HB checks in from the Kamikaze Legends Challenge

I was lucky enough to be invited to compete in a "Legends Challenge" at the Golden State Championships at Mammoth Mountain California, with the downhill race to take place on the fabled high speed Kamikaze race course. It has been 10 years since I hurled myself down the 11,053 foot volcano, but it's just as sweet, and amazingly very unchanged.

Legends Challenge from Dirt Tales on Vimeo.

The Kami required special equipment, with the main focus being and comfortable tuck position, clean aerodynamics, a high gear to hammer, and a stable geometry. I decided to use my Specialized SX trail II along with HammerSchmidt. Talk about versatile, I used the same bike to win the Legends Observed Trials!

Anyway I had a decent race run, and saved my skin by only crashing once in practice when battling my arch nemesis, Tom Rogers sliding sideways in the Hydraulic hairpin. Action! Some race specs:

course length: 3.4 miles, 2000 foot drop
race time: 5:07 winner (my time 5:17)
Average speed: over 40 miles per hour!
Top speed: estimated 55 mph

results:
1 Joe Lawwill
2 Dave Cullinan
3 Alex Morgan
4 Bernie U
5 Rusty Lebarron
6 Greg Herbold
7 Tom Rogers
8 Mike Bell
9 Scott Smith
10 Mike Galeoto

Up next SINGLE SPEED WORLDS FROM DURANGO!

Chow
HBALL