Race Report: Southridge Winter Series #3, Fontana CA February 5, 2012
Southridge Park once again played host for the 3rd round of the Southridge Winter Series, held February 4th and 5th in Fontana CA. The weekends weather was sunny and warm with a fairly strong wind blowing the upper half of the race course. The turnout for both racers and spectators was excellent, with the newly laid out course offering several great vantage spots to watch the racers make their way down the hill.
The course was very challenging to begin with, and was made even more difficult as rider after rider sped down it during practice and for their race runs. The numerous corners and turns developed deep ruts in the soft soil which were quite difficult to rail at race speed. With McKenna being one of the last riders to go off, the ruts were at their softest and deepest for her run.
As the starter counted down, McKenna came off the starting ramp with some good speed, but washed out in the soft sand of the third corner. She was up and going again quickly, and was able to get through the rest of the upper turns without incident, dragging a foot out, motocross style. Her second crash came in a small rock garden which she took the wrong line into, and got her bars spun around in the crash. This time it took a little longer to get untangled and rolling, but she was soon on her way again. She rode the rest of the course without an issue, even the steep rocky chute she was finding difficult in practice. Helmet cam footage of the race course:
McKenna crossed the line with a time of 4:26. At this round, for the first time, there was someone near her age to race against in her category. A thirteen year old girl was racing as well, and as soon as McKenna crossed the line, she anxiously watched to see how long it would be for the older girl to finish. In the end, McKenna beat her by 13 seconds, taking the win, and securing a substantial lead for the overall series. More information on Southridge Racing and the winter sertes can be found here: http://southridgeusa.com/index.php.