PA STATE Round #4 May 5th Race Recap

Round #4 of the PA State Harescramble Series was held this past Sunday at Evansville MX Park in Evansville, PA. For the first time this year we headed up into the mountains and left the flat, tight, whooped out tracks of New Jersey behind us. After practicing in the sand all winter, and having the first three events on the schedule in NJ, I was really anticipating getting back onto some technical rugged terrain that only the hills of up state Pennsylvania could provide. Without a doubt the track at Evansville MX Park delivered, this type of terrain is what should come to mind when someone mentions a true harescramble track. Due to some heavy rain Saturday night the track was shortened to about 4 and a half miles which, is about less than half of a normal race track.
There were no signs of rain from above when we rolled into the pits before we unpacked. The track had some huge water puddles on it and the younger kids that went before us were caked in mud but it looked as if the track was going to shape up adequately. Just as we rolled to the starting line the sun started to shine and there wasn’t a cloud to be found in the sky.
Since this is a PA State round they do not have a pro line so that meant that all pros and A riders were to start off the same line. I was 4 from the inside and I got a good jump but there were a lot of riders to the outside who kind of pinched me off in the first turn. I have no idea where I was in the pack because it was such a mad rush off the line. We wrapped around the motocross track and down and up some screaming up hills and then we went into the woods. At the bottom of one of the hills a pack of us went through a huge muddy water hole and I was completely blinded with mud. The muddy water splashed under my roll offs making them useless so when we got into the woods I had to get rid of them. I saw Pitman Jimmy B when I came around for my second lap and then we made a short pit for some new goggles so that I would be able to see. It wasn’t long after we entered the woods until we hit a really tricky uphill. It was warn out from the kids before us who exposed a lot of tree roots and rocks. The hill was so steep which made it especially harder to find some traction to get some momentum. There were people stuck all over it too which meant that the good lines were taken and you had to gamble a bit to try and find another line up the mountain. Throughout the day no matter who was stuck on the hill or how the track workers switched up the track I managed to make it up all the hill climbs each time without putting out too much effort. As the race went on I maintained a good attitude, which was my goal for the day, and put my head down and rode my own race. Since the PA Series doesn’t have barcode scoring there was no scanner to show your position or lap time. I had no idea where I was throughout the race but that didn’t stop me from going as fast as I could for as long as I could. I made some really good decisions in the woods and I was smooth in the really rough stuff. I rode a good race, had a better attitude, and felt a lot better being up in the mountains again. After the results were posted I came in 10th place, which is acceptable on my terms considering I started on the same line as the pro riders. It was a good confidence booster for next week’s race.
DHaggs Sr. put in some hot laps as well finishing 4th in his class. He also mentioned that he made some good decisions back in the woods while he man handled the crazy up hills as well. He had some time off the bike so putting in a near miss at the podium is pretty impressive for a track like that.
Pitman Jimmy B continues to impress for the 2008 season. He’s back and feeling healthy after being sidelined last year with some back complications. He has been sharpening up his pit skills each week and looks forward to leading the team with his veteran knowledge, something that distingues him from “fill in” pit persons.
This weekend we are headed to OHIO for the John Penton GNCC. John Penton was the guy who brought KTM to America so this race is held to acknowledge his contribution to off-road racing in the US and it should be a lot of fun to attend. Race info for Round #6 of the Can-Am GNCC series is already posted on the site. Thanks for your support!
I would like to Thank my Sponosrs: DHAGGS Harescramble Racing, MSR Racing, Scott Powersports, Kenda USA, DP Brakes, Scott USA, TAG Metals, Decal Works, Twin Air, IMS, Devol Eng., FMF, TM Designworks, Cycra Racing