Hi all!

The newsgroup RMD (rec.motorcycles.dirt), the participants often do ride and race reviews. I thought it would be fun to start the same thing here......

I raced Round 6 of the AMA National Harescramble series last weekend at Kahoka, MO. This was my 3rd Harescramble. It was over 2 hours and the laps were 6.4 mile long.

It's about a 330 mile trip for me to the race. So the wife and I pack up and get out of town at about 9:00pm Friday. The race is at 12:00pm Saturday. We got within about 70 miles of the race at 2:30am and decided to get a Hotel.

Woke up at 9:00am left about 9:30, got to the races about 11:15. Unfortunately this doesn't allow enough time for practice, only signup and the rider meeting. Well, looks like we're doing this one cold & with nothing to eat.

At the start I got a middle of the road holeshot, and a few riders got tangled up in front of me. After getting around them we proceeded to one of the MX portions of the course.

Any of you that have seen my webpage probably know that I do a lot of track riding, this really helped in this portion of the race, right off the bat, I passed several riders (mainly in the corners, whoops and jumps) and was feeling good.

Next we proceeded to the woods section, it was feeling good also. I passed a few riders, even a 2 stroke (which starts 2 minutes ahead of my class) got caught up in another traffic jam from a rider that had crashed, crap, that lets the people I had put distance on catch up .... Then we come out into another short MX section, I was able to put some distance on the riders behind me. Yeah, I'm feeling really good.

Back into the woods, by myself. I find a hidden 10ft drop, a last minute crack of the throttle sets the attitude of the bike and lands it like a jump (mental note taken). Go a little further, woah, there's another one (another mental note, hehe!).

First lap done, great! I didn't know it at the time, but I was in first place.

Lap 2 and 3 were pretty uneventful I passed a couple of piped 400EXs and a 250R or 2 in the straights (my bike was running very well). I led the first 1hr and 20min of the race. During 4th lap I was all by myself and apparently, unknowingly, had let off the pace a bit. The 2nd place guy caught and passed me. At the time I didn't know I was in 1st and thought he was a pro rider lapping me, because up until this point I hadn't been passed or caught up to by anyone.

During the 5th lap, having realized he was probably in my class (after running some stuff thru my head) I began chasing him down. I was taking it easy in the woods, inching ever so closer, just waiting for the MX portion so I could let go. Finally the MX portion toward the end of the 5th lap comes, I pour it on....

Then the inevitable, I hit a jump, land in a rutted, whooped out section, not enough strength left to get it under control. I bail just before the point of no return. The bike stays with the rubber down, I hit, roll, and jump up.

It's at this point that I realize that I am not wearing my killswitch. The bike takes off on it's own course down a hill. I run and dive for it, missing it by only inches as it idles off across a flat area, down another hill and into the nastiest mud hole in the place. I run down to it, step in, my foot goes waist deep into the watery part.

It takes me no less than 4 minutes to free the bike and myself, while burning every last ounce of energy I had left (while also watching other riders buzz past).

I remount my bike, gather my thoughts, and forge ahead (after a couple of thought about calling it quits). I am in 5th place on the 5th lap with 1 lap to go.

I mustered every last ounce of energy I had, and passed about 5 guys on the last lap (some in my class, some not). I finished 3 1/2 minutes behind 1st and in 3rd place of 17 riders.......

Moral: Always wear your killswitch.

I am fairly certain I could have easily taken first this day had I been wearing mine.

Anyhow, this was a really fun race put on by a good bunch of people who spent a lot of time making the course and facilities very nice.....

Later

 

As long as you had fun, right? Yea right, You wanted to win BAD!! Better luck next time!!

RoostKing...

 

wes thst on your 400ex

 

Thanks guys, and yes this was on my 400EX...

 

Hi Gabe,
A similar thing happened to me! My first race, I was so stoked up, I forgot to connect the tether to me. On the second lap, the loose end started bouncing around. I was afraid it was going to get yanked out and lost. So, I am fumbling around trying to grab it while racing. CANT get it! Finally after about half a lap, I pull over and try to connect it to my chest protector. I cant get it so wrap it round and round my bars and hook it to itself. Losing 4 or 5 positions in the process. I was able to pass a couple guys to take 8th place. It was a bunch o fun though!
I was able to get 5th place in the trophy race later that night. This track is at Brainerd, MN. It is pretty small, but is almost solid corners, jumps and whoops. They promote it as SuperCross. It takes about 8 minutes to do 5 laps. Best of all the entrance fee is only $10 per class, and if you are in shape enough, you can race 2 classes.

 

Sounds like fun, those are great entry fees, our local track ends up costing $27 a race, plus $7 a passenger in your truck.

Do you guys have real dirt up there, all we have is rocks. Rocks and dust... I'm sick of rocks. Real dirt is cool.

Seriously though, I plan on hitting an MX race or two this season. Unfortunately because of the rocks, there are few organized race tracks, even fewer that allow ATVs to race, communists.....

We have lots of private practice tracks though, seem that they are getting pretty popular lately. That's really more my realm than this woods racing, but I have been having a lot of fun racing the woods, it's a good bunch of guys too. Enough so, that I have completely changed my upgrade plans for the future and am acutally kinda undecided now.

I am halfway thinking about ordering another set of shocks (valved differently, of course), some extended control arms and an adjustible axle, so I can switch back and forth. Although I may be just as well off to get a 2nd bike and have one set up for each kind of racing. Choices, choices........

 

The track at Brainerd is made of class 5 gravel, heavy on the clay. It gets pretty dusty, but they usually water it before and at intermission. The jumps stay well formed throughout all the races, but the corners usually get the 8" deep bike groove in them.

 

Hey 86atc250r there is a Atv race in hawk point missouri this weekend.It is 6 miles west of troy.I will be there.Practice is all day saturday and races are sunday.If U go look for a red and white 250r sitting next to a gateway performance trailer.

 

I think the track here that allows ATVs is concrete. If it's not, it might as well be, even the dirtbike guys complain about it.... I ride practice tracks that are better (that's why I haven't hit a race there yet, practice was bad enough).

 

What kind of race is it? MX?

Awful long drive for me on short notice, plus I have a race next weekend too & gotta prep my bike for it..... You never know though, I didn't decide to go to Kahoka until about an hour and a half before I left.....