The Usual Suspects

Port Colborne had the log hop. Barrie had the mud pits. Burnt River had rocks. Lots of rocks.
The third round of the CMA Hare Scrambles was held on June 15 at the Burnt River Off-Road Facility. The track was gruelling, with rocks and mud and elevation changes mapped into the approximately 15 km loop. The track was defined by the tube busting, tire destroying rocks. Points leader Jake Stapleton ended up with two flats, and was saved by the kindness of strangers, who helped his father-in-law change not one, but two, tires.
The morning classes saw the usual suspects out front.
In Youth racing Jesse Grummett took another win, followed by Mitchell Lawson who finished second. Finishing off the podium was Zachary Lewis of Ponty Pool.
Late morning classes saw the #377 KTM of Greg Filer take the win, positioning himself in first place over all. New face Richard Merrifield of Sault Ste. Marie took second place. Third place finisher was the familiar #395 Machine Honda of Mark Koens. After a less than spectacular finish in Barrie, Koens managed to race to a solid third and claim second over all in points.
Filer

Marrifield
Photo unavailable.

Koens

Usual suspect Ainsley Farr took the win at Burnt River in the Ladies’ Class, twisting that YZ85 out something fierce. Kate Knight of Burlington took second place aboard her RM125 and Diane Kim Filon finished off the podium with a solid third place. Now, given that most of the ladies, Knight aside, ride what are considered “Mini Bikes” (85s, 100s, 150Rs, TTR125s) their finishes here and at the mud pit in Barrie are very impressive.
Ainsley Farr

Knight

Filon
Photo unavailable.

The Super Vets saw Elmo Rutnik continue his streak with another win. Second place was claimed by Brian Holloway, and third belong to Steven Hart. These three men are in a tight points race with less than 15 points separating first and third!
Rutnik

Holloway

Hart

Vet action saw an all Orange podium, with Wayne Brogan in first, Keith Billings in second, and Jim Clayton in third, all running about KTMs. Much like the Super Vet class, the Orange boys are in a tight race, but this time with a wider spread of points.
Brogan

Billings

Clayton

After the morning classes dried up a few of the muddier spots, and exposed a few of the nastier rocks and roots, it was time for the big boys to swing their legs over their machines and put tire to rock.

And like the morning, often this tire/rock combo resulted in flats. Pro Jake Stapleton stopped twice to change tires, with a little help from some kind strangers. You learn something new everyday, and Stapleton’s father-in-law learned how to change a tire at Burnt River.
Vet Expert saw a trade off in usual position, with Chris Donald of Thedford take the win aboard his Honda. Second place belonged to Don Given, with Paul LaChance of Waterdown in third aboard his Yamaha. The boys of the Vet Expert class are certainly showing excellent skill. All three of the top three riders have each won a round, showing that on any given Sunday any of the top riders can win.
Donald

Given

LaChance

Intermediates saw Brandon Lawson, on the #752 Yamaha, take the win, with Desmond Magill, #171 KTM, taking home second and Christian Birker, #129 Yamaha, with third.
Lawson

Magill
Birker

There was upheaval in the Expert class, with previous round winner Chad Burford pulling off due to a flat tire early in the race. This left the door open for Kevin Burley to close the points gap on second place Frank Cantin. Burley took the win, with Nick Kardos taking second and Torin Linton in third.
Burley

Kardos
Photo unavailable.
Tor. Linton

The Pro class was the same ol’ same ol’. Stapleton, Wojnarowski and Vandenhoek finished first, second and third. As said before, Stapleton was forced to stop twice for a tire change. Wojo saved himself the trouble by running tire balls, little air filled rubber balls which are placed in the tire instead of a tube. The individual balls might pop, but so long as the majority of them remain inflated, according to a consulted mechanic, handling should not be compromised too much.
Stapleton

Wojnarowski

Vandenhoek

Stapleton and Wojo must have decided that the race wasn’t long enough and pulled around for a victory lap, to the amusement and enjoyment of the crowd. It seems that every week the crowd of people who stay to watch from the morning classes grows larger and larger. Perhaps they’re hoping to see a Wojo victory.
When asked about racing with Jake, Wojo commented: “Jake doesn’t make mistakes. You have to be perfect just to stay on his rear wheel.” Well, Wojo, you might not think you’re perfect, but it’s a known fact under those Yamaha tents that Stapleton his happy to have someone of your calibre to ride with!
To everyone who raced at Burnt River, congratulations! And big thank yous go out to Connie and all the volunteers at BRORF. Everyone was impressed with how well the course was laid out, the way the race was run, and the organization. Thumbs up to everyone involved!

We’re all looking forward to the newly formulated Burt River Provincial Hare Scramble Series!
See you at the races!
Tyler Linton, no, he didn't chip his tooth, it's just dirt. He's happy that he didn't have to stop for a tire change!