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RACE REPORT

Round 3 & 4, Alberta Endurance Ice - Feb 8 & Feb 14/15, 2009

Corner Grass Racing Team (CGRT) wins Round 3 and finishes 2nd at Round 4 of Alberta Endurance Ice Series.

ROUND 3 - Telford 2, Feb 8/09

For Telford 2 the organizers used nearly the same course as Telford 1, with only minor changes to the worst sections left over from two weeks prior. This meant that the course was expected to be rough from the beginning. However freezing rain one week after Telford 1 resulted in a mirror like surface for the start of Round 3.

CGRT rider Jay McGregor pulled another massive holeshot and continued to charge hard; giving the team a solid 30 second lead after just 5 laps. Smooth track conditions quickly turned to loose snow which made the track extremely slippery and technical. The only options were to ride the pounded race line or risk loosing control in the deep snow bordering the main line. Both Nick Riewe and McGregor put in consistent laps resulting in a strong 1st place finish overall; gaining back the points lead for CGRT.

ROUND 4 - Numb Bum 24 Hour, Sandy Beach, Feb 14 & 15/09

The 21st edition of the Numb Bum 24 Hour was attended by 132 riders looking to complete the ultimate challenge during a typically harsh Canadian winter weekend!

The Pro Open Bike class was first off the line with CGRT's Jay McGregor pulling his now patented holeshot! He was closely followed by 2007 Numb Bum Champion JT Racing's Todd Lindahl and the pair quickly dropped the hammer and distanced themselves from the rest of the field. For several more hours the two teams were never separated by more than a few seconds, until shortly after dark when CGRT experienced minor lighting issues; suffering a slight time deficit. Not long after, JT Racing lost their chain allowing CGRT to charge back into the lead!

Just after midnight CGRT's FE650 lost 2nd and 3rd gears, making some of the tighter corners even more challenging. To make matters worse their rear tire began to fade resulting in an unscheduled pit stop revealing over 75% of the screws had gone missing!? At 4:00 AM, the race motor gave up the ghost, chewing up the main engine bearing and leaving CGRT with some tough decisions concerning completion of the event.

The rules at Numb Bum state that the penalty for substituting another bike into the race is 2 hours. Not wanting to accept this large time deficit, CGRT mechanics sprang into action and swapped out a complete motor in just under one hour! Unfortunately the only spare motor was not their typical big bore 650, but a well used 450...

Finally, the team was back out on course pounding out lap after lap on the 14 km track.

At the crack of dawn, the temperature dropped to -27*C and combined with poor visibility from the morning frost made for a very dangerous session for the riders on course. It later became apparent that many of the Numb Bum participants had suffered frostbite to their fingers, toes, and/or faces.

As the sun began to rise, CGRT had a secure hold on 2nd place overall; 6 laps down due to the motor replacement. Finishing 2nd overall seemed within their grasp, unfortunately on their second last lap an icing carburetor and a severely separated rear tire resulted in a tow by the plow truck back to the pits. Needing to complete just one more lap to assure a 2nd place finish in the Pro Open Bike class and retain valuable championship points; the team scrambled to get the bike out on course for the final lap. The bike obviously had enough abuse for one day and decided that 23 hours and 50 minutes was all it was doing… Unfortunately, its owners had other ideas and nursed the ailing scoot to the finish line in a record setting 20 minute lap!

After all the challenges Jay McGregor, Shane Cuthbertson, Lee Fryberger, and Nick Riewe were able to complete Numb Bum holding onto 2nd place in the Pro Open Bike class (4th overall). CGRT leaves Numb Bum with the points lead and will head to Round 5 at Sandy Beach on Feb 22/09 to continue the title chase!

CGRT would like to thank our sponsors, without whom this insanity called ice racing would not be possible:

HUSABERG, RONWOOD ENTERPRISES, MOTOVAN, UFA PETROLEUM, VP FUELS, A&E RACING, ENERGIZER CANADA, JMH, SOSA ORIGINAL, FEEDING PERFORMANCE, AND LIME NINE GRAPHICS.

Endurance ice racing in Alberta is organized and sanctioned by the Alberta Endurance Ice Racing Association (AEIRA) and the Canadian Motosport Racing Club (CMRC). The events are comprised of six hour long endurance races held on courses plowed into various lakes around Alberta. The courses are laid out road race style, with both left and right corners of varying degrees. Participants can ride either an offroad motorcycle or a quad (street bikes are not permitted). A typical course is anywhere from 5 to 8 kilometers in length; with lap times averaging 4 to 7 minutes.

The start format for each race is LeMans style; where riders must run a short distance to their bike, get it started, and race off as quickly as possible. The entire series runs each year from late January through early March and the number of events held depends upon ice thickness and weather conditions. The annual Numb Bum 24 hour is the premiere event within the AEIRA series.

Numb Bum has a long history behind it…this year was the 21st running of the grueling 24 hour event. Due to the difficulty associated with simply finishing Numb Bum, title chase points are awarded at double the normal amount. CGRT participates in the AEIRA series aboard a 2008 Husaberg FE650. Results of all the AEIRA events can be seen on www.mylaps.com under the category Motocross/Snocross.