For the 3rd year in a row, CGRT meets misfortune at the infamous Numb Bum 24-hour ice race. The team with a “Bull’s-eye” on its back was in full force with both the defending AEIRA Pro Open champions Jay McGregor and Nick Riewe competing alongside veteran speedster Robin Dohlman who rounded out the three member team.
Once again, the CGRT Husaberg FE570 pulled a massive hole-shot and soon established a five-minute lead over the field. Unfortunately at the 4.5 hour mark, the team was dealt a massive blow when a mechanical failure stopped them in their tracks. Unable to diagnose the problem, the team was forced to prepare their practice FE570 for the race and was therefore assigned the regulated two hour penalty for the bike substitution.
A respectable finish
Well back in 31st place after their problems, the team rallied together and proceeded to eliminate 26 teams on their way to a fifth place overall finish.
So after 24 hours, one barrel of race fuel, two Husaberg FE 570’s, and 77 laps totaling 1,232 kilometres, the sleep-deprived CGRT team managed to secure enough points to remain in the championship hunt. The team is currently in third place overall with a 14-point deficit and three events remaining in the season.
Next up is Round 4 of the series being held at Telford Lake, Alberta, on February 28th—when CGRT will be looking for redemption after another disappointing year at the Numb Bum. For 2010, the AEIRA series runs every weekend from late January through early March.
Each event is six hours long (except for the famous Numb Bum 24-hour on Feb 13/14) and held on road course-style tracks plowed into lakes around central Alberta. Typical lap lengths vary from 5-15 kilometres per lap. This year the schedule totals 54 hours of intense racing and enduring the elements.
For more race information visit www.aeira.com and for next day race results visit www.mylaps.com under the MX category.
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