2012 Zach Ingram Race Report
Series: NEPG National Enduro Series
Event/Loc/Date: Round # 1, Wedgefield, SC USA , January 29
Bike: 2012 Husaberg TE 250
Outcome: 2nd “A 250” # 4th A Overall
Before the Race: After 3 or 4 weeks of intense training and preparation for the new season, I was ready to go for round 1. We headed east Friday afternoon and arrived at the race site Saturday morning. We got the Airgroup canopy and pit set up, and it was really looking good. Jason Hooper from Digital Offroad took some pictures/video of us on Saturday afternoon, which was really cool. I got to bed early as I was lacking on some sleep, but I was ready for a great race!
Race: Going into the first test, we had to decide the order of our stacked row. Shane Hufford went first, then Grant Baylor, and I followed them with two more behind me. The terrain in South Carolina is very sandy, and quite a few exposed roots. I would say I had an average ride in the first test, despite the arm pump. In the second test I was determined to keep Grant and Shane in sight longer than I did in the first test. I was riding well, until the first crash. I got up quickly, and for some reason couldn’t pull it together. I went down two more times in that test, and that was by far my worst of the day. The third was another average ride for me, nothing special. The fourth test is where I got some motivation. I kept Baylor honest for the first 8 or 9 miles of the 12 mile test, which was awesome. The fifth was another strong ride, as I kept Shane and Grant in sight for quite a while. Going into the last test, I was pretty tired, but I wanted to finish strong. The 9 mile test was a lot of relatively fresh trail, and I was feeling good keeping up with Shane and Grant. We all three stayed together that whole test, and all finished in the top 10 overall in that test! I ended the day finishing second in my class to Grant Baylor, and 19th overall.
After Race Thoughts: The whole Airgroup Radiant Racing team is awesome! Thanks to Jack at Airgroup, and Ted from Leovince for taking care of everything I needed between tests. The new Husaberg is an awesome bike, and I really think we have the sponsors that we need to have an awesome season together. I’m really happy with the way the first round went, because I know I will only improve from here. I’m now looking forward to a couple local races, and then on to Georgia for round 2!
Those that finished At the Top:
1. Baylor (KTM) 2. Ingram (Airgroup/Husaberg) 3. Trammell (KTM)
