There's something about riding in the dirt that takes all the seriousness of riding, and turns it into play. It helps you to learn throttle control, body steering, sliding the rear, how to use your front brake (and your rear brake!) how to JUMP! and all this while giving you a workout that the gym can't touch.

When Honda came out with the electric start CRF230, Reg and I each got one and I quickly took to riding it in a glorified dirt lot (that we named the motocross track) out here at the airport where we have the CLASS offices. How many other 40 something year old females do you know that wait for their 13 year old "date" to come by so they can go pile dirt on the jump and then practice jumping...?

Slip Slidin' Away
or How this Bird Found Her Mojo

So a lover of dirt riding I became, then we got an invitation from fellow Shoei partner and multi time AMA 250 Champ Rich Oliver to bring a group of instructors out to his ranch to take his Mystery School. We had heard about it and really liked to idea of his well groomed hilly and oak tree woodsy 10 acres which include 3 ovals, a TT course and a motocross track. I didn't hesitate for a moment and always the good sport, Reg agreed he'd do it too.

Rich got into flat track practice for his road racing career back in the early 90's at Kenny Roberts Ranch. Rich tells how Kenny use to invite a lot of racers out and they'd battle tooth and nail gaining control and skill as they got better and better sliding in the dirt. Rich is really good at it too and you can see how his focus helped make him a legend in American 250cc road racing.

We had a blast last year as we were joined by big John and his son Chris, Fred, Jeff German, Big Bopper Jim Randolph and soon to be nicknamed "Haybale" Holman (Ted). Ted landed in the hay bales so much that Rich Fed Ex'd him a box of hay after the school to commemorate his good time!!  We all enjoyed it so much that we returned this spring, except this year Gary Crandall joined us and (thankfully) Ted stayed home. 

Rich's only helper is his wife Karin. Together they run the school and do a great job encouraging, coaching and in general taking good care of us. Rich met Karin when she worked for the Honda driving school at Mid Ohio so she brings some thoughts and school type knowledge to the Mystery School with her. She also made us a couple of delicious lunches and took some great pictures of us riding. In fact with a few exceptions, she took all of these pictures.
 

Auberry, California is the place. It's at about 2000' elevation, about 1/2 hour out of Fresno. It's a beautiful scenic drive up there. Gary, who's from Merced says that's his stomping grounds for a run through the twisties. We booked our rooms at Java Time. It's the only place that's really close and between us all, we shared a couple of cottages. Reg and I take the barn - yeah, it's a barn, and out the window is a pasture with lamas! John and the guys took the cottage in front. It's a very rustic place but it's quiet and relaxing and we have fun there. Great place to sleep and kick back after a tiring day in the dirt! But Java Time also has a regular motel part, and a coffee shop run by Betty and Joe. Very nice people plus the coffee was great.

Riding at Rich's in the dirt really brings out the competitor in me. He warms you up easy, gets a feel for everyone's control and helps coach them into better control. Then begin the time trials.  This year I did much better than last year. Now, I have to admit, I have been accused of having a cheater bike. You see 'cuz we're Honda, Reg and I are on our CRF230's, plus,  I kept my knobbies on, which helps dig in and propel you forward. But they're bone stock and corked up tight, so I think they probably make a whopping 12 hp. I bet Rich's TT125s make over 10? I have no scientific evidence that I've seen that either of these numbers is correct and I may be overstating or understating without notice... But I know there were times when I had nothing for the TT125 I was chasing around the big oval.

Gary makes me laugh. He's always smiling but we were the ones laughing. After about an hour on the little dirt bike, he told me that was the most dirt riding he had ever done. But Gary is a great rider at the track, and it wasn't long before he was really going good. He loves to compete and before long he and I were joined at the hip, racing around the ovals, trying not to let the other get by.

Young Chris is now almost 15 and he's gotten really good. He's a good mx'er and I can't stay with him when we're out on the trails at Ballinger. One time I stopped at the top of this steeep hill and near tears, I got him to ride my bike down. Did I just admit that? He's been riding with us lately on his dad's RC51 at the track! and I think he may already be faster than me as of our last trip to Sears Point. Good on ya little racer.
 

His dad John is a good dirt rider too. But big John on a 125 makes an easier target for me and my cheater CRF. When John's around, I'm always laughing. He's one of those guys that talks softly and has a great sense of humor with perfect timing. I'm still laughing about last year in one of the oval races, John was in front, I was behind him by like 4 bike lengths. I could not catch him and the race was totally his to lose. I came around turn one and there's John on the ground under the mini Yamaha. What the...? Being a good friend I slowed and was going to stop and help him get up, but then of course the Bopper goes blowing by, thinking he's going to win. I think Rich stopped the race and we re-started - but there was a lot of razzing going on as always and we laughed for 2 days.

Reg is just out there to have fun and get better at sliding. He hurt his knee earlier this spring so he was taking it easier than he did last year. He had his knee braces on but still favored it a little to make sure he was in shape for the upcoming schools.

But with his dirt track tires on, Reg was getting it sliding pretty well. All of us (except Gary) learned last year that in the dirt your body weight is used differently than on pavement. That was one of Ted's problems last year - it was evident his survival is seriously dependent upon traction. In the dirt, traction is different and if you hang off to the inside, which you do on a street type bike, the bike will slide away from you. You have to sit on the highside of the bike in order to push it down and get traction. A lesson us road racer types all keep working at.

