Gidley second in DJSA points with two races to go

MindenMuscle Milk Extreme athlete and newly-signed Team Sahlen Rolex Grand Am GT Series presented by Crown Royal cask #16 driver Memo Gidley had an up and down day this past weekend at Lake Minden DJSA Outlaw Series race #9.  However, the talented and extremely versatile Gidley still came away from the weekend second in points and locked into a battle with five other riders all going for the top spot in the 2010 DJSA series.

“At the start of the season, there would have been no way for me to think that I would be sitting second in the expert class points with two races to go in my first year, but now here I am,” said Gidley. “That makes me very proud of what I have accomplished.”

But this weekend certainly wasn’t easy as Gidley, after fighting a mysterious motor problem that saw the #3 machine stall on the line, had to battle back in two of the three heats with a 9-3-8 finishes to finish eighth overall for the day.

“It was a day that I had to fight from the back of the grid because my ski kept stalling on the line,” said Gidley. “But regardless of the disappointing-looking overall result, I was very happy with how I rode on a rough course and in a lot of traffic.”

The DJSA Outlaw series has two races to go before the series champion is crowned and the points fight is really heating up. “The racing right now is so good that anybody in the top eight can win a race on any given weekend and change the points dramatically,” said Gidley. “It is awesome to be racing these guys… it pushes me to train extremely hard.”

Gidley who is always up for an adventure and also is an avid sailor, having been raised on a boat, is now getting ready to set sail from San Francisco to San Diego on a Bennatau First 42 sailboat owned by a local SF bay resident and past auto racing team owner.

“I have been sailing my whole life and absolutely love being on the water,” said Gidley. “When I was asked to crew on a ten day trip to San Diego, I said yes right away.  

“The exciting thing about sailing, especially on the open ocean, is the ever-changing conditions that can be quite dangerous if not handled smartly. However this challenge makes it exciting and the beauty of the ocean is second to none.  I can’t wait to set sail next week and go out under the Golden Gate Bridge and point south.”