Round #14 Race Info

What: Round #3 Hurrican Hills - Clifford, PA

When: This Sunday September 30th / Race Starts 11:00am

Where: Directions - Take PA Turnpike - NE Extension to 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

Rausch Creek Race Recap!

DHaggs Jr. on a rocky up-hill!
DHaggs Sr. going through the scanner!
Pictures By: Rapid Image

Round #13 of the PA State Harescramble Series was held at Rausch Creek MX Park in Tremont, PA. Once again we were blessed with absolutely perfect racing conditions. There were crystal clear blue skies lying over dark green wooded mountains with a crisp chill to the air. As we unpacked our pit area I couldn’t help but to feel as if there was something missing from Rausch Creek. Maybe it was because we were spoiled at last weekends GNCC race at Unadilla or maybe because the biggest Motocross race in the world was taking place right down in Maryland, whatever the case I just didn’t feel any excitement in the air.
The turnout seemed to be what I expected with Des Nations taking place on the same day – weak. I also considered the fact that last years track was so absurdly rocky I wouldn’t blame anyone for not showing up this year. Most of the regulars on the state circuit showed with some of the local Rausch Creek motocross riders. When we were sitting on the line the track announcer made it clear that the track wasn’t nearly as rocky as last year because they took out the lower section of the mountain. This didn’t mean to much to me because no matter what he said I knew that this was Rausch Creek and where ever that trail leads to after the start it isn’t going to get any less rockier. Good turn out or not I was finally feeling as if I was back in race shape and I needed to get a good two hours in.
I got a really good start, second into the first turn but I backed off of the gas because the dirt was super slick. Course workers watered it just before the green flag dropped so it was smooth as ice. Nobody wants to crash at the beginning of a race so I was extra cautious on the throttle until I got away from the start section. A couple of guys passed me a few turns in because the track direction changed from when I walked the start section previous to the start of the race. I hesitated again on a blind jump section and two other riders aired it out right next to me. When we finally went into the woods I was about mid pack. I was pushing hard right away until I reached the first fire road; they use long fire roads to piece the woods sections together on the mountain. The woods were so dark and the soil is that grayish blackish color which blends in with rocks that stick out like the tips of glaciers. The fire roads are a great way to make up time but they are so dangerous because it’s like your riding blind. I was flying down the first road and my front tire hit some rocks and made my front end look like it was doing some kind of salsa dance. When you loose control like that it’s kind of scary when you’re in 4th gear doing around 40mph. I don’t know what some of these younger kids think because they fly down these roads like they were paved. I guess they don’t have to worry about going to work the next day, or knowing what it would feel like to crash at that speed, or answering to a wife.
After my little bobble I got back in my groove and blitzed the rest of the course. I felt absolutely perfect, I felt like I was back on track like last year. My bike was working great, I felt great, the track was as good as it can get for Rausch Creek, and the weather was more that cooperative. I caught a guy here and there and for a good bit I found myself riding alone, just looking for someone ahead of me to push for. They decided to use parts of the motocross track again which was cool because there were no peaked doubles, just jumps that you could really launch off of and not have to worry about not making the landing. I felt so great and I knew that this was by far the best ride of the year. It wasn’t till about the 6th lap when I saw DHaggs Sr. It’s been a while since I’ve seen him out on the track so it was cool to catch up to him at this race. I passed him on a nice off-camber uphill that opened up to the last section of fire road on the mountain, I yelled at him but it wasn’t till after I learned that he didn’t hear or even see me pass him. He had some trouble of his own on the start. I guess he was a little confused as well and had a little crash that may have slowed him down but it didn’t stop him from finishing the race. He finished the raced and told me of his crash and when I looked at his knee I knew that it was pretty serious because blood was showing through his riding pants and those babies are made of some thick material. When he managed to start getting unchanged as soon as the van doors closed they seemed to open again and he said, “pack it up, I’m gonna have to go to the hospital for stitches.” So I packed everything up and headed home to drop him off at the local hospital. He left his one knee brace on and it’s a good thing he did because when he got to the hospital and they took it off the gauge in his knee split all the way open.
On the way home I just couldn’t help but to feel really good about my ride. I pushed as hard as I could for the whole two hours and four minutes that it took me to complete 7 laps on the 6 mile track. I ended up finishing in 7th place but I’m not worried because I know that the results will come. What’s important is that I feel like I’m in race shape again and I am looking forward to this weekends race at Hurricane Hills.
I will have to represent this weekend for DHaggs Harescramble Racing because #099 will be trackside nursing his knee. There were about 25 total stitches that went on the inside and outside of his wound. It’s amazing to think that he rode the whole race like that and managed to pull of a 6th place. Hopefully he’ll have a speedy recovery and make it back for one more race before the end of the season!
I would like to thank my sponsers: DHaggs Harescramble Racing, MSR, Scott USA, TAG Metals, Scott Powersports, Kenda Tires, Twin Air and Pivot Works!

