in our house this week.