Welcome to DHAGGS Racing. Primary sponsor of Dennis P. Haggerty Jr. #925. My Past Sponsors: DHAGGSRacing, MSR Racing, Scott Powersports, Kenda USA, T.M. Designworks, DP Brakes, Scott USA, TAG Metals, Decal Works, Twin Air, IMS Products, Elf Oil, FMF, Cycra Racing, Regina Chains, and MotoSport,(Your Company Here). I would also like to thank: My Wife Christina, My Kids Travis & Aubrey, Pit Man Jimmy B, my Friends and Family, my Mother, and my Pops for being my Mechanic!
What: Round #4 Foot of the Mountain - Neelytown, PA
When: This Sunday May 1st / Race Starts 11:30
Where: Directions - 76 West - Get off at Willow Hill (Old Exit 14) - Left on Rt 75 follow 6 miles to flashing red/yellow light - Left on Rt 641 and follow that up and then back down the mountain and you will see a Red Barn - Make a left and the track will be just down the raod on your left
Pit Fee: $10
An ideal day of racing would consist of a short travel time, nice weather, and ideal track conditions. Round # 3 of the PA State Harescramble Series was anything but for DHaggs Harescramble Racing. Hurricane Hills in Clifford, PA hosted the third round in the series and despite some misfortunes it turned out to be a pretty good day after all. Figuring we would have quite a hike in store for us Sunday morning we decided to call up J. Biggs and make sure that it would be alright for us racers, my dad and I, to get a good pre-race sleep at his house which is not as far from the track. I would like to personally thank him for his hospitality and understanding of the exhausting life of racing. After an energizing dinner it was early to bed because tomorrow would be race day. There was a 6:30am wake up call and when I pulled back the curtains to get some idea of how the day might be – it was snowing! It snowed a good bit and by the time we were done eating breakfast there was a bitter cold wind that replaced the icy snowflakes. Okay, so far on race day it is snowing and the temperature is staying in the mid30’s. With our stomachs full of carbs and protein we headed up the turnpike towards New York. We were on the road for about 20 minutes when yet again we were dealt another misfortunate hand. With our safety blinkers flashing on the shoulder of the turnpike we realized that our trailer tire disintegrated and there was nothing but a rim on the concrete highway. Thinking that this could have been an enormous problem we quickly counted our blessings and got to work. My Dad located a jack while I worked on getting the lug nuts off. Needless to say that we could barely feel our fingers it was so cold and we just woke up about 45 minutes ago…talk about a stressful warm-up. Despite the snow and numbing cold we conquered the thrashed tire and were back on schedule to arrive at Hurricane Hills in time to register for the race. Upon arrival at the track we notice that not only was parking on a hill, the rainfall overnight made the roads up the mountain pretty muddy. I’ll skip all of the dirty details and just tell you that after getting stuck 3 times we finally parked it and unloaded out bikes and gear. We made registration and finally it was race time.The track was relatively shorter than most harescramble tracks but the woods setup was pretty technical. Using good sections of the motocross track and cutting trails on a super rocky mountain made for some okay racing. Throw in some challenging hill climbs, some sloppy mud sections and 100 plus racers; then you’re in for some outstanding racing. I got a great start third or fourth into the first turn but the way the track was laid out the next turn would put me in the front of the pack or a close second. I felt good for about 4 laps until I tried to go around a lapped rider stuck on a hill climb and lost my back wheel and the bike went down. The bike was on it’s side on a hill which meant that I had to pick a 275lbs dirt bike more than 120 degrees the other direction just to get it parallel so that I could sit on it again. Getting that bike up drained a lot of energy out of me and I felt it when I continued on the next lap. The race went on and I was in a nice groove since the track was starting to break down and some different lines were opening up. The trails in the woods were tight and that lead to some dicey racing in the technical sections where some were faster than others. After all was said and done and the checkered flag was waving I finished 7th in my class. Not to bad for not having my best day on the bike. My Dad ended up finishing 8th in his class and I give him respect for finishing because 2 hours of that track is no reward on the human body. After our long trip the day turned out to be great because in the end our bikes ran fine and neither of us got seriously hurt and that’s what it’s really all about. This week is Foot of the Mountain and it is another demanding track. Hopefully I’ll get back in the top 5 again.