Picture By: Dennis Haggerty Jr.

New Skippack Pics!

Round #13 Info

What: Round #13 Rausch Creek Motorsports Park - Tremont, PA

When: This Sunday the 23th of September/ Race starts approx. at 11:00am

Where: Directions: 309 North to I-78 West to Rt61 North to 183 South to 901 West to 209 South (Take 209 S through the town of Tremont and when you see I-81 about 200 yards in front of you the park is on your Right)

Pit Fee: ($10)

Unadilla Highlights Video!

Check out this awesome video posted by Racer X Films. It features highlights of this past weekends GNCC race at Unadilla. Just click on the logo above and it will take you directly to their page.
(*Sorry to say that either rider of the DHaggs Harescramble Racing Team does not make an appearance)

Unadilla GNCC Pics!

DHaggs Sr. Race Face
DHaggs Sr. on the Starting Line
DHaggs Jr. Standing Out
DHaggs Jr. after 3Hours

DHaggs Jr. Coming Outta Gravity Cavity

HillClimb - Pick a Line?

World Famous Unadilla Valley

What a Tease!

VIDEO: DHaggs Sr. on the Track!

Pictures By: Dennis Haggerty Jr. & Racedaypics.com

Video By: Dennis Haggerty Jr.

Unadilla Race Recap

Round #10 of the Can-Am Grand National Cross Country (GNCC) Series stopped in upstate New York at the world famous Unadilla Valley Sports Center. The all natural motocross track that lays in the foothills of scenic mountain backdrops is known to be one of the most rugged tracks in the country. 1600 plus riders, who raced this past weekend, not only tried their fate on such a track but also accepted the challenge to concur whatever nasty terrain laid in the dark neighboring woods. Mother-nature played a tease with down pours Friday night and hints of bright sunshine throughout the day on Saturday. For the first time in the three years since GNCC has been held at Unadilla, it seemed as if we were looking at perfect race conditions.
Jason Weigandt, who is the mastermind behind the GNCC website and plays host on the GNCC Racer Productions Television show, made a comment about how the weekends forecast looked great and how he foresaw no reason for it to be a washout like the years previous. Having known what it was like to race in such conditions at Unadilla in 2006, I found that his “jinx” made me feel a little aggravated. I made it a conscious effort to be on the lookout for Mr. Weigandt over the weekend just to say, “thanks a lot Weigandt, you almost jinxed us!” DHaggs Sr. raced in the morning and his class (Senior C 45+) was the last on the starting line. I was looking around at the first couple of turns to see if I could give him some advice as to what line to take and wouldn’t you believe that their stood Jason Weigandt about 10 feet behind me. I then simply said thanks for almost jinxing us like I planned and continued to tell him that he is a good writer and I check up on all of his work daily. He mentioned that there are a few Weigandt fans out there and how he couldn’t race in the morning race because of a bummed shoulder. It’s a weird feeling when you get to know someone just from reading their work and then you talk to them like you’re a complete stranger. Bottom line is Weigandts a cool guy, a good writer, and a first-class host and he’s just lucky that it wasn’t raining out when I saw him.
After my Dad and 600+ other riders rutted out the course in the morning amateur race, the starting lines began to fill again for the afternoons pro race. DHaggs Sr. ran a really good race finishing just over two hours. His results got a bit confusing because he was listed in the wrong class. His bar code was for the Senior C 40+ but he had a color sticker that lined him in the 45+ line so he was far behind on the start. I took his lap times and he would have placed 19th in the right class, which is impressive for his first showing at Unadilla. He gave me a little heads-up on the track when he came back to the pits and then I was off to the stating line for the three hour pro race.
There were about 45 guys in my line (250 B) and I got an okay start. On the second turn there was a pile-up so I was able to sneak around and make up some time on the first straight-away. I was probably about 7th or so heading into the woods behind my fellow District 6 racer, Jarod Kulp. The first lap was awesome, I don’t know what it was but I picked awesome lines as if I knew that everyone was the quickest. The track was laid out with a little bit of everything and there were a lot more rocks then I remembered from last year. One hill climb especially because they weren’t boulders like here in the state of PA. These rocks were loose and round like river rock and they were really slick. I had some trouble with two of these hill climbs because riders were getting stuck and although I was in a different line they seemed to find a way to fall in front of me. Finally the motocross track was chargeable and boy was that something that I have been waiting for. As tired as I was towards the end of the race I still found some energy to pin it all the way around the world-famous track. I was feeling a lot better then the previous weekends race where I was struggling with endurance due to my lingering lyme disease. I felt great and I was pushing hard through the first couple of laps. I got hung up here and there but overall I was making up time and I felt as if I was almost back into race shape. Problem is I would have been fine if it was a two hour race but in GNCC’s it’s the real deal and the checkered flag drops at 3 hours. After I made my pit stop, the lap that followed was when I began to feel fatigued. The course was getting really difficult because the hill-climbs where so rutted-out and the down-hills had tons of spider-web roots exposed. I came back around and pitted again to get some water and think about continuing the race. My pit-man DHaggs Sr. (Jimmy B was on medical leave) was yelling at me to just go out and finish and as out of breath as I was I still managed to get out how awesome David Knight is and how fast he passed me. It was Unadilla and that was all I had to think about so I was done with my water and headed out back into the woods. I made one more lap, I could barely hang on to my bike when I finished but seeing that checkered flag made it all worth while. I got my one point by finishing in 20th place. Not bad considering 250 B at a National level is no joke, and I was severely sick just about 3 weeks prior.
Overall it was a great weekend; I guess it just wouldn’t be a Unadilla GNCC without some rain. Racing resumes this weekend at Rausch Creek for round #14 of the PA State Series. We have one more GNCC on the schedule for the year in Ohio. Stay posted for results and pictures.
I would like to thank my sponsers: DHaggs Harescramble Racing, MSR, Scott USA, TAG Metals, Scott Powersports, Kenda Tires, Twin Air and Pivot Works!

