This was my second year racing the MTA World Vet Nationals and let me tell you, the whole weekend is just an awesome experience. I may be biased since this race acts as a reunion for some of my oldest racing friends from Montana, but just a spectator there is plenty of race action, a pile of MX celebrity sightings and more friendly faces in the pits than you'll know what to do with.
The whole weekend starts with a Vet-only practice session on Friday. Here you get to tackle the Glen Helen track (designed by the creative, yet slightly sadistic mind of Jody at MXA) and find out just how much your hands will hurt. This year's course had plenty of ups, downs and tights to keep it interesting. And the bumps definitely showed up. But if you're racing Glen Helen and you don't get bumps, something is wrong. So all was good and the racing was even better.
The highlights of the weekend are always the Pro classes. Doug Dubach is the king and tore away two more championships from this year's event making 17 crowns in his vet wardrobe. Ryan Hughes should have taken one of those from Dubach, but a flat rear tire threw a heartbreaking wrench into those plans.
Check out some of my favorite photos from the race. I even put some of Jimmy Lewis in there since he rode so well (before getting a flat tire in moto one and getting really tired in moto two) on our 2010 YZ450F. For the record, Jimmy owes Dubach $2 for losing the holeshot game.