Virginia City Grand
Prix
Enduro & Dualsport Ride
2006-04-28
On Friday April 28th 2006 my brother and I headed South to Virginia City Nevada to meet some friends and race the annual Virginia City Grand Prix Motorcycle Enduro. We’re both in our mid-thirties and ride dual-sport bikes. Although we’ve been riding dirt bikes since we were kids we never raced competitively. This was our first enduro race and here is the report on how it went…
Bend Oregon to Virginia City Nevada:
We left Bend Oregon at 9:30 AM on Friday and headed for Virginia City Nevada. It
was an easy and interesting drive with plenty of things to see and do.
Virginia City Grand Prix here we come! >>>
Some random mountain with snow on it >>>
Reno Nevada >>>
The twisty canyon road up to Virginia City >>>
Virginia City Nevada:
When we rolled into town at 6 PM I felt like I went back 150 years in time! The town
looks like a movie set from an old western movie like "Gunsmoke" or "Bonanza"
with old saloons, sidewalks made of wood, gold and silver mines in the
surrounding hills, etc. Here are a few pictures of Virginia City, Nevada…
Virginia City >>>
The Washoe Club >>>
A mansion >>>
Someone lives here >>>
Wooden sidewalks >>>
There were trucks, RVs and motocross bikes everywhere and we parked with some
friends who saved a place for us. Then we unloaded our bikes and gear, set up
camp and headed for the local Saloons for a few cold ones!
Bucket of Blood Saloon >>>
Saturday’s Race:
On Saturday my brother and I finished prepping our bikes and helped our friends
set up and run the pit area. 4 were running the Expert Class.
Dave and his Kawasaki KLX400s >>>
The pits >>>
The starting line >>>
Saturday’s Dual Sport Ride:
After watching the start of the pro/amateur race I just had to go ride my Honda XR650R and get warmed up for our
Sunday race! So my brother and I juked out of there for a quick dual sport ride.
Off we went exploring the nearby hills, mines, etc. The ride turned out to be
about 40 miles. Here are a few pictures…
Mine >>>
The Rock crusher >>>
The Rock crusher - View 2 >>>
Old mine >>>
Abandoned mining building >>>
Adventure riding in ruins >>>
The Hill Climb: We went up a GIANT hill climb to an 8000 foot summit with
some old mines and a great view of Carson City, Reno, Washoe Lake and the Sierra
Nevada Mountains. Beautiful!
Dave gaining 1500 feet of elevation in just 5 minutes! >>>
Old mine shaft >>>
On the summit >>>
Washoe Lake and Reno >>>
Sunday’s Race:
On Sunday morning we got up, ate a big breakfast, drank a bunch of water and
lined up at the starting line on main street. With 400 riders in Sunday’s race,
at #185 I was in the middle of the pack. Here’s how the race went.
SLOW-START: The first lap was a little slow because of all the dust and
riders bottle-necking in the tougher slower sections.
MOJO: It took me about 15 minutes to “get my mojo” and then I started
zeroing in on riders in front of me and passing them. A few of the really fast
guys passed me. About 50% of them I never saw again and the other 50% crashed
and I passed them and never looked back!
ROCKS! The rocks made this race BRUTAL! The first half of the route
included one long down-hill section strewn with rocks everywhere and 2 rocky
gullies that were really tough to navigate. I fell down once in a rock gully,
but was able to pick the bike up while it was still running and take off.
THE CREEK: After the rocky down-hills and gully sections the route took us
through a rocky creek section that was fun.
ROAD RACIN’ The road section after the creek was cool. It was about 2
miles of twisty back-road that was blocked off from other vehicle traffic. This
is where the Honda XR650R’s big power really shined as I was able to quickly
crank it up to 80 MPH passing TONS of riders here.
2ND LAP: After the first lap I knew the overall layout of the track and
what to expect after every turn. I felt really good so I turned up the juice and
concentrated on being steady and fast while passing as many people as possible.
I was railing all the corners and blasting up the hills on my XR650R.
PIT STOP: Near the end of the 2nd lap I started running out of gas and
had to put it in reserve. This meant I needed to hit the pits for some gas. The
crew gassed me up, poured some water down my gullet and I was off to pass some
more riders.
3RD LAP: During the first lap my hands started hurting me from the
roughness of the course. Now I’m in the third lap and they’re killing me! Plus
I’m getting a really tired. But, my goal is to pass my friends who started the
race about 10 rows in front of me and finish the race in the top of my class.
So, I just put it in “robot mode” and keep going. Semper-Fi. That which does not
kill you makes you stronger. ;-)
FINISHING: I didn’t catch up to the guys who started 10 rows up, but
finished the 3 laps without crashing hard and kept up a really fast pace. The
last part of the 3RD lap ended with a flat sweeping right hand corner that was a
blast to flat-track, then 3 step-up jumps and finally the finish line.
After I crossed the finish line I got off the bike. I was so exhausted and could hardly
stand up, but I had a huge feeling of accomplishment since most people didn’t
make it the full 3 laps and 88 miles. Later I heard from someone that the
Virginia City Grand Prix is the hardest enduro race in the West… and I believe
it!
All in all I had a great time. It was an awesome weekend with plenty of sights
to see and one tough dirt bike enduro race. I’ll certainly race here again.
PAYING THE PRICE: It’s 2 days after the race and my muscles are killing
me... especially my quads! I can hardly walk! That means it was a great work-out
eh? No reason to lift weights today! ;-)
BACK HOME: Traveling is fun, but after sleeping outside in a sleeping bag
for 2 nights, and getting thrashed by an enduro race it’s good to be back home
with the family.
My daughter “Zoey” and I >>>
Lessons Learned:
Consistency is Key: Don’t ride way above your skill level and crash! For
example, about 30 of the riders who passed me later crashed hard. This enabled
me to pass them back and leave them in the dust to the end of the race! Duh!
Protective Gear: Crashing on a hard and rocky course like the Virginia City
Grand Prix wouldn’t be good for your body or your bike. Of course I wore all the
gear such as a motocross helmet, goggles, boots, gloves, chest protector, elbow guards and
shin / knee guards.
My hands are what really needed more protection through. I taped my
hands, but they were hurting bad during the 2nd and 3rd laps. Next time I’ll use
more tape on my hands and wear tougher gloves to keep them from hurting so bad.
The End
Tune in next time for more motorcycle dual sport and enduro fun coming soon…