After racing in Ohio, I didn’t think I would get the chance to enjoy more new types of terrain. Wow, was I wrong! The 1,367 mile drive to Cross Fork, Pennsylvania from North Texas brought me to some extremely slick, and foundationally planted rocky singletrack. The drive didn’t go to plan, we had a SuperTest addition on Saturday, and my clutch boiled over again in Test 6. The Rattlesnake Enduro was an adventure of a weekend, and after much processing and recouping, I wouldn’t want it any other way.
Hazmat Clean Ups are the WORST
The plan was to leave on Thursday so I could get to Louisville, KY. This would be me just past halfway to Cross Fork, PA from Bonham, TX. I got out an hour behind schedule, AND I forgot my ditty bag with my old man drugs in it. Due to this, I had to turn around and meet my wife halfway between where I was when I realized I forgot it and the house. These predicaments had me rolling down the road many hours behind where I was hoping to be.
It wasn’t until I was on my way to Memphis, heading East out of Little Rock, that the road trip took another detour. I saw a large cloud of black smoke starting to form just around a bend of the interstate, “uh oh, that’s not good”. As we all got closer, probably a mile away, the traffic on I-40 began to slow, eventually coming to a halt around 2:30pm. For about three hours, there was no traffic moving, just service vehicles and first responders going backwards on the other side of the interstate. On one of my walkabouts to stretch my legs, a truck driver said he heard on the CB that they’re dealing with a hazmat cleanup due to a tanker that caught on fire and all the other vehicles that were caught up in the accident.
As all the vehicles surrounding the motovan starting moving forward at a snail’s pace, it was roughly 10:30pm on the clock. I sat in the exact spot on I-40 for 8 hours with little information as to what was happening, or when we would possibly start moving forward again. I watched way too much youtube while I was sitting there, and strangely I was mentally exhausted. Even though I should have tried to make up more ground, I decided to grab a hotel on the east side of Memphis for some sleep, and to miss traffic Friday morning.
National Enduro Adds a SuperTest
The reason I left so early for the Rattlesnake Enduro was due to the addition of a SuperTest on Saturday for the A racers. Though my early departure from Texas didn’t go to plan, I still made it to the Quiet Oaks Campground around 10am Saturday morning to get registered and ready for the SuperTest. The EN91 rear tire was already on the bike, but Lance from XC Gear needed to add new polymers to my MAKO360 due to some play thanks to all the racing hours the GasGas has accumulated.
Now that we’re ready, we find out the XC Gear SuperTest is a head to head race, which has an over under allowing us one pass on either side of the course. The 50+A class will start us off, and we’ll go through the age classes and work our way into the AA, NE Pro 2 & 1 classes for the final showdown (which in this case was between Toth and Baylor). We were hoping for traction and clear skies, but when the 50+A class started, the skies started drizzling. This rain lasted into the 40+A class, where it started to lighten up a good bit and the sun started to dry out the course 🤬.
As I was awaiting my classes time to line up, I was watching the 50+ A class racers go to get a sense of how slick it was. In each head to head race, multiple racers slid out in multiple turns, so I knew it was slick. When it was my turn, I decided to be cautious. If I could stay upright, I stood a decent chance in my class (45+A). This paid off because I finished second in my class to Jesse Santucci. Apparently Jesse beat me by about a second, and he fell twice. So, I was certainly tip-toeing around the course 😐.
As the sun came out and the course dried up, the times and intensity from the following classes was dialed a notch. It was interesting to watch because a few turns were being blown out, while some turns were still causing riders to slide out. It was a tricky grass track to figure out, even for the top riders.
Even though Steward Baylor Jr and Josh Toth were expected to be the fastest due to the Six Days experience, Ricky Russell came out on top on the Enduro Engineering Triumph. Baylor was second to Russell, being beaten by about one second. Ben Kelley (2m 15s 044) edged out Grant Baylor (2m 15s 145) by a one-tenth of a second once the organizers went to the backup sheet. Grant Baylor is in the podium pics, but these were taken before due diligence was done for exact timing.
Overall, the SuperTest was a cool addition. I’m glad all A classes that compete in all 6 tests on Sunday were able to compete in the SuperTest. It made my travel a bit crazier to make sure I got there on time for the event on Saturday, but if you’re doing the entire National Enduro Series, this is part of the process. I look forward to more additions to, or an evolution of, what a National Enduro race weekend could look like for racers and spectators.
From Grass Tracks to Rock Gardens
Even though I came prepared with the EN91 Barry Hawk told me to run, I was leary to keep it on after all the rain that came in leading up the race weekend. I tried to find the 91EX, gummy version, but that never came to fruition. I had an EN81EX in the garage I had picked up a few months earlier, after the White Rock Enduro, that I decided to throw in the motovan before rolling out. I am GLAD that I did that. After the SuperTest, I had the Kenda folks swap my rear tires for me so I could be as prepared as possible for the slick rocks hidden in the Pennsylvania foliage.
The Rattlesnake Enduro is another race that is spread out over many different properties. Due to this, the test sections are very similar, but still different. Test One on Sunday was the grass track from Saturday, with two miles added around the campground, totally three miles to get the day started. The trails here were unlike any other from the rest of the day.
Test Two was where the PA rocks really started to surface. The gummy tire was a smart addition, and the softer (less compression) and faster suspension (less rebound) was also key. I still felt like I was pinballing all over the place, but there’s no way to ignore the rocks, you’re trying to make them rideable. Test Three seemed to have less rocks, but more roots. It also was a bit faster, though it was still slick in the mid-twenties, where I was for this National. Test Four seemed to be the perfect combination between Test Two and Three, It was certainly the fastest on the day, while also tossing in a few rockier sections to keep you on your toes. This was also my best test time on the day, finishing second to Santucci in our class by around 20 seconds.
Test 5: When the Day Unraveled
Test 5 was the rockiest on the day. The rock gardens we were riding through bounced us all over the trail, and sometimes even off of it into the dreaded ferns. At the time, I thought I was riding ok, not fast or attacking, but ok. As I rewatch the footage, I can hear in the bike and see in my form that I was already at about 75% ability. Hunter Higginbotham was riding away from me, and the other B rider on our row was right with me.
As we were bouncing our way down a straight piece of rocky singletrack, my front wheel was quickly removed from underneath my bike and I hit the deck. Due to the technical nature of the rocks, it wasn’t a very high speed crash, but being long into the day, it took its toll on me mentally and physically. At this moment in time, I wasn’t happy, but I didn’t let it get to me too much. Crashes happen, and I could feel I was a bit tired. I don’t like that Test 5 caused another lapse in judgement, but I have nothing to do but keep moving forward at this point.
It wasn’t until about two more miles into the test where I had a simple crash that truly pissed me off. We all know how slick trees and saplings can be when they cross the trail at odd angles. I came around a left turn, saw the sapling and kind of froze. Instead of picking up the front end and riding over, I slammed on the brakes, instantly regretting that decision, because I knew how this was going to end. The front tire drove into the sapling, due to it being slick, it started sliding, eventually tucking the front wheel and sending me off to the side and over the bars. I lost it. I was so pissed at myself for allowing the day to wear me down to where I was making such a dumb mistake. I screamed my frustrations into the ether, allowing my anger to take control. I was unable to manage the emotions I was feeling in the moment.
The crash was small and quick, and I should have been able to jump up, fix the brake lever and carry on. I couldn’t do that though because I allowed myself to give into the anger. All I could think about was how stupid I am for making this mistake, and how I’m worthless as a racer.
This type of mental lapse is what makes or breaks a racers day. Mistakes happen all the time, we should be able to carry on. It’s when we allow the moment to stay with us, building up frustration that we allow them to weigh us down past the immediate incident.
The Boiling Clutch is BACK
After the Cherokee Enduro and the Little Raccoon Enduro, you probably won’t believe me when I tell you that Test 6, the A Only test, was extremely slick! I did see a few rocks, but it was mainly slick clay, roots, and undulating terrain that didn’t let you rest. I rode better than I did in Test 5, but not by much. The best part was that I didn’t crash, haha!
I’m not sure why the GasGas seems to be creating so much heat, but as I was about halfway through the test section, the bike started to backfire a bit. This concerned me, because after Ohio I knew what would be coming next. As we got about two miles from the end, I felt the clutch lever pull start to feel weak, and I was really focusing on rolling speed so the bike wouldn’t stall. As the 66.9 mileage marker showed up, letting us know we were one-tenth of a mile away from the finish, I was pissed again because the clutch was totally failing me. The finish chute was another ridiculously tight uphill turn, which the bike stalled on. The lever at this point was completely useless, forcing me to push the bike awkwardly out the chute, almost taking some dudes out just outside the chute.
This has become a problem, and it seems to be heat related. I have ordered a Tusk Radiator Fan Kit from RMATV to try and help with the build up of heat in the engine. I am also going to flush the radiator and cooling system with Engine Ice’s flush and then refill the system with Engine Ice. I will have to look at the clutch plates as well, to see if they’re showing any odd signs of wear, especially the steel plates to see if they’re showing any signs of excessive over-heating. My plan is also to rebuild the master and slave cylinders just in case the excessive heat at those locations could have damaged the o-rings. The master cylinder is probably ok, but better safe than sorry. When I fill the hydraulic clutch back up, I am going to use brand new never opened fluid, instead of the Motul 600 that I have (which I don’t know exactly how long I’ve been using this particular bottle).
The next National Enduro on the schedule is Leadbelt (2024 Leadbelt Race Recap) in the middle of September. There’s no telling if it’ll be muddy or not yet, but being mid-september, we know the temperatures should be a tad cooler than Ohio and Pennsylvania were. Hopefully all of this helps keep the bike cooler as we get into the later part of the race. Test 6 at Leadbelt isn’t easy, and it does get more technical. So excessive heat build up on a muddy four stroke could be a concern.
See Ya in Missouri
The Rattlesnake Enduro was a very challenging enduro, and it was a pleasure to have raced it. OH and PA have exemplified the reasons I wanted to race the National Enduro Series, I get to experience terrain and areas I would have never otherwise had the opportunity to enjoy. I wish the GasGas suspension was more prepared for the rocks of PA. I have taken my suspension to Brady Meador, TBT Racing, in Oklahoma to try and find some balance and flow in the rockier, more technical, trails.
It’s a shame we only have three more races left in the year for the National Enduros. As we were in the thick of it, racing multiple times a month, it was challenging but fun to travel and race so much. After Leadbelt we have the Saturday event Mudobbers Enduro in Indiana, another new property for me, and then we finish off the year at the Gobbler Getter (SERA Racing) in Maplesville, Alabama.
I’ve learned a lot about myself, I’ve grown as a racer, and the content has been fun to make. You can’t really ask for much more. Thanks for reading and supporting Seat Time!
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