Curly bar racing, dirt style?

Went cross racing this past weekend, if you want to call it racing. 

So I showed up and there were lots of people looking like they seen a ghost when they saw me there! 

Luckily Brian took me under his wing to show me the ropes.  Brian's mountain biker rules to cross racing:

1:) Yes they give you 2 numbers, but neither of them go on your bars?? What?  Yeah place them both on your back like a big wind sail.

2:) Watch out for the guy who has two different style of brakes on his bike, I didn't even know that mine did?  Never paid attention!  Guess the ones on the front are wide stance for power and the back narrow stance for aero dynamics??? Like that matters with the number sails they give you!

3:) Doesn't matter how you get over the barriers as long as you do not fall! 

4:) Not supposed to have a bottle cage on your bike! Most bikes do not even come with the mounts anymore?  Good thing there were people out there giving beer hand ups!! 

I think that covers most of them?? Anyway, my idea of racing cross is to line up in the back cause it is more fun to pass people than to get dropped by the lead group. So thats what I did.  I had worked my way up on the first lap till someone slid out in front of me and the rest of the gorup behind decided to pile into us!! Ouch!  I laid there for a second trying to decide if I wanted to get up or not, then when I did get up, I had to decide if I wanted to keep racing or not?  All these decisions!!  I decided to get up, cause you can never just pull the plug 5 minutes into a race!  So I got up and started chasing.  My chasing kept getting derailled though by my seat post slipping down for some reason?  Thinking I might of split it in the crash, but haven't looked yet? Either way on the last lap I saw Brian coming up on me.  I warned him not to lap me but I think that did nothing but fuel his fire cause all I got was a big grin!  In the end coming down the finish stretch he sprinted me like I was in 2nd place to end my race early and increase my cost per lap!  He thought he was ending my suffereing, which in hindsight, he was!  I really wanted to finish on the lead lap though, even after everything what had happened.  I think at the end of the day I finished in 13th spot, a fitting number considering my luck for the day. 

So now whats next, I think I am going to try it again this weekend?