John took off his manager cap and put on his helmet to participate in the Black River Stages Rally on September 26 and 27 in his hometown of Harrisville, NY. This is the 4th and final event of the Atlantic RallyMoto Cup series which draws riders as far away as Michigan and South Carolina. The bikes entered in the competition range anywhere from BMW R1200 to XT350 Yamaha. Image riding 200 plus miles as fast as you can on bumpy, curvy and wet dirt roads, add the factor that half of the race is done at night and this is Rally racing.
John participated in this race last year and not only enjoyed himself but ended up finishing first in his class and 3rd overall. The motorcycle participation part of the rally was fairly new last year and competition was good, but nothing like this year. The sport grew tremendously with many more riders in his class. Even though John does not actively participate in Rally riding, his motocross/enduro racing background has given him a tremendous edge when he is out on those dirt roads.
The event started on Friday evening at 5:00 p.m. along with a steady rain. After completion of several stages, John finished up the evening at 11:45 p.m. soaked to the bone but anxious for the next days event.
Saturday morning, John was seated in the top 5 finishers from the Friday evening rally stages. Saturday’s weather started off better with overcast skies but quickly changed to rain. Rallying began at 10:00 a.m. and with the night riding behind them rider’s were anxious to get moving. John had an excellent day except for the final stage, when he crashed in a hard turn. Even though he went down, he regained his composure and only lost a few seconds in this stage. Once again, John received 1st in his class, Production 2 and 2nd overall for the day and earned the title “Flying Yellow Banana” from spectators and fellow riders were quoted to say “just insane!”
Way to go JW! Live life – Go Rally.
John would like to thank all his sponsors; WMXtreme LLC, WMXMotorsports, MGX Unlimited, AMS, Conlins Bakery and Red Pine Lodge.
Check back for action shots from the Rally!
