Blais Racing Services BITD Parker 250 Race Report!
For the BITD Parker 250, I teamed up with my teammate and homie, Skyler Howes. We would be racing Skyler’s 300 in the Open Pro class. My first time ever on a bike that size was Friday after tech. I was really excited and pretty nervous about racing in the Pro class against some really fast riders and role models.
Skyler started and then handed the bike off to me running 4th place overall. I got on the bike with Nick Burson right on my coat tails. I held him off until about mile 50-something and he passed me with a flat tire. Unbelievable! The flat gave and the tire came off the rim so I was able to pass him back.
Coming through the python my bike started to sputter. “Oh #@%$” I thought (sorry mom). I was out of gas. I started to think of all the bikes behind me and sprinted as fast as I could to our pit! I only got passed by one bike and I was out again in 5th racing ahead to get back that position. We were in 5th when I handed the bike off to Skyler. As I waited in the pits we heard N1 was out which put us back into 4th place. As I filled back up with some proteins, the bikes started to come in again so I got prepared to get back on the bike. Skyler came in at 3rd this time! I was ready for the battle.
This last 50 miles was very tough because of the lappers but I was able to make my way around quite good. On the last section where we went under the bridge, my rear moose blew tossing me completely sideways. I kept it wide hoping for the best and was able to pull it off. I made my way to the finish thinking “Wow, with no suspension testing, and running out of gas twice, 3rd is pretty good”.
I want to thank Pro Cut for paying our entry fee and making it possible for us to do this fun fast race, also my mom and dad, Skyler for being my teammate and putting up the bike, and all my sponsors: Blais Racing, Fasst Company, Race Tech, ESR Troy Lee Designs, MuscleMilk, Cytomax, Vonzipper, Alpinestar, Asterisk, Amsoil, Rad Mfg, Dirt Tricks, Notoil, Kenda FMF, And God. Till next time Yee! Yee!
The first race on my calendar was the BITD Parker 250. About a month ago Chris Blais sent me a message asking me if I would race it. Of course I agreed and we then started preparation on the Brendan’s KTM 300. Brendan and I would team up in the Open Expert Class. After two long weeks of preparation race day came up quick.
I got to the start line around 6:15 and waited for the 7:30 start time. Finally the time had come and the first few bikes began the 250 mile race. One by one they took off until it was my turn. I sat there patiently waiting for the red light to turn green, and then
I was off! With a quick adrenaline rush I pinned it through the roads! I was catching riders instantly and was moving great! I had a great pace going until the sun came out blinding anything in it’s direction. I tried to keep up my fast pace but knew it would be better to just be smart. I got the bike to Brendan 30 miles in and knew the next 75 miles were up to him. I sat at the pit waiting for about 2 hours until it was time to get ready again. Sam have Skyler the bike about 10 minutes before Brendan got the bike to me.
Brendan had gotten us up to 7th Overall and first in class. I put down a clean fast lap and ended up catching all the way up to 4th Overall. From that point on, Brendan ride the bike to the finish to give us the 1st Place Open A win and 4th Overall! I couldn’t be more pleased with how the race went! The two Blais Racing
Teams went 3-4 which is awesome! I’m so blessed to have the opportunity to be on such an amazing team! We put in a lot of time to prepare for the race, and it definitely paid off!
I want to say thanks to my dad for not only supporting me at the race, but for supporting my whole racing career. Thanks to all the sponsors that give us the ability to race almost every weekend,
without all of you none of this would be possible. Of course I have to give it up to God for giving me such opportunities and always keeping me safe!
Thanks!
Ben 557
To understand the feelings that I have after racing the BITD Parker 250, you must first understand the two weeks leading up to the race. I had fallen while riding my bicycle in the end of December, and was worried that I could have damaged my shoulder in the crash. I had a lot of pain and discomfort in various parts of my shoulder, so I scheduled to have it looked at the first Friday in January. The visit went well! My shoulder was x-rayed, and showed that there were no broken bones. With all of the discomfort I was still having, my doctor suggested that I have an MRI done to make sure that there was no damage to muscles or tissues that could eventually come back to haunt me in the future. Scheduling and having my MRI done was a nightmare! I was unable to get anywhere until Tuesday and finally scheduled the MRI for Wednesday (2 days prior to the race).
Friday morning came along, and I was pretty nervous knowing that this visit would not only determine racing in Parker, but the beginning of the NHHA series only a few weeks away as well. As you may have figured out, my visit went well! The doctor told me I was good to go, although I had banged the hell out of it and it would be sore for quite awhile. Less than 24 hours before the race I left happy and ready to race.
Parker was definitely an interesting race. I had never done a BITD race so I didn’t really know what to expect. I got on the bike at the alternate pit, and would ride roughly 80 miles back to that same pit and wait for Ben to return before I would ride to the finish. The race started very early, so we were left riding into the sun for most of the first loop. On the big roads I felt great, and I had a lot of fun riding at those speeds. The slower and rougher terrain was very challenging for me, as I was lacking strength in my injured shoulder to ride properly. If it wasn’t for my Flexx bars I don’t know if I would have been able to ride at all. I had a few moments that made me realize I could not ride a fast pace and feel confident doing so, therefore I slowed down my intensity and tried to ride smooth and smart. The race went by quickly, and I was happy with the team’s result.
I was proud with our Open Expert 1st Place win, but surprised that we had been able to move ourselves into 4th overall for the race! Both of the Blais Racing Teams did fantastic, and I want to thank my teammate Ben for riding amazing which allowed me to tone it down and make it safely to the finish. I also couldn’t have gone to this race without the support of the entire Blais Team and all of our sponsors: Blais Racing, FasstCo, KTM, Race tech, ESR, No Toil, TLD, Alpinestars, Kenda, IMS, BRP, A’ME grips, Dirt Tricks, HBD, Rekluse, Bulletproof Designs, Fastway, Xbrand goggles, Acerbis, FMF
Category: Race Recap