Unadilla GNCC Race Info!

Round 10, Sept. 15 & 16
Unadilla Valley Sports Center in New Berlin, NY
From: GNCCRacing.com

This was an instant classic after its debut in 2005. The legendary Unadilla Valley Sports Center has been hosting motocross races since the late 1960’s, and the track has a world-wide reputation as one of the fastest, roughest moto courses ever made.The full-scale Unadilla motocross track (U1) will be used for the GNCC, which means wide, sweeping corners and some very steep elevation change. There are big jumps, but they are formed using the natural elevation of the terrain (no peaked doubles). In addition, the "U2" Unadilla amateur track will be used as well, so you'll see two motocross tracks per lap here.
The woods are fresh and tight, and covered in that trademark black NY loam. It rained in 2006, and the course became ver, very tough due to the soft soil. The New Yorkers are a hearty bunch and they're not afraid to tackle the mud.

One of the other benefits of this race is that a variety of local Hare Scramble series will be paying points. They include AMA District 3 in the CATRA and State Line Series, and AMA District 4 in the WNYOA Series. Also, WNYOA will be arranging pee wee racing for 50cc bikes on a seperate course, and, just added, 50cc ATV racing. There will also be a 60+ class, as well, as arranged by WNYOA.
There will NOT be an adult minibike race on Saturday night.
We WILL have Parts Unlimited dinner served from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Saturday night.
So we've got room for everyone to get involved, young and old, series regulars or newcomers. It's a once-in-a-lifetime chance to race on the legendary Unadilla track. Come check it out.

Can-Am is planning demo rides of their product across the street from the GNCC track.

2006 Winners: Bike - Nathan Kanney/ATV - Bill Ballance

Weekend Race Schedule
SATURDAY RACING - ATV
SUNDAY RACING - Bikes

10 AM: AMATEUR BIKES (2 hr)
Senior C (40+) ---> DHaggs SR.

1 PM: PRO BIKES (3 hr)
XC1 Pro
XC1 Pro
XC2 Pro Am
XC2 Pro Lites
College A (16-21)
Open A
Junior A (22+)
250 A
Vet A (30+)
200 A
College B (16-21)
4-Stroke A Lites
Junior B (22+)
Vet A (30+)
Vet B (30+)
Senior A (40+)
Senior (40+)
Open B
250 B ---> DHaggs JR.
200 B
4-Stroke B Lites
Vet B (30+)
Senior B (40+)

Fees:Weekend facility gate pass:$12 per weekend at all events.
Gates open at 9:00 am the Friday before before events, and close daily from midnight to 6:00 am. Please plan accordingly.

