Motocross Performance Magazine Canadian Motocross news leader
I’ve got lots of time to write today. Preston was asked last week if he would like to be in a commercial. So here we are, at Pie in the Sky Studios shooting a commercial for Mecanno. Before we left for the regional on Thursday night I was taking Preston for a hair cut, he’s sitting in the back of the car and says, ‘You know what mom….My future is looking so good. I’m gonna get into Loretta’s, I’m gonna be in a commercial and I’m being such a good boy.’ He was right! His future is looking great right now!
11pm on Thursday night we left Brantford, Sunset Ridge bound. We were ridiculously tired. Justin had been working in the garage late every night trying to rebuild motors and get the bikes ready for the regional. We decided to stop once we got into Michigan and sleep for a few hours. It took us over an hour to find a rest stop. We were literally falling asleep. We pulled over and slept for an hour and a half and got back on the road. We finally arrived there around 9am and practice started at 10am. So it was a rush to get signed up, gear on and set up for the day. Justin and I were walking around like zombies again. Hahaha. On top of the lack of sleep it was 40 degrees out, so hot! During the first practice, we realized there were a lot of fast kids. It was going to be tough and they were only taking the top 6 racers from this event as there were 49 on the line. The next two practices went well. Preston rode some pretty fast laps but from about 3rd to 8th were all running the same times. It was definitely going to be tough. We left the track around 5:30pm and headed for dinner and our hotel. I’ve never been so happy to see a bed in my life. We slept well that night, that’s for sure.
Saturday morning we were up early and back at the track before 7:30 am. There was a quick 2 lap practice and then onto the first motos. The first moto was split into two divisions again. Top 16 from each make it to the second moto, the rest go to the LCQ where the top 9 make it through. Preston was in the second division with all the fast kids. He didn’t get the greatest start that moto but rode well and finished 5th. It was quite a long wait before the second moto in 40 degree heat again. We even got some rain, the clouds turned black. I was getting a little worried that there would be a massive thunderstorm as the 50’s were on the line. It didn’t though. It was perfect, overcast….no sun beating down on them while they were waiting. I was so nervous. He wanted this so bad. The gate dropped and I lost sight of him, the track is 1.3 miles, so it’s huge, and hard to keep track. At the second corner I saw yellow flags go up, I for sure thought he was down. I couldn’t see him anywhere. I started walking to the back section of the track and I see him go over the step up in first place. I almost died. I was so excited. He lead the first two laps out of a four lap race. By the fourth lap, I could see he was losing energy. He finished in third place though. It was so exciting. He was over the moon. Definitely one of his best races. He was riding to win, that’s for sure. Afterwards it was back to the hotel, which had no hot water that night!!! What a nightmare when you’ve spent all day at a track and your four year old was buried in the sand box all day. On a good note, they gave us money off our stay. I’m not sure if that was worth the cold showers though.
Sunday was by far the most nerve wracking day. It was all going to come down to the last moto. There was another 2 lap practice and then he was the 3rd race. I thought I was going to puke. I was so nervous. Thank god for the fence, I needed it to hold me up as I was watching the start. Justin said to me later that it’s not often he gets nervous on the line, but he felt like he was going to puke too. I think the only person not nervous was Preston, he knew what he had to do and he was going to get it done. The gate dropped and he got the hole shot again. I couldn’t believe my eyes. Ryder McNabb passed him on the first lap and Jett Burgess was on his tail. He held Jett off for a long time. When Jett was trying to pass, Preston was trying harder. They came around a huge sweeper corner almost bar to bar. All I kept thinking was, let him past. I really didn’t want him to fall and lose the top 6 because he was tying so hard. He didn’t though. He finished the race smooth and fast and in third place. It was a huge relief to be done. He was so happy. He earned his giant ticket to Loretta’s and finished with 3rd overall for the weekend. His lap times went from a 2:20 in the first practice to a 2:03.9 in the last moto. He wanted this so bad, and tried so hard. I am so happy for him!
The road to Loretta’s is definitely a tough one. Now it’s time to practice, get his endurance up and get used to racing in the extreme heat. One thing that we have gotten under control is his allergies. He has severe allergies, after the Red Budd qualifier I took him to the doctor and explained that he can’t breathe through his nose at all. Which can’t be good during a race. We’ve been giving him reactine daily and he’s been feeling 100 times better.
Thanks to all who have been following our story, our Sponsors and everyone who have helped along the way. We are so grateful for your support, and for MXP to publish so you can keep up to date. Thanks again. Enjoy your Canada Day long weekend!!!
photos by Jessica Ten Hagen Photography
