As the green lights flashed, I easily sprinted ahead of the riders in my row, and latched on to the tail of the large lead pack. I was pushed wide at Corner 3, the kids do get physical out there, and dropped to 12th. The next corner is a full-throttle job at about 110 km/h, and I got a good exit that allowed me to get by two racers, so back to 10th.

A red flag meant a restart, which had me fighting for 8th coming out of Corner 1. Adrenaline then took over, as I was trying to go two- and three- wide to get by the kids right in front of me. What a thrill!

With three laps to go, one of those kids did a classic block pass and dropped me to 10th at the finish. I was totally exhausted but jumping up and down with excitement. Not bad for a first race! The experience will always be engraved in my memory. I could see what the regulars had learned over the season, and can’t wait to race some more and get another shot at a Top 5 finish. This was wicked fun!

I’d like to thank Honda Canada for the invitation, and especially Kim Moore and her team. I’m now hooked to motorcycle racing, much to my wife’s dispair!




Photo Credit : Leon Switzer/Total Photo - France Bastien