RACE REPORT: DLV PRO RACE SERIES #2 (More wins for the team!)

DLV PRO RACE SERIES #2 – THE WHEELRACE (report by Andrew Erskine)

This past weekend saw the second round of the Pro race series in Atlanta at the Dick Lane Velodrome. Another strong field was assembled, some of the usual speedsters and some fresh new faces. Jeff Hopkins is doing a great job drawing some of the best elite riders around making the racing fun, interesting and extremely competitive, and also some great prize money on offer.

This time myself and Jason Sprouse headed down, I was excited as I felt with the two of us out there we could really make things interesting and mix it up for some of the top guys.

The event was set up with the usual Omnium racing and featured a wheelrace finale( a handicapped race) with a separate purse. We started with some short scratch races to qualify a spot in the final, these were fast and furious and caught me napping even though Jason tried to string it out for me, with only 2 spots going to the final from 2 heats I missed out and headed to the Rep for one more shot, this for some reason has become my chosen route for qualifying for the featured events.

With qualifiers out of the way we started racing in earnest. First up was the point a lap, usually an interesting race as some of the true sprinters try and get out early and score and the enduro guys try to wait it out and get away. The series now mandates that you finish on lap to keep any points, so this has subdued the early hit and run efforts. I was determined to be more aggressive and so Jason and I went to work. Jason as always being the powerhouse he is manages to get things up to speed, a few laps in he nailed it and made all the players chase hard, knowing that if they didn’t, he was gone for the day, I sat third or fourth wheel, and as they finally pulled him back and swung up track I jumped hard (almost knocking Jason off his bike, by trying to jump “quietly”) I managed to get the gap and drove, Jason rode a perfect tempo at the front of the pack allowing me to stay away for almost 6 laps, and take the race win, Jason positioned well, we were of course set up for the omnium nicely.

Next was the 60 lap points race, this is usually the big event, with everyone going after it hard. Again Jason and I complemented each other well and started to get a nice rhythm which was really effective against the field(we are sometimes difficult to tell apart on the track, no comments please) so we were able to counter and go well. I chased after the usual early move and managed to catch them and take the first sprint points, as we were then caught, my man Jason took off. As anyone who has seen him ride knows, if he gets a gap, somebody has got some hard chasing to do, so chase they did, Jason managing to pick a few sprint lap points in the process early in the race. One of the Team Type 1 guys countered nicely on this catch but I was ready and was able to shut it down and take another sprint. Jason attacked relentlessly and spent multiple laps away from the field, collecting points as he went. I did my best to sweep behind and pick up the remaining points and control the pack. By the end, with only a few riders left on lap, Jason had done enough for the win and broken a few spirits, and I scooped up 4^th, we had won the first 2 races and I was leading the omnium.

The next event was the Wheelrace rep qualifier, Jason sacrificed himself for me and got this short 5 lapper up to speed, with all the rider vying for 1 spot in the final everyone let loose, I managed to get a good line and come around in the final sprint and take the 1 remaining spot.

The next 2 races were a motorpaced scratch race, a fun event in which we learnt that position is everything, as the race was at 38 mph when the motor pulled off, with no real chance to move up from too far back as there were no 38 to 42 mph jumps being made. The miss and out rounded it out, and with some less than perfect positioning we had managed to slip a little on the overall omnium but stayed at the top 5.

The wheelrace final was a great show, the A racers decided to work together and we formed a sort of a team pursuit, we had caught everyone in the field apart one guy, then the bell was rung a lap too early, Steve Hill jumped in attempt to shut it down but just fell short. Jeff Hopkins did re adjust the prize money due to the error and we still took home the lion’s share.

Thanks to everyone at DLV for a great day of racing, a great crowd turned out and there was a fun atmosphere. Jason and I had a good time and the drive home was a little sweeter with some wins in the bag over some of the stronger pro’s around. One more in the series to go!!