The 39th annual Thor Winter National Olympics (Mini O’s) at Gatorback Cycle Park was a week of high’s and low’s for the Bishop Burnett family. The anticipation of a solid shot at championships made for a bit of stress and weighed heavy on the minds of the entire crew. There was no doubt Zach was prepared – months of training on and off the track were a testament to his dedication. As is life, there is always some parts of events such as these that is left up to fate. Things go right, things go wrong – and in the end you can only hope that more goes right than wrong.
Zach was running 8 classes in Supercross and another 8 classes in Motocross. This was an advantage and a disadvantage in some ways. Obviously, the more classes, the more opportunities for a championship. The downside of that is the hardship on the rider himself physically, the upkeep of the bikes and in general the continued requirement of being mentally “on” at all times. Granted, Zach has youth on his side, but even the youngest, physically fit rider will fatigue after moto upon moto. Combine that along with the pressure of a national event with stiff competition, and you can bet that the entire pit crew was fighting exhaustion from time to time.
Even with the challenges, there were a lot of “high’s” during the week at the Mini O’s. Coming home with two Supercross Championships (Open C Stock and 250 C Stock) was by far the high point of the week. The goal was set and attained by Zach with support from those that love him the most. The rest of the Supercross competition went well also – with no finish outside of the top 10. Going in, Zach’s mother had commented that she would find satisfaction in top 10 finishes. Not only was she satisfied – she was elated. Moving on to Motocross was a bit of a transition – different bike set up, new track, same tough competitors. Even at that, Zach was able to enjoy several high points during his 16 motos. A solid 1st place in Moto 1 of the 250 C Mod class, and top 3 in 5 other first motos as well. The second motos weren’t much different – with one moto win and 3 other podiums. In and around the racing, Zach got to enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday with family and friends, socialize and meet new people, and chat with media folks for his “15 minutes” of fame.
If the entire week would have been only high points, one would sit and wonder how on Earth things could get any better. Well, Zach’s week was great, but it did have it’s share of low points too. Some tough heat races in the Supercross (fortunately main event counts) gave way to more difficulties in the Motocross races. First motos all went well as mentioned earlier – it was the second motos that proved to be TOUGH. Rain made the track slippery for the first moto of the day (Supermini 1) and it got the best of Zach – starting the day on a bit of a sour note. In typical fashion, Zach shook it off and prepared mentally for good motos ahead. Another bump in the road occurred at the start of the Supermini 2 moto – with Zach timing his start just a little wrong, and getting hung in the gate as a result. Our friends at Vurb Moto caught it on tape: http://www.vurbmoto.com/theatre/1099/supermini-2-moto-2-uncut/ . Oooopppsss! Now, Zach is persistent, so he was able to push his way up to 8th and finish up 6th overall, but chances are he would have been on the podium had this start worked out. Possibly, no – certainly, the most frustrating low point of the week happened in the 250 C Mod moto 2. Zach came into this moto with a first place finish – and had the best chance for a Motocross Championship in this class. Zach pulled the holeshot and was in first on lap one – with the number one plate in sight. It was at this point that the toll of the week’s events came into play. It could have been carelessness on the part of the mechanic, an honest oversight, or just a straight up mistake – who knows, but when Zach’s rear brake shoes FELL OFF (yes, I said fell off) the bike, Zach was unable to hold his lead. Mentally, this was very taxing because Zach knew this was his shot and the bike was not going to let him have it. Frustrating also for Zach’s family, who had invested so much time and effort into giving Zach the best opportunity for success. To add “insult to injury”, this bad moto cost Zach the prestigious Pro Circuit Platinum Pipe award (an award giving to the rider with the best points total for all events combined). Zach missed this award by 3 points.
Now that all is said and done, I would bet that if you ask the Bishop Burnett crew how the week went, they would all agree it was GREAT. Sure, a few low points, but as a whole, they accomplished what they went there to do – give Zach the opportunity to excel in the sport that runs through his veins. You can bet that Zach will continue to have more good days at the track than bad, as he continues to push forward with exceptional talent, drive and determination.
