As told to Marc Cantin

Guy Giroux is 10-time Quebec and three-time Canadian Enduro Champion. He is the official BMW Canada rider for 2009, aboard a G450X, and as a member of Team Moto123.com will keep us informed on his racing throughout the season.

Well here it is, my first race story of 2009...
And if the season continues like the last 4 weeks I've been through... get ready for a great year!

Most of you know by now that I'm now an official BMW Canada rider, aboard the new G450X Enduro bike. Things happened quickly and I am very happy with my new team, and looking forward to a long and fun relation with the BMW crew.

Here's a recap of how it went for my first ride on the bike.

On Friday at the Quebec Bike show, I said yes to the offer from BMW Canada. By Tuesday I was receiving the bikes, and then it was a big rush to get everything ready. Ten days later, my rig was all loaded up, and I was only waiting for Flexi (My companion) to arrive home at noon on Saturday (Feb 27) to leave for Florida. (In the meantime) I had spent some time at the Montreal show signing some posters and doing some PR.

My departure from home was delayed a little when I could not get the rig to turn out of my driveway because of the ice. After 3 hrs, 2 trucks, chains, and a Pickup load of gravel, I was finally out! Everything went fine all night long, even the customs officer was nice (My new BMW corporate image probably helped!). As the morning sun rose, I was already in N.C. Coming to the 10 mile long downhill, I woke up my co-driver so she could see the scenery. A few moments later she started screaming. "The awning on the (new) trailer is flying!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Here I am at the worst place on Interstate 81, and I have a 30 foot awning flying by the trailer side , metal post grinding, etc... After finally stopping the rig in the simili ditch, I have no other solution but to cut the thing off. I'm holding Flexi in the air while she cuts the tarp off with an X-Acto. I also needed to get some tools out and cut the 30 foot pole. 20 min later we are back rolling! By Sunday night I was shopping for cheap food at a Wallmart in Florida.

The first day in FL was spend in Ocala, where I just rode the bike for the break-in, and had a bunch of fun. The trail was nice, but the plan was to drive to Croom to meet with Wibb for a week of training. The week went by pretty fast, riding everyday, saw Travis P (Pastrana, ed), and 6 of the top 10 in GNCC (Grand National Cross Country, the top off-road racing series in the US) were riding together.

Drove to River Ranch for the first race, where the G450X got a lot of attention, as it seems nobody ever saw one??? (I even saw a bunch of Japanese dudes checking it out). I rode practice, and could not get the suspension dialled-in; soft sand and 3 foot deep whoops plus my fat ass did not go well together.... Whatever, my plan was to survive the first race and see how the bike would resist and how my shape was!!!

I got a sh....y start, and was stuck in the dust, the taping on my hand (to prevent blisters, ed) was bugging me so I stopped and took it off. I was far from the lead but at least I could see, and the bike worked great in the trails and palmetto roots. I was suffering bad arm pump, but by the first hour mark it went away and I started riding good; every lap I was getting faster, even logging my best lap on the last one, and finishing the race in 3:15 hrs approx, in 23rd place, a couple of spots behind the Japanese champ on the other BMW...

On my off day I drove to Daytona, to go see the jungle. I spent Thursday watching the Superbike race, then going downtown.... but I was in bed by eleven!

Friday I was at Paxtrack for some motocross practice. I'm feeling better every time I ride the bike, and was surprised how at home the bike felt on the MX track.

By Saturday I was in Georgia, for round 2 of the GNCC, feeling more confident about the trail and my bike. I got an OK start in mid pack, and was following the pace until my good friend Arm Pump decided to go for a ride with me. It took me 1 hr to shake him off. After the first fuel stop, I really started to ride good, even passing my Japanese team mate, once again logging my best lap on the last one. I ended up 13th this time, which was a big improvement.

By 7pm I was sitting in the Ram on the way North; 24hrs later I was in MTL. The next day I was really slow; at noon I finally got the trailer back in the Igloo.

Now what's next?? X-Town (An indoor MX track near Montreal) should open soon, or maybe a trip back to New York this time to train with Nate Kanney... we'll see!

Until my next adventure, have fun....

G-Rocks


Photo Credit : Philippe Champoux