On 2:00am Friday , February 27 , 2004 I cranked up the Speedball Express and with both the race ready GRIZZLY & 400EX safely tucked into trailer & truck I headed south towards Florida. For the second year in a row , the Speedball Express left for Florida in a freak last minute wintertime BLIZZARD!!!! But this time it was in North Carolina ! Due to the weather conditons , we all left at different times according to our comfort level with the weatherman's forecast & the State Police's road condition updates. BUT one thing was for sure! The roads for at least 40 miles in North Carolina were a MESS & SLOW & 4x4 was a much appreciated feature!!!!!!!!!!!! By the time I hit South Carolina the roads were much better & the miles clicked off fast on the odometer & after 865 miles , the Speedball Express was at the Econo Lodge in Silver Springs, Florida getting ready to make the most of a hot shower & soft bed .
Caleb & John Bailey & Dave Price were already camped at the GNCC race track in Palatka, Florida in a attempt to get the best possible pit stop site for the upcoming race on Sunday. Phone calls from Jason & Ben let me know that they were a few hours behind Speedy , but had cleared the bad roads in North Carolina & would join me later at the Econo Lodge .
Once Ben & Jason completed the long trex & checked into the motel , we instantly began to discuss the upcoming GNCC race & Ocala National Forest ride. Ben is excited & has made ALOT of changes just prior to his leaving & it would prove to NOT be a good thing! NEVER make a bunch of mods to your quad prior to a major long distance adventure, WITHOUT alot of local trail time to work out the bugs.
Ben strolls out to his truck & shows us his new meats on his quad. 26x10x12 Gator's on the front & MONSTER 26x12x12 Gator's on rear . PLUS a new HMF exhaust & SELF installed jet kit. Looked & sounded impressive , BUT would it mean a BADDER quad ??????? Time would tell.
After a good nights rest & a hardy breakfeast , it was off to the Ocala National Forest to make sure everything worked. Saturday February 28th's weather forecast was in our favor, so spirits were high as everyone unloaded their quads & made a few test runs up & down a few trails . BUT the Grizzly was NOT running very well !!!! NOT a good sign!!!! It would pop & shut off at low speeds! Ben was fustrated! Jason & Ben worked on the beast for a few hours & finally got it to run decent( carb out of adjustment due to HMF exhaust & main jet change) , so we decided do some trail riding & BLASTED off towards the southern end of the forest. This didn't last too long as the Grizzly's muffler kept falling off , so back to the trucks & then off to Palatka, Florida to sign up for Sunday's race & run a few practice laps in the Florida MUCK. LOL!
Ben's Grizzly didn't fare much better at the GNCC track & finally had to have the Factory HMF mechanic dial in his carburator. On his practice laps Ben tells us that he hit a tree while going too fast , BUT the TRUTH is he hit a FENCE POST !!!! Dang fence post!!!! LOL! Jason attempted a practice lap , BUT decided that IF he ran it might destroy his Z400 Susuki sport quad since the track was SO NASTY & withdrew from competition.He wanted to ride Ocala the rest of the week.
We were READY for Sunday's race , at least we thought so. With tech inspections, practice & signed up for our various classes, we could now retreat to our motel & relax till tommorrow.
At 5:00am Sunday everyone was up & READY to get this day started! YAHOOOOOOOOOO! RACE DAY!!!!!! After quickly feeding at faces at the local " Steak & Shake " it was off to Palatka , Florida to RACE!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Upon arrival at the track , everyone who is racing makes final last minute checks & by 9:45am we are lined up in our different classes ready to BLAST off once the flagman gives us the signal! OVER 500 quads of all brands & models are lined up row after row to accept the challenge of the Florida swamps. ALL GNCC races are done from a dead engine start! You DO NOT start your quad until the flagman drops the green flag for your class!
Once the flagman signals 30 seconds it gets real quiet!!!!!!!!!!!! At 15 seconds you put your thumb on the start button or foot on kick starter & when the GREEN flag is waved , buttons are PUSHED , kickers KICKED & in a LOUD ROAR the first wave of quads slam into the first corner!!!!!!!!! It's CRAZY as we enter the first turn with everyone wanting to get the hole shot!!!! The sound of grinding metal & mud flying everwhere greets you as you exit the first turn & the track opens up! Before too long the first wave of riders have spred out & the REAL race begins!
