Report by: Quinton Spaulding
Photos by: Monique Spaulding
This was my first trip to Woodward West. It is renowned for it’s indoor vert ramps, foam pits, stunts and skateboarding. I was extremely surprised to find that they had a real mountain bike park with well built trails and jumps for 26″ bikes…it is quite phenomenal. This place has something for anyone who dares to venture out on two wheels.
What was also cool about Woodward, was that it had a pit area at the top (very close to the start gate) where the public announcements were made and then a separate area at the finish line for tech space and other vendors. We were set up at the bottom, and got to enjoy some very cool sights and sounds.
When I first wondered over to the jump park I was asking myself…why didn’t I bring my YZ250F along for this trip? The jumps at the “Woodward MTB Park” are ridiculous, anywhere from 40 to 60 foot gaps I was told, and groomed to perfection! I would definitely hit them on my dirt bike! The kid in this photo was not photo shopped, and no, he is not strapped in the tree either… he is really gapping it!
Another crazy kid hanging out in the tree…they were scaring me, sometimes jumping dead sailor all 50 feet across, but they all came out unscathed!
This kid wanted to see if he could boost right over the trees!
Luckily we had three of Kern County’s finest on hand in case of any unfortunate injuries…we were all in good hands to say the least. As far as I am aware, no one needed medical treatment throughout the weekend, and this is always a huge bonus when you are at a mountain bike race.
We were also treated to some live karaoke demonstrations in the pit area – these ladies really thought they could sing…I mean these ladies could really sing! They sang ALL weekend long!!
I believe they were getting themselves ready for the “Karaoke Nationals”
This is a shot of our Lodge, we even had our own personal putting green and wasted no time in getting our putt on!
Some of X-Fusion’s boy’s were also in attendance. Brad Benedict and Ryan Condrashoff did well finishing 2nd and 5th respectively. Unfortunately they destroyed a tire on the X-Fusion rig upon pulling into the pits…”rookies!”
The shuttles were full all weekend long. This course was only just over a minute long so we got in plenty of practice runs. It was designed well, with berm turns, off cambers and double jumps making for very exciting racing.
The shuttles made their rounds about every ten minutes, it was extremely efficient and I did not hear one complaint all weekend…kudos to Southridge Racing!
Here’s a shot of KHS Factory Racer Logan Binggeli making his way to the finish line on his second race run. The Cal State Championship has a 2 run combined format so being consistent is key to doing well. Logan placed 6th overall, just one spot off the podium…just wait until this kid hits the big national courses!
It was another good weekend for KHS Vet Pro racer Chuck Valenzuela who took 2nd place after 2 runs. This gives Valenzuela a share of the California Golden State Championship points lead with Mountain Cycle’s Vet Pro factory rider Craig Van Kleef.
People gather around in anticipation of the podium madness. Podiums are a fun gathering at a Southridge event, there is always a great atmosphere and the giveaways are well appreciated. KHS Bicycles is a “Platinum Sponsor” of the Southridge Racing Co.
As always a special thanks to our esteemed group of sponsors, whom without the KHS Racing Program would not be as successful as it is.
Next the “KHS Factory Crew” is off to Santa Ynez Valley National which is round # 3 on the National Mountain Bike Calender. Please stay tuned for more updates and pictures from the “KHS Race Crew”.
All the best,
Q.
