I stood in the mechanics row beside my best friend Ken Roczen's mechanic; Kelly Lumgair. Ken was lining up at the gate for the 2nd 450 heat, while 250's were finishing up.
The guy leading the 250 heat was new, I assume.
"Hey, Julie, i'm gonna start heading down to the gate." Kelly told me, walking off. I tapped my fingers on the railing. It was a thing I do when im nervous. And everytime Ken races, I get nervous.
I watched the Red Bull girl walk on with the 30 second board and silently counted down with it.
After it hit zero she jogged off and the riders got in position. The bikes engines roared and then the gates dropped.
The riders came rushing in towards the first turn, all of them hoping to come up with the holeshot. I tried to find Kenny in the heap of riders all packed together, with no luck. Once the riders had cleared the first turn though, I easily found him. And he was leading the bunch.
Ken was maybe a second or two ahead of another very talented rider; Ryan Dungey. But soon Dungey was passed up by JGR's Justin Barcia, who was known for his aggresive style and rivalry with Ken. So I basically held my breath until the heat was over.
Kelly rejoined me and told me we could go back to the tent. but I decided on staying at the mechanics row for a bit longer. Eventually other mechanics needed to squeeze in, so I began walking back to the RCH tent. I kicked the dust up and took my time walking back. It was a hot day here at the Red Bud national, so I wasnt exactly planning on wasting my energy.
I waved at Eli Tomac, who was hanging out under the Kawasaki tent. He smiled in return and focused back on his bike. Just then I ran into something, or someone. If it was a something, it talked. "Whoa, sorry about that. I'm kind of clumsy."
I looked up and met the green eyes of a stranger I had never met before. But I figured out who he was when I saw the number on his race jersey. He was the guy who led the 250 heat. "It's fine. Whats your name?" I asked. His attitude seemed to change when I spoke. "Adam Cianciarulo." He said, shaking my hand.
"thats a mouthful. I'm Julie." I introduced myself. "Nice to meet you Julie. I hope to see you around." He said, smiling. "Im sure you will AC." I said, and returned to my walk back to the RCH tent.
There it is! Hope you like it!