Directions: Located on State Highway #8, five miles north of New Berlin, New York. From the north take NYS Thruway (Rt. #90) to exit 31 (Utica). After the tollbooth, begin following signs for Route #8 SOUTH. Turn right after the tollbooth and make another right at the first light. You will go about 50 feet and exit to your right. Continue about 1 ½ miles and you will exit again at Route #8 south/ Route 5/12. Approximately 4 miles later you will exit one more time at “Route #8 South-New Hartford”. Once you exit here, you will stay on this road right to the racetrack.
From the south, take Rt. #81 north to Rt. I-88 east. Exit at exit #9- Sidney. At the top of the ramp, turn left onto Route #8 NORTH. Do not go to the Town of Unadilla.

UDVSC
5986 State Hwy 8,New Berlin, NY 13411

Round #12 Pics

"Pre-Race"
"On the Charge"
"925 'Cross the Field"

"DHaggs Jr. on the UpHill"

Pictures By: Christina Haggerty

Round #12 Race Recap

Round #12 of the Pennsylvania State Championship Harescramble Series was hosted by Back Mountain Enduro Riders in Dallas, PA. Once again for the second time this year both riders and spectators enjoyed nearly perfect conditions for a harescramble race. Although temperatures were in the 90’s, track conditions were perfect.
As many of you know Round #12 marked my return to racing after having Lymes disease for the past couple of weeks. It was unfortunate for me to miss Foot of the Mountain and the race I was looking forward to all year, the Somerset GNCC, which was held in Pennsylvania. I am by no means 100 percent race ready; I only was able to complete a couple of full workouts last week. I took this Back Mountain race as a pre-race to get ready for the granddaddy of them all – Unadilla, which is this weekend in upstate New York. I have been able to complete all of my workouts this week so Unadilla should be a better showing of results.
Everything is great about the event that is put on by the BMER club, from the $5 spectator fee to the spectacular track layout. I was upset that I wasn’t 100% for this round because Back Mountain is one of my favorite tracks. The track was laid out in reverse from the spring race and there were a couple new sections added on to make for better racing. After a rain storm on Saturday the track had some muddy spots but overall the soil was amazing. The only set back of the layout was how rough some of the sections were because they were extremely whooped out. Maybe it was my condition but I had some trouble hanging on in some sandy whooped out spots, other than that the track was awesome!
The race didn’t start off good for me because I had to double kick on the line so I got a crappy start. Once I came around to the scanner after the first lap I saw that I was way back in the pack. I thought that maybe I could push really hard on the second lap and try to maintain a points position for the rest of the race. After making my push I was dead exhausted and realized that I would be lucky to even finish. I realized that although I was feeling better, I was by no means in shape like I used to be. My body was drained for the past couple of weeks and although I’d like to think it; I wasn’t going to be in race shape in a weeks time. So I made the best of it and thought of it as riding time. I just tried to maintain a good speed through the course and not make stupid mistakes. I was happy to at least finish the race but I couldn’t help but to feel frustrated about how this season has been going. It certainly hasn’t been going as planned but I look forward to pushing through it and getting back on track and in the front of the pack, I know it’s not too late. I am doing everything I can to stay on schedule and put together some strong finishes to wrap up the year.
I am extremely excited for Unadilla this weekend! It will be good to not think about points but rather think about getting back on track, no pun intended. DHaggs Sr. is even going to ride this historic track in the morning race. Either way about it we’ll both be riding at the world famous Unadilla Valley Sports Center – DHaggs Harescramble Racing is BACK!
I would like to thank my sponsers: DHaggs Harescramble Racing, MSR, Scott USA, TAG Metals, Scott Powersports, Kenda Tires, Twin Air and Pivot Works!

Round #12 Info

What: Round # 12 Back Mountain Enduro Riders Club - Dallas,PA
When: This Sunday September 9th/Race Starts at 11:00
Where: Directions - I-476 NORTH to BEAR CREEK/WILKES-BARRE, exit #105, take a left onto PA-115 North. At the bottom of the mountain take Exit 1 (Rt 315 & 315 bus). This ramp will end take a right follow the To 81 signs. At the light take a left and stay on the lane from the ramp. This will put you on Interstate 81 South. Interstate 81 to Exit 164 (Nanticoke, old exit 44) to Route 29 North five miles to Route 11 North. The track is about 200 yards on your right.
Pit Fee: $10