Fontana City National, Fontana CA March 25, 2012

Race Report: Fontana City National, Fontana CA March 25, 2012

 

The Fontana City National was held the weekend of March 24th and 25th in Fontana, California. The weekend's schedule consisted of cross-country, four-cross, super-D, and downhill races, bringing hundreds of racers from all across the country to the quiet Fontana suburbs. The events downhill race was held on Sunday and the days forecast was a 100% chance of rain. The only question was when would the rain come? McKenna's practice began at 10:00 and she was in the first shuttle to get to the top of the hill. Her first practice run was a difficult and slow one, as there were many sections which were very challenging for her. Her confidence took a blow, as she thought many of the rock drops were too difficult for her to ride. After hiking up the hill several times, and working on sections over and over again, practice ended with McKenna knowing all her lines, and gaining a certain amount of confidence in her ability to ride everything.

 

Racing got underway at 12:30 and this race the Sport and Beginners would go before the Experts and Pros. Mac caught the shuttle to the top and was visibly nervous because the course was so technical and the rain was on its way. As one of the last Beginner riders to start, McKenna had plenty of time to watch the skies darken and the wind increase. Finally it was her turn, and still no drops falling yet. The starter said "Go" and McKenna rolled off the start box and into the first turn. She pedaled when she could, tried to keep her fingers off the brakes, and kept her feet on the pedals the entire run. Take a ride down the course here:

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-74UcumsL3Y

McKenna crossed the finish line with a time of 4:01, good enough for second place. She was extremely happy with her race run and felt she couldn't have ridden the technical sections any better. McKenna wants to give a big thanks to everyone along the course who screamed for her and shouted "Go Mac!", it help her tackle the steep and tricky parts. Also thanks to Don Jackson and the whole Southridge crew for such a great event. Next up for McKenna is the So Cal BMX Nationals and the US BMX National Championships, in Chula Vista, CA. Keep it tuned here for complete coverage.

Southridge Winter Series Finals, Fontana CA March 4, 2012

Race Report: Southridge Winter Series Finals, Fontana CA March 4, 2012

This past weekend was the fifth and final race of the Southridge Winter Series, held at Southridge Park in Fontana CA. The event's downhill race took place on Sunday, and McKenna was first in line to take the shuttle to the top for practice. The course laid out for the day's race was a fun and flowy one, but had several steep and super soft sections to deal with. There was only one course, with beginners to pros riding the same track. McKenna got four practice runs in but was struggling a bit with some of the deep, soft turns.

Racing got underway at 10:30, and McKenna caught the last shuttle up to await her turn for her race run. Being one of the last riders to start, McKenna had time to hike down the course and watch riders handle the soft turns and an intimidating rock drop. She was confident she knew all her lines, and hiked back up to get in line for her turn. Her race run started well, and McKenna was able to get through all the sandy turns with a foot out, moto style. It was around the middle of the course where disaster struck. There was a sharp right hand turn that McKenna came into with more speed than in practice, and was off line exiting.She hit a rock and instantly flipped over the bars. It was some time before she got untangled and was up and going again.

 McKenna crossed the line at 4:26, missing out on first place by 12 seconds. She was pretty upset about her crash, but very happy about the way she got up and gave it her all to the finish line. She was also happy with the way she handled the rock drop, no brakes! The Winter Series has come to an end and McKenna takes home the award for first place overall. Her next downhill race will be the  Fontana City National at the end of this month. Stay tuned to this station for a complete report.