This is the story of my first dirt bike race.  A little while ago, we were out at Cherry Creek with the ATV enjoying a fun day puttering around and having a picnic.  Then, we crossed the path of what I later learned was the 57th Annual Cherry Creek Hare and Hound race.  There were tons of bikes riding on a premarked course through the desert and dunes.  It looked like so much fun I had to figure out how I could get involved.

The more I looked into it, the more excited I got.  I called up James Peterson and pitched the idea to him.  He was on board.  The next race that would work out for us was the June 10th Plymouth National Hare and Hound race.

Finally, race day!  All checked in and paid up, with my race number decals.

Ready to go!

Kathryn was such a great support!

View from the starting line.  270 people ready to race!  There were 3 starts, each with around 5 minutes in between.  Experts first, then amateurs, and then the novice class.  Being our first race, James and I raced in the novice class.

Pit stop.  Quick gas up.  Quick I love you to Kathryn.  And we’re off.  Pit row was so incredibly dusty!

Finish line!  We both made it without any mishap.  That was the major accomplishment.  James finished first and did pretty well.  I was a little behind.  I might have been closer to him, but I lost 13 places when my brakes overheated on a really long downhill run.

Kathryn was so amazing to have there supporting us.  And she got so dirty it was awesome!  Pit row dust was incredible.  Definitely park far away from pit row! 

Here are the GPS tracks from the race.

I can’t wait for the next race opportunity!  Also, the new WR450F was amazing!  So much fun to ride!!!

In the post race analysis, I learned something new about brake fluid. It absorbs moisture (by design to not get water pooling in the brake lines), and the boiling point goes much lower as it absorbs more water.  When the brakes get hot, they can boil the brake fluid which causes brake fade or total brake failure as happened to me.  Supposedly it has a two year service life or so before it absorbs enough moisture to significantly degrade the boiling point. If the brake fluid is dark colored, it has water in it and should be replaced.  New brake fluid has a significantly higher boiling point than old brake fluid with absorbed moisture.