VOL. 53 ISSUE 23 JUNE 14, 2016 P89
top, out of Boulder Park, up
the kinks to the 19 Mile Sweep
left-hander, up to Cog Cut, that's
gnarly. You're commitment level
there has to be so high. But if
you get it right, you can make
three, four seconds.
"I also like Bottomless Pit. It's
the one time where you're going
downhill, so you can make up
time there."
For those that don't know,
Bottomless Pit is at the end of
two sixth gear left hand sweep-
ers. Balls to the wall stuff. But
then, the whole track is, really.
"Cove Creek, up to Elk Park,
depending on your practice, you
can get blinded by the sun. You
won't know when it'll happen.
You'll come around the corner
up to Elk Park at 120 mph and
you'll get totally blinded. You
can't see for a few seconds. Get
ready for that. A few guys have
been caught out by that."
Um, okay, sir.
"The exit of Ragged Edge
is critical to gaining speed
because there's a pretty good
incline leading into it. Get on
the power real quick on the exit.
It's a hard one to do because
there's a 600ft cliff on the edge.
But you'll be hustling. You've got
a good bike."
I mention that the part I think
the KTM will shine will be exactly
not where Greg normally shines.
One of the top qualities in the
Super Duke's arsenal is how
quickly it steers, so I'm hoping
between Brown Bush Corner
(the first right hand hairpin) up
to Devil's Playground (the start
of the super-gnarly fast stuff), is
where I might be able to make
some time.
"Torque is nice, and your
bike has plenty of that," Greg
says. "The main thing is to make
sure it steers and stops nicely. I
like to run my bikes a bit on the
softer side than what some other
guys like, so you will have to play
around a fair bit to get the feeling
you want, but your bike looks
great—I can't wait to see how you
go on it."
Me neither.
By the time you read this, we
will have done the official tire
test and I'll be either in the fetal
position or amped to the teeth at
the prospect of racing America's
Mountain on June 26. A year's
worth of planning and prepara-
tion is almost at its end.
I can't wait. CN
