This was a facebook post that i decided to immortalize here. I couldn’t really improve much upon this story, so its virtually unchanged.
So there i was…
Lined up for my first desert race. 3rd moto race ever (2019 Virginia City Grand Prix Saturday and Sunday were my first two) and first MRANN race. Novice class, nothin fancy, just a little secondhand 350 beta I’d bought 2 weeks before. Cut out my background by hand, slapped a couple Icon stickers to match. Ready to race.
Some backstory: major selling point on this bike was that handy little red button on the throttle side that said “push to start.” (Remember those Astars tech 5 boots with the hole in the right foot? That hole was from my boot hitting the peg so many times trying to kick start that old honda 250) i was over kickstarting. So i thought.
We line up, all 160 something of us. 2 strokes screaming, all the bikes warming up. Novice class had 2 rows. Biiiiig group ride with my friends in the desert. Suddenly it occurs to me… hey dummy. You’ve never practiced a dead engine start. Nows a helluva good time to figure out how that works. So i kill the bike, practice a bit.
Clutch-button-shift-gas-clutch. Did it twice. Ok. Thats enough for a first start. We’ll see how it goes.
Everyone kills all their engines. Dead quiet.
Experts leave.
Ok Matt, start the bike to keep it warm.
Zzzztttzzzz.
No start. Battery dead.
Zzzzzttzzzzz.
Heart sinks. Awww shit.
I look to the guy next to me. His bar end is just behind mine and a little close for comfort. I wiggle the bike back behind his. “Hey man, my batterys dead, don’t hit me on the way out”
Dead quiet.
Amateurs leave.
Now, seconds from the start, i have to relearn my start procedure to include kicking 100 cc’s more motor than the last bike i had.
The rest of the story is in the video. I felt like Ricky Bobby in the beginning of Talladega Nights “scuse me, pardon me, excuse me, comin thru”
E start never worked the rest of the 100 mile race. Which was super handy when i crashed out just after the 70 mile mark and both legs cramped up and i somehow found the strength to kick her back to life again. I’m still chasing the issue, but I’m not worried about it. That Beta and me are going places ❤
I had a blast. Thanks for everyone that made this and all the other races possible. I don’t know whats more sore; my muscles from racing, or my face from smiling afterwards
-Stand On It.
Stand On It 