ANDY TAKES ON DEL MAR/ BLOG
by Andy DiBrino
CALL or TEXT (503) 243-1900
by Andy DiBrino
Man oh man, Del Mar was so much fun! IV League Flat Track put on an amazing event both days! I made the 1,050 mile trip Thursday and Friday prior, grabbing my girlfriend Tara along the way. This was my first trek with the Sprinter van my Dad and I just got, and it did the trick. I packed 3 race bikes, and 2 street bikes in it for a fun-filled weekend.
We pulled into the Del Mar Fairgrounds Friday night after enjoying our 5 hour journey from Fresno, where Tara lives. Along the way we stopped at Superlite Sprockets in Huntington Beach, a sponsor of mine, who hooked me up with some new sprockets! We also went to the pier there, and did a little shopping on the beach.
The weather was absolutely gorgeous, staying in the low 70s, but cooling into the 40s at night. I wore a tee shirt and shorts all weekend! See See Motorcycles and Coffee sent me down with some swag, and Tara and I ran a vendor booth all weekend selling shirts, hats, beanies, cozies, and handing out stickers. We camped out in the van, and had a blast!
Tara has never raced before, up until Del Mar where she did for her first time. She rode my Honda XR100, winning her heat race, and getting 5th in the main event out of 11 women on Saturday! Not bad.
I entered the Hooligan class, which had over 50 entries! I also entered the Pro class. In the heat races, I won my Hooligan heat, and got 3rd in my Pro heat which gave me a direct transfer to the main events. The pro talent down there was world class, and there was about 50 entries in that class as well. I was very proud to get a direct transfer into the main event, and I was battling for the lead in it too.
Unfortunately the race program ran late into the night, and they were short on time. Noise limits were being surpassed, and the event was in jeopardy of being shut down. The Pro main event got cut to about 4 laps, which wasn't near enough time to get settled in. I did pretty well though considering. The Hooligan main event didn't even run which was a big bummer!!
Out in front on the 450
Sunday was another beautiful day. Once again I won my Hooligan heat race. I was feeling FAST. In my Pro heat race, I was battling for a transfer spot and took a spill. I ended up not running the Semi or Last Chance Qualifier, since those were right before the Hooligan main event. I drove down mainly to contest the Hooligan class, so I wisely sat out and saved myself for the Hooligan main event, which I won! I got a decent start, patiently waited to pass, and took home a comfortable win. I also ran another class called Unclassified, which is open to any bike and skill level. I got the holeshot, and had a battle for 1st the whole race, finishing 2nd in the end.
Overall it was a perfect weekend for me. I met all of my goals, enjoyed watching Tara do well at her first race, and was pretty successful selling some merchandise for See See. I got to see a lot of friends, and meet new ones!
After the races, we packed up, and stayed the night in San Diego. The next morning, I got to visit another sponsor down there, Ride 100 Percent. They mainly make motocross goggles. It was a neat visit!
