Wright Out of the Gate – The Cali life
As the adventure continues out here in California, I have made it out to many more tracks, as well as seen new scenery. I do have to admit that it is pretty cool to have so many different tracks to pick from, and even better they are all within about an hour drive from where I am staying in Riverside. The only tough part in the morning is choosing where I want to go riding because there are about 8-9 tracks to pick from. Before I head out to the track for the day, I always have to check if the track in particular is open, as only certain tracks are open on certain days. For me, if I do not know where to go, I normally use Milestone as the place to go as I know they are pretty much always open and it is the closest track for me to go to.
As some of you may have seen on my social media, I have also been enjoying riding some tracks that aren’t necessarily considered designated tracks. These tracks are an assortment of corner tracks that have been made by the riders in the area over the years. These tracks are definitely not the typical track you would think they are, even though some of the top pros do train on them. These tracks are made by solely turning laps around them to create a path that eventually will turn into a track. Might I add that these tracks never get groomed or maintained, so they do get very gnarly. Some spots where you ride can have rocks that are sticking out, which makes you have to dodge or switch lines in order to avoid them. The corners get blown out and we have to make a new line, and after a rain, rain ruts will be formed. Sometimes if that is the case you have to create a whole new corner or section to the track. In the end the training that I get out of riding these tracks is unlike anywhere else I have been. With all the rain we have been having here in SoCal I have had the opportunity to ride these tracks out in the desert quite a bit as they are less dusty. Actually, just last week I had the opportunity to ride with Cole Seely at one of these tracks out in the desert. He along with one of the staff guys at Honda that I have gotten to know fairly well while I have been out here, we all got the opportunity to meet up and go ride this awesome track. To get to this track we had to do our fair share of trail riding. After the journey in from trail riding, we were able to get the motos done. I must say there’s nothing like climbing to the top of the highest hill in sight to capture the beautiful view. The views out in the hills of the mountains are very breathtaking, and it truly does make me very grateful that I get to do what I get to do.
On a different occasion, after a great amount of rain, a lot of the tracks were closed. Due to the rain, I decided to make my way out to another corner track (this time didn’t require a trail ride to get to) where I had gone riding last year. When I arrived there I was surprised to see the amount of people that were there riding at such a remote place. There were more people out riding this corner track in the middle of nowhere than we would normally see at a track at home for practice. Among these people were Dean Wilson, Justin Bogle and a bunch of other pros. It was a blast just having fun with all the guys out there. I must say that these past two days are what makes me love riding my dirt bike, because we can basically do it anywhere anytime and I have fun riding either way.
Recently I will admit that I am pretty good at changing tubes and tires. Since I have been down here I have already had to change up to six tubes on my bikes. I guess my luck in that department just hasn’t been too good. With that being said I think it is important that we riders get to know how to work on our own bikes. Being able to fix and maintain our own bikes helps with our general knowledge about the bike we ride. As well, it helps when we do head out to practice days. If things go wrong, we are able to fix the problem and continue on with our day at the track. This can also help on race day by giving feedback to our mechanics as to what a problem may be or as to what we can possibly improve on the bikes. I’m not going to lie, I know that it will help down the road, because I know that one day I will have to do all my own bike work, so why not learn now rather than later.
Last thing, I do admit that with more and more time I have putting in on the Hondas, the more and more I am learning about the bike and the more and more I am loving these new bikes. They are a very well built machine as they handle so well on the track and on the trails. I really feel at one with the bike. I’m very comfortable and confident every time I throw my leg over them. Might I add that I am looking fresher than ever in that new Fox racing gear! This is making me super excited to continue my journey out here in Cali.
As I finish this blog and Valentine’s Day has just passed, I am getting ready to go get my girlfriend at the airport, LAX. Being away from home and away from the people I love and care about can be a hard thing to do at times, but it does make me grateful for the days I will be getting to spend with her while she is here. I am really looking forward to playing a little bit of a tourist for a few days, and being able to go see some of the amazing sights and scenes that Southern California has to offer. I find that it is always healthy to shut the moto brain off for a few days and just enjoy the fact that I am here in Cali. Sometimes there is more to life than just motocross.