THURSDAY, JUNE 26, 2025 – Load In Day
As usual, Load In day was a lot of hurry up and wait. As soon as “Remix Racing” was called from the staging area, I jumped to attention and pulled our rig to the paddock entrance. Apparently, I reached the gate entrance a little more quickly than I was supposed to and effectively “jumped the line,” so I was told to pull aside and let a couple of other teams get by. Somehow, this still worked out well for us, and before long, we were directed to a prime pit spot that was much better than if we had waited our turn, like everyone else. Oh well, they say “a closed mouth don’t get fed,” and I suppose “an overly patient race team gets a lousy pit spot.”
Our entire team for the weekend had arrived, so we had a lot of help. We parked and started unloading the truck and RV, and getting the pit set up for the weekend. In addition to the normal pit amenities, we also set up an impressive mental health awareness exhibit that was Shanea’s brilliant brainchild and would become a huge attraction for fans, spectators, and fellow competitors throughout the weekend.
In the early afternoon, we got the bike tech’ed, I took my headshots, and we attended the rider’s meeting. I brought Hailey with me to all these events, so she could experience them first-hand, in anticipation of becoming a MotoAmerica racer, herself, in the not-too-distant future. I had fun with the headshots, and the photographer allowed me to take a few extra that we planned on using in various social media posts and promotions. Getting the bonus shots also showed Hailey that you’ve gotta ask for what you want – again, “a closed mouth don’t get fed.”
That evening, Shanea prepared the first team dinner of the weekend, and we all relaxed, filled our bellies, and enjoyed each other’s company, knowing that the next few days would be filled with a lot more stress and pressure, so we had to appreciate the downtime when and where we could find it.