The KEY to a SUCCESSFUL GNCC race is to ride SMOOTH & SMART!!!!! As wave after wave of over 500 quads enter the woods , the carnage BEGINS!!! Within the first few miles tires are flat , ball joints ripped out of their sockets, axles broken , engines failing , drowned quads , chains broken & some just buried in some DEEP MUD HOLE!!!!!! I smile to myself as the youngsters blast by me in some of the very tight technical sections & SCREAM " MOVE OVER " , since the Grizzly is not as nimble in some of the tightess sections. Lap # 1 is INSANE with this type of track chatter & bar banging ! Lap# 2 things spread out & less & less crazied youngsters are screaming at Speedy to " MOVE OVER " . LOL! I just ride SMOOTH & SMART & pick up the pace as I learn the track & it's conditions better & better. By lap # 3 very few youngsters on sport quads are hollering " MOVE OVER " at Speedy & the Grizzly & it's 26" Gator's PASSES more & MORE of the now weary youngsters as they get stuck more & MORE as the ruts get deeper & they don't have the strength to lift the sunken sport quad from the Florida muck!
By LAP # 4 I am passing sport qaud after sport quad bogged down in some mud pit or wedged against some tree & too tired to pull it free. The SAME guys on Lap # 1 & # 2 who were SCREAMING at Speedy to " MOVE OVER " were NOW asking for HELP!!!!!!! HA! HA! NO WAY!!!!!!! In one really NASTY section with DEEP ruts , two sport qauds pass on each side of the Grizzly yelling " MOVE OVER " !!!!!!!!!!! The guy on my left clips a tree HARD as it veers past & turns sideways in the trail. The quad to my right SLAMS into the rear of the first quad & goes airborne!!!! The airborne quad hits a pine tree & begins to flip back towards Speedy & the Grizzly!!!!! IF I STOP , the Grizzly & I are in TROUBLE!!!!!!!! With just a small gap between the quad sideways in the trail & the one falling towards me , I must make a BIG decision FAST!!!!With just a split second to make the decision , I push the throttle WIDE OPEN , duck my head & point the Grizzly towards the small gap & HOPE for the BEST??????? The Grizzly's Gator's find traction & I hear a SWOOSH as the falling quad just clears the back of my head & Grizzly as I launch ahead towards the last few miles of the race! WOW !!!!! WHAT a RUSH!!!!!!! Halfway back to the finish line I lose the ENTIRE front bumper & all related hardware ! I knew it was coming loose , BUT I fought TOO HARD to give up even ONE place in this grueling GNCC race!! Was NOT going to STOP unless the Grizzly couldn't go anymore! As I blast across the finish line , I looked up at the visual lap counter & see that the Grizzly & I had succeeded & claimed a hard fought " THIRD PLACE "!!!!! YAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
To give you a LITTLE perspective how tough this race was , is that the course was 44 miles( 4- 11 mile laps) , BUT the Grizzly's odometer had OVER 50 MILES & fuel light was flashing ( reserve) !!!! That means the Grizzly's drive chain spun OVER SIX MILES!!!!!!!!! PLUS in the " Utility Stock " class ONLY ONE out of FOURTEEN riders completed all four laps! Mike Penland the TEN time GNCC champ ONLY completed THREE laps aboard a factory sponsored Kawasaki Pararie 650 4x4 !!!!!! What a GRAND DAY!!!!!!
Some of the other Speedball's didn't fare quite as well as Speedy :( Ben's Grizzly lasted one lap due to water related failures. Caleb Bailey fell to sixteenth after one too many DEEP mud holes & Bobby Gardiner dropped to eight after riding in third most of the day & then hitting a tree & breaking his battery cable. The BEST finish was David Price aboard a highly modified two stroke Yamaha Blaster & finished SECOND !!! Way to go David!!!!!
After collecting our trophies & watching the afternoon PRO races , it was time to return to the comfort of our motel rooms & to get READY to spend the rest of the week BLASTING across the 400,000 acres of the Ocala National Forest . Didn't take long for the " Sand Man " to bring ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ 's to room # 120 at the
Econo Lodge in Silver Springs, Florida.
BELOW are photos from the GNCC race & Ocala National Forest during the rest of our Great Adventure . Hope you enjoy what I've put together for those not able to make trip to Florida this year! Your AARP atv buddy!
SPEEDY RACER
**** CLICK onto photos to enlarge on ALL pages! *****
The trails were mostly TIGHT , with extremely DEEP ruts & with quads jockeying for position & SCREAMING at others " Move over " If they thought you weren't going fast enough! ALOT of SERIOUS bar banging was also taking place EVERYWHERE on the track! The ONLY place safe from the crazy youngsters was the deep mud pits , where the Grizzly made it's own path & DARED the sport quads to follow! LMAO!
