Chilly White launches off the final table-top in his C2 moto on the MotoUSA Honda CRF450X project bike.
The
2009 Portugal ISDE is finally over and Day 6 again proved to be a challenging one. With only 50 miles of trail it looked like it would be an easy day, but the organizer again set the route speeds very high, so much so that a number of riders were late to check one and dropped some route points. I would have to classify this as probably the most dangerous day I have ever had at an
ISDE. Once it was obvious that the times were going to be tight, we were racing pretty hard down all types of roads. These included dirt roads that would regularly intersect with paved roads creating dangerous intersections. After the first check, we were still racing, but primarily on paved roads, right through the middle of little narrow towns. It was all pretty crazy and I am glad to be done with it.
I got through it without incident, but Russell Bobbitt crashed and injured his shoulder on the trail. Later in the final moto Destry Abbott injured his finger, tearing off a fingernail. I fell in the second corner of my final moto and got back going in last place, but I got to pass lots of guys coming back through the pack so that was kind of fun.
Chilly White made some new friends during the 2009 ISDE and rode some of the most amazing terrain Portugal had to offer.
So I am in the airport now waiting for the first of the many flights that will take me home. Portugal has been a great place. The race location was postcard perfect (even if the trail wasn’t). Everywhere we have traveled has been scenic. There is so much history in this area that it is hard to drive anywhere without being distracted by the numerous castles and ruins.
My
CRF450X is now in a container and hopefully I will see it before the end of the year. Other than tires, oil and air filters, the only time a wrench touched the bike all week was to adjust the chain. I certainly can’t complain about that, it is big mental advantage having complete faith in the bike you are racing.
I finished 45th in the E2 class with a silver medal and my club team came in 17th, just about where I expected to be. Overall I would consider it a successful week.
Signing off from Lisbon,
Chilly White
