The trail was just barely wide enough for a UTV and precise driving was required at all times to keep up your speed. (Photo: RACEDAY PIX) » More Photos

We didn’t have long to think about it as the green flag was up and the starter was sweeping the line from right to left. Before she had time to stop screaming “NO” we were gone. Turn one was anticlimactic with every one getting through cleanly and spreading out as we charged up the hill. We found ourselves in what appeared to be a solid mid-pack position heading up the hill and held our own all the way to the entrance to the woods section. Several of the machines were hung up together and others were scrambling to find a way through onto a narrow rutted trail. All in all we got through it pretty well. The trail was just barely wide enough for a UTV and precise driving was required at all times to keep up your speed. Not many opportunities to pass in the woods but there were a couple if you timed it right.

Just as I was getting used to the pace through the woods we emerged at the top of a long downhill run with a huge compression at the bottom and a very rough and dusty straightaway down to the second woods section. This straightaway claimed more than one vehicle during the race as the combination of high speed, square edged bumps, dust and traffic made it especially treacherous. The second woods section was longer and after a mile or so emerged onto a steep hillside where the course ran up, down and across the fall line several times before a final long downhill run to the start line and the beginning of lap two. By this time my daughter, this being her first real off-road race, was wide eyed and speechless. I didn’t dare slow down, I was afraid she would jump out.

At the end of lap one we sat in 14th place but was still only 6 seconds behind the class leader. Lap two saw traffic thin a bit and despite slamming into a tree so hard it stopped us cold I was able to shave some 30 seconds from my first lap time and really start to pressure the machine ahead. Lap three was even better as I took off another 20 seconds and moved up into 13th position with 12th clearly in the sights. By now I was really learning the course and my lap times were getting consistent, within a 4 second spread for 5 laps straight. In that time we moved all the way up to 11th place.

I really wish the race had been two hours instead of one, my daughter disagrees, I had found my rhythm and the Kawasaki Teryx wasn’t even breaking a sweat yet. We were making a serious charge forward during the second half of the race but unfortunately I ran out of laps and the checkered flag flew before I could make it into the top ten. After checking the official results I found that my average lap time was a 5:90 and I finished some 1:55 behind the class winner and championship leader. The good news was that my total time of 53:14 and 9 laps would have put me just off the podium in 4th place out of 12 entrants in the Open Modified class. in a totally stock machine. Maybe next time…

All in all the Kawasaki Teryx proved to be one tough race machine. It handled everything the rough and tumble GNCC course threw at it with confidence and I never even had to shift out of two-wheel high mode! I really think that if the course was set up even tougher, with some gnarly rocky uphills or slippery creek crossings requiring 4WD the Teryx would have been tough to beat. I am hoping to get a chance to do some mods on the Teryx and make a run at the 2009 UTV Open Mod class title. Stay tuned.

For more information on the Kawasaki Teryx visit www.kawasakiteryx.com

For more information on GNCC racing visit www.gnccracing.com

Check Out the SPEED Test Drive of the Teryx