What: Round #3 Hurrican Hills - Clifford, PA
When: This Sunday April 24th / Race Starts 11:30am
Where: Directions - Take Route 81 to Exit 206 (Old Exit 63), Lenoxville.Take route 374 East to Route 106 East, go 3 miles to the track.
Pit Fee: $10
*Spectators were jampacked to watch the start of the race
Well it has come and gone, and like a big bully it left us beat up, sore, exhausted and wanting revenge next weekend. Round #2 of the Pennsylvania State Harescramble Series was to say the least – exhilarating. Hundreds of spectators and racers showed up at Flying Dutchmen Motorcycle Club to take pleasure in the beautiful weather and enjoy some aggressive harescramble racing. One after one, campers, trailers, trucks, and bikes were all hauled into the pits where space was very limited due to the huge turnout of racers. Prior to the race morale was excellent, expectations were high, and restless riders were finally going to endure what they had been waiting for since the last race a season ago. All it took was a starting line full of dirt bikes; anticipation of a green flag dropping and all of the pre-race friendliness disappeared.I got a really good start and was probably about second or third to the first turn. I truly pushed hard the first 3 or 4 laps and then arm-pump started to set in. I started to relax and tried to find a groove so that I could keep consistent lap times. Thanks to PitBoyee Jimmy B for doing the board for me throughout the race. When I saw the halfway board I still felt good but I knew that I still had a ways to go. About 2 laps after halfway I started to feel the beating the track was putting on me. I trudged on and tried to keep my lap times close to my average. The track was so dry, which set a fast pace but it limited a group of riders together because the dust was at points blinding. A lot of people were on the ground because they would be following too close and going at too high a speed and not have time to react to what they couldn’t even see. Due to the wear on the tracks and the damage from the flooding two weeks ago, Dutchmen filled in the worn spots with huge rocks. When I say huge rocks I am referring to potato sized little boulders is more like it. Get behind a couple of bikes and not only can you not see but their bikes are shooting huge roosts of these little boulder rocks. Other than the dust the track wore in nice and it allowed riders to keep a fast pace which is tough for the two-hour time length. The few guys that were in front of me stayed there because I only saw two riders who were in my class the whole race. Dutchmen is notorious for course cutting and I would like not to think that was the case this weekend, but sources told me that it did indeed. Not every track is set up the same way and the same guys that run Dutchmen all of the time are not going to have the same “luck” at the other tracks, they are only cheating themselves. When all was said and done the white flag came out and I finished 5th in my class. It's respectable, but for me it's hard to swallow. I want to be competitive and I want to be on the podium but I have to keep in mind that I am in it for the long haul and the end of the season points are really what matters. Oh yeah, I reeled my pops in with about a mile left in the first lap. I pushed him a bit until we hit the barrels for the first time and then I had to show him the rear wheel. He ran a good race, stayed consistent and came in 8th. This weekend is the long haul up to Hurricane Hills for Round #3. I want to thank Jimmy B again for doing the pit board, my pops for getting my bike ready and MSR for awarding me for coming in 5th place.
Now this is how spring is supposed to look, sunny, blue skies, blooming trees and a nice breeze. Although the rain has been a discouragement and has delayed Round #2 it has left the ground with good loamy dirt for riding. I was able to get back on the bike this weekend despite a nasty virus that I have. The dirt was loamy yes, but in some spots a more descriptive word would be swampy. The bike is set up perfectly and I feel so comfortable on it, big up’s to my pop for getting it dialed in for me. I have no doubt that my bike has what it takes to be battling for a podium spot, it’s all going to come down to the two hours on the track. Either way I don’t expect the conditions to be perfect in the spring living in eastern PA. Conditions look very promising for the upcoming week and just as excellent for the weekend. Flying Dutchmen should be a great expulsion for the apprehensive racers who have been held captive from the perturbed weather conditions. I am as ready as I’ll ever be, and next weekend will be such a relief to finally get the season officially underway. Due to the cancellation of April 3rd the schedule will be crammed for the next three weekends. Dutchmen (April 17th) followed by Hurricane Hills (April 24th) and then Foot of the Mountain (May 1st), that is a challenging schedule before a short break in May. BRING IT ON!