Except for Jeff. The lucky guy has a dirt oval in his front yard and we hear he hosts an array of riders and racers for a backyard skirmish as often as time and weather allows. Jeff has his CRF150 and smokes us in the time trials. He really gets the thing crossed up and if I saw a red fender pushing under me, there was no doubt it was Jeff. But he gave me some of the best advice all day "don't let me in".

Gary took over where Ted left off. He kept falling down and would get up laughing. It was just like Reg tells about when Gary first came to CLASS as a student. He would crash, and get up with a big smile on his face, dust himself off, get back on his bike and ride. At first my experience from my home dirt lot had me running pretty good, but then Rich started really coaching Gary and before long, he was ripping! He wasn't falling off (as much) and he was getting fast. He terrorized me in several races, then I terrorized him - we had quite a battle going on. Then one time during a warm up lap, I come around turn 3 on the big oval, and Gary is head first a$$ up in the weeds. I slowed to make sure he was good and he jumped up and was picking up his bike. I was laughing so hard when I got back to the starting line I couldn't answer when Rich asked where Gary was. I'm laughing still :-).

On the second day we all got good practice and another round of time trials and then we were racing. A couple of times I got the holeshot and one time I was holding them off and holding them off, and then the dreaded - 'show me a wheel'. Rich encouraged me "Come on Gigi, if you don't let them in, you'll beat them". Jeff added "Don't let us in. We won't run into you".

The tiger was starting to come out which kinda surprised me. We're all such good friends, it was a really fun place to be competitive. We could be happy for whoever was better, while at the same time, wanting to beat them - if that makes sense. Maybe that's what it's like for the Hayden brothers. But I started to tell myself not to let them in.

The last race of the weekend was the 50 lapper on the small oval. The small oval was the mid size oval at the ranch. A decent qualifying time in 3 laps is in the 29 second range - Jeff was in the 28s! (You can see the top 74 of Rich's students times by clicking here.) I had qualified 2nd behind Jeff but I had a hard time passing, so my start would be important if I had any chance of winning. Listen to you girl. I am NOT competitive. Yeah right, keep telling yourself that...

We all started at the line together, me on the inside so I should be able to grab the holeshot. Reg decided to rest the knee and take pictures of this one, so there were just 5 of us. The green flag dropped and quickly I was 4th! These guys were serious! I think I got the jump on John.

Okay, settle in, it's 50 laps, let it come to you. Get in the rhythm. Chris was in front with Jeff close behind and then Gary. After about 6 or 8 laps I had them in sight but wasn't really gaining on them. All of a sudden, Gary runs wide in turn one. My normal benevolent noncompetitive self started to say "let him straighten it up and get it going". Then the the tiger chimed in, "No way, you gotta go for it. This is a gift!" It took everything I had but I ripped through on the inside, tires sliding on the power to get by. I kept it upright and now I was in 3rd - now we were racing! Yeah!

Rich calls the 3rd turn on the small oval the 'house turn' because it goes to within about 20 feet of the house at one point. It had developed a wet and slippery berm because of the extensive rain they had a few weeks prior. Do I go to the outside, which is Rich's preferred line for getting a run down the straight, or do I keep a tight line, to keep those passers blocked from going under me but risk falling in the slippery mud? I did both.

And all the while I hear Gary right on my tail. He was trying with all his might to get that wheel under me, but I held him off. I could see his smile in my mirror. Just kidding. Every time I took the wide line I had to get it turned to fend off the attack. Who else is back there? Where's that red Honda fender that's gonna be lapping anytime soon? Last year I got lapped like 4 times by Jeff and Rich laps me every few laps. This year Rich was flagman.

We were in the perfect 2nd gear rhythm. That little single cylinder was working its heart out, launch to the turn and roll off for the corner. Hard on the gas, rear brake plus controlled measured front brake, kick it sideways for the turn and then pin it for 3 seconds and repeat. Keep it smooth. Perfect control, don't blow it or he'll go by.

Crossed flags meant we were at the half way mark, 25 laps to go. Yeah, we're in the rhythm and nobody's coming by. The little Yamaha was buzzing behind me. On about lap 46 it happened: yellow flag! Christian was down.  Jeff had passed him and in his mighty attempt to take the lead back, young Chris ran into Jeff's rear tire. We went by as Chris was getting his bike restarted and kept rolling and wait a second - now I was in 2nd place! White flag, one lap to go. Through the muddy house turn one more time, on the gas and checkered flag!! Woohoo! Jeff won it, and I was 2nd and Gary was 3rd.

But it was just good fun. Rich took us from beginning to slide to racing with a level of control, all in two days. I know that dirt riding has helped me ride my CBR600RR better on the track. It's helped me in areas like throttle control, smooth braking, feeling more comfortable on the bike and even blipping the throttle - which as soon as I mastered it I found out flat trackers don't blip! They want the rear to step out when it locks up.

When people ask me what's the one thing in addition to taking a lot of CLASS and just riding - seat time - that they can do to improve their motorcycle skill, I always say ride in the dirt. And at Rich's you can do that. It will wear you out! You'll find muscles you didn't know you had and you might even fall down. But if your mind is open, you will come away a better rider! See you next year Rich.

-Gigi

Post Script...I've since graduated to a CRF250X - "a real dirt bike" - for excursions in the desert and in Baja. But I'm hoping Rich will still let me bring the 230 out to the ranch...