Montezuma, IA (6/10/2009) - Round
three of the IATVHSS was held at Fun Valley
MX parks just outside Montezuma IA. Just a few
years ago this facility was home to the local
ski resort but after years of mild winters the
owners decided converting the ski runs to a
national caliber MX track would be a better
use on the land. Along with the large natural
elevation changes this property has tight pine
tree wooded sections with their share of off
camber and a few fast wide-open sections.
This year’s IATVHSS race schedule has
been plagued with bad weather. Montezuma was
scheduled to be a two-day event with MX races
on Saturday and the Hare Scramble on Sunday
but an early morning down pure forced the
MX race to be canceled. As many of you know
XC racers aren’t afraid of a little
(or a lot) of mud we race rain or shine.
I was confident that after a disappointing
mechanical failure at the previous round that
I had my Polaris Outlaw 525s race ready no
matter the track conditions. The track was
extremely challenging for the morning session
racers but after two hours of ATV racing it
would turn out to be fast but rough course
for the afternoon section I would race in.
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Colby
once again faced another MudFest at
Fun Valley MX Park
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My class is second to go off the line and with
20 plus other A class riders in the class a
good start is always important. As the board
dropped and the Outlaw fired to life I found
myself in mid pack as we head around the MX
track. I was able to move up several spots while
on the MX track thanks to the extra HP and speed
of the 525 over some of my other competitors.
As we dropped into the first woods section a
poor line choice around a stuck riders would
leave me stuck up to the frame in a mud hole.
As I tried everything I could to free the
Outlaw from the mud I watch as the rest of
my class and part of the +30 class pasted
me by .Luckily with the help of a track worker
and the reverse gear in the Outlaw I was finally
able to get free and begin picking off +30
riders one by one, but by the time I reached
scoring I was still nearly last in my class.
I knew that I needed to put my head down and
make good decisions all day if I was going
to have a decent finish.
Lap after lap I was able to real in and pass
riders thanks to the precise and smooth handling
of Polaris Outlaw and its strong reliable
engine. As the end of the race nears fatigue
begins to set in for most riders, the plush
supportive seat on the Outlaw really feels
like an advantage over other sport quads that
have less than adequate seats. After two hours
plus on a rough rutted course the Polaris
Outlaw carried me to a respectable 7th place
in a highly competitive class.
