Season Opener

The morning is fresh; the grass is still covered with dew and the smell of two-stroke hangs in the air along with that familiar “brap!” sound and a soft cloud of blue smoke. No, you’re not having a flash back to the good ol’ days; you’re at a hare scramble! Sunday, May 25, saw the season opener of the Canadian National Hare Scramble series in Port Colborne. The gruelling race was hosted by the Niagra Timberline Riders and saw riders from as far away as Parry Sound and Austrailia. Yes, I said Austrailia.

Jake Stapleton, on the #3 Yamaha YZ250F, is a much anticipated addition to this year’s series. Having already proven himself on the world stage, Stapeton has come to race the hare scrambles here in our very own back yard! When asked if he thought he was going to take first place as expected, the humble Stapleton simply smiled shyly and said: “I hope so.” But back to the races…
The first race of the day was the Youth class, who ran a modified version of the full track. Jesse Grummett of Simcoe, Ontario took first place aboard his KTM. Peter Szymanski, of Jordan, Ontario, battled hard but was unable to battle back for first place. Rounding out the top three was Eric Young, the local hero from Port Colborne.
The afternoon saw another round of races and the opening of the intimidating log hop.

Novice A rider Greg Filer of Millgrove took the first win of the year, with Mark Koens, Tottenham, and Eric Landgord, also of Millgrove, coming in second and third respectively.
Filer

Koens

Landgord
No Picture Available.
The Ladies class saw only two bikes lined up at the start, piloted by Ainsley Farr and Amanda Hutchinson. Neither finished as Hutchinson pulled off, not feeling well, and Farr fouled a spark plug and had to have her bike carried back.
For the Veteran class Wayne Brogan of Palgrave took the win on his #922 KTM. He was followed by Jim Clayton of St. Thomas, who finished second, and Brian Zuest of Rockwood, who finished third.
Brogan

Clayton

B.Zuest

Super Vet, open to riders who are over 50, Elmo Rutnik, of Elora, took the first win of the year for his class. Steven Hart, of Bond Head, and Brian Holloway, of Parry sound, took second and third respectively.
Rutnik

Hart

Holloway

The morning classes wrapped up, and after a short break, the afternoon classes saw the Pros, Experts, Intermediate and Vet Experts line up for the first chance at victory.
Don Given of Grimsby, Ontario, took the win for the Vet Expert class, battling hard against Randy Zuest and Dave Nelson who took second and third.
Given

R.Zuest

D.Nelson

The Intermediate class saw Desmond Magill of Fergus take the win. Marcel Filion, from St. Catherines, took second and Jason Griffeth of Bowmanville filled out the podium with a very respectable third place.
Magill

Filion

Griffeth

Chad Burford, known in the pits for his hair and sideburns, put up a wild ride to win top honours in the Expert class, passing a couple of pros at the infamous log hop. Burford snuck in just before the cut off, and was the only member of the Expert class to run that extra lap. Frank Cantin took second and Jeff Pillon third, coming in just on the comfortable side of the two-and-a-half-hour mark.
Burford

Cantin

Pillon

The Pro class saw the above mentioned Stapleton, who calls Parry Sound his Ontario home, take the first win of the season. It wasn’t as bad as many had feared, however. Stapleton had a mere 1.33 minute lead on second place Mike Vandenhoek, not much by hare scramble or enduro standards. Brian Wojnarowski, who finished second, last year, took third place, rounding out the top three. All three riders rode an amazing race and should be proud of their results.
Stapleton

Vandenhoek

Wojnarowski

As a change of pace, and “to make things interesting,” one class in the morning, and one in the afternoon, was given a fifty dollar hole shot prize. The classes were drawn at random from a hat. For the morning, Super Vet Brian Holloway, who finished third, took the prize.


The afternoon saw the money go to Pro rider Aaron Wilkins, who finished just outside the top three in fourth, narrowly beating Tyler Linton, the day’s sixth place finisher, to the corner.

As the race day came to an end, congratulations were given all around. Many riders congratulated Jake Stapleton on his victory and Mike Vandenhoek on his second place. Hands were shaken and the atmosphere is one of relaxation. As the pits empty out, there are few full sized trailers, no factory sponsored semis.
They don’t do it for the money, as there is no purse to be won. They don’t do it for the glory, because there is none, their sport is barely known outside their ranks. They don’t do it to get national television coverage, it’s rare for even local television cameras to turn their eye on the sport.
These riders do it for the sheer joy of riding. The thrill of bringing the family out for a day filled with fun, friends and some good old fashion woods racing.
The season is still young, and extends into October this year, with races held all over southern Ontario. The next race is to be held at RJ’s Motorsports Park in Barrie, Ontario, on June 8, 2008. Put on by the Oshawa Competition MC Club, RJ’s is a fan favourite that always draws a crowd. After that it’s off to Burnt River on June 15. For the complete schedule and results go to the CMA’s website: http://www.canmocycle.ca/.
Thanks for reading, and I'll see you in the woods!!


Also, I appologize to #715, I could not find a picture of you to put up with the first and second. In the same vein, if I have misspelt or misjudged the numbers on the bikes, please forgive me. The magic marker numbers are not the easiest to read.