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Rudy Austin |
 Rudy
Austin GNCC - Off Camber/ProMoto Billet Yamaha-Crawfordsville 2009
This past weekend, Rudy and the Pro Moto Billet/Off Camber Yamaha team headed for the final round of the Can Am GNCC , the 'Klotz" Ironman in Crawordsville, Indiana. Having had a few average rides in past rounds, and still riding with a damaged shoulder from a mid season crash, Rudy was thankful to finally get back on the podium and finish out the season on a high. A first lap bottleneck of 50 riders plus at one of the many steep climbs proved to be the difference between first and second over 3 hours of racing, leaving Rudy having to climb the field from 6th on lap 1 up to 2nd by the end of lap 4. A steady ride on the final lap concluded a great day for Rudy and the team. "The season finale is one of the best races of the year, and I was glad that I could hold on to a top 3 series finish, as I've been struggling in recent races with injury. It was always my aim for the year to finish top 3 in my class, so overall I can't be disappointed. After I got hurt mid season at Loretta's, I knew that winning the series would be tough, as with me only riding 10 rounds this year, I needed to score good points in every race. I just wanted to make sure that I at least got 3rd, as all the other guys on the team were in the hunt for series podiums also" "A massive thankyou to all that have made it possible this year: The Mastin Family, team manager/chaufer/cook/mechanic Dave Chainberlain, my Brother, all the team sponsors and people that have helped and looked after me throughout the year" Rudy will be returning to contest the 2010 series starting in Florida next February. Overall Team Stats:
Round 9 of the Can Am GNCC season rolled into the hills of West Virgina for the 3rd running of the 'Toughest off road Race in the World' at the Ski Resort of Snowshoe Mountain. With a 26 mile circuit split into two individual loops, 1 of 14 and 1 of 12 miles, this event was set to be more unique than normal. Set at almost 1 mile high, in over 11,000 acres of land the terrain was very welcoming for the British boys flying the flag in the GNCCs. With Tight and technical trails through dense woodland, rocky creek beds and marshland bogs, it could have been mistaken for a welsh forest. With both David and Jason competing, Rudy was certainly up for the challenge of topping the podium in his class, and to maintain his push for a championship win. In this his 7th round from 9, Rudy began the day on row 45, of 80. With riders starting on the main highway in groups of 5, the 'Elsenore' start is something of a 1 off in off road racing. Quickly getting in to the pace, Rudy pushed hard for the first hour, keeping in check with his class competitors, taking an early lead, only to drop back to 3rd by lap 4. With temperatures topping 90, the heat and old injury's taking its toll and eventually Rudy had to settle for 3rd. "It would have been great to win this one to pull back some points in
the championship, but also because both David and Jason had winning rides. I
dislocated my shoulder at Loretta's a few races ago and so have tried not to
do too much in between to try to help it heal up a little better. Im happy
that I managed a podium before the break, as the last 2 races have not been
the best for me" Rudy Austin GNCC race report This past weekend, Rudy and the Pro Moto Billet/Off Camber Yamaha team headed for round 5 of the Can Am GNCC held at Loretta Lynn's ranch , Tennessee. With a torrential downpour which started Saturday evening, and didn't let up until just prior to the drop of the flag at lunch on Sunday, the conditions would prove to be the toughest of the season so far. After a poor start, relegating him to virtually last position in the field, Rudy set about chasing down the class leaders, to maintain his challenge for an overall. With visibility extremely difficult, and the very technical track sometimes seeming impossible to navigate , Rudy's steady and smooth style quickly had him heading back to the front of the pack. With a 12 mile lap taking in excess of 40 mins to complete, the usually flowing hills and stream beds of Lorettas were quickly turning into something which wouldn't have been out of place in the Welsh mountains in January. By lap 2 , Rudy was up to 6th place and a quick refuel, change of gloves and a new set of scott goggles was required ,Wth the ability to now twist the correct grip, Rudy posted his fastest lap of the race and a jump in to second, some 2mins 30 behind the leader. By the end of lap 4, with some calculated line choices and help from the team spotters, Rudy entered the final lap still holding second, now only some 4 seconds behind the leader. Rudy briefly took the lead exiting the timing zone only for disaster to strike less than 2 miles from the finish. A coming together with a stranded rider in a rocky creekbed leadi to a collision with a tree and a fall resulting in a dislocated shoulder and the loss of the lead. Rudy said: "I didn't realise I was only four second behind going into the last lap….i miss read the timing clock and thought it was 4 mins and I guess I pushed a little too hard, It was so difficult to tell who was who out on the track, but at least I still managed to score some good points." Rudy currently holds 4th position, 2 points off second, in the VetB championship standings as the series continues on May 2-3 with the Weekend Warrior Titan in Lafayette, Tennessee
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Rudy's
GNCC Season Continues