Mountain Biking - new to the sport of racing

hi every one,
its the first time i have posted on this forum and im a newbie to the sport. last year i did a mtb event called red cross fat tire classic and had a blast doing it. so, now i would like to get into racing for the first time. i have found what seems to be a good race. the web site is epicsingletrack.com and the race is reshceduled for the 18th/satuday. so, has any one ever done this race series before? im just starting so i have two problems/questions. first, im 15 years old and would be in the beginer class. im afraid that i will be blown away by the other people. from what you are all saying is that the races are very fast paced and im not the fast yet. how fast of a pace is it in like mph. so should i go for it and make a complete joke of my self? also i believe it is XC racing as far as i can tell. so i think i know what to expect but not completely so hints and comments would be very helpful. what should i expect?????
thank you
mach_5

what should i expect?????
thank you
mach_5
Expect to be intimidated, for sure.

But everyone else in the beginner class is also so don't worry about it.

The pace of a race really depends on the course.

Don't worry about embarrasing yourself. Just have fun.

Where were you last Saturday for the hill climb challenge?

Check my previous post in the racing forum (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=113064)

Mountain bike XC race series (yes, the epicsingletrack series is a XC race series) are fun. If you're racing beginner class then it'll be all the more fun. As you advance up to more advanced classifications then the competitive nature of those classes takes a 'bit of fun away from the race and replaces it with a more serious commitment to you preparation, performance and improvement. They're still fun, but with a more commited demeanor. See what I mean?

One thing you can do to really help yourself in these types of XC race series is to learn that these races are basically time trials. You go out hard from the start, find your legs and start pushing even harder. You end with everything you've got and hopefully that's a little faster than what you started with. So, practicing at hard/fast riding will help a lot to be successful in advancing to more competative classes.

Another thing you can do is to work on the technical aspects of riding. For example, knowing when to shift your weight back as you come upon an obstacle and blowing through it instead of slowing and going around it are important to staying fast and learning how to ride aggressively.

Finally, take the time to buy a book on Mountain Bike Racing. I've read Mountain Bike Like a Champion and I have found lots of helpful hints and strategies.

I'm probably not going to continue the WP series because I'm already obligated to a team for the Summit Mountain Challenge in Summit County. I like the WP series because the first race is the hill climb. Hill climbs are fun.

Good luck

thanks for the info. i didn't know that the series already started. i had to study for final exams for school. thank you for the info. feel free to keep posting.