Valley HS July 18, Jack Pine July 25 - Sweet in the Heat

[twowheels]

Gentlemen (and ladies of course)

The Valley Trail Riders of Bentley, MI put on one of the very best hare scrambles of the year, and this weekend it's on! Fantastic woods with .01% MX ... just the way hare scrambles was meant to be I'll have a couple 2010 Gassers there if somebody has to be convinced how good they really are!
Big bikes start at noon and we'll be done by 4:03 ... approximately of course, but the races are scored by MotoTally transponders so almost as soon as the last riders passes the scoring hut results will be available.
There are 2 and 3 hour classes for just about everybody - even for kids, who ride in the morning. Look on http://www.ama-d14harescrambles.org for more details.

Don't forget that next weekend Michigan also hosts the 85th running of the Jack Pine enduro. Stop by and check out the guys on row 60. We'll have octegenarian Ted, Canadian Husky icon Scott Rocher, myself, and two others. It's on, people!

Grab the gear and let's go riding!

 

[twowheels]

Oh yes, about the Jack Pine

I may have slipped and uttered an off-color expression on exiting the last check at the Jack Pine, but it wasn't just me and my poor abused clutch that were squawking.

Cycle News' Jean Turner wrote the following - " ... what was quite possibly the tightest AMA National Enduro of the year. (When Mike Lafferty and Russell Bobbit both say "Yeah, that was really tight", you know it was downright ridiculous.) When we weren't trying to shove the handlebars between tree trunks with a crowbar ..." and so on.

So, here's the wrap up ... tight, tight, tight, fun and flowing, stupid tight, finish. The XC250 was more up to the task than I was, but weather and soil conditions were pretty much perfect.

I'll add some factory bling shots in another post, but for the day I WAS factory GasGas ... Fred Hoess was caught in a massive hail storm out west and didn't make the start.

 

[MattR]

It was a great event. I was on row 9D and in C Senior 30+ class. It was my first enduro and my Husky CR125 was perfect for this terrain. It was definitely a tight singletrack trail. "Marsh Madness" was the most challenging section. This was the only section when I got to see Russell Bobbitt and Mike Lafferty. They were on row 20 something and finally caught me towards the end of the section. I pulled over and they were like ghosts and vanished within a few turns from me. Wow!!! those guys can fly in the tight stuff.

Overall, I achieved my goal for the event by finishing in the top half of my class. I ended up 22nd out of 65 riders in C Senior. I was happy!

 

[twowheels]

Jack Pine Photos Posted

Bikes of the stars (and ScottyR and I) can be found at http://www.gasgasrider.org/gallery//showgallery.php?cat=586