Back Mountain Sept.7th Race Recap!

Round # 12 of the Pennsylvania State Harescramble Series was hosted by BMER and was held “Down by the River,” in Dallas, PA. Luckily Dallas was just on the outskirts of the hurricane that struck the east coast on Saturday. The area did get rain and it was just enough to make the track challenging but also rideable. We couldn’t say that about the last race that was held here in the spring, it poured days before and the track was nearly unrideable – in fact borderline dangerous! This time around was a different story and although some spots were a mere reminder of the last race, most of the track was in excellent racing condition.
Since it was a PA State race they combine the Pro riders with the A riders and put them on the same line for the start. The start was a long straight away that went up the side of a hill which was a bit off camber, then it made a left and you dropped off the hill made a right and went right back up. There really was no inside or outside of the starting line but I was all the way to the left of the line hoping to get to the first left at the top of the hill before the rest of my competitors. I got some wheel spin off the start just because it was muddy but I got going and got a pretty good start. I was in the pack as we hit the first hill and then dropped off it. As we went through the one field section I started to get a feel for the terrain after the storm, I was hooking up pretty good so I was happy that it wasn’t a total slop fest. It wasn’t long before we hit the woods and again I entered with caution due to the conditions from the last race. I was happy to see that although some spots had water in the ruts, the majority of the woods was raceable. You really had to be on your toes though because some spots looked fine but they were slick as ice. It was a true test of tire traction and throttle control. I pushed with the pack for a bit and then set a pace that I could work with for the remainder of the race. I was feeling good, I was happy about the condition of the track, the layout of the course was awesome, the bike was working great, my tires were hooking up and physically I was feeling fine. There was low humidity which worked into my favor because how the past two races ended up was still lingering in the back of my mind. The first lap was over and I continued to stay on the same pace; I was able to push a bit more once the track started to get worn in a bit and some of the water was getting blown out of the ruts so you were able to see the bottom. With just about a mile left before my third lap I went down hard. The track goes under the highway that protrudes across the river and when I came flying trough that section I had to make a right and I was carrying a little too much speed so I took the outside line, blew the berm and there layed a log at the end of it. My back tire was already skidding and when my front tire hit that smooth greasy log - I had no chance. The bike went down to the right and I went flying over it, my right thigh took the end of the handlebar like someone sneaked up to me and kneed me in the side of the leg. When I picked the bike back up my handle bars were really bent. I regained my composure kicked the bike and was on my way but there was no way that I could ride like that. I pulled over and slammed my front tire into a tree to see if I couldn’t do something to straighten my bars out. Some how they went back enough for me not to really notice that they were that bent. It took me about a half of a lap before I was back on my pace again, I was frustrated about the crash but I couldn’t help to be having some fun with this track.
In the mean time I was having a good battle with another rider. We swapped positions a couple of times and when we came through the scanner I was one position up and then I’d be one down. I don’t know what it is about BMER but I never get the white flag so I put a watch on my bike and when I came through the scanner and my watch showed 1:45min I knew that it had to be the last lap. I now worked my way down to 9th place and I knew that I had to have a trouble free last lap to try and keep that position. Again I felt great and pushed my way through the last lap battling with other riders in my class. Not too far from where I went down and just shy of a mile from the finish I saw DHaggs Sr. still pushing. I made the pass and took the momentum into the scanner for the finish. I ended up in 9th Place for the day. I’ll take it, I felt good, and the bike felt good and despite that little slip I rode well and being mixed in with the pro guys was just a bonus.
DHaggs Sr. again put in a good effort and from what I hear his holeshot was one to see! (Pictures Below) He ended up with a 6th Place for the day despite a flat tire on the second lap. That’s right on the second lap, with the conditions being so muddy the tire pressure is set really low and since his stabilizer stepped up and took control he didn’t even realize that he had a flat until we were loading up the bikes.
Pitman Jimmy B did what he does best and assisted where needed. He even took some great pictures while providing trackside aid.
Next up is a return to Rausch Creek in two weeks, and hopefully it will be a lot cooler than the summer Round.
I would like to Thank my Sponsors